Public Service Message about the Snow
Tax class was cancelled tonight on account of the Nor'easter/foot of snow that they were/are expecting. It's a nice way to ease into the week. But it reminds me of something I've been meaning to write about: the snow, and Philadelphians response to shoveling it.
Many of Philadelphia's communities depend on on-street parking; there are not driveways or garages. This is a hassle to varying degrees, depending on where you live in Philly and the ratio of cars to parking available. When I lived in Queen Village, a neighborhood in Center City, it was a huge hassle. Not much on-street parking and even less when I got home from school at 10 pm. Ugh.
Now, I live in Mt. Airy, a suburban-like enclave with plenty o' parking. And yet, in both places, Philadelphians deal with snow in the same way. You see, they shovel their cars out of the snow, but leave a pile of it in front of their car, and a pile of it in back of their car. And then, they pull their car out of the little spot they have created, and put some sort of marker (a beach chair, a garbage can, an orange cone, a container of laundry detergent... they are a very creative bunch) to "save" their spot while they are gone.
This process is absurd for two reasons. One, it's a public street. You cannot save spots on a public street. This is not your driveway. This is not your garage. This is not your front yard. This is a public street. Shoveling your own car out of the snow does not entitle you to that spot for the next 3 weeks while the snow melts. The second reason is that if everyone shoveled their car out entirely, this would generally not be an issue. The street would be generally clear of snow and people could fend for their parking spots in the way they usually do. It strikes me as particularly un-neighborly out here in Mt. Airy, where people generally know each other, and often pride themselves on being part of a stable, friendly community, as opposed to the more transient and anonymous Center City neighborhoods. It seems more acceptable in Center City, in part because there's less space to actually put the snow when you're shoveling. But here in Mt. Airy, there's lots of grass to throw it onto when you're shoveling.
Do people in Boston or Seattle or New York or Cleveland do this, or is this another example of Philadelphia's unique, err, culture, like the courtroom they put in the Eagles' football stadium to deal with unruly fans? I'm thinking about un-saving all of the spots on my street, though I don't think that will help me win friends or influence people. Maybe a nice letter to the editor or flyer instead? All thoughts and ideas welcome.
Many of Philadelphia's communities depend on on-street parking; there are not driveways or garages. This is a hassle to varying degrees, depending on where you live in Philly and the ratio of cars to parking available. When I lived in Queen Village, a neighborhood in Center City, it was a huge hassle. Not much on-street parking and even less when I got home from school at 10 pm. Ugh.
Now, I live in Mt. Airy, a suburban-like enclave with plenty o' parking. And yet, in both places, Philadelphians deal with snow in the same way. You see, they shovel their cars out of the snow, but leave a pile of it in front of their car, and a pile of it in back of their car. And then, they pull their car out of the little spot they have created, and put some sort of marker (a beach chair, a garbage can, an orange cone, a container of laundry detergent... they are a very creative bunch) to "save" their spot while they are gone.
This process is absurd for two reasons. One, it's a public street. You cannot save spots on a public street. This is not your driveway. This is not your garage. This is not your front yard. This is a public street. Shoveling your own car out of the snow does not entitle you to that spot for the next 3 weeks while the snow melts. The second reason is that if everyone shoveled their car out entirely, this would generally not be an issue. The street would be generally clear of snow and people could fend for their parking spots in the way they usually do. It strikes me as particularly un-neighborly out here in Mt. Airy, where people generally know each other, and often pride themselves on being part of a stable, friendly community, as opposed to the more transient and anonymous Center City neighborhoods. It seems more acceptable in Center City, in part because there's less space to actually put the snow when you're shoveling. But here in Mt. Airy, there's lots of grass to throw it onto when you're shoveling.
Do people in Boston or Seattle or New York or Cleveland do this, or is this another example of Philadelphia's unique, err, culture, like the courtroom they put in the Eagles' football stadium to deal with unruly fans? I'm thinking about un-saving all of the spots on my street, though I don't think that will help me win friends or influence people. Maybe a nice letter to the editor or flyer instead? All thoughts and ideas welcome.
posted by Me at 9:09 PM
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