You would think that the City of Angels displays incredible creativity when it comes to setting up parking rules and parking meters. And especially no-parking rules and green color parking meters. And especially those that will cost YOU, the city dweller, money.
Case in point: $50 parking meter violation fine for a long-time Los Angeles resident who enjoys eating in Thai Town, on Hollywood Boulevard.
Unlike the central western part of the Hollywood Boulevard near the now-famous Hollywood-Highland intersection, the Thai Town part of the Hollywood Boulevard is much more quiet. You will not find any Elvis impostors, or Micky Mouse figures walking around here. No flashy signs or huge TV displays.
There are plenty of great restaurants though. If you like Thai food, this is the place to go. In the evening, many Los Angeles residents drive up here to dine.
There is a Parking Trap here though! You'll experience a $50 fine if you park here for more than an hour, even at night! This is just one block of the street, the rest of the area has no parking restrictions after 7PM at night whatsoever. Let's get a visual on the details here.
The Parking Trap is the south side of Hollywood Boulevard, between Kingsley and Winona, adjacent to the famous SanamLuang Cafe.
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Here is the normal parking for the rest of the street, notice, no restrictions for evening diners, 1 hour parking 8AM-8PM. The rule is enforced by parking meters everywhere between Western and Normandie, except at the Parking Trap. This is perfect for the evening diners, they just need to come after 7PM and they can enjoy themselves:
And here is the Parking Trap, a small block on the south side of Hollywood Blvd, between Kingsley and Winona:
Notice, 1 Hour Parking 6PM - 9AM! This is crazy! And a great trap as many diners will come here and, with all the delicious Thai food, who can stay just one hour?
Interestingly, this is right next to one of the best Thai Restaurants in LA, SanamLuang Cafe:
It is quite well known that people can't see colors well at night and, guess what, the parking meters at the Parking Trap are colored Green! Who can see that at night?
To add insult to injury, the $50 parking ticket states "METER EXP. NPV. UA NA COIN SLOT CLEAR SOLID RED". This is anything but clear solid red, especially at night!
More details: 5170 Hollywood Blvd. HW210 8:41 PM.
Please post a comment if you have a PARKING TRAP like this to report!
