This is 22nd Street looking east from 8th Avenue. It is one of a number of tree-lined streets in Chelsea, which is fairly rare in Manhattan because of over-development due to industrial zoning in the neighborhood. The buildings down this street are mostly residential so the trees were spared.Notice the cars parked on both sides of the street? You will have to be a pretty good at parallel parking to get into those tight spots. I'm glad I don't own a car because (when I did own one many years ago), I was a lousy parallel parker.
How good is your driving skill?
27 comments:
I hate parallel parking, especially on a one-way street and on the left side at that. Ugh.
(We're back..snowed in Canada.)
Doris
I drive less than ever but parallel parking doesn't bother me. I won't try to shoehorn into a spot. If I can't fit in there with no hassle I look for somewhere else. Vancouver isn't quite as bad as NYC yet but we are pulling out all the stops in a full scale attempt to become worse.
Here's 26th and 7th in March 1971
and
23rd and 7th also in March 1971.
Very different place, then. Grimy, grungy, dirty.
So far, so good. I hate city traffic though. People drive so close together, so fast, that you can't change lanes to get where you want to go, even blocks away. Give me winding mountain roads with sheer cliffs any day of the week.
quand tu apprends à conduire dans Paris, tu peux conduire n'importe où et te garer n'importe comment ;o))
when you learn to drive in Paris, you can drive anywhere, no matter how you park ;o))
I'm actually (surprisingly) a very good parallel parker. Even though in all other aspects of driving, I totally fit into the Asian-woman-who-can't-drive stereotype!
This is a beautiful photo. I would never have guess NY had trees along streets and I think this is the first one I have ever seen.
Parallel parking was required to be done in front of an officer and was part of the driving test that I took when I turned 16. And that was a long time before power brakes and power steering so it took some muscles.
In those days, all streets parked parallel and none had this diagonal, pull-in, parking so popular today.
ALso, I don't know if you are interested or not or if you have ever seen a Pileated Woodpecker, but I posted one on My Birds Blog this morning. It is our largest woodpecker and this is the first one I have seen here in 46 years.
Ahhh! a tree lined street in Manhattan! It is always a treat to walk down one. Everything seems a little quieter.
I failed my first drivers test because of my parallel parking. the instructor wrote, "dangerous action" in big bold letters on the paper work.
I think that experience is what caused me to master it to this day.
I am not great at the old parallel parking anymore. Don't get enough practice. Now I can tell you where they are masters at it...Paris. It's the craziest thing I have ever seen. The can cram a car in a keyhole. THeir bumpers touch! My daughter pointed out all the dents in the cars. Well something's gotta give I guess. I love your photo today. Abe's right, NYC???
Just lovely street! I would like to be there...
I get so nervous when I have to parallel park, especially if people are watching!! I'm glad I don't have to drive to get around. This is a lovely photo of a lovely street. The people who live on it are very lucky!
By European standards this looks easy-peasy, Ming.
I'm confused by a new NY blog in the new Additions section by Ming. That's not you I presume?
Looks just like the streets in Uptown and South Minneapolis. I suck at parallel parking, but my boyfriend completely amazes me where he can get his truck in a seriously tight spot with only inches to spare. He never scrathes even though I'm holding my hands on my head and sucking my breath in! I guess I just have to practice more...
Hows the weather in NY these days?
Hi Ming (the Merciless)
Are you aware there is another Ming doing another New York DP (sans city)
http://bigappledaily.blogspot.com/
I initially thought it was you doubling up.
that's pretty tight parking there; I could do it with a power-steering car. But I'm pretty good at squeezing into street spaces with my rack'n'pinion non-power-steering little truck. But only when necessary, because it's a lot of work and I say lots of bad words. And, bumpers are for bumping. Really.
Ah, my old neighborhood (used to live on 24th, between 6th and 7th, where there are no trees).
I'm a real New Yorker, I'm afraid—never had a driver's license in my life. However, I didn't let that stop me from writing a 365-page driver's ed textbook. I'm a really good driver on paper.
Someone told me that the first time DeNiro had to drive in a movie, he had to admit that he didn't have a license ("What for?," he said, "I live in New York."). Guess he had to get one for Taxi Driver, huh?
I don't even have a driver's licence yet, and I'm afraid to drive... but I want one, cause we just bought a car /c:
Nice looking street. It looks like one of our local streets, with all those trees.
I love streets with trees along the sides... very civilised.
The other Ming is obviously an impostor and a realMing-wannabe.
I love parallel park! Of course, I used to drive a Twingo back home, which makes this kind of exercise fairly easy.
I think that it is uber-cool to have two Mings! Poor thing. She has actually gotten a few harsh comments and emails about the coincidence! SHe can't help it if her name is Ming too!
As you know parallel parking is an absolutely needed skill in Paris! Here of course it also includes pushing a bit the cars in front of and behind you!
You gotta be lucky to find street parking in Manhattan. I waited seven years for a parking spot to become available in my building.
That put me im mind of the Beatles Abbey Road album cover. can't drive a car, but have flown a plane.
i can parallel park but i grew up in nyc and had to move cars to new spots all the time. i used to be the car mover for my parents when I was in HS. i also valet parked cars as a job in manhattan one summer.
I love this photo, it's beautiful! We have some streets lined with Jacaranda trees in this area, they're beautiful but I wouldn't want one in my yard! Once you start walking over the fallen flowers they stink and get, well...yukky!
We have cars parked like that all over the place...I haven't done a reverse park since I was going for my license. Funny story...not at the time but of course looking back it is! I was driving around the morning before going for the test to get my license. I knew I'd have to do a reverse park in the test, but do you think I could do one that morning? NOOOOOO! I had a lesson with my driving instructor right before the test and he smoothed out my nerves and helped me out. PHEW!
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