Indelible signs of winter in Chicago: snow-covered cars, dirty gray slush and… folding chairs, buckets and pieces of plywood scattered throughout the streets? Huh?
If you're new to the city, you may be more than a little alarmed by the sudden appearance of broken-down furniture ''claiming'' parking spots after the owners of said furniture so diligently dug out their cars. But it makes sense, right? If you took the time to shovel the piles of unforgiving snow off of your ride, shouldn't you have a right to one of the few parking spots on your street? On the other hand, you're never guaranteed a spot during fair weather, so why should you be guaranteed one now?
What if there was a law that everyone needed to shovel out their cars within three days of a snowstorm? Then everyone would have a clear spot to return home to, and the Chicago streets wouldn't look like a rummage sale gone wrong. We know it's unlikely, but one can dream, right?
One other question to ponder: what happens to the person who moves furniture aside to ''reclaim'' a spot? Does that car get keyed… or worse?
Have you ever dared to move the chair? If so, share your stories below.
