Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2009. Corralitas Drive sign of the times. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
Warning: if you are a realtor or have your house listed for sale, you won't like this post, and I really don't care.
Since 2008, it seems there have been houses for sale, with open houses, every Sunday, on Corralitas Drive. When you live on an older hillside street, with no through traffic, neighbors get defensive about parking and traffic.
In the past few weeks, several neighbors expressed frustration over the open house lookie-loos descending on Corralitas. For some reason, the lookie-loos think they have the right to block driveways and park in the red no-parking zones. They make the excuse that they'll only be 5 minutes. Yeah, you and 30 other people will only be 5 minutes. Every Sunday.
Last Sunday, while awaiting a delivery, I watched bemusedly as a suburban-looking woman in a mini-van literally circled the sub-standard cul-de-sac atop Corralitas Drive three times before parking in the middle of the red zone. I waited to see if she was going to the neighbor's house who's gate she blocked. Nope, she had the print-out for open house down the street in her hand as she got out of her car.
I asked if she was going to the open house. She said she'd only be 5 minutes. I said, "You can't park there, it's a red zone." She whined, "There's no parking in this neighborhood." I said, "That's right. There's no parking in this neighborhood. If you can't deal with parking down the street and walking up to the house, then you don't belong in this neighborhood. Parking is a big problem in this in this neighborhood." Mini-van woman countered again with, "I'll only be 5 minutes." I say, " I don't care, there's no parking in the red zone. Do you do this at every open house you go to? That's really not a good way to go into a neighborhood you may be moving into. That's not being a good neighbor."
She got in her car and found a parking space right across the street from the open house. She was there more than 5 minutes. The neighbors I told this story to, thanked me.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 17, 2009. Maybe a few Red Flag Days would clear out Sunday open house parking problems. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
Coming tomorrow: more joys of hillside living - truck deliveries.
