Parking in LA sucks
 

This is pretty obvious, but for those that aren't from big cities, here's my story of how [censored] up it all is.

I moved here last Friday for a new job (Wilshire and San Vicente for those that know the area) from Orange County where parking is mostly free and plentiful. That day I ask about getting a parking space and my work informs me that parking isn't paid by the company, something they forgot to tell me in the interview. I ask how much it is...$110/month. That's crazy. That's pretty much half price of paying the full day rate of $11/day.

So, when looking for a place to live, I decide to look for something close by that I can walk from. I found a place almost exactly a half mile away. Sweet. Well, I have a roommate and without getting into too much detail, we have one non-street parking space, so one person needs to park on the street. On this street from 8AM-6PM, you can only park for 2 hours, unless you have a permit, which is like $30/year. Annoying rules, but reasonable price.

I drive to work today and at lunch pay $11 to leave after working just 3 hours and go get my permit. I go inside the permit place, get a number, and go get the form. Once I read the form, I feel like shooting someone. First, I must have proof of residence in that "parking zone". WTF? I just moved and I'm not on any lease or going to be on any of the bills, so I don't have anything to show them. I figure I'll have to come back and have my roommate get me the permit...but wait, that would be too [censored] easy. The form says the car that the permit is for must be registered at that address as well. Blow me LA. I walk out and somehow get charged $6 for the little time I'm parked in their damn garage.

Now I've got to deal with the damn DMV to get my address changed on my registration, then I have to get my roommate to go down and get me the permit. Until then, I have to play musical chairs with my car every 2 hour or pay $11 to park at work.

Anybody in LA had this same problem? If I waited at the permit place for a half hour, could I have told them my situation and not have to mess with the registration address change and bringing in my roommate? I'm hoping the rules aren't strict as they seem to be.

Cliffs Notes: Spent $17 on about 3.5 hours of parking today and find out that I can't even park on my own street for more than 2 hours or get a permit to do so because I don't have myself or my car registered as living at my new address yet.

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

You basically need to have a place with a parking space in it, and I think the goal is to make living there as miserable as possible. At least it's a halfway decent area.

I don't have any answers, though I'm out there a lot since my GF works fairly close to there (Avenue of the Stars).

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

[ QUOTE ]
I ask how much it is...$110/month

[/ QUOTE ]

We pay $250/month for each parking spot in downtown Seattle.

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

DKS,

So you thought you would just walk into the parking place and grab a residential parking permit for a certain location with no documentation of any sort that you live there?

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

The absence of free parking was pretty much the thing I hate most about LA as well.

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

i lived in hollywood for 3 years and in that time i spent over $3000 on parking tickets and tow yard fees.

it was well worth it though as i love LA and will probably move back someday. just a cost of living in a place where everyone wants to live. you can park anywhere you want for free in podunk, idaho. DUCY?

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

I'm thinking that asking coworkers how the [censored] they park would be the right play.

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm thinking that asking coworkers how the [censored] they park would be the right play.

[/ QUOTE ]

$110/mo is how. They all seem to live much farther away.

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

[ QUOTE ]
DKS,

So you thought you would just walk into the parking place and grab a residential parking permit for a certain location with no documentation of any sort that you live there?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not really. Just wishful thinking that at the very least I could get my roommate to get me a permit with little hassle.

Re: Parking in LA sucks
 

This is what you get for moving north [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]