Parking Issues

One of the things I really miss is listening to the radio while I drive. I even miss the radio wars with my daughter. Thank God she no longer listens to the Disney Channel.

I do not have a car in Korea, nor do I plan to get one. Driving here is crazy. So is parking. In a city with 10-12 million people (I keep losing count) parking is precious. You know you are in Seoul if you are dodging cars while walking down the sidewalk.

One way Koreans deal with parking is to just double park behind other cars.

This looks like a good spot

This seems strange for a country that is so polite to be so rude when they park. Well, it turns out that they are actually considerate even when they double park. If you look at the second photo there are spaces between the double parked cars. It turns out that those cars are in neutral, so if you need to get out you just push the car blocking you out of the way. At first, Oliver and I were skeptical until we pushed one of them ourselves. Amazing. It sort of reminds me of those number puzzles where you have to push tiles around.

There is more to this than meets the eye.

Another creative innovation is in the parking garages. In New Haven I would go crazy when the car ahead of me would virtually stop in the parking garage looking for an open space on the lower floors. In Korea, there are lights that let you know if a space is open. That is just brilliant. The garage also talks to you when you leave your car. I haven't ridden with anyone who speaks Korean to know what was said, but it sounds very happy and uplifting.

Green lights are open spaces.

This garage is for the Korean version of Walmart. It is three stories with groceries on one floor and house hold items on another floor. To facilitate shopping on both floors, the escalator is flat so you can take your shopping cart with you. There actually are magnets near the wheels of the cart that lock it into the grid as you go up or down.

Perhaps one day I will get the urge to drive here. I love the signs. I mean the drivers may be crazy but at least they prohibit electric cars.

And some signs are quite considerate.

I'm not really sure why you need a sign to say goodbye. When I ask Koreans, they start to laugh. "I have never really thought about it. They are everywhere." The literal translation is more like 'we have enjoyed having you.' Of course, if I ever do drive, I will be too busy avoiding the taxis to read these uplifting messages.

Off to the Philippines for a long weekend. My first spur of the moment trip ever. I wonder what kind of disaster that is going to be.