Parking Lots and Parking Structures

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I have a huge number of problems with parking lots and structures. I am wondering if anyone else can relate.

A key driver: I have non-neurotypical spatial orientation. Also, the executive function of my brain gets overloaded.

Challenges with parking lots:
- people coming from all directions when I am trying to find a spot
- people pulling out at me when I am walking across the lot
- being surrounded by other cars when I park far away and there are plenty spaces closer to the store
- people coming from all directions when I am trying to leave
- walking into the store with people I don't know; walking out of the store with people I don't know
- trying to find where I parked

Parking structures, on the other hand, are an exponentially more difficult
- all of the above, plus:
- darkness, lots of car exhaust, other peoples' radios
- smaller parking spaces than in the past
- structures being full and having to drive to the top
- uncertainty as to what "ticket" I have to grab on the way in
- uncertainty as to who to pay on the way out (a new nightmare these days - no attendant; you can trust us, just put your credit card in our machine, hope the machine doesn't eat it)
- angry people ahead of me
- angry people behind me
- often after an event where it's now dark outside
- processing what happened/what was said during the event while all this is happening in the structure
- orientation as to where I am when I exist the structure (what street, what direction, etc.)
- usually tired after some event which makes it all a lot harder

Just a slice of my non-neurotypical processing when I am dealing with parking lots and structures...

Stressful just thinking about.... Streets and highways are another set of nightmares, but that's another story.

I can understand and somewhat relate. I can handle smaller parking lots if they have a well established and organized pattern of use. Most lots and all multilevel structures, however, are not. They are total chaos with not structured patterns that I can perceive or understand, which causes much anxiety and stress. I have taken public transport to avoid this as the bus chaos I can manage with headphones whereas the parking chaos I have no way to cope.

I am really hoping I will get desensitized to the people going in with me and exiting with me - that would be great. I wish I had some good busses near me (or subway stations, etc.). I like the idea of manageable chaos. In general, I prefer a smaller more manageable beast to a bigger one, and a beast I know to one I don't. Thanks for your thoughts all.

I avoid those parking garages where you must get a ticket or there's no attendant but you have to do something at the gate. I park in the street and will walk.

OP's post reminds me of a case where a woman dropped her credit card while sticking it in the slot. She opened her door to retrieve it on the ground, but while doing so, her car rolled forward. It hit a beam or some structure and caused the door to compress into her head. She got trapped in that position and died.

https://people.com/human-interest/ohio- ... t-machine/