Rant & Rave: Parking Meters and Tootsies, The Nail Shoppe

Rant: A pilot program could mean no more free time on parking meters.

We’ve complained about parking meters before, but this time we’re really worked up. The city is testing out a new parking meter sensor that can, among other things, wipe remaining time from a meter once a car has pulled away from a spot. Huh?

Parking downtown is a bit of chore. Once you’ve circled the one-way streets and finally find an open space, it just feels right when the parking meter has 15 minutes left. It’s a small perk, but it tends to erase some of the frustration of living in an urban center. It’s like the person before you said, “I got this,” and bought you a round.

The 500 test meters will give the city more information about parking habits and busy streets. Instead, the city could just ask LoDo businesses about patrons’ behavior and leave my gratis meter time alone. It all feels a little too Big Brother. What’s going to happen next? If you come across a penny on the sidewalk, do you have to turn it in to the city?

Rave: Pedicures at Tootsies, the Nail Shoppe.

I’m a bit stingy when it comes to spending money on personal care. I’m not a primper. I don’t really care if my eye shadow matches my outfit. But I always—well, almost always—splurge on pedicures. Logistically, there are a few good reasons why. There is no good angle for you to self-apply nail polish to your pinky toe without embracing some Cirque du Soleil-like contortionist moves. If I do manage to paint the polish on my toes without painting my skin, it never looks as smooth or shiny as when a professional does it. And, let’s face it, performing my own pedicure is not as relaxing as sitting in a big comfy chair while someone else massages my feet.

These are facts. Yet, for some reason, I found myself perching a foot on a chair last night and attempting to apply some polish myself. The results were, ahem, lackluster. That is why I’m calling Tootises, the Nail Shoppe pronto to set up a do-over appointment. The Tootsies’ pedicures seem to last longer than most, which ensures that I don’t have to rebook for a few weeks. Maybe I’ll schedule a manicure, too.

—Image courtesy of Shutterstock