And another thing……I’m not the only Santa Cruz resident who has to think twice about going to dinner or movies downtown. Problem is — the two hour parking meters, each one of which is attached to a predatory meter “person” with a stop watch.
How the hell are we supposed to go to a movie? Or a dinner that last longer than 2 hours?
Case in point. We went early to Soif on Bastille Day Рto make sure we could find a parking spot. We loaded the meter with quarters, and proceeded to have a terrific time with the never-better cuisine of Chris Avila (killer pork rillettes, tuna tartare, heirloom tomatoes, pat̩ de compagne) and French wines to match. We even went back out a few minutes before our meter was going to expire, and added MORE quarters.
When we left – after 2 and 3/4 hours of wonderful dining and vivacious conversation at our festive table of eight – there was a ticket on my car. Even though we’d put in enough money, the meter was programmed for only two hours. Now. I repeat my question. Where are we to park in order to spend quality ($$$$) time downtown? (And don’t tell me the “parking structure” – which for a lot of reasons isn’t an option).
Why not install three hour meters? Most people would gladly pay more (if it’s about the money) and not have to agonize about getting up in the middle of dinner just to move their ^$&*(_ car!!!
