There is no free parking in Minneapolis

They’re called the Twin Cities, but if they really are twins they are clearly fraternal.

Saint Paul and Minneapolis share the same river, the same weather, and the same big University.  One might also mention that they share the same television stations, but nobody watches TV any more.

Over the years, one thing I have learned about Saint Paul’s suburban sibling is that there is simply no free parking anywhere over there.  Even in the absence of parking ramps, a lack of meters, and a dearth of dirt lots with signs announcing “Event Parking” in big letters, there are street signs to let you know that a bill from the city will be placed under your windshield wiper should you dare to park between this hour and that.

Last Thursday night, I parked near the Walker Art Institute.  It was after restricted hours.  Free parking?  Really?  In Minneapolis?

No, of course not.

The car that side-swiped mine while I was in the museum was probably white or silver.  It almost ripped the side-view mirror off, didn’t quite dent the front rim, did break a few pieces of plastic, and it put crinkles all along the driver’s door.  The damage wasn’t terrible, but it was extensive.  I went to the body shop for an estimate this morning.  It amounts to an $850 parking ticket.  Give or take a few dollars.

It bugs me.

It bugs me that there are people, including family and friends, dealing with the aftermath of a horrific natural disaster, and here I am having to deal with minor car damage that was caused by some idiot who did not have the decency to take the turn wide or leave a message on my windshield so that his/her insurance could cover it.

On second thought, the devastation done by Hurricane Sandy was probably due—in some part at least—to “human activity”.  Maybe we’re all paying for the fact that we’re all idiots.

No free parking in Minneapolis, and no Get Out of Global Climate Change Free cards either.  We all need to be prepared to pay up.

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