We refer to this as parking Costa Rica style because it’s a tip my hubby picked up when he traveled to Costa Rica on business a few years ago. He noticed that everyone there pulled through to the parking space in front or else backed into a space. That way, when it’s time to leave, you just pull forward and go. No backing up into traffic. I despise backing up, so I really prefer the option to pull forward. The 1000 Awesome Things blog calls it “the parking lot pull-through”. Either way, it’s our favorite little trick to use when parking our cars.
I often park by the cart return corrals so I can easily find my car and I can put the cart away easily after I unload. I started this practice when my kids were little because I didn’t want to leave them in the car while I journeyed across the lot to find the cart return. Now, it’s just a habit. When my Mom was visiting once, she said she would be worried about carts hitting her car if she parked there. I think there’s less chance of that since someone who cares enough to put the cart away in the return stall probably wouldn’t jam it into my car. I think there’s more danger from all the stray carts around the parking lot that never got put away. The only time my car was damaged in a parking lot was on a morning where I didn’t park by the cart return, so I stand by my theory.
Another parking memory I have is from my Sister-in-Law’s wedding reception. It had been a long day of festivities, especially for our 1 year old daughter and our 4 year old son who was in complete meltdown mode most of the day. My parents agreed to take my kids home with them after they came to the reception so we could spend the rest of the evening focusing on hubby’s sister and family. After my parents came through the line, we went out to the parking lot with them so we could switch over the car seats to their car. Only problem was…we couldn’t find our car! It was one of those big multi-level parking garages and we kept walking through each level trying to find our vehicle. I had on terrible uncomfortable high heels and my kids were crying and grumpy. I think we were all near tears after awhile. It was like the episode of Seinfeld where they can’t find the car and we kept talking about that show as we searched and searched. I’m pretty sure it took us between 20-30 minutes to find the car, but it felt like hours. We still bring it up occasionally and laugh/wince about it
Nowadays, there are apps to help you remember where you parked or you can even drop a pin on your iPhone map (a trick my hubby uses). You can also take a picture of your parking space with your phone or a nearby sign that will help you find it. My kids and I talk about memory tricks to help us remember – things like what door did we enter in the grocery store from or did we park by a cart return?
Have you ever thought about something as simple as how you park your car as a memory prompt? It’s funny how we have habits about the ways we park or where we park. It’s interesting to think about these patterns and jot them down to help you remember. Others will also enjoy hearing your thoughts on this topic so take a Memory Monday moment to document them!
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