You are ecstatic. You just got the job downtown. Now you can afford to spend a little extra money on the flat panel plasma TV your husband has been bugging you about. You can afford the finer things in life now that you have that highly sought after position in that accounting firm downtown. But wait, maybe you should consider all of the expenses your new position requires.

Parking Downtown: A Marathon Of Quarters, Nickels, And Dimes

Now that you have the job downtown, you're going to need a place to park your car once you get there. That means finding a parking space, which is like trying to find a sober person in a bar. If your downtown is anything like all the other American downtowns, you are going to have to park your car on the street blocks far from where you actually work. Not only do you have to hike to work in your pumps, you have to pull the 6 dollars in quarters from the Ziploc baggy in your purse and feed the meter. Unfortunately, most city meters only let you park for 2 hours, so now you have to come back and either move your car to another parking spot 5 miles from your office or you have to feed another handful of money to the meter. Rinse and repeat. Parking at meters is not only costly, it's tiring! Maybe garage parking is a better choice, maybe.

Garage Parking: An Alternative?

In the downtown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, parking is a nightmare come to life. Parking on the street is costly, aggravating, and in some cases, dangerous. Sure, there are a few parking garages but are they really any better?

Garage parking can be a curse or a blessing. To those who work close to a parking garage, its nice to not have to speed walk to work. For those who like having your car protected from the elements, you find a rain free, snow free haven for your car. These are great things, wonderful things that garage parking can do for people, but there is a downside, a big one!

In order for you to be allowed into the parking garage you have to have a parking pass. This means that you pay between $50 to $75 dollars a month to park there. For some, that might not be a steep price to pay, but for some, that is more than a day's wages. Price is a set back, but so are the long waiting lists. Garage parking is limited to the amount of spaces a particular parking garage has. If a parking garage has only 350 spaces, they can only hand out 300 parking passes. Yeah, I realize that there is a difference of 50 spaces, but most garages like to keep a couple of extra free for the garage staff, emergency vehicles, and just to be stingy. If someone quits their job, gets fired, moves on to other parking garage, whoever is next on the waiting list gets the pass. If you are lucky enough to get on the waiting list, you just might be lucky enough to get a pass.

With all the hassles, costs, and constant waiting, why would you want to put yourself through garage parking? Instead of commuting to work, try taking a bus, hitching a ride, or just use that $75 you would have paid for a parking spot for a taxi ride. There are alternatives to downtown parking, and unless you want to pull your hair out over it, you might want to try one of them.