Sometimes we all get performance anxiety in key situations. In the bedroom, during sports or for me, when I park the car.
I used to be a master parallel parker. When I lived in Minnesota, I would park on the street (summer and winter) and I always parallel parked my car. I could get into any spot I knew would fit my adorable Honda Civic and I wore that pride like a badge of honor.
Fast forward to living in Chicago where I don’t have a car or drive regularly. I used to always think I would forget how to drive but fortunately that’s not the case. Unfortunately, I do forget how to parallel park.
It’s so sad to watch me do it too, fumbling around, getting frustrated and making squeaking/grunting noises when I don’t turn the wheel soon enough. Embarrassing.
Now when I park and people are in the car with me. I immediately turn and apologize to them because they’re about to witness something awful. I usually try to park it in 1-2 tries and then give up. I’ll even park further away from my location just so I can angle or straight park. Sad.
I bring this up because last weekend my co-worker/buddy Lizz and I went out for drinks and I drove. And had to park. And I was so nervous because it was the first time we’ve hung out together outside of work and she would have to witness my private shame. I didn’t think my wit and charm would save me on that one.
And the second time a parking situation came up, I apologized again and began to try and park. FAIL. But rather than get embarrassed, she talked me through it and amazingly I got that car in perfectly. I was shocked. And then I made her hug it out.
It was beautiful.
I may never be able to do that again, but damn I did a good job (with great help).
So what part of driving do you always have trouble with? Parking? Y-turns? Or if you live in a big city do you find that you are more or less aggressive than when you drove regularly?
Cake love: Thanks everyone for the tip on getting the cake recipe! I will be calling and emailing them today to see if they will share it with me. And if so, I think there’s a cake post in my future!
I surprisingly love parallel parking. I must be sick in the head! But I also know I do it really well (that’s what she said…?).
My boyfriend’s a racecar driver and just this past Friday, he was shocked at my awesome skills. It’s true.
i’m so good at parallel parking it’s sick, SICK!
just smashed the shiznizzle out of the front passenger side of my car trying to parallel park in front of Eddi’es house when I was tired, cranky, and in front of a sewer drain. Dip, CRUNCH. Now the front inner fender is being held on with duct tape and I am KLASSY.
So yeah. Parking is my bad one.
Someone teach me how to paralel park please. You have no idea how much I “bruise” my car trying to park in crowded parking areas :p
ugh parallel parking gives me hives.
OMG This is SO ME! I can parallel park JUST FINE unless someone is in the car with me, or there’s a car waiting for me. Then it’s comically bad. Except it’s happening to me, and therefore not comical at all.
I am very good at parallel parking, but that’s because I follow some simple rules that my dad taught me:
1) Align your car as closely as possible with the car in front of where you are going to park. Really get up next to them.
2) Reverse your car until your left rear wheel has past the back of their car.
3) Make a hard right turn until your car is at a 45 degree angle.
4) Then reverse your car until the right rear wheel (the other side of the car), is in line with the left rear wheel of the car in front of you. Basically, you should be able to draw a line from the wheel of the car in front of you and threw both wheels of your car.
5) Then in reverse make a hard left turn as you back up into the space. Most people are very timid about this and they don’t turn very hard, and then they end up hitting the curb. The only way to fit in well is to turn hard from the start.
6) Make sure you do this SLOWLY though. Don’t zoom in. If you misjudge the space of the spot, turning hard means you can hit the car. Make sure you are going slow enough that you can stop and exit the space without damaging anything.
Hopefully these steps help you, and others! It’s easier to explain in person, but hopefully it makes sense. :-D
I’m SUCH a wuss when it comes to parallel parking. I live in Brookfield and I have a driveway (thankfully) but if I don’t make it into it before my neighbors do I have to parallel park. And I’m always scared I’m gonna hit another car. I can only do it when the streets are empty for some reason, like I get nervous if I feel like people are watching me. It’s like the parallel parking version of pee-shy. :)
I’m right there with you! I’ve gotten better at it, but it still takes me a couple tries and am typically way far away from the curb!
I have to admit, I’m awesome at parallel parking…although I hate it when there are a line of cars behind me and I’m trying to parallel park!
I can’t parallel park to save my life. Nor can I back into a spot.
i also have a realllly hard time parallel parking. for the longest time i refused to even attempt it! where i live there are very few places where you have to. but in the last few months i’ve been attempting. but i usually need the passengers help!
I used to be a horrible parallel parker too, but now that I have to drive to downtown Seattle twice a week and parallel park every time I’ve gotten a lot better. Practice makes perfect!
I’ve noticed that since I’ve been taking the bus (in Minneapolis) for the last six years my parallel parking skills have been seriously depleted!
I hear parking is pretty tough in Chicago. Sounds like you’re doing all right!
Pearl
My mom is like this! She’s ALWAYS a freak about parallel parking….i, just so happen to be a rockstar at it. lol.
i absolutely hate parallel parking, it scares the bejeesus out of me and i am not a fan.
I once squeezed (via parallel parking) into a tiny spot on a hill in Boston in the winter while driving a stick shift. And didn’t even hit anyone’s bumpers!
Obviously, I’m still proud. ;) And obviously, that was BEFORE I acquired the driving anxiety I now have. I sold my car when I moved to Chicago and still have no interest in driving there. I’ll stick to the suburbs (land of no parallel parking), thank you very much!
I suck at parallel parking! My passengers have to direct me inside the car. Sometimes they have to get out to assist. There have even been times where I have gotten out to let someone else park my car for me after I’ve tried to park and failed. Special, I know. I usually end up on the sidewalk or in the road, too far away from the curb. It’s awful!
Ah!!! I have the same anxiety! I’ve started to make passengers exit my car and start walking towards our destination before attempting to squeeze my car in a spot…it’s too embarrassing otherwise.
I failed the parallel parking part of my driver’s test.
I can parallel park better after I’ve had a beer or two.
I also park far away if I can’t find a big enough space for me to parallel park in.
You are not alone in this!
Dude parallel parking is HARD but getting it right feels so good. I Parked my dads SUV in one try the other day and was way too excited about it!
I was terrible at parallel parking before I came to college. Now that I live in an urban area, parallel parking is all that’s available. So now I’m a pro =)
I can’t parallel park to save my life! When I’m driving with Mr. Potts I have to get out of the car, switch sides with him & have him do it.
I hang my head in shame.
hey – nice work on the parking! if you ever need pointers, i’m a master parallel parker. ;) i amaze my husband with my skills every time because in general – i am a very very (VERY) poor driver! :)
I hear you, living here in Florida I never have to parallel park but I’m afraid when I get back up to PA I’m not going to remember how to do it. I used to be able to reverse and parallel park on icy hills but those skills are probably gone.
I have a God-given parallel parking skill that cannot be explained. It shocks me every time.
This post reminds me of a time when my mom was visiting and was SO impressed with my parallel parking skills. I laughed, because it was during a time when I’d parallel park my car at least twice daily.
Living in the city with a job in the burbs means I drive regularly. I’m an assertive driver, which I define as normally laid back, but aggressive when necessary. I think my biggest driving challenge of late has been learning how to drive my husband’s SUV. I grew up driving small cars, so learning the dimensions and capabilities of a larger vehicle took some time.
Oh and I totally agree with phampants … city driving means love taps are acceptable. That’s why bumpers were made. =)
I can’t parallel park. I’ve never been able to. I failed my driving test 4 times because of it (once I even got in an accident on the driving test due to it.) Yea, I don’t know how I got my license either. The only place I ever have to parallel park is my bff’s mom’s house. Then I make my bff come out and park for me. As for big cities, I have gotten so much more aggressive since I’ve started having to deal with DC traffic. Technically I don’t work in DC, but I’m only about 10 minutes away, so I still deal with DC rush hour. It sucks. A lot.
I could do it perfectly, but failed my driver’s test because the space I was parking in had a GIANT pothole in the middle and a veryvery low curb (welcome to Pittsburgh). I tapped something gently and thought it was the edge of the pothole, but it happened to be the curb. As soon as I was up on it: “You’re on the curb, you’re done.” I was pretty annoyed, because I COULD SO TOTALLY DO IT, and honestly in a real life situation, if you go up on the curb, it is NOT A BIG DEAL.
I don’t remember being disappointed, mostly just annoyed. Passed with flying colors the next week. I can parallel park now if no one is coming up the street behind me.
I absolutely cannot parallel park. At all. Ever. Not even a little bit. And it’s apparently something you have to do quite often in San Fran, which is maybe making me reconsider moving there. Gah. Decisions.
Aw don’t we all hate this parallel parking? I even have a tough time saying it. I don’t get nervous all that much when I drive except when I need to back up the car… I get totally lost in space when I’m on reverse:)
I’m no good either! I learnt to drive on North American cars, in Canada and can do it fine on that side. Here in Australia? Parallel parking when the driver is on the right? Impossible. Sure you should just assume everything is opposite from Canada. NOT SO MUCH. Obviously am more left-side spatially deficient than right.
I used to be decent at parallel parking when I had my Saturn sedan. Now that I have an SUV I’ve never quite gotten the hang of it. I need a HUGE spot to parallel park in.
I have a problem with speeding. And the wreckless driving citation from Spotsylvania County, VA to prove it. Oops.
I am an awful parallel parker these days because I don’t it very often at all. There have been times when I’ve let other people park my car for me, it’s that bad, but when someone can calmly instruct me, I can do it perfectly :)
I totally think that parallel parking is something that you lose if you dont use it. Mine is the same as Kylas. I can parallel park like a champ if I’m on the right. If I have to park on the left, its much more of a struggle.
Oh I know what you mean! I hate that feeling- for me it’s parallel parking on the same side as I’m on. Parking on the right side of the car I can wheel in with no problem, but when I’m doing it on the left side of the car on these old one way streets we have down town….
*shudder*
I would rather drop off the person I’m driving and circle the block until I get my confidence back lol
Remember the Chicago Parallel Parking rule: You’re allowed 2 love taps, front & back.