"We live in a 7-by-7-mile grid where an unregulated parking spot is a hotter commodity than a matched 401(k). You can have the perfect chemistry, flawless banter, and a shared passion for natural wine, but none of it matters if he isn't willing to fight the local zoning laws for you. I had been dating Caleb for six months. He was the holy grail: he worked in fintech but-crucially-never once brought up his stock portfolio at dinner."
"Caleb didn't just have the apartment. He had a vintage Volvo and the willingness to be the designated driver for the last leg of a wine trip. We had spent the afternoon working our way through one or two tasting flights, and as we glided back down the 101-South. But the second we hit the city grid, we faced the very punishing reality of Mission District parking on a Sunday night at 11:00 PM."
San Francisco's limited street space and municipal parking regulations make unregulated parking a highly valued commodity. A successful date depends less on chemistry and more on access to parking. The narrator dates Caleb, who has desirable traits including a rent-controlled apartment and a vintage Volvo. After a wine-country afternoon, the couple returns and must hunt for a nine-by-eighteen-foot unregulated spot in the Mission District. They navigate double-parked cars and hazards outside taquerias. Parking scarcity and enforcement become the central obstacle that can override shared interests and practical conveniences during a night out.
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