Sunday, April 10, 2022

The Sunday Five: Parking


Parking in the Washington DC area can be a challenge, there are more cars than parking spaces, so when you find one, dive for it.  Parking garages can be expensive, and can be tight.  My advice, DO NOT DRIVE IN Washington DC. I took this photo, because I had done such a perfect job of parallel parking, first try. 

1: Are you good at parallel parking? 

2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? 

3: Does you car have a back-up camera? 

4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? 

5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? 

My Answers:

1: Are you good at parallel parking? Most of the time no, then I get it right from time to time. 

2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? Pull in forward. 

3: Does you car have a back-up camera? The VW no, Sweet Bear's car, yes. 

4: Does you nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? Yes. 

5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? The examiner pointed to a 100 car parking lot that was virtually empty and said, "get it in there and get it stopped without hitting anything and you passed."

Please share your answers in the comments.  


19 comments:

  1. 1. I'm ok at parallel parking. I do it less and less so I feel my skills are diminishing.
    2. Depends on the lot. Grocery stuff, in. Work garage, out.
    3. Yes. It also has park assist, which should self steer into parallel parking. I've never been brave enough to use it for fear of it hitting another car.
    4. No. We once had a store w a garage (not underground), but it went belly up in about 18 mos.
    5. They had just replaced parallel parking with maneuvering. Basically agility with cones. One the way back to the center, I turned to soon and when one partial wheel up on the curb. He still passed me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I lot of people feel that way about park assist

      Delete
  2. 1: Are you good at parallel parking? Given enough time I'm not bad at it.

    2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? People who back in need to be arrested. They say it makes it easier getting out of the space, but backing in is the same as backing out. Now, I have driven INTO spot from the other side if that space is empty so it looks like I backed in but I did not.

    3: Does you car have a back-up camera? It does not.

    4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? It does not, \but the Publix we used in Miami have rooftop parking.

    5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? It's been so long all I can remember is how difficult it was to work the horse AND the buggy into a parking space.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is a Kroger store near the university in Lexington that rebuilt with parking on the rood, so they could expand the store. The location was to good to move from.

      Delete
  3. 1: Are you good at parallel parking? No. I marvel at my city kids who can whip a car into the tiniest spot in no time at all. Me, I'll drive around for an hour or pay an exorbitant fee to a parking garage. The Spot Hero app is my friend!

    2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? Forward.

    3: Does you car have a back-up camera? Yes. I appreciate it more for seeing the pedestrians who want to walk behind a car that is backing out of a parking spot.

    4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? No.

    5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? There was a designated curb for parallel parking in front of the BMV. My parents had a Mercury Marquis (nickname was Bubba). I could not parallel park that car to save my life, so they rented a smaller car for my driver's test. Bles them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had done almost all of my driving in a pick-up truck, my father insisted I drive his massive Chrysler

      Delete
  4. Anonymous4/10/2022

    1. I once was but because I rarely parallel park now my skills have fallen to the level of sometimes ok, sometimes not.
    2. To me it is a queer thing to reverse park in a carpark. Are you a criminal and need a quick get away?
    3. I totally rely on the reversing camera now.
    4. Yes and no. Major shopping centres near us do have parking.
    5. I had to do real life parallel parking between parked cars for my driving test. A mark was taken off because tester did not see me use my rear-view mirror. I did and some decades later, I am still angry about that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Points for process over outcome

      Delete
  5. 1. Yes, I am an excellent parallel parker.
    2. I pull in forward, always.
    3. No back-up camera on my Yaris.
    4. No. Very few private businesses in my city have underground parking. We have lots of space. Everything is surface parking.
    5. I lost no points for parallel parking on my driving test. Practice makes perfect! And I had practised for hours, parallel parking between two of my Dad's sawhorses.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1. Horrible at it. Learned to drive during an icy winter and the instructor spent the time on the course teaching me to come out of a skid on ice rather than parallel park. Which has actually saved me at least twice.
    2. Pull in.
    3. Rented a car with a camera and wish I had one.
    4. Never even seen a garage with underground parking.
    5. Had parking tests in 2 states; the one was just pulling into and out of a parking space, the other just pulled up in front of the facility and we called it a day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't drive in the snow until my mid 30's, the first time was an adventure.

      Delete
  7. 1. I totally suck at parallel parking! Unlearnable for me, like manual driving.
    2. I only back into one thing, and it doesn't involve a vehicle.
    3. No car camera. I rarely look into my passenger side mirror. A camera would be way too distracting.
    4. Nope
    5. Surprising enough, the parking part of my test was virtually stress free, considering I was almost run over by a semi on the way to the DMV. Didn't have to parallel park so I aced it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Being run over by a truck hurts, best to avoid it.

      Delete
  8. 1: Are you good at parallel parking? I used to be, not so much any more.

    2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? pull in forward

    3: Does you car have a back-up camera? No

    4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? No

    5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? It's been so long, I can't remember.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so terrified that I would fail at parallel parking, that I may never forget. The back up camera is handy.

      Delete
  9. Ooops, look like Blogger ate my comment!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will give it a stern talking to.

      Delete
  10. 1: Are you good at parallel parking? I have not tried in decades; I doubt I could do it.

    2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? I swing both ways. I am versatile.

    3: Does you car have a back-up camera? yes

    4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? there is nothing underground like that here.

    5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? There are no written records or survivors.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1: Are you good at parallel parking? Yes.
    2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? Depends on visibility when backing out and also my mood.
    3: Does you car have a back-up camera? Yes.
    4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? Yes.
    5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? NYC driving test in the early ´70s with a nasty examiner. I aced it and was made to do the entire test a second time because he was in a mood. I parallel parked (perfectly) twice, which really seemed to piss him off. I don't think he liked flower children 17-year-olds with hair to their shoulders.

    ReplyDelete