This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 17, 2011 - A friend and I went to McGurk's the other night. As usual, the food was good and the atmosphere was relaxed. By the time we left, Irish music was floating back to the area we were sitting in.
What was remarkable was what was under the windshield when we got to my car.
"What the heck!" I said -- or words to that effect. But it wasn't a ticket. It was a parking-ticket-size flyer that said "PARK SMART Store Your Valuables Out of Sight."
The warning included notice to keep everything -- including clothing and CDs -- out of sight.
What was in view? My club (not on the steering wheel just while we were eating), an umbrella, scraper and, yes, Simon & Garfunkel and Janis Joplin. So, OK, given that I had a Leonard Cohen CD taken before, I should learn to hide those CDs.
Still, we smiled, as city dwellers we knew to keep things of interest out of sight and we appreciated the reminder.
But I also had to smile because of the contrast with spending time in southern Illinois with my parents.
Dad has finally gotten used to the idea that I reflexively lock the doors. And I've learned that I better hit that unlock button as soon as I head to the car.
For them, the idea of having to lock the car all the time seems strange; I just hope that level of trust is still justified in small towns.