Parking Madness Elite Eight: Rutland vs. Niagara Falls
Every year Streetsblog asks readers to judge the Parking Madness competition -- your votes winnow down 16 parking scars in a single-elimination tournament until we crown the "Golden Crater."
Yesterday, Federal Way, Washington, clinched the first Final Four spot. The second will go to either Rutland, Vermont, or Niagara Falls, New York.
Rutland
Submitter Andrew Fusco says the struggling-but-lovable town of Rutland, Vermont, suffers from the blight of this oddly-placed Walmart parking lot next to its Amtrak station.
At one time, the area was a rail yard. Before that, it was a bustling town center. This historic picture shows how the area looked in 1880.
Fusco says there's still a small green "park" within the crater that hosts a farmers market on Saturdays, offering a glimpse of the urge to converge here.
Niagara Falls
This parking catastrophe can hardly be separated from Niagara Falls' overall decline. In the early part of the 20th century, Niagara Falls was known as the "Honeymoon Capital." Many people would hop right off the train onto Falls Street, according to this account from Don Glynn at Buffalo Spree:
For the honeymooner especially, downtown had it all: they could pose for a photograph taken against a canvas backdrop of the cataracts, browse in one of those stores stacked high with souvenir cushions, cheap jewelry, and dozens of gadgets, and stop by a sidewalk soft-drink concession.
A travel writer visiting the city shortly after World War II called the tawdry air “a mixture of Coney Island and a carnival, an atmosphere of impermanence, as though nobody was quite certain that the falls would continue to flow.”
But the city started to lose its status as a romantic destination, and passenger train travel declined. According to Glynn, once tourists started arriving in cars, they demanded more places to park.
Well, that problem has been solved.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Tuesday’s Headlines: Restorative (Traffic) Justice Edition
Two stories highlighted a restorative justice program that allows traffic crash victims and perpetrators the chance to meet face-to-face. Plus more news.
Top NJ Lawmaker Proposes Major Reforms to Fight Temporary License Plate Fraud
The new legislation follows a seven-month Streetsblog investigation that found widespread fraud involving temp tags, with car dealers abusing weak state regulations and selling paper plates illegally to drivers using them to evade accountability on the road.
Fed Panel Wants to Confront the Role of Aggressive Auto Advertising in U.S. Road Deaths
A horrific car crash has federal safety officials calling for systematic responses to traffic violence — including the aggressive car ads that may inspire motorists to hit the gas.
A ‘Giving Tuesday’ Streetsblog Primer
Before we ask for your donation, let us prove to you that we're worthy of it!
As Greyhound Stations Go Extinct, Low-Income Thanksgiving Travelers are Left Out in the Cold
America's largest motor coach carrier is shifting away from stations — and a lot of customers aren't happy.
