A lot of people freak out at the thought of driving in the city. Why? Because of traffic and parking nightmares!

I totally agree. And that’s why we moved to the hill towns of western Massachusetts ten years ago when we’d had enough of the steadily increasing traffic of Minneapolis.

During that decade, we came to Boston infrequently, even though it was only a hundred miles away. When I had business meetings, I often drove in the night before because the morning traffic could add an hour or more to any trip. When I left in the morning, it was usually at 5:00 AM or earlier. This past winter, when Boston was the snowiest place in the USA, my only hope of getting to Boston meetings on time required leaving two hours early with my husband driving so he could drop me off, and, if necessary, drive in circles until I was finished. Parking was simply impossible.

Being a resident is different! At least in the summer! Residents can park their cars, leave them parked, and walk!

But first you have to prove you are a resident and get a resident parking permit. That was our first order of business when we returned from Istanbul in early June! It took most of the day, of course, but in the end, we walked out with our wonderful little Back Bay sticker! Isn’t it beautiful?

So let me tell you how this really works:

• Many parking places are designated Resident Only.
• Some people have parking places behind their buildings off the alley, but those are super tight and cost as much as apartments in other parts of this country.
• Meters require money even for residents.
• Each neighborhood has its own stickers so residents can only park in their own neighborhood.
• There is no guarantee that here are as many spots as there are stickers. As a matter of fact, there aren’t.
• Once you find a resident parking spot, you can leave your car there until either the street sweepers come or special permits for construction and moving vans are posted making parking illegal.
• The streets are swept twice a month and special permits pop up with only a 48 hour warning.
• If you don’t move your car in time, you are ticketed and towed.

As of this post, we have been in Boston for 34 days and this is the size of our parking headache so far:

• We sold one car before leaving for eastern Europe so we only have one car to worry about.
• My husband has not been in a car in 34 days.
• Our car has moved 3 times, twice when I had business out of town, and once to move it the night before street sweeping.
• I don’t go out walking for exercise anymore. Instead, I walk 4 – 13 miles a day, always a different route, always distracted by numerous sights, loving the city, and never aware of the mileage we are covering as we explore, buy groceries, attend concerts, check my PO box, stop for an iced coffee or cold brew, or enjoy a dinner out. When I lived in the hill towns, I forced myself to get out and walk. My normal walk was a two mile loop. I was quite proud of myself when I exhibited enough self-discipline to take the four mile loop!
• When I returned from my out-of-town jaunts, I called my husband ahead of time and had no trouble pulling up to a convenient empty meter nearby so he could bring gear, wine, and groceries inside while I went to find a resident parking spot.
• When I leave the city, the reverse commute is so much easier to time.
• Our 4 parking spots have been half a block, one block, two blocks, and five blocks away.
• When I drove to western Mass, I found myself walking places I would have driven just a few months before.
• I walk and bike to meetings. Since the weather doesn’t always cooperate, I’ve fallen in love with the door to door service of Uber!

In short, to eliminate the headaches of cars, traffic, and parking, live in the city! !

Read Part 7 of The Urban Experiment!