I Fought the Law and the Law Won...

I just received a parking ticket in Manayunk. I ran into a Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee and within a period of approximately 40 seconds, an agent was writing a ticket. I simply didn't see the guy and the rest is history. I now owe the City of Philadelphia twenty-six dollars. The agent told me I could go get my coffee and not worry about an additional ticket. I won't tell you the answer I gave him.

If you have a car in Philadelphia, you get tickets, so it is what it is. I returned to Starbucks and the kid who served me the coffee said something that was very interesting. He lives in Manayunk and he knows something about the Parking Authority. "They drove the retailers away, and they drove the restaurants away, and I'm guessing you won't be back anytime soon". The kid was right, because that was precisely what I was thinking.

There is nothing more profitable for the City of Philadelphia than placing $26 tickets on automobiles. You find people who can write (it's not even necessary that they know how to read). When the flag pops up, they write a ticket. It's a license to steal. The City literally mints money, and more importantly, drives unknowing visitors away. I would suggest that the actions of the Parking Authority (and parking in general) is the number one reason that so many people who live in the suburbs avoid dining in Philadelphia (and Manayunk is in Philadelphia).

I recently spent a considerable amount of time in Downtown Tampa, and while the Parking Authority there hasn't reached the level where they have their own television show, they have basically ruined the downtown restaurant community. I lived it and I watched it (and I even ended up in traffic court). The restaurant owners are livid about it and it is literally putting them out of business. The agents drive around in small white cars and when you pull up to a parking space, they will sit there and wait for you to put the quarters in the meter. It's a "Welcome to Tampa, and we are here to make your visit as painful as possible."

Philadelphia is worse - I once visited a restaurant and parked on what appeared to be a legal space on Samson Street. Upon returning, there were actually two tickets on my car. One just wasn't enough. You can enjoy a great restaurant experience in Philadelphia, but if there is a ticket on your car, the "great experience" instantaneously turns into a mini-nightmare.

The most profitable area continues to be on Walnut Street where cars are towed away on a daily basis. The signs are confusing (especially to a visitor) and if you stay a few minutes after 3:30 (in the afternoon) they will take away your birthday (along with your car).

Manayunk was once a thriving restaurant community and something happened to make it unthriving (if there is such a word). I honestly believe that kid at Starbucks knows more than the City of Philadelphia wants us to think about. "Welcome to Philadelphia!"

Tracy in Sea Isle City

There can't be anything more tragic than losing a son or daughter - it's every parents nightmare. Sadly enough, 35-year-old Tracy Hottenstein was found dead in Sea Isle City during the annual (2009) Polar Bear Plunge that attracts thousands of visitors to the area to watch a percentage of them plunge into the freezing water of the Atlantic Ocean. It's one of those events that takes place in beaches all over the world, and yes, it is an excuse for a major celebration. I'm all for plunging into the ocean as long as the water temperature is at least seventy degrees.

Tracy Hottenstein died from ingesting too much alcohol (acute alcohol intoxication). Her parents are in the process of suing basically everyone in Sea Isle City including the City itself (along with the Chief of Police, three bar owners, the doctors at the hospital where she was taken, as well as some of her friends).

As difficult as it might be, the time has come to stop blaming the world for what happened to your daughter. It's a terrible tragedy, but when it's all said and done,
there is only one person who is really to blame, and may she rest in peace.

It's the End of the World As We Know It!

Our enemy is winning and they don't need nuclear or dirty bombs, and illegal aliens have nothing to do with it. We are quietly in need of raising the white flag because it's only a matter of time.

The crowds coming in daily from Mexico have nothing to do with this, and that crazy man from Iran is incapable of matching the plot that is slowly and most assuredly capturing the hearts and minds of our children. Forget about the bombs, and forget about a hopeless war in Afghanistan. All you have to do is turn on your television, or better yet, hit the link provided below. Watch the presentation for at least two minutes, and you will agree that life in America can never be the same.

The popular kid's show is called i-Carly, and this is what the lawyers call a "res ipsa loquitor" (the thing speaks for itself). Just watch the video on their site, and you will agree that it's officially over. This program is not to be confused with Sesame Street, Captain Kangaroo, or even Elmo. This baby is absolutely (in my opinion) the real end of the world as we know it!

www.icarly.com