The following was written and submitted by Cape Charles visitor Scott O’Carroll.
I can’t tell you how deflated we were to return to our car after a pleasant first-time visit to Cape Charles on July 4 – to find a $50 ticket for parking face-in.
Today is Monday and we are home in Columbia, SC and I have cooled off and decided to express my feelings through the poem below. The ticket did spoil the visit though to the lovely Cape Charles.
The Fifty-Dollar Sin
‘Twas the Fourth of July in Cape Charles,
When my wife and I first ventured in.
Little did either of us foresee
We’d commit a most grievous sin.
No murder or mayhem, no theft or deceit,
No reckless or dangerous spin.
No speeding, no shouting, no public dispute—
Our crime was to park… facing in.
The signs were few, the warnings obscure,
The streets were alive with the fair.
Nowhere we’d traveled in all of our days
Had we found such a rule waiting there.
The ordinance claims it promotes public safety,
Preventing mishaps, we are told.
Yet cameras and sensors on modern-day cars
Make that old reasoning vacant and cold.
And why is it lawful to back into spaces,
Leaving your bumper out front?
If safety’s the standard the town wishes kept,
Shouldn’t both methods confront?
What evidence gave this ordinance life?
What danger was truly displayed?
How many were injured by front-facing cars,
Or is revenue simply being made?
Our visit to Cape Charles was otherwise grand;
Its beaches and shops a delight.
At AJ’s we dined, we wandered the town,
And the memories started out bright.
Then Officer Brown left a fifty-dollar note—
A souvenir none would earn.
A charming town dimmed by a needless decree,
One that makes visitors hesitate to return.
About the Author
$50°° a pop adds up over the Summer. We in Cape Charles call that a tip or gratituity. See you next year!
The lines deliniating parking spots need to be freshly painted, in my opinion. At present the lines are faded beyond a backup camera’s capability of finding them to park between. Laughable that nose in parking on Front Street is tantamount to buggery… 🤣 $50 would probably buy enough paint to complete the job!
It is a very sad fact that folks, today, can’t back up their vehicles without the help of a camera, get through a church service without a slug of water every 15 seconds or even sit at a stop light without looking at their phone.
The Curious Cart Conundrum
‘Twas a sunny day by Chesapeake Bay,
Our little golf cart rolled with cheer.
We sought a spot along the shore,
Where beachgoers gather year to year.
“We’ll park diagonal,” someone said,
“It saves more room for all.”
But rules declared, “Not here, my friends,”
Though space was standing tall.
So straight we parked beside the sand,
Where extra spots were lost.
Yet downtown signs proclaimed instead,
“Diagonal… at any cost!”
How curious this ordinance seems,
One rule here, another there.
The beach says, “Straight!” The town says, “Slant!”
It’s enough to make one stare.
And should you choose the “wrong” direction,
Though no one blocked or stalled,
A fifty-dollar keepsake waits—
A souvenir for all.
Cape Charles shines with charm and grace,
Its shops and sunsets glow.
We simply wish the parking rules
Were easier to know.
There once was a girl from New Haven.
Who had an affair with a Raven.
As she said with a grin
Whilst scratching her chin,
Nevermore