OK, back to the Frozen Four Semifinals on Thursday (and BTW, I'm still trying to get a ticket for tonight's Final, but I'm not holding out hope). My sphincter was in a knot about parking. When the Final Four was last in St. Paul in 2011, I was able to park downtown for free, because then, the meters were only enforced during the week until 4. Blissfully anachronistic, I was sure I was able to find a spot for Thursday, then for Saturday. The cheapskate in me who hates paying for parking loved St. Paul.
But then they expanded the hours of enforcement and I couldn't park there anymore. They expanded enforcement to Saturday too, which meant that I haven't gone to Minnesota RollerGirls derbies since. For sporting events I have resolved to still watch, I do something that may not be kosher: I park at a strip mall, then use the Central Corridor/Green Line LRT into downtown. I will pay four bucks for transportation, but not ten or more for parking.
It's been bothering me in the back of my mind that it is sort of illegal. I kind of think that I'll get caught one of these days, that I'll arrive back to seeing my car with a ticket in the windshield, or not seeing my car parked there at all. But it's a principle of mine not to pay for parking, so ever since St. Paul changed its parking rules, this is what I have done.
On Thursday I did the usual thing. The strip mall I have used is the one that has been almost carved up by Allianz Field, the new pitch for Minnesota United that will be completed next year. When I heard that that place was the space for the new stadium, I thought I would have to find a new mall because I assumed they were razing the entire mall, but apparently, a "strip" of the strip mall, so to speak, is staying, as is a couple of rows of free parking.
I have parked there a couple times since construction began, and that was my plan on Thursday. But as I was creeping to the parking lot, I saw a cop car. And then I saw a security car. Are they stepping up enforcement now? I didn't like the vibe of the place, so I drove off.
I then went to a Plan B, another place I thought of parking. To the east of this strip mall is a Wal-Mart, and east of that, a Target. They have gigantic parking lots; I have just not used them because the walk from there to the nearest LRT stop is longer than the distance between the strip mall parking lot and its nearest LRT stop. But there were no security cops around Target, so I found a spot and stopped ... but wait -- is that a ... tow truck? There was a tow truck parked on the street, not too far away from where I parked at Target. Is that truck waiting for people like me? Then I saw the sign on the street; you can park on the street during the day, but only for two hours. I presumed the truck is either predating cars on the street, or its driver is taking a nap or shopping at Target. Anyway, I convinced myself that I was being paranoid. I shut my car door, locked it, then walked in a direction away from Target.
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There were many thoughts swirling in my head during the Semifinals. I still felt burned that I paid so damn much for my Semifinal ticket. I was still mentally figuring out the angles and scenarios for snagging a ticket for Saturday. But then I realized that I'm getting out of the X really, really late. The light-rail operates well into the night, about 23 hours a day. But once it gets really late, the frequency drops to every 20 minutes, if not once an hour. Meanwhile, it didn't really dawn on me until puck drop of the second game that the second game began at 8:45, which meant that the game, assuming it's just three periods, would end at 11:15. When does that Target store close, anyway? And that's when my asshole started to pucker. Because while I like sudden death playoff hockey, especially in college, I was really, really starting to root for the Notre Dame-Michigan game to end in regulation. (This takes me back to the Women's Frozen Four Final, where I parked in a spot that I couldn't stay in all night. Even though that match went into Overtime, it finished just in time for me to get to my car and drive off before the magic 5 o'clock no-parking deadline. What's the deal with me worrying about parking?)
When the Fighting Irish took a 3-2 lead early in the Third, I started to relax. But with five minutes left, the Wolverines tied it. I looked at my watch, then checked the Green Line timetable. There was a cascade of things I had to worry about. If this game keeps going, how long can I stay? And once I leave, how long will it take me to walk to the light-rail? Is there any time for me to walk around looking for a ticket? And, finally, will my car be there by the time I come back?
Thankfully, I guess is the word, Notre Dame scored with just five seconds left in the third, the fifth-straight game where they won with a Goal scored either in the last minute of regulation or in Overtime. I was just screaming "Need one for Saturday!" while not breaking a stride going from the Xcel Energy Center to the station. I waited 14 long minutes with a bunch of other hockey fans for the light-rail. It was past midnight when I got off the train, eight stations later.
I really thought I would be the only person getting off at this stop. The vast majority of people in the overfilled cars parked in downtown Minneapolis, as they are largely directed to do. But I wasn't the only one. There were a couple dozen who left just like me. And then some of them were going the same way I was going -- a couple and a group of four. We all crossed one street the same way, then another street the same way. They appeared to be going to Target -- just like me. And then it dawned on me: They parked at Target just like me because they hate paying for parking just like me!
Hey, if they all parked at Target, parking at Target is just fine! At the very least, I thought, if all our cars were towed, we could commiserate together, so I wouldn't be so lonely. But that was not necessary; I saw these other two groups calmly walk to their cars. I kind of ran to mine, but my car was there, and there was no ticket or boot. And heck, I still saw that tow truck that I was afraid of, in the same spot it was when I left my car.
So, no worries about parking like this from now on, right? If I'm not the only cheap person who hates to park in St. Paul, and if Target isn't towing cars on its lot, it has to be legal. Shoot, it's probably the smart thing to do, too! I'll do it from now on. But not today. I think I'll pay, uh, five bucks at a distant parking ramp. I want to stay a few hours and find a ticket for dirt cheap. Fingers crossed!
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