Family Vernacular

If you have ever been to New York City, you know that a parking space can be difficult to find and garages can cost a fortune. My husband is a New Yorker. His father immigrated as a child from Eastern Europe in the early 20’s, and ultimately they moved from the lower East Side to the Bronx.  In the 50’s when my husband was a child, they would travel in from Long Island to visit family in the Bronx and face the difficult task of finding a parking space. It was common practice to illegally double-park and leave a note on the car giving your location in case the trapped car needed to get out.  My husband’s bachelor uncle, Morris had a car in the Bronx, and his goal was to park as close to his apartment building as possible.  If someone came to visit and got a better space than his, he would move his car to take their space when they left.  Finally, when he got a spot right outside the building, he didn’t move the car for many, many months, until ultimately he lost the parking space when the car was stolen.  He was quite upset about the car, but more upset about the parking space.  It is now part of our family vernacular is to call a prime parking space an “Uncle Morris spot.”  


This is my car this morning in New York City, parked quite legally, directly in front of my son’s apartment building in a very fine "Uncle Morris spot."