F I R S TP R E V367NEXTLAST

The Perils of Parking, San Francisco
If you're goin' to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair... but don't bring your car. The average vacant parking space in the city lasts seven seconds and once you do park you may find that a quarter in a downtown meter might buy you as little as two minutes. San Francisco parking rates are higher than Manhattan and nearly triple that of Los Angeles, bringing in over $55 million dollars in revenue last year. While I was dining in North Beach on Friday night I watched a ballet of twelve tow trucks haul off car-after-car exactly one minute past the posted eight PM curfew. Although parking lots are safe they're expensive and sometimes full. The good news is that the city is small, so taxis and public transportation can get you wherever walking can't. So if you're coming, save yourself the headache and expense of parking in the city and only rent a car for that day trip up to the wine country or down to Carmel.
[ MAP J-11 ]