This blog talks a lot about riding the busses and subways and being Green, but some of us drive and aren't ashamed. Further, Los Angeles loves its car culture and it's fine time that we take pride in who we REALLY are.

As we drive our cars proudly, there comes the times when we have to park them. Last week I was shocked and amused when the writer of the busblog clued LAist readers in on the cheapest valet in Chinatown, so I will pick up the baton and implore you to write your local officials about an issue whose time has come, the modern Parking Meter.

Who among us enjoys getting parking tickets? And who out there thinks that parking tickets disuade people from parking like imbeciles? Therefore, we should require our elected officials to begin ushering out old and broken parking meters with 21st Century user-friendly meters that will send out an SMS text message when your time is about to expire.

Don't we all want to know when our time is about to expire?

Parking at a valet is something that many Americans will go their whole lives without ever doing. And yet in LA most of us will do it at least once a week.

After we downed some Slippery Shrimp this afternoon in Chinatown while looking at their impressive wall of autographed photographs of state and local politicians (although, curiously, no photos of our Senators) we realized that we were about to retrieve our car from the city's lowest-price valet.

"Oh but I know of some free valets", you might say. But we would say that's cheating. Anyone can give something away for fee. Yang Chow actually receives revenue while simultaneously giving its patrons the pleasant feeling that they're getting an unbelievable value. Win, win.

The truth is, in the part of Chinatown where Yang Chow sits, parking is at a premium and the paid lots are much more pricey than the three quarter valet.

Xièxie!

photo by Sonny I. LaVista for LAist