"How Does This F'n Thing Work, Sonny?"

While I didn't hear what was said this morning between the parking enforcer and the elderly guy with his phone they were both looking at, I'm pretty sure at least two things were going on.  It's been happening a lot this year since parking was supposedly simplified.

First, the poor fella just wanted to pay for 30 minutes of parking but couldn't find a parking meter to drop a quarter in.  And this being his first time dealing with HPD Captain David Miller's "GREAT" new paid parking system, he simply couldn't figure out how to pay for his parking space on his own even after scanning the sign with his phone.  Enforcer to the rescue!  (How many people, especially elderly ones, have trouble paying for a parking space but get no assistance from an enforcer, do you suppose?  Dozens every day?  How many of them curse to themselves or out loud?)

Second, the morning sun was so bright that the poor fella needed the enforcer to create some shade for him so that HE COULD READ THE LITTLE WORDS AND NUMBERS ON HIS LITTLE PHONE SCREEN SO HE COULD PAY 50 CENTS AND A 39 CENT SERVICE FEE FOR HIS FUCKING PARKING SPACE, GET ON WITH HIS DAY AND NOT GET A FUCKING $10 PARKING TICKET.  

Or maybe he just forgot his reading glasses.

I'm pretty sure that's all that was going on.  Just another GREAT DAY of Captain David Miller's "GREAT" paid parking system!  On a federal holiday, no less, with City Hall and the Parking Bureau closed for the day!

The Parking Bureau is closed for the holiday, but two parking enforcers are issuing parking tickets all day as if it's not a federal holiday!  HPD, in its infinite wisdom and reasoning, recognizes just 6 of the 11 federal holidays as free parking days.  I wonder if Albany does the same thing. (No, they don't. Albany recognizes all 11 holidays as free parking days.  Go figure!)