This complex is actually three buildings up from the beach, and we are surrounded by homes and other rental properties, all with inadequate parking. In the summer season, we are very much a tourist town, and we welcome them all as they bring tremendous tourist $$ for our area. And quite frankly, most of them are day trippers or weekenders, who are looking for a great family get-away: No different than many of us. Of course we laugh about the legendary question we locals are always asked, “Where’s the beach?”
Seldom is anyone more than a few blocks away from the ocean, they simply became disoriented trying to find a parking spot, so they can’t find the beach—which brings me back to the subject of this post.
There are some opportunistic people who have rudely pulled their cars into our lot and have left them for the weekend, totally disregarding the signs posted at the curb with a picture of a tow truck hooking a car. (They have received stickers slapped over their windshield. Yep, hard to remove.) We have just enough parking spaces in our lot for the tenants who own cars. The complex next door has assigned spaces with none slotted for visitors, plus many of the houses around here do not even have a driveway. So understandably, we locals are protective and territorial about our parking spaces.
Following are some of the excuses I have heard from those that I have firmly asked to move their cars, now!
Them: “I am visiting my friend next door.”
Me: “So park next door.
Them: “Well, you have all these empty spaces! What’s the problem?”
Me: “Yes, and those who pay rent here will be coming home from work and expect to park here.”
Them: eye roll.
Me: “Your choices are: maybe you get towed, or maybe I slap a large, sticky sign on your windshield. Your choice.”
Them: stare down.
Me: “Choose now.” Cell phone in hand.
Them: leave.
I spotted a man with a bunch of kids, unloading his trunk of beach paraphernalia: Obviously he is planning to stay the entire day. I challenged him that this is a private lot.
His reply: “I’m visiting my brother! Whatsa matter, ain’t my brother allowed to have visitors?!”
Me: “Name and apartment number of your brother?”
Him: silence.
Me: Stare down.
Him: leaves.
My personal favorite reactions are: the huff, the eye roll and the self-righteous statement, “I’m just visiting my friend.” Yeah, and that particular friend already has her boyfriend, her cousin and her mother in the lot. It was such a regular problem with this tenant that most of us gave up. I don’t always win the battles, thankfully she moved.
Fourth of July fireworks brings so many people from all over the county, and it has been such a problem with people parking in our lot, demanding that somehow it is their right, that they know someone here, they have a family, there is no other parking. Enough!
Now on that holiday, I just hang out in the lot with a spreadsheet of tenants’ car descriptions, plus license plate numbers. It seems to be more effective to have a list in front of me, as if I am now official? I actually have fun while out there, chatting with the tenants, sometimes sharing their snacks, and I get a little tan.
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