I need a little (parking) space

Let's see if I can take some seemingly disassociated pieces of data and bring them together into a coherent whining session. To begin, I remember Milwaukee back to the late 1940 years. We lived on the west side (about 4200 west). On a Sunday, we would pack lunches and drive out into the country to visit a small airport (Timmerman Field) and watch the little planes come and go. That field (at about 8000 west) is now engulfed in city. In fact, during my residency I lived even further west than that (100000...but I keep digressing).

Since then, Milwaukee has grown south (almost to Chicago), north (to Port Washington) and west out to Waukesha County land. There is no east because of a huge lake (Michigan, for the geographically challenged).

I'm getting there. See the picture above? It represents man's insanity. We pay to park a car...and I hate it. We pay to buy space. We (not me) go down town to shop and pay for the privilege of doing so.

It's nuts. It's like me saying that if you want to chose me over all the other businesses at the Mall's, I will charge you to leave your car near my store.

Finally (aha, the insufferable boar gets to it), there is the privatization and commercializing of water frontage (read: launch sites). In this category, we do better. Sure, we have to buy a seasonal launch sticker in order to park at the South Shore launch lot (what the hell, I get a Senior Citizen Discount, but I digress), and we need a State Park Sticker to launch there (and there are many)...But, along the Milwaukee River there is a water trail with all sorts of free access. Even down town. BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR PARKING IF YOU USE THEM. AAAAAARG! So, pay up, then

Paddle safe...

DS