chicago 3, eling 0

Warning: this very long post contains no fun photos. Just a lot of venting, and a one measly picture I took when I was thinking about trying to do something about these things that happened.

And now for the insanity that was Chicago. I couldn't make this stuff up. Though, it really all involves the car. I will preface this by saying that I hemmed + hawed about renting a car. Then ms. h mentioned that there were parking passes for her neighborhood, and when I weighed that against all the shuttling to + from the airport, plus the sheer amount of stuff I had to bring for the show (hard to pack into a cab with three people too), I thought it would be worth it.

It really started Sunday night, when d left the show for the airport. We decided he'd take a cab with his bags rather than struggling with two big bags on the train. ms. p took up his post, and he set off. About twenty minutes later he called to say that he was about to arrive at the airport, and that he had the rental car keys with him. Um. After much swearing and sighing, I sent ms. p off with cash to catch a cab to the airport to get arrive there before he had to go through security and the keys would be lost to us. Of course traffic kicked in and it took her forever to get there but she got there + got the keys. Then decided to maneuver public transportation to get back to the show. She ended up getting back just in time to help me break down for the night. Meanwhile, d's flight was delayed and delayed and delayed, so there would have been plenty of time for him to come back with the keys himself (he ended up not leaving Chicago until after midnight!)

During breakdown, I MAY have nicked the side of the car while backing up because I'm a nice person and wanted to move out of the way several times when cars came through (there were two lanes, but someone else was blocking the other lane completely so everyone kept coming through our way). This hypothetical scratch was very small, but noticeable if you knew where to look... finally got back LATE and trudged up stairs with several heavy bags (our lovely host lives in a 4th floor walk up).

Monday we spend walking all over the city (see previous post). That evening, after dinner, we return to find: a $120 dollar ticket on the car because there was "no/improper parking permit". Oh, HELL NO.That is the proper parking permit, in the proper location. It is, admittedly, upside down, but it was 1 am when we placed it there and we were TIRED. (I forgot to mention in the last post that we spent an hour trying to find food after we finally finished breaking down-- with the very charming Elijah of eli & ra and figs & ginger fame-- see here for some cool shopping to benefit Elijah's kidneys. We missed you, Rhonda!)

I get that that is not 100% proper placement. But $120?! Really? Would it really have been so difficult for Officer Galicia of the Chicago PD to turn his/her head sideways to read the permit? $120?!?!?!?!

I mutter about this ticket for a long while, take photos for proof, then let it go. After all, what can I do? I think it was an easy score for Officer Galicia, because rental car users have little way to protest. Responses to ticket protests are mailed to the address of the OWNER of the vehicle. If I protest, I have no way of knowing what their response to me will be. And if I end up having to pay the ticket but don't know it, the rental car company will charge me a fee + interest + fines + the ticket. Sigh.

Fast-forward to Tuesday, when I am exhausted and take more time than expected to pack. I have boxes to ship before I leave, and about 3 hours before my flight leaves, ms. p helps me stumble downstairs with two HUGE suitcases, plus a large carry-on and FOUR large boxes to take to UPS. On the first trip, I roll down the street, tired but feeling ready to go, down to my lovely rental car that I am now paying an additional $120 for. Or rather, where it was parked the night before. It is no longer there, and for a moment I think that I am going insane.

I roll back to the building, where ms. p comes out the door. And I say, "The car is NOT there. I think it's been towed." Then I begin to freak out. This is followed by frantic calls to d to call the airline, calls to the city hotline to figure out where the car has been towed to, and several discussions with both the city impound lot employees and Dollar's "customer service"/roadside assistance to determine what the hell I should do.

Turns out, Dollar will pick up the car but it may take several DAYS and they will charge me the impound fees, a TOW CHARGE from the impound to the airport because they do not have the staff to pick up a vehicle in person, and OF COURSE the rental fees for additional days. I'm sure they will also charge me $25/gallon because of course, the gas tank is not full. Oh, and they also tried to tell me over the phone that the impound would not release the car to me anyway, so I don't really have a choice about this.

In the meantime, I am sitting on the sidewalk with a tremendous amount of stuff. Luckily the person working at the impound lot is very nice and tells me that the rental car company's claim is ridiculous. If I have a copy of the rental car agreement, I can get the car. And the airline will not charge me any money to take the next flight home if I miss the one I'm on.

So, into a cab we go with all my luggage and the four big boxes. First stop, UPS. Boxes mailed, the nice cab driver takes us to the City of Chicago impound lot where my troublesome Dodge Caliber has been taken. We unload my luggage and ms. p stands outside while I go into the office/double-wide trailer to get my car back. By the way, there are MANY MANY people inside also trying to get their vehicles back, the City of Chicago is clearly making a killing. $160 later, I am allowed to go out to the lot and get my car. Where I promptly find the other ticket for another $50 on the windshield. Street cleaning violation.

City of Chicago $330, Eling 0. (Or should it be -$330?)

Poor ms. p was supposed to be visiting the aquarium this whole time. She calls me at one point while I am inside the trailer not being assisted to make sure I am ok. Apparently she has received several offers from tow truck drivers and others passing by for a ride somewhere. Sorry, ms. p. We load my luggage into the car and then head BACK to the apartment because I have forgotten a poster I bought there. Then I drive her downtown so she can at least do one fun thing she was planning (city river + lake tour) on this day.

Finally, I am off to the airport. I stop to get gas too, and arrive 15 minutes after my original flight has left. I get on the next flight, which is not for 3 more hours. Thankfully, when I drop off the car they do not seem to notice the hypothetical scratch. I get one last meal in Chicago, my first of the day, at Potbelly's. Strange guy stalks me around the terminal briefly but eventually leaves me alone when I ignore him even as he peers directly over my shoulder at my DS (birthday gift). Arrive at airport (still 45 minutes from home, 'cause it was a cheaper flight) around midnight.

Sleep for what seems like forever, then wake up and write checks to the City of Chicago. Sigh. At least I got my deep dish, Wow Bao, and hot dog.

PS. After all this, ms. p called me the next day to tell me that she had decided to pay $50 to change HER inter-island flight home (to get there earlier). However, an overhead compartment in the First Class section would not close, and her flight from LA was delayed. Not by much, but just enough for her to miss the flight. She ended up on the flight she was originally scheduled on, the following day. It's awesome that she paid $50 extra to be on the same flight. Sorry, ms. p.