Pretty Please

I'm not proud to say it, but just landed my third parking ticket in three years. Lest you think I'm a hardened criminal, permit me to defend myself.

1. The first came in downtown Columbus right after we moved when I went to a symphony performance on the lawn of the capitol building and unknowingly fed the wrong meter - the one behind my car rather than the one in front. Chalk it up to a rookie mistake. Needless to say, I was nailed by a vigilant parking officer who ticketed me less than a minute after I walked away from the car. I returned for a forgotten item and BAM - there it was on my windshield. I contested the ticket and had to go to a seriously creepy part of town next to an impound lot for the hearing. Result: Ticket waived, $2o saved.

2. Thankgiving 2008 in Washington D.C., we parked on the street next to the Air and Space Museum. We were unfamiliar with the parking restrictions and ran outside to find a tow truck almost at our car. We pulled the ticket off the windshield and sped away, only to be dinged with a hefty fine. Again, I contested the ticket, pleading out of town stupidity. Result: Ticket waived, $100 saved.

3. Last Friday we took my sister and brother-in-law downtown to show them the sights of C-bus. We parked next to the North Market, fed the meter for 1.5 hours and headed in for lunch and a stroll. After making the rounds for all the samples, we decided to see more of the city and took longer than expected to get back, only to find another parking ticket when we returned because our meter had expired. Fine: $25. Result: Unknown. Note: Apparently the tough ecnonomy hit the city hard since they've raised their ticket fees from $20 to $25 in the past three years. Or maybe it's just inflation.

Anyway, I decided to contest the ticket today and here's my "Citizen Statement."

"I acknowledge that our meter expired, but it occurred because of extenuating circumstances. We went to the North Market while hosting visitors who are considering moving to Columbus. We weren't planning on staying more than an hour and a half, but they were interested in walking around more of downtown, so we ended up going through the lobby of the Nationwide building, down to the capitol building where they wanted to take a tour. From there they wanted to walk back on the banks of the Scioto River near COSI and the Santa Maria, which took us longer than our meter's allotment. I apologize for the infraction, but feel that it was time well-spent in showing them what Columbus has to offer and request leniency on the parking ticket. We also had two children in strollers and couldn't easily run back to feed the meter. Thank you for your time and consideration."

Do you think they'll buy it? Keep your fingers crossed that my lucky streak continues. Hopefully they don't have a rap sheet going already. Have you ever gotten out of a ticket before?

P.S. I was pulled over three times in high school and never got a ticket. One was very dramatic and involved (real) tears and the police visiting my house, but that's another story...