Cost of NYC Street Parking: 1 Year of Life for each Year Parked

Friday, June 3rd: ~10:00pm

Daycare is a blessing, but it's rather incredible just how much needs to get done before 7:00am to make it happen.  This morning we woke at 6:00am to shower, prepare bottles and lunch, and get Mimi dressed so that Sumie could leave the house with Mimi by 7:00.  Happy to say that we made it. 

We're retaining daycare for Mimi on Tuesdays and Fridays for June.  This is, in part, so that I can transition to being a full-time care-giver, have time to work on the move to SF, and enjoy some downtime.  The primary reason for Tuesday and Friday daycare is, however, parking. 

In NYC we have something called "alternate side parking."  "Alternate side" is basically shorthand for the street cleaning regulations that govern Manhattan and the outer boroughs (and the lives of anyone who needs to park on the street in the city).  On each side of any street in the city you'll find signs like these. 

In Manhattan, on the residential streets, you'll find "Tuesday and Friday" signs on one side of the street and "Monday and Thursday" signs on the other.  So, people who need to park on the street during the day only have one day, Wednesday, that they don't have to really worry about.  It's a rather cruel system, especially when one forgets to move his car and it's plastered with an impossible-to-remove "badge of shame" warning, but fair.  It wasn't much of an issue when I worked in NJ, as I would drive my car out of the city each day when the streets were being cleaned, but now that I'm at home, it's a source of worry. 

This is ultimately why our daycare days are spread out the way they are.  With Mimi in daycare on Tuesday and Friday, I can take the car over to Fairway market on the west side, do the shopping for the next few days, and then speed across Central Park in time to get back to nab a spot good for the next several days.  I have to make sure I get back to the spot by 10:00am, even though the regulations end at 10:30, because all the spots are filled otherwise.  Sliding in at 10:00, I wait out the remaining 30 minutes in my car, along with many of my neighbors.  It's a pretty good system and has been working well so far.  Much less stressful than when I was commuting to NJ.

I've parked my cars on Manhattan streets every night for the past 9 years.  Here are some of my personal parking stats:

• Average distance parked from my apartment: 2-3 blocks
• Number of times I find a parking spot on my block: Once a week
• Number of times I find a parking spot in front of my apartment: Once a month
• Average time spent finding parking: 20 minutes
• Farthest I needed to park from my apartment:  32 blocks (I actually had to take the subway to get home!  It was the day before Thanksgiving and the entire eastern seaboard had decided to visit the Upper West Side by car.)
• Longest it took me to find parking:  1hour, 45 minutes (This day actually resulted in two complete mental breakdowns, both behind the wheel)
• Number of out-of-state drivers looking for parking in my neighborhood who I have condemned fates I'd rather not share:  beyond comprehension

About three years ago, I was sharing my parking frustration with Sumie.  I told her, "I think that for each year I've parked on the street, I've lost a year off the end of my life."  At that time I'd been parking on the street for 6 years.  Sumie was concerned, shocked even, at least until we started running the numbers.  I told her, "Well, at $500.00 a month for parking, I figure I've saved about $36,000 so far."  Her mood instantly brightened.  "That's not too bad!" she said.  At least I know where I stand!

I'm happy to say that with having left work, the parking stress has virtually vanished.  And take a look at this spot I found the other day.  Prime location, good for 70 hours, and Mimi approved!

This weekend we're taking Mimi up to visit Sumie's parents and then leaving her there for the evening to attend a friend's wedding in PA.  We "think" she'll do well, but she's never been away from us for anywhere near that long except for at daycare.  Wish her luck!

-Steve