Early on Saturday morning, right around 1-ish, I found myself trapped in a Smart Park downtown. The first problem: the attendant working the gate had fallen asleep. The second problem: despite being tired and eager to get home, I didn't have the gall the wake him.

Plus, I didn't know what was kosher for a situation like this. Should I have honked the horn, sending an ear-piercing echo through the chambers of the garage? Should I have jumped out of the car and knocked on the window? He was older gentleman and I'm sure there was at least a small chance that a rude awakening might have resulted in a mild to moderate coronary.

Another car pulled up at the open but vacant booth to my right. He too didn't know how to handle the situation. For a full minute we sat there, both of us unwilling to wake the attendant. I fiddled with my radio, he stared at his steering wheel. Parking garage ennui, I guess you could call it.

Another minute later, a woman popped out of a back office. She dealt with the other car and I threw mine into reverse to swing over to her booth. She only charged me $2.00 for six hours of parking. As I eased out onto Fourth, waiting for traffic to pass, I looked back over my shoulder. The attendant was still fast asleep.

Labels: Portland