Re-Learning How to Park

My upbringing in suburban California did nothing to prepare me for the challenges of parking in a metropolitan city like Honolulu.  I was spoiled in California.  Wide open parking lots brimming with spaces.  Miles of open curb to sidle up to at my whim and leisure.  I would scoff at the idea of parallel parking.  All I had to do was drive a half a block in another direction and there would surely be a space.  People don't parallel park in California, because the majority of people in California have no idea how to do it (and they don't really have to learn anyway).  I know, because I was atrocious at it, and had no desire to improve my skills.  That is, until I was forced to do so--in Hawaii.   About the worst it could get in California was parking in LA, which I always dreaded.  But LA parking does not hold a candle to parking in Honolulu. 



Not an uncommon scene in Honolulu.  Believe it or not, this guy actually managed to slip in without bumping either car.




Parking here is often like maneuvering through an obstacle course.  Posts and walls routinely block your way.  And the spaces are so small that you have to suck in your breath in order to squeeze into them.  Many of the shops and restaurants do not have their own parking, and those that do gladly charge an arm and a leg to use them.  In fact, many of the rental units do not even have parking.  When I was searching for a place to live, many landlords brazenly stated in their adds NO PARKING and proudly added a line about which bus lines the unit was located next to.

Parking in a place like this takes a little more time and care.  You can't just burst in and out of your parking spaces.  You never know who or what you might hit.  So I have learned to take it a little slower--something Californians also do not know how to do.  I have traded the fast lane for the squishy lane.  Streets are narrow and almost claustrophobic at times.  But as a result my driving skills have improved immensely.  Whereas before I was rushing for place to place to get there the fastest way possible, now I take more time and watch out for other drivers.  For the first time in my life, I have become a defensive driver.  And it actually feels good to be on the road.