petee_c

Would I be crazy to drive my Boxster to Chinatown on a weekday and park in a 'Green P' Garage?

Going out with my extended family to take my uncle out for dinner on Wednesday. He chose a chinese restaurant on Spadina Ave. My wife and kids are heading down early in the day and checking out the science center.

Kinda hesitant to park in a garage as my dad's Volvo got broken into once in the daytime when my parents were in Chinatown (about 10 yrs ago)....

I'm thinking a street level lot might be better..... or I could take the Jetta. Although tomorrow is supposed to be the 1st 0% POP day this week, and I kinda wanted to topdown to work.

I'll be coming in from Stratford at 4pm, hope to be in Chinatown by 630pm.....

Country bumpkin coming to the big smoke....

strife_wy

Wow. Where to begin.

I drive a 911. My wife drives a Cayenne. I am chinese. I park in "china towns" around the city all the time and find it rather antiquated that you would highlight "chinatown" as a particular area of risk within the richly diverse and multicultural city of Toronto. Last I checked there are no facts pointing to statistically significant increases in break-ins in that area of the city versus another.

I notice you're of asian descent. You need to visit Toronto more often. Over 40% of the population of Toronto identifies themselves to be "asian". So if it concerns you to park in chinatown perhaps you'd want to avoid the city in general.

petee_c

sorry.... wasn't a race thing....

more about being in a public parking facility (multi level garage) , vs street level parking where the vehicle is out in the open. (which i perceive as being safer)

I guess it's a n=2 thing. My dad has his car broken into when it was in a multi level garage (in Chinatown) and my bro-in-law had his RSX stolen from underground parking while getting a post grad degree at UWO.

I try to convince the kids I'm Chinese.... my daughter didn't realize that until she was 3.5yrs old. They did a thing on Chinese new Year at daycare.....

I went to UofT for 4 years, but am happy where I am. I did like Toronto when I lived there.

strife_wy

Fair enough... sorry to hear about the break-ins your family experienced but given there is no statistical bias of break-ins in chinatown, it could have happened anywhere in Toronto. Break-ins happen all over the city.

As a general statement I do believe street parking is safer, if only for visibility.

My opinion: Let weather dictate the car you choose to drive. Tomorrow looks to be 28deg and sunny; great day for top-down driving in a flat-six sportscar.

Benny771

I live in redneck ville up north. There is a fair amount of cars stolen from here. Feel free to publicly state that your car is not as safe here as it is elsewhere.
I will not be hostile.

Yeash.

P.S I am part Polish/pollock.

porsche0nut

I live downtown Toronto, and park my (non-P-car) on the street every day. Parking on the street you're always at risk of other drivers bumping into you, especially since the majority of the population can't parallel park without trading paint or rocking the cars in front/behind them.

Parking underground, you have less traffic/visibility of your vehicle.

I'd be tempted to take the best of both worlds: Green P parking above ground! Depending on how close you need to be, there's an above-ground Green P on McCaul St just south of college. Less than a 10 min walk to Chinatown (walk down Baldwin over to Spadina) depending on how fast/slow you walk!

Don't take the Jetta... if you worry too much about what will happen to your Boxster, you'll never enjoy it!

carguy88

Just because someone got a car broken into 10 years ago, don't let it spook you. Anywhere you go, something happened at some point in the past. I don't even think about a break-in that much in Toronto, and I park all over the place. Nothing's happened to me in 14 years, so why worry. A break-in can happen anywhere, so just drive, enjoy, park, and leave *nothing* visible inside the car - most break-ins are to get at something that looks like it might contain something of value.

I would not hesitate parking the P in a green P anywhere, but would park near entrance or where there is some pedestrian traffic, as opposed to a dark corner by itself. Ideally of course, no cars on either side, to prevent door dents.

JimV8

Thieves go for either the car or contents. It it's the former then it's most likely it will be stolen out of your driveway, if the latter then anywhere, keep the interior sterile and you'll be ok.

Speedyellow993

Park by the attendant.... Failing that. You are better off on the street

fenix

I've seen a few Cayman goes in and out of the Green-P parking lot in China Town. So certainly your car won't be the only P-Car that ever park there. As for break-ins, I would agree with Jim 7 that it's more of what's inside the car the thugs saw than what kind of car it is.

petee_c

I took my Boxster S into Chinatown last night.... Spent 2.5 hrs on the road (about 1h in traffic) with the top down.....

It was a wonderful Pcar experience, - the vuvuzela sounds of the tire noise from the big rigs, the sweltering heat of the late afternoon sun fighting with the full blast AC, the sweet summer smell of diesel exhaust and hot asphalt.

Parked on Spadina near Dundas about a block or 2 south of the restaurant. Was actually surprised to find it at 6:30pm. I parked, paid, and walked up the street a block - saw an empty spot in front of a fire hydrant and did a 180 to see if I had parked in front of a fire hydrant (I hadn't)

Dinner and company was good, the car was exactly as I had left it, and I got the opportunity to drive with both my daughter and son back home. The drive back home was near traffic free. We had walkie talkies and we could communicate with my wife as we convoyed home. Pulled into Milton for gas, and did the kid switch.

The air was still warm after the sun went down, and it was almost the perfect temperature. I spent the rest of the drive watching my son whose soon to be 5, trying to turn around and reach his little hands into the air flow out of the cabin of the vehicle. It was a long day for them as they had left at 10am to go to the science center, and he was clearly getting tired. I watched as his blinks got longer and longer, and he was doing some big yawns. I warned him not to get any bugs in his mouth. It was funny to see him fight sleep. Finally about 15 minutes from home, his head slumped over onto his shoulder and he was out. Pulled into the garage and carried him into the house.

Country bumpkin home, safe after the trip to the big smoke.

porsche0nut

Glad you had such a great night out with the family and that the P-car got home safe and sound!

Your son was probably doing all he could to stay awake and not miss any of the ride in the Porsche, I know when I was young it was always a treat to go for a drive with Dad!

PS: You should do the drive again, Saturday morning, for the GTG!

petee_c

Hi Porsche0nut,

We are lucky and have 2 sets of parents who cottage in Muskoka, so most of our weekends and a few weeks each summer are spent up on Lake Muskoka....

I'm going to be up there this weekend with both kids (taking the Jetta (sigh)), as my wife is working. She's staying home with the dog....

I hope to make the trip out with some locals maybe in September.

Turbodan

Petee: do you know if it is legal in Ontario to have a child in a booster in the front seat?

petee_c

Turbodan,

I believe it is legal in vehicles without a back seat.... Pickup trucks (non extended cabs) have a way to turn off airbags as Standard. In my 2 seater boxster, it's a $500cdn option, or a $300US option for the switch/tether that turns it off.

I ordered it from the dealer where I bought my used Boxster from in Chicago.

I was also looking at S2000's last year, and my research indicates that newer Honda S2000's have a weight sensor in the passenger seat that senses if it's an adult or kid and turns off the airbag.

Anyways.... it's probably more legal than sticking them in the trunk!

P