Friday, April 22, 2011

The Secret Lives of Valet Parkers

Over on our companion email list, the Cleveland Park Listserv, there's a vigorous debate over whether or not restaurants should be allowed to have valet parking in a neighborhood where parking spaces are at a premium.

On the one hand, valet parking staging areas take up one or two valuable parking spaces. On the other hand, valets park cars in parking lot spaces, so they don't take away spaces from neighbors; valets also don't have to drive around to find a space, creating less "looking for a parking space pollution."

Assuming that valet parkers actually obey the rules, that is. What happens if a valet doesn't have a spot for a car? Like the way sausages are made, you might not want to know what happens with your car. But if you have the stomach for it, take a look at this photo of a valet parker in a customer's car. While the car's owner dines at a nearby Cleveland Park restaurant, the valet keeps the car running, tunes in his favorite radio station, and roots around the car's interior:

2 comments:

  1. I am not sure that his photo shows that the car is running, that he is tuning the radio or rooting around?

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  2. The valet was sitting in the car and the car was running. I watched him as he fiddled with the radio and rooted through the owner's car. The sound of the engine was there, but photos don't capture sound.

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