I had a view from Higgins Restaurant on Broadway that allowed me to look easily onto the sidewalk and the cars parked at the curb. When I took a second glance, I noticed that occupants of a SUV had returned to their car and were preparing to get in. The passenger pulled the parking sticker off the window and noticed that it still had some unexpired time. Looking around for something to do with it, she stuck it on a nearby pole while thinking it could be used by the next motorist who occupied this parking spot.

At the same time another car, a sleek black Mercedes, waited in traffic for the parking place to open. She also waived to signal that she saw the sticker on the pole.

So far so good; she parked and on exiting the car went directly to the pole. Whoops! She was walking around the car and out into the street, and instead of getting something from inside the car, she put the sticker on the outside of the driver’s side window. I jumped up from my seat at the table and with napkin in hand dashed out the door to play the role of a Good Samaritan.

I got her attention alright and kept it while saying that the ticket had to be placed on the curb side window or she’d likely get a parking violation. She looked at me as though I had dropped off of a cloud and didn’t have a clue.

Sensing hoplessness, I returned to the table inside.

When lunch was over I went out to the sidewalk and turned left to go down Broadway. This move brought me alongside the SUV. On, no. She only got it half right. Somehow she’d stuck the sticker on the inside of the passenger-side window, which was a good start, but the important printed information as to when the ticket expired was facing inside. How’d she do that? Portland’s parking posse could soon write another ticket.

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