For most Westporters, yesterday evening was a chance to relax just a little bit longer, after a wonderful Independence Day weekend.
One driver though was apparently so stressed, he or she could not be bothered to use a parking space — even though most were empty, in the Saugatuck Craft Butchery/Garelick & Herbs parking lot.
Yes, this is an actual parking job. No, there was no one in the car.
(Photo/Jamie Walsh)
Did the driver have an immediate need for ice cream at Saugatuck Sweets? A drink at the Whelk?
Most times, these “entitled parking” photos evoke at least one defender, who points out a legalistic or otherwise morally suspect reason the driver may have parked as he or she did.
No one can dream up an excuse for this one.
Isn’t it obvious…the beemer took their spot!
Ran out of gas?
What if the driver were diabetic, took too much insulin and needed to get into one of the food shops ASAP to fend off insulin shock? How callous of you, Dan, to think the worst of our [extremely] fine local residents!
🙂
At the infamous Playhouse Square lot, I was once honked, yelled and cursed at by a driver occupying a similar “parking place” when I pulled up behind him as he prepared to leave…and didn’t back up quickly enough to afford him an easy exit.
Dan, your parking photos and commentary on the photos are among my most favorite of 06880.
Come on Dan, fess up! You are staging all these parking photos with your buddies so you can get a few laughs 🚙✌️
I only wish I were that clever.
Maybe she’s Italian… that’s how they park in Florence.
and Rome.
Maybe they are undercover cops who tracked their escaped convict there and are blocking them in while they capture them? 🙂
They’re buying emergency garbage bags and looking for their broken umbrella?
Could be — except they have forgotten to toss napkins and empty soda cups all over the place.
My wife and mother-in-law went to Saugatuck Sweet to meet some friends for Ice Cream last night and were in totally disbelief that someone would actually park like that and block another car in especially when there were plenty of spots available. I thought maybe they were running into one of the apartments because all the stores were closed. I watched as people drove by shaking their heads baffled. We got ice cream and noticed about 30 minutes later that a group of people casually strolled over and got in and drove away like nothing was wrong…. I do not know why Westport has a monopoly on rude and entitled drivers? Seems like we have cornered the market!
I think there’s more of a story here and just wish we knew it. I was there too, and there is absolutely zero chance that the driver of this vehicle didn’t know exactly what they were doing when they left their van smack in the middle of the lot blocking a car. I wonder whether this was an orchestrated prank?
Wow! So there isn’t a manhole right there?
just an ahole
SInce I have my business downtown next door to a café, I’m sure it’s the same excuse I’ve heard literally hundreds of times – ” But I’ll only be a minute”
Be kind, you guys. The driver might have had two broken arms and wasn’t able to get into a parking place. mmm
Tip of the incredible bad driver epidemic in our fair town. Speed limits a joke, bad road manners a disease! Help!!!
Why don’t these cars ever get ticketed?
Perhaps that’s why it keeps happening?
Rita Mae had had her hopes up, but she was late getting to the train station to pick up her recently estranged boyfriend, Ralph. Sounding oddly desperate, he’d only called for a ride he’d said, but she was certain there was more to it than that. Did he really need her help after all? Could her sensible influences somehow prevail now? She had to talk to him one more time. As a hypoglycemic hypochondriac with periodontal disease, his sweets-ridden diet would kill him if he didn’t change his ways. She knew that — knew it beyond the slender shadow of a 400,000 rpm dental drill. Would she be able to convince him? Where could he be? Suddenly she spotted his crimson red bimmer parked within a stone’s throw of pastries, cakes, ice cream! She yanked her Toyota into low gear, and careened into the parking lot, blocking him in as she ran into the store to confront him.
And then WHAT HAPPENED ?
Don’t leave us like that 😎
Really? okay then, here’s a bit more…
Rita Mae had thought all along it was hopeless. There was nothing she could say though Lord knows she had tried. As she burst through the heavy doors of the popular sweet shop, her angry eyes scanned the crowd. And then she saw him. His eyes met hers, and held her gaze with a sad defiance. His chin drooped to his chest and she could see a tall empty glass and a small dish of what looked like ice cream, a strange khaki color it was, and there it sat on the table square in front of him.
What could she say? What could she say that hadn’t been said before? Tears welled in her eyes and as she rushed toward him, wordless in unexpected passion, he lifted his head to smile at her as if his heart would break right then. Rita Mae gasped staring at Ralph, and stopped dead in her tracks. It had only been a week since she had last seen him but she could not believe what she now saw.
OMG….DON’T STOP NOW ! 😎
Dang. His teeth had rotted clean out of his head. In horror and unaccustomed disbelief (she had after all been his dentist), she fled through the room, her arms flailing crazily above the crowd like a drunken long distance swimmer, in way way over her head.
Gasping for breath she reached her Toyota, and threw herself across the still-warm hood in a despondent rage. (Can we imagine such a thing!) Sobbing as if she would never stop — for her lost love, and OMG, a lost patient too — through blurry tear-soaked eyes she noticed a perplexed onlooker whose very appearance looked much like a theatre-loving author and soccer coach. Except he was standing at an impossible angle. And that was the moment Rita Mae realized she had two flat tires.
to be cont’d…?
…Jo, you are a very compassionate — and weird — human being….xxx
Thanks, Stephanie, that made my day. I always knew I was special, just didn’t know quite how!
I’m guessing the driver of the red car was busy texting or talking on their phone while at a traffic light, finally moving when the light was turning yellow causing 3AFBT4 to have to wait for next light. However, 3AFBT4 saw the red car turn in to the parking lot so decided to follow them. Finding the car empty they parked them in and decided to have an ice cream while they waited for the driver to return so they could administer a proper beat down (or maybe just a toungue lashing) having become outraged over bad driver behavior from reading 06880. Red car driver, realizing what was going on, cravenly waited quietly around to avoid said beat down that they so well deserved with passengers from other car finally getting bored and leaving.
So, basically, red car was the instigator here though the vigilante justice intended by 3AFBT4 is not something I would encourage, particularly since red car drivers have a higher propensity to carry guns.
Now, if all Westporters focused on their creative thoughts and writing talents, maybe…just maybe….they would be more considerate when making parking decisions…and cleaning up after themselves at Compo…and picking up their dog s@#t at Haskins Preserve and Winslow Park and on my FRONT LAWN!!!
Lets get creative:
Bruce, it must have taken a while to wrap that car — he was parked there a long time. He should have been fined for littering too!
It was a joke! Despite the egregious appearance, we blocked in our friend’s car and the one parking space we would have legitimately used. Careful not to obstruct the other cars or traffic. So yeah, mea culpa; my apologies to Westport and its sanctimonious horde.
Jo’s story beats the truth, it was more interesting when we didn’t know!
It would have been funny except for your last comment. That’s not an apology. Call your mamma, ask for etiquette retraining.
HA! Knew the beemer was Ralph’s car all along! Nailed it…thanks Jo.
Lee, when another car parked by your car it made it extremely difficult for larger SUV’s to pass and put both your car and my car at risk of being clipped…which would have been a lousy joke for both of us! At least you had the “nuts” to own it! Apology accepted!
Oh…and…Lee…sanctimonious, hardly…common sensible…absolutely.
JOKE? On a public road? How old are you? Do you have equity in a body shop?
joke???Sanctimonious? It’s just plain rude and irresponsible to park as you did. Do rules just not pertain to you? We did stupid things like that in high school. What does it tell your kids? It’s ok honey…you’re entitled… Rules aren’t meant for you!
U da best 😎
Jo !
Did “we” run out of gas … ? RIGHT.
http://cdn.twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/ferret.jpg?27a767