Parking at Park City?

As I’ve mentioned before, there is no specific parking area for scooters or motorcycles at Park City Center. But sometimes you just have to go there; it’s the heart of shopping destinations in Lancaster County. Friday was one of those days for me. So off I went on my 50cc scooter, up Harrisburg Avenue. As I was approaching the mall, some yellow bollards caught my eye outside of BonTon.

I wanted to lock my scooter, as it can easily be lifted by 2 men, thrown in the back of a pick-up and be gone in 11 seconds. I wanted it to be in a high visibility area, giving would-be crooks less time to work without being spotted. One of these bollards seemed like the best choice in sight. But as I was chaining up, a finger-wagging security guard stopped me. No parking allowed there. Not wanting to be too argumentative, I didn’t ask why. I did ask, “Can you recommend where I should park?” Well, no he couldn’t. He claimed he was new there. So I asked where the Security Office was so that I could get some answers.

I parked in a standard space near the Security Office. I can’t help but wonder how many drivers I frustrated, taking up a whole space for a tiny scooter. Especially such a prime one. But; visibility.

I spoke to the staff at the Security Office, and they were very nice. It took some explaining of the predicament, but eventually the answer was to use the bicycle racks around the East entrance or the food court. “That’s what they’re for.” Well, one can be excused for thinking that they were for bicycles, not plated and registered motor vehicles. But, I was assured that a 50cc scooter would not be ticketed there. One guard even said that he has a scooter and has used those racks himself. That was reassuring.

I asked if I could let other scooter riders know it was proper to park there. They were a little uneasy. “How many? 2 or 3 is OK, but fifty is going to be a problem…” So be forewarned: next time you go to the mall, don’t take forty-nine of your friends.

At this point in our story it seems appropriate to point out that one the criteria for good motorbike parking (or even bicycle) is signage. I didn’t go to a bike rack initially because I didn’t know that I should. Nor did I see any, or know where they were. They aren’t at every entrance. If I’m going to BonTon, and I don’t know that there are racks on the opposite side of the mall, why would I spend the time and energy to circle the whole establishment? But I digress…

So, where should a small scooter park? Well, the bike rack at the East entrance is one-sided due to a landscape island. The worst of the lot. The rack at the food court entrance was pretty good. There is a curb-cut right there, so you can get to it without lifting your scoot. This rack does have a tree on one side, which reduces the number of cycles that can use it, and subjects your scooter to sap and bird droppings (not so nice for the seat). The food court entrance does have a lot of teenagers hanging out there. If you happen to be a teenager, this could be a plus I guess.

The best parking I found was not mentioned by the Security personnel. That was the area outside of T.G.I.Friday’s. It is near a curb cut, out in the open, and accessible from all sides. The bus stop increases visibility. This will be my preferred spot from now on, even when I don’t need a flat-iron steak.

I didn’t ask if there was a size limit on this arrangement. The line between scooter and maxi-scooter can get blurry, and I didn’t think that discussion would go anywhere with the staff on hand. If I had a scooter that was as big as a motorcycle, I would be fine parking in a standard spot. I would feel reasonably comfortable that some frustrated SUV driver wasn’t going to run it over or drag it out of the spot he or she wanted. But a 250cc scooter? I bet a Vespa is going to be fine at the bike rack, while a Morphous might draw the hairy eyeball. Until Park City Center and General Growth Properties, Inc. recognizes the growing trend in motorbike use and gives us some true motorbike parking, we’ll have to use our best judgment along with what advice we can get from their Security Office.

Lancaster, Right Under Your Nose.

This past Friday I went to Music Friday downtown with a friend. She has recently moved to Lancaster from Harrisburg. Like most people forced relocate not 100% of their own choosing, she was depressed about her new circumstances. She thought Lancaster was a quiet little town and longed to move back to Harrisburg. But after visiting only 3 shops, The White Elephant, Zap and Co. and The Art and Glassworks, she was excited about Lancaster.

“I thought I had to go to Hoboken, Manayunk, or Frederick to find shops like this! Harrisburg should have something like this. I love it. Here I had been hating Lancaster, and these places were right under my nose!’

Told ya. Wait until she sees Pop Deluxe and Gallery Row.

3rd Friday

This Friday was 3rd Friday (or Music Friday) on the 300 block of North Queen Street. Most of the shops were open and the street was full of buskers ("buskers" is your word of the day). The focus was at Building Character, where there were food and art vendors and Faux Minx was playing. Faux Minx is a 5-piece electric jazz group and they are very good. I was impressed with the sax player in particular, who also had an EWI (Electric Wind Instrument), which I had never seen before.

Also very good was the cute Maryjo Mattea, who was winning over the crowd with Beatles covers next to The Dude Shop.

There were many others there, playing between 7 & 9pm. I'm sure they'll do it again in August, so mark it on your calendar now.

Looking for a grocery-getter?

Lancaster's New Era today featured an article about Jim Slagel, owner of Jim's Towing in Willow Street. He built this motorized shopping cart that will do 35mph. Read the full story here.

Christmas Downtown

It's Christmas time, and tonight the Mayor lit the Christmas Tree in Penn Square. It was also First Friday, which means stores and gallerys downtown were open late. Even Central Market was open. So I had a chai latte and did some shopping.

And yes, I rode my scooter. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the free parking! Queen Street was closed between Vine and Orange, which had traffic snarled. If more people had been driving scooters, congestion would not have been so bad!

But I can't blame them. There was a little ice and snow on the ground. The streets were wet. It turned out that it wasn't much trouble for the fat tires of a C3. It was cold. Not much wind, but the few blocks I could get up to 35mph were a little biting. I wore my half-helmet with the face shield so that I could stash it under the seat while parked. It was only my chin and ears that were exposed. Otherwise there was no problem.

Monday it's supposed to get back up the the upper 40's. If the forecast holds, I'll ride to work. My goal is to commute on the scooter at least once every month throught the winter.

Looking for Leathers?

Try Domaki Leathers in Leola. They are an inconspicuous store at the corner of Rt. 23 and Rt. 772. They have a large selection of leather... well, everything: jackets, chaps, gloves, boots, breifcases, and even saddlebags (the only thing I didn't see there were full body racing leathers). What makes them great is that their prices are competitive with outlet prices, but the quality is higher. Their jackets are real motorcycle jackets, not fashion jackets made out of soft, thin calfskin. Their jackets are the real thick leather, the kind that would actually protect you for more than a second in a crash. But the same price as the fashion stuff at the mall. I bought a jacket with a racing collar, vents, a zip-in quilted lining that goes all the way down the sleeves for $169. And there is no velcro on it anywhere.

They are only open until 5:30 in the evening, so try going on Saturday when they are open 9:30-4:30.


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Saturday Morning Again

I got up this morning and rode the scooter downtown for coffee (today's flavor special: Caramel and Creme) and a donut (custard-filled with chocolate frosting) at Central Market. I took my new delectibles outside to a bench by my scooter. During a conversation with the other occupant of the bench, it turned out that she was the was the owner of the Art & Glassworks. That is one of my usual stops when I'm browsing the 300 block of North Queen. She said that her family had just been looking at scooters. One of them was considering a Honda Metropolitan. She said that the owner of a local burrito place (I can only assume she means Senorita Burrita) is also the owner of the green Met I've seen around town. So, you riders out there, here are two pro-scooter businesses for you to support!

As I was finishing up my coffee, a couple pulled up and parked next to me. The husband came right over to me and started asking about the scooter; what brand is it, what type of brakes it had, etc.. When I told him the gas mileage, he burst out laughing. It wasn't long before his wife told him it was time to go inside and get on with their shopping. But he thanked me for talking with him.

Scooters are conversation starters!

Downtown Saturday Morning

I rode the scooter downtown this morning and did a little shopping. I parked around the outside of Central Market. I saw one other scooter rider there, a young lady on what appeared to be a green Honda Metro. Those Metros are popular. I saw a blue one on the commute home yesterday.

A lot of people were asking about the scooter. A couple people mentioned that they were considering buying one. The staff at the liquor store seemed very interested. They were particularly eager to save on parking. They said that scooters are allowed to park on the sidewalk. I'll try to confirm that.

I also stopped in at Zap & Co.. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just enjoy the place. They are a retro store, selling vintage clothes and items, primarily from the 30's through the 60's. But I found more than I had hoped for... you see, I have been keeping an eye out for some stickers to customize the scooter. And they had a box of rock bumper stickers, new old stock, from the '80's. Looks like about '84, because they had Micheal Jackson, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, "Frontiers"-era Journey, "Synchronicity"-era Police, and more. All in that glitter/sparkle style. So now my scooter is rockin' a genuine vintage "Zenyatta Mondatta"-style Police sticker. Don't stand so close to it!