Alternate side parking: Those three words are enough to send a shudder down the spine of any New Yorker who dares to keep a car in the city.
You know the drill: You wake up three hours early and circle your neighborhood’s streets like a vulture in search of a spot, only to end up parking somewhere that will land you a $45 ticket anyway. “Should have moved the car after work,” you mutter to yourself. “Should have sold my car five years ago,” you whisper to no one in particular.
But there’s an occasional light at the end of the proverbial tunnel — a few days over the course of the year when the pesky alternate side parking regulations are suspended and you can park wherever you please. For non-city dwellers, holidays may be a time to gather with loved ones, but here in NYC, holidays carry a greater significance — not having to find a new parking spot.
Then there’s the occasional, horrible snowstorm that puts a damper on virtually all aspects of your life but one: parking.
Here’s when you won’t have to move your car:
Friday, March 30: Good Friday
Saturday, March 31: Passover
Sunday, April 1: Passover
Thursday, April 5: Holy Thursday
Friday, April 6: Good Friday, Passover
Saturday, April 7: Passover
Thursday, May 10: Solemnity of the Ascension
Sunday, May 20: Shavuot
Monday, May 21: Shavuot
Monday, May 28: Memorial Day
Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 17: Idul-Fitr (Eid al-Fitr)
Wednesday, July 4: Independence Day
Wednesday, Aug. 15: Feast of Assumption
Tuesday, Aug. 21 through Thursday, Aug. 23: Idul-Fitr (Eid al-Fitr)
Monday, Sept. 10: Rosh Hashanah
Tuesday, Sept. 11: Rosh Hashanah
Wednesday, Sept. 19: Yom Kippur
Monday, Sept. 24: Succoth
Tuesday, Sept. 25: Succoth
Monday, Oct. 1: Shemini Atzereth
Tuesday, Oct. 2: Simchas Torah
Monday, Oct. 8: Columbus Day
Thursday, Nov. 1: All Saints Day
Tuesday, Nov. 6: Diwali, Election Day
Monday, Nov. 12: Veterans Day (observed)
Thursday, Nov. 22: Thanksgiving Day
Saturday, Dec. 8: Immaculate Conception
Tuesday, Dec. 25: Christmas Day