subject: Parking Your Car [print this page] Too often (depending on what time of day it is), I will leave my apartment to go run an errand or to hang out with friends, and if I get back after 7 p.m. On most days, I cannot find a parking space anywhere near my building. It has gotten to the point where people who live in the apartments in the buildings around me have actually resorted to simply parking illegally because they simply cannot find a parking space otherwise. Well, finally enough complaints have come in that the management office of our apartment complex recently sent out notices to each of us letting us know that they will soon start issuing parking passes for residents to put in their windows. However, I worry that people who don't live here or whose vehicles aren't listed with those who are registered residents of this apartment, will somehow find a way around this new rule.
As it is, over the last few months of winter, whenever my boyfriend and I would go food shopping, we would often do our food shopping late at night in order to avoid the massive crowds of people at the supermarket. It was better this way because our supermarket (as well as the Walmart) were open 24 hours a day. However, when we would finish our food shopping and get back to our apartment, there wouldn't be anywhere for us to park. We started getting used to parking at least a half a mile away from our apartment building. It has now gotten to the point where if we don't do our food shopping during the middle of the day (when it isn't quite as crowded), then we will almost always be guaranteed not to get a parking space near our apartment building.
One of the perks of being a home owner is having a guaranteed place to park your car. In most cases, owning a home also means that you will have a covered garage in which to park your car when you are not using it. These are two things that I, personally, look forward to having one day. When you own a home, it can sometimes be aggravating to walk out of your front door and see that someone else has parked their vehicle on or in front of your property (depending on how far your property line stretched out in front of you home). One of the things that drives my own parents crazy is when they are home and they see or hear someone pull into our driveway so that they can turn around. Because I know that this annoys many homeowners, I try not to do this when I am driving. Instead, I go to the next block on the street or neighborhood that I am in and conduct my u-turn there.
Whether you live in a house or in an apartment building, be aware of how others around you feel. If, for instance, you are visiting friends who live in an apartment or a house, ask them ahead of time where the best or most acceptable place is to park so that you don't aggravate other people.
