My First Experience in the Downtown Parking Garage [PHOTOS]

Yesterday, I went downtown during lunch for a hair appointment and utilized the parking garage for the first time.

Knowing I would be more than two hours, the metered parking in front of the salon was out of the question, but I was excited to utilize the new garage area. With the cold and rainy weather moving into the area, I had not picked the best day for a trip to the salon, but I grabbed my umbrella and was on my way.

With slightly new hair, no I'm not that adventurous when it comes to my locks, I gathered my coat and umbrella and returned to the garage battling the wind and rain.

I climbed into the warmth of my car, backed out of my parking spot and drove to the opposite side of the garage looking for an exit. When I didn't see one, I turned around and found a parking pay station.

So, I parked and got out of my car with my parking ticket and placed it in the yellow slot. The device read that I owed $3, so I started looking for a card reader or money slot. I didn't see one. I looked below the ticket slot and saw what looked like an infrared scanner, but it didn't seem to read my card, either.

Frustrated, I utilized the call button and asked the voice on the other end, "How do I pay?" The polite voice asked me if I had a credit card, and when I replied yes, they told me to place my credit card in the same slot that took my parking ticket.

I was shocked, but when I put my card in the machine read it and stuck it right back out. I got my receipt returned to my car, and drove back around toward the entrance. When I rounded the corner, I realized that I had been so distracted by the weather that I didn't notice the parking attendant and the exit were next to the entrance.

Feeling stupid, I drove up to the attendant and explained that I had already paid at the other side of the garage. He was thankfully, kind and took my ticket receipt and let me leave.

My afternoon would have been a lot less stressful if I had paid a little more attention to my surroundings and observed the attendant when I first pulled into the garage. The parking garage is a great asset to Downtown Tyler, and now that I know how to navigate it I look forward to utilizing it in the future.