When I was a kid, I’d point and tell my mother where she should dock the family Aerostar in a crowded lot. When I got my first car, I played those same parking lots for myself, like a huge game of chess, using a made-up set of criteria…
…but I often find that the nicer cars seem to end up in the same places in every parking lot: in a quiet, well-lit corner or right up front; at the end of a row; avoiding all SUVs and shopping carts—backed in, of course.
Maybe I’m not the only one with criteria.
At gas stations, I keep meticulous records on fuel economy. My tire pressures are checked every other week, sooner if there’s a big temperature change. There are smaller rituals, too, like taking the car out of gear at a stop or the order in which I buckle up and get going.
I like to keep myself, passengers, and my cars safe, but for what it’s worth, I think that the small habits formed while driving, parking, or even browsing classified ads shed a bit of light on how I am as a person.
Photography by Afshin Behnia and Nate Stevens
