I was invited to dinner that night by my preacher’s wife and two ladies from my church. They wanted to meet at Brio's, an upscale Italian restaurant. The location given to me was City Centre somewhere in the Town and Country district. Being unfamiliar with the area, I was unaware that there was a difference in City Centre and Town and Country, nor did I know that you did not have the liberty to park anywhere and shop both districts. When you drive into the area, every single street is named after Town and Country something: lane, street, avenue, way, boulevard. Other than some fancy flags, there is no distinction between the two shopping districts. It is a hip and happening venue - live music on weekend evenings with upscale stores and restaurants in abundance. People from across the Houston Metro area drive in to spend endless hours shopping, dining, and strolling. Parking is a beast to deal with. The parking garages are usually full, as are most of the parking lots. The parallel parking on the main streets is prime property on the weekends. You are either struck with dumb luck finding a place, or God has blessed you with the parking angels guiding your way. In the parking process, one must dart between moving traffic and dodge pedestrians and strollers.
One of the trio of friends told me she would meet me on a specific corner, jump in my car, and show me where to park. Luck was with me, and I found her pretty quickly. She jumped in the front seat as shoppers behind me fumed at my twelve second delay of their evening plans. We traveled a block or two down the way, spotted a fairly empty parking lot in a strip center, and waited for that split second when I could gun the engine to race into the lot between oncoming cars. With oncoming traffic as heavy as it was, there was no way I could have stopped at the entrance of the lot to read the 10x20 inch signs posted. If I had, oncoming traffic would have slammed into me, cars would have been honking, and everyone else trying to enter the lot would have been furious with me for holding them up. We went to the very BACK of the lot where very few cars were parked and walked to our restaurant a half block away. MIND YOU, THERE WERE NO SIGNS IN THE LOT ITSELF, AT THE BACK OF THE LOT, OR POSTED ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE LOT EXCEPT THE ENTRANCE AND EXIT. As we left the lot, a police officer in a fancy golf cart casually drove past us. He didn’t stop to say a word to us. He merely smiled. [I think he was listening to the cash register dinging in his head.]
I enjoyed a delightful meal with my friends, one of whom picked up the tab. We celebrated my service to the church as music director, solved the problems of the world and had a few good laughs. At the end of the evening, my 'parking' friend and I walked together to get our cars - WHICH WEREN'T THERE!!!!! We were joined in our confused circling of the lot by a woman and her daughter and a young couple with a small boy. Frantic phone calls were made to ascertain the whereabouts of our vehicles while we witnessed another car being prepared to be towed. As we walked toward the front of the lot to wait for one of our friends to rescue us, we saw the sign: Parking for Town and Country Patrons Only. WE WERE ON FREAKING TOWN AND COUNTRY BOULEVARD!!! WHO KNEW THE DIFFERENCE?
The vehicles were towed a mere three miles away. It was pitch dark, the area was not well lit and it was downright spooky for three women to be alone in that section of town. We get in line with the young couple who shared our fate. Meanwhile, they are bringing in cars one after the other – a Mercedes, a BMW, and several Hondas. It was a good night for them. Near the check-in window was a very large sign stating that they would accept cash and electronic payments only – credit card, debit, electronic check, etc. I was lucky that I had a copy of my current insurance card in my wallet. I stepped up to the window, presented my I.D., insurance card, and credit card. She looked at me and said, “Debit only, no credit.” I pointed at the sign. She reiterated that they would only take a debit card. Thank goodness I had a little money in the bank. The fee was $218.30!! In the span of time it took us to get our automobiles out of jail, I figured someone made over $1,500.00. Between the Town and Country Village Association and the towing company, this was a sweet deal indeed. My friend had to leave, go get a copy of her insurance card, visit an ATM for cash and find her divorce decree to prove why her name was different on her I.D. and her insurance card. Guess what? They don’t give change. She handed them $220.00 cash and they kept the change. If that happened fifty times a night, they pocket an extra $85.00.
Here is my beef . . . if they had posted signs that were obvious within the lot that did not put you in jeopardy when you stopped to read them at the entrance, I still wouldn’t have known that there was a difference in Town and Country and City Centre. It was a mere one-third block span between the two. How would tourists know this fact? And how would the Association know if someone choosing to dine in City Centre did not come back and shop in Town and Country? To top it all off, the young couple’s car was towed with their child’s car seat in it. They had no safe transport for their child, required by law to be in a car seat, while riding in a taxi on Houston freeways. They even told us that they had walked across the street and looked in some of Town and Country’s stores before they walked down into the other section, not having a clue they would have to pay a towing fee that they couldn’t afford – just because they didn’t spend money on that side of the block.
There were a number of businesses that were closed for the evening in that sector. I can see no harm in taking up parking in a place that is not showing signs of needing their spaces for their patrons. That Association knows full well how busy that area is. I am sure they also know that the whole world is not beating a path to every single one of their stores.
Why can’t we all just share and get along?
Hats off to you, Town and Country Village Association.
Ka-ching!!!
You have a great deal going for yourself. I will never patronize an establishment in your shopping district. My friends, and everyone sharing my experience at the impound lot, said the same thing. My blog has about 185 readers a month. That may not sound like a lot, but word spreads. 