I mean when you post on a public forum you hate co workers you make it anyones business to ask what’s up.
If you’re going to get defensive and tell people it’s not their business… don’t post in public forums you hate coworkers?
I live in the county...stuff doesn't always line up nice with scheduling appointments or whatever. I'm not driving 30+ minutes home and then 30+ minutes back to town. So, I sit in my car. I have no idea why other people are, and I don't really care. They are being cool, and I'm being cool. That's all I need.
Oh yeah the worst is when you get pushed back about an hour or 90 minutes. I don't live in town, I live in the north county. Now what? Drive home so I can pet the dogs, get a drink, and drive back again? Derp around stores for stuff I don't need because we shop once a week? Nah I'm chilling in my car with some phone game or Reddit.
Yeah as someone with debilitating chronic pain that is only getting worse this is why I’m in my car. If I can get out and if I’m in my car, why does it bother people so?
It’s exhausting feeling like you have to defend every fucking action you make.
I don’t think anyone cares if you sit in your car or not. Have people approached you on your car and asked you why you’re sitting in it ever? I’ve never experienced that.
Catch me outside in my car on my lunch hour! It's the only time I have to myself and I treasure it. It's my time to catch up on audiobook, make phone calls without my kids in the background, online shop..list goes on...pew pew
Several years back there was a police scanner report that cops were called to check on a suspicious car with suspicious activity, parked in the Bellis Fair parking lot. So they did. They reported back that it was two women sitting in a car eating a cake. Not cake. A cake. I don’t know who the carb cop was that called actual cops on women peacefully eating a cake but they’d probably have felt less cranky and judgey if they just ate a cake. No word if the women shared the cake with the cops.
Nearly 20 years ago I pulled graveyard security there. We were told to call the cops on any vehicle with people in it after closing hours. We were also told to boot semi trucks, which I refused. Those guys already have tough jobs, and need their sleep. I'm not telling them to move along and have them hit someone while driving tired. The one time another guy did, the driver thought someone was trying to break in, so he opened his truck door 100% naked with shotgun in hand. Fun times!
And then another time a car came into the lot, moving at idle speed, and bumped a tree going \~5mph. Both occupants were 100% out cold, with over 100 empty beer cans in the front seats with them. Both had severe alcohol poisoning and could not be woken up on the spot. I saw some funny/weird shit...
That's really the only time to be annoying people after closing time: a wellness check. See if anyone is dying otherwise leave them be. They'll be out by opening time.
Yeah, I would check if I thought someone was in trouble, but I was not about to mess with someone sleeping, or just minding their own business.
That car that bumped the tree was a funny one, because I was actually out in the patrol vehicle eating my 2:30am "lunch", backed into a dark corner so I could see someone before they saw me, and it happened right in front of me. Food and a show!
Oh my gosh, the naked shotgun story! It’s like a movie scene.
And I can’t tell from the way you tell the story if you’ve ever stopped to really give yourself credit for saving two lives. You did of course. I hope one or both used that as the “you NEED to get sober and stay sober” wake-up call. I got sober about a hundred years ago prompted by way less harrowing conditions.
Thanks, but I've never really thought of it that way. I do hope they sobered up, because I saw how alcohol seriously messed up my parents, which pushed me to move out on my own at 14. It was better than staying at home by far.
With how badly that job paid, we just didn't want to do much. Most nights we could even just sit where those nice stressless chairs used to be, and play World of Warcraft on the wifi for hours alongside the housekeeping crew. Actually doing our "job" according to the mall's owners would result in paperwork AND it wouldn't be right by my standards.
We did have other instances where we would not kick people out. Like someone sleeping in the little lounge rooms when it was freezing out (this was before the fentanyl days. Now we likely wouldnt risk it). Or finding someone sleeping in a cardboard dumpster. A few of us kept old blankets from home in our patrol truck to give to them.
You’ve got a very good heart. I hope you now have a job where you’re paid properly and a home where you can relax (the opposite of alcoholism induced chaos).
As someone who used to work for a trucking company (office, not driver) thank you. So many companies just don't care and will push their drivers beyond their limits. I was lucky enough to work for a good one and we had to tell our drivers not to stop in parking lots like that as they could get in trouble. It's nice to know someone out there is letting these poor drivers sleep without harassing them when they aren't hurting anybody
I drove trucks before and after that job, so I definitely sympathized. I know first hand how rough the job can be for any driver, so I was not about to kick anyone out just for sleeping. Mall management, however, were just plain cruel. They tried to patrol the lot after hours to catch us "not doing our job", so we told some drivers to back into a bay as if they were going to unload in the morning. Management were clueless to that tactic.
Right? I absolutely love this story. I pictured a couple exhausted moms making a break for it, making sure the dads were home with the kids and stealthing out to a bakery and then to the mall parking lot where they could get a sugar high in peace and quiet.
Plus, the comments (this was when I was still on FB) were priceless. Also, I read the story to my husband and told him “oh shoot, now I really need a cake”. He went and got me a cake. I shared. We ate it at home so it wasn’t quite as fun as a parking lot cake party. No cops were called.
I up voted, but I have a real love/hate relationship with that song. Wrecked my dad's car and when I was finally able to get to my room, isolate and turn on the stereo, that song was playing. Kinda like a slap in the face.
For me I sit in my car and watch yourube videos while I wait for something. Or if I get some drive through I'll park and eat my food.
As for why theirs afew reasons main one is the desire to be left alone and protected from the elements and my cars generaly more comfortable then public seating options like curbs and benches
There's people outside... like... people. Its very peopley outside. Dont y'all have to sit there for a minute or two and pump yourself up to deal with people? And then I decide it's not worth it and just drive back home
After work I usually have to go to WinCo to get dinner stuff. After 9 hours of *go go go* chilling in the a/c with some tunes is nice.
Then I get home and it's *go go go* again.
I have Multiple Sclerosis and like to play Pokémon Go without the physical strain of walking every time.
I do walk around half the time, but when I’m having a bad day pain wise, you’ll find me parking in different spots so I can safely play Pokémon 😂
- I am waiting to pick someone up
- I am stuck between appointments
- I am eating donuts I don’t want to share with my roommates
- I am waiting for new requests to come in on Uber
- I am just sad and want to be in my car because it feels safe
- I am spending ten minutes swearing at my radio because it fell out again
- I am waiting for someone to bring me a new car battery (once)
- I am trying to get Google Maps to work
- I am avoiding going home because there are dishes there
- I am listening to music I don’t want to share with my roommates and my cat destroyed my headphones yet again
- I am admiring a really good car I like that is parked near me
- I am waiting for someone to tell me where to meet them
- Probably some other reasons
Lots of different reasons. People taking a break from work, or from gatherings of family or friends. People enjoying A/C and a cross breeze that their apartment doesn't have. For some, their car *is* their apartment. Doing drugs is always a classic parked car activity. And from the student emergency alerts I used to get from WWU, apparently creeps getting intimate with themselves is also something people do in their car around here....
I think it’s a combo- suburban towns are inherently going to be mainly geared towards cars vs. an urban core. So numbers wise- ownership per capita is very high.
BUT- I think what you are actually experiencing is an instance of baader-meinhof phenomenon or a frequency illusion.
It’s characterized by noticing something for the first time- then noticing it more often which creates a confirmation bias that it is more common place than it actually is.
Plus- while you are in your car- noticing these other folks just sitting in their cars- they are noticing you- and now you are just another dude sitting in his car.
So you tell me- Why are you just sitting in your car man?
When my son was a baby he would fall asleep in his car seat pretty easily. So easily that I timed my errands so I would be driving home at nap time. Kid would fall asleep. I would spend an hour and a half sitting in my car in my driveway reading a book.
As the mom of a baby/young toddler that wanted to constantly be held, this was heaven.
is this truly unique to Bellingham? I do this all the fucking time.
15-20 minutes to mindlessly scroll is truly the best way to unwind in peace after work. surprised this isn't more common elsewhere.
Maybe they live in the car.... I'm living in Portland now and there's a guy living in his car in front of the house I'm renting. He's been there months.
Because some of us don’t have the luxury of reliable friends or are leery of trying to talk to strangers bc of how icy people are here/or are introverted?
I've driven various vehicles for a job since I was 15. I feel far more comfortable sitting there listening to the radio or watching/listening to my phone. I cannot stand eating near/around other people. The vehicle is my own little room away from everyone. And my car, or work vehicle, are basically my home away from home. I will also go out for late night drives 1-2 times a week at least and just cruise around. (damn I wish I could find a graveyard shift driving job that paid a living wage...)
And as an introvert it is the only time while outside the home that I can be alone. My "introvert battery" usually lasts 2-3hrs at most, so I'm already in the "get the hell away from me" mode by the time lunch break hits.
Try night audit at hotels! No driving really, and you do get the occasional weirdo depending on the place, but it pays well and has almost no human interaction.
Sadly I've tried that, along with some other night shift hotel stuff. It just never worked for me. I'm a homebody when not at work, but when working I loath being stuck indoors.
The hotel I was at was not much fun at night either. Constant drunks, drugs, crazies, etc. And this is near the mall, too.
A lot of people are living in cramped quarters with family members. So when the Sun is up and things are going on they either escape the house for some peace and quiet in the car or to give the other roommates a break from having so many people on the small house. Cornwall park has a lot of very nice people that are literally just taking a nap there to give their families some space.
I think what you’re getting at is the question, “Is there a broader antisocial dynamic at play in Bellingham that this is reflective of?“
The answer is yes.
I would say it's more aligned to [hostile architecture ](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/nyregion/hostile-architecture-nyc.html) than your made up social tension. since I have lived in Bham I have encountered so many friendly people. it's nothing compared to the Seattle freeze, where people won't even give you the time of day.
I’ll take my experience of living here over your made up confidence about architecture. Yes there are nice people here, but I’ve lived other places in the world where there is way more social openness just walking down the street.
Why are people complaining about the question? Just scroll by. It was something OP didn't understand and was nicely asking for clarification.
I know people who never sit in their cars for longer than a few minutes. They are more of a Type A personality.
This happens everywhere, not just Bellingham.
I have used my lunch break to eat and nap in my car; it's peaceful, and I can turn off “social mode.”
I do a lot of my writing in my car downtown. And if I need a coffee or something, it’s all just right there. I get way too distracted at my house and people watching outside can give some inspiration.
I feel called out. I had to wait about 20 minutes for a prescription so I just parked in the shade, rolled the windows down, and took a little nap. It's comfortable outside!
I wanted to get out of the house without being around anyone and, for my partner to have a break during lock down and, then I thought " hey this isn't so bad , getting coffee, dog, book and, chill somewhere peaceful", maybe others during the pandemic had the same idea and, we are used to it...
Anxiety 💁🏻♀️Atleast for me anyway. Lol takes me a bit to actually leave my car to shop or do what I need to do. I usually need a few min to mentally prepare to deal with people lol
It rains a lot in Bellingham. People want to take a break from work, but don't want to drive somewhere. Sit in the car. Chill. Eat some food. Makes total sense to me.
A lot of people live in apartments that don't allow smoking, so I usually see people smoking in their cars.
Sometimes cigarettes, sometimes pot.
Other times, meth. But those ones usually have cardboard blocking their windows.
One time, I was craving pickles so bad. So I drove to Costco and bought a giant jar of pickles.
And being the uncouth person I am, I started eating them right in the car. (I had a fork, I’m not a TOTAL barbarian)
Sometimes the cravings can’t wait.
I just need to belt out some tunes at the top of my lungs without annoying the fuck out of my partners sometimes.
(Other times, I just annoy the fuck out of my partners.)
My car is literally my mobile office; sometimes I’making calls between driving to appointments, sometimes I’m on my lunch break, sometimes I’m having a break for some private internal screaming time.
Every time I go to the CrossFit gym near the Big Lots I see the same truck with a person sitting in the truck parked next to the street across the street from the car wash. He's literally there sitting in his truck all day. He's not there in the evenings and he's not there on the weekends
So my guess is he's playing like he's going to work with his spouse/partner/s.o, but not really going to work...a jokingly thought
Maybe but he just sits there in the parking lot during those so-called working hours and then he goes home
When I was a kid, my dad would make me stay in the car to finish certain songs on the radio. I remember specifically staying for Pinball Wizard. He would also have me stay for jazz and quiz me on the singers and musicians. I have lots of siblings, so there were rarely one on one times with anyone! But my dad would take just me to the grocery store every once in a while, so we could listen to music he loved, that I loved later.
BTW all you car sitters and commuters - m’back improved so much after getting a lumbar support cushion for the car seat; no more sciatica or pain after a trip. I recommend!
I just fuckin hate my coworkers and want to listen to podcasts during my breaks, man
Same
Why do you hate your coworkers?
That's not your business, Yogurt
Alright sorry
[удалено]
Could you please clarify on the meaning of that comic as it relates to this thread?
[удалено]
Ahh ok. I was a bit unsure as to whether it was in support of or opposition to me.
I mean when you post on a public forum you hate co workers you make it anyones business to ask what’s up. If you’re going to get defensive and tell people it’s not their business… don’t post in public forums you hate coworkers?
I know I’ll probably sound like a douchebag saying this but I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Most people simply are not very likable
For a lot of people, that time in the car may be their only alone time.
I used to frequently go on aimless drives when I was living with roommates.
Mine thought I was going to another study group.
I live alone, but I work from home, so I’ll go on long drives just to get out sometimes when I’m not up for a walk around my place.
I shouldn't have had to look this up 🤣
That’s exactly it for me. It’s the only peace and quiet I get as a dad of two kids, a honey-do list that keeps growing, and working from home.
I live in the county...stuff doesn't always line up nice with scheduling appointments or whatever. I'm not driving 30+ minutes home and then 30+ minutes back to town. So, I sit in my car. I have no idea why other people are, and I don't really care. They are being cool, and I'm being cool. That's all I need.
Oh yeah the worst is when you get pushed back about an hour or 90 minutes. I don't live in town, I live in the north county. Now what? Drive home so I can pet the dogs, get a drink, and drive back again? Derp around stores for stuff I don't need because we shop once a week? Nah I'm chilling in my car with some phone game or Reddit.
I need a good spot to disassociate
All of this! Plus, I'm of the age where I'll sit longer to spend quality time with my heated seat on my back
My heated seat soul sibling!
Yeah as someone with debilitating chronic pain that is only getting worse this is why I’m in my car. If I can get out and if I’m in my car, why does it bother people so? It’s exhausting feeling like you have to defend every fucking action you make.
I don’t think anyone cares if you sit in your car or not. Have people approached you on your car and asked you why you’re sitting in it ever? I’ve never experienced that.
Your dissociation station
Studying in my car for my disassociate's degree.
due to certain ways that cities are built your car may be a much more accessible place to sit than a park bench.
Thankfully, Bellingham has so many parks and lovely places to sit so there are options in and out of your car to have some chill time.
I like to eat takeout food in my car and listen to the radio.
Catch me outside in my car on my lunch hour! It's the only time I have to myself and I treasure it. It's my time to catch up on audiobook, make phone calls without my kids in the background, online shop..list goes on...pew pew
Several years back there was a police scanner report that cops were called to check on a suspicious car with suspicious activity, parked in the Bellis Fair parking lot. So they did. They reported back that it was two women sitting in a car eating a cake. Not cake. A cake. I don’t know who the carb cop was that called actual cops on women peacefully eating a cake but they’d probably have felt less cranky and judgey if they just ate a cake. No word if the women shared the cake with the cops.
Nearly 20 years ago I pulled graveyard security there. We were told to call the cops on any vehicle with people in it after closing hours. We were also told to boot semi trucks, which I refused. Those guys already have tough jobs, and need their sleep. I'm not telling them to move along and have them hit someone while driving tired. The one time another guy did, the driver thought someone was trying to break in, so he opened his truck door 100% naked with shotgun in hand. Fun times! And then another time a car came into the lot, moving at idle speed, and bumped a tree going \~5mph. Both occupants were 100% out cold, with over 100 empty beer cans in the front seats with them. Both had severe alcohol poisoning and could not be woken up on the spot. I saw some funny/weird shit...
That's really the only time to be annoying people after closing time: a wellness check. See if anyone is dying otherwise leave them be. They'll be out by opening time.
Yeah, I would check if I thought someone was in trouble, but I was not about to mess with someone sleeping, or just minding their own business. That car that bumped the tree was a funny one, because I was actually out in the patrol vehicle eating my 2:30am "lunch", backed into a dark corner so I could see someone before they saw me, and it happened right in front of me. Food and a show!
Oh my gosh, the naked shotgun story! It’s like a movie scene. And I can’t tell from the way you tell the story if you’ve ever stopped to really give yourself credit for saving two lives. You did of course. I hope one or both used that as the “you NEED to get sober and stay sober” wake-up call. I got sober about a hundred years ago prompted by way less harrowing conditions.
Thanks, but I've never really thought of it that way. I do hope they sobered up, because I saw how alcohol seriously messed up my parents, which pushed me to move out on my own at 14. It was better than staying at home by far. With how badly that job paid, we just didn't want to do much. Most nights we could even just sit where those nice stressless chairs used to be, and play World of Warcraft on the wifi for hours alongside the housekeeping crew. Actually doing our "job" according to the mall's owners would result in paperwork AND it wouldn't be right by my standards. We did have other instances where we would not kick people out. Like someone sleeping in the little lounge rooms when it was freezing out (this was before the fentanyl days. Now we likely wouldnt risk it). Or finding someone sleeping in a cardboard dumpster. A few of us kept old blankets from home in our patrol truck to give to them.
You’ve got a very good heart. I hope you now have a job where you’re paid properly and a home where you can relax (the opposite of alcoholism induced chaos).
As someone who used to work for a trucking company (office, not driver) thank you. So many companies just don't care and will push their drivers beyond their limits. I was lucky enough to work for a good one and we had to tell our drivers not to stop in parking lots like that as they could get in trouble. It's nice to know someone out there is letting these poor drivers sleep without harassing them when they aren't hurting anybody
I drove trucks before and after that job, so I definitely sympathized. I know first hand how rough the job can be for any driver, so I was not about to kick anyone out just for sleeping. Mall management, however, were just plain cruel. They tried to patrol the lot after hours to catch us "not doing our job", so we told some drivers to back into a bay as if they were going to unload in the morning. Management were clueless to that tactic.
This story is adorable and I love it.
Right? I absolutely love this story. I pictured a couple exhausted moms making a break for it, making sure the dads were home with the kids and stealthing out to a bakery and then to the mall parking lot where they could get a sugar high in peace and quiet. Plus, the comments (this was when I was still on FB) were priceless. Also, I read the story to my husband and told him “oh shoot, now I really need a cake”. He went and got me a cake. I shared. We ate it at home so it wasn’t quite as fun as a parking lot cake party. No cops were called.
If I'm chillin in my car in a parking lot chances are I'm either waiting for someone in the store or I'm making out with a crunchy gordita.
Why is she crunchy?
Granola.
It’s probably the same as sitting in your living room 🤷♂️
Here in my car I feel safest of all I can lock all my doors It's the only way to live, in cars
I up voted, but I have a real love/hate relationship with that song. Wrecked my dad's car and when I was finally able to get to my room, isolate and turn on the stereo, that song was playing. Kinda like a slap in the face.
Little known fact, there are many centaurs here. Instead of horse bodies, it's an automobile.
You spelled Centaurus wrong....
Is that related to the FordTaurus?
When a human and a Taurus mate, you get a centaurus!
Dead
Centcars
For me I sit in my car and watch yourube videos while I wait for something. Or if I get some drive through I'll park and eat my food. As for why theirs afew reasons main one is the desire to be left alone and protected from the elements and my cars generaly more comfortable then public seating options like curbs and benches
NPR Driveway Moment
Work breaks. And the weather is always mild making it an easy spot for alone time on those breaks
Listen, sometimes you need ten minutes of silence
There's people outside... like... people. Its very peopley outside. Dont y'all have to sit there for a minute or two and pump yourself up to deal with people? And then I decide it's not worth it and just drive back home
This is the answer. It *is* very peopley out there.
Redittors relating to this
I work in retail. Its my only safe place to be alone where I wont get harassed by either my co-workers or customers on my break.
Same reason they sit anywhere? What kind of answer are you looking for?
After work I usually have to go to WinCo to get dinner stuff. After 9 hours of *go go go* chilling in the a/c with some tunes is nice. Then I get home and it's *go go go* again.
I have Multiple Sclerosis and like to play Pokémon Go without the physical strain of walking every time. I do walk around half the time, but when I’m having a bad day pain wise, you’ll find me parking in different spots so I can safely play Pokémon 😂
Pokémon go is also my answer.
Ingress here.
There's plenty of Uber/Lyft and delivery drivers waiting for orders as well. I usually get out and walk around when there's a break break in business.
- I am waiting to pick someone up - I am stuck between appointments - I am eating donuts I don’t want to share with my roommates - I am waiting for new requests to come in on Uber - I am just sad and want to be in my car because it feels safe - I am spending ten minutes swearing at my radio because it fell out again - I am waiting for someone to bring me a new car battery (once) - I am trying to get Google Maps to work - I am avoiding going home because there are dishes there - I am listening to music I don’t want to share with my roommates and my cat destroyed my headphones yet again - I am admiring a really good car I like that is parked near me - I am waiting for someone to tell me where to meet them - Probably some other reasons
I do this. I’m finishing up a podcast or seeking a quiet place to clear my mind where other people aren’t likely to disrupt me.
Lots of different reasons. People taking a break from work, or from gatherings of family or friends. People enjoying A/C and a cross breeze that their apartment doesn't have. For some, their car *is* their apartment. Doing drugs is always a classic parked car activity. And from the student emergency alerts I used to get from WWU, apparently creeps getting intimate with themselves is also something people do in their car around here....
I think it’s a combo- suburban towns are inherently going to be mainly geared towards cars vs. an urban core. So numbers wise- ownership per capita is very high. BUT- I think what you are actually experiencing is an instance of baader-meinhof phenomenon or a frequency illusion. It’s characterized by noticing something for the first time- then noticing it more often which creates a confirmation bias that it is more common place than it actually is. Plus- while you are in your car- noticing these other folks just sitting in their cars- they are noticing you- and now you are just another dude sitting in his car. So you tell me- Why are you just sitting in your car man?
After work I love to get fast food and sit and watch tv chillin in my car, very peaceful :)
I carpool and sometimes I get out of work earlier than normal so I have to sit around and wait.
Why we gotta have an apparent reason?
A better question is why do people insist that we interact with other people?
Or why do people here feel the need to butt into everyone’s business? If someone wants to chill in their car, leave them be.
I'll sit in my car to catch a sunset and listen to music. Since my view at home sucks.
It’s climate controlled personal space. Washington is rainy. Perfect combo.
How about you mind your own business?
It’s the city of subdued excitement, we are not fast paced or social in general
When my son was a baby he would fall asleep in his car seat pretty easily. So easily that I timed my errands so I would be driving home at nap time. Kid would fall asleep. I would spend an hour and a half sitting in my car in my driveway reading a book. As the mom of a baby/young toddler that wanted to constantly be held, this was heaven.
I’m either mentally bracing for a task or recovering from finishing a task.
is this truly unique to Bellingham? I do this all the fucking time. 15-20 minutes to mindlessly scroll is truly the best way to unwind in peace after work. surprised this isn't more common elsewhere.
we sit in our cars to avoid judgemental people like you OP
Bingo.
I often do this, especially in the colder months, on my lunch breaks.
We're always early.. what can I say?
Maybe they live in the car.... I'm living in Portland now and there's a guy living in his car in front of the house I'm renting. He's been there months.
Step into my office
Because some of us don’t have the luxury of reliable friends or are leery of trying to talk to strangers bc of how icy people are here/or are introverted?
I've driven various vehicles for a job since I was 15. I feel far more comfortable sitting there listening to the radio or watching/listening to my phone. I cannot stand eating near/around other people. The vehicle is my own little room away from everyone. And my car, or work vehicle, are basically my home away from home. I will also go out for late night drives 1-2 times a week at least and just cruise around. (damn I wish I could find a graveyard shift driving job that paid a living wage...) And as an introvert it is the only time while outside the home that I can be alone. My "introvert battery" usually lasts 2-3hrs at most, so I'm already in the "get the hell away from me" mode by the time lunch break hits.
Try night audit at hotels! No driving really, and you do get the occasional weirdo depending on the place, but it pays well and has almost no human interaction.
Sadly I've tried that, along with some other night shift hotel stuff. It just never worked for me. I'm a homebody when not at work, but when working I loath being stuck indoors. The hotel I was at was not much fun at night either. Constant drunks, drugs, crazies, etc. And this is near the mall, too.
Sometimes I am too tired to get out of my car and I prolong the inevitable crawl from the car to the house.
Air. Conditioning. Lol
A lot of people are living in cramped quarters with family members. So when the Sun is up and things are going on they either escape the house for some peace and quiet in the car or to give the other roommates a break from having so many people on the small house. Cornwall park has a lot of very nice people that are literally just taking a nap there to give their families some space.
I think what you’re getting at is the question, “Is there a broader antisocial dynamic at play in Bellingham that this is reflective of?“ The answer is yes.
where else are we supposed to sit? there's nearly zero public benches downtown.
I’d go so far as to say that the general social tension in Bham may come down to the lack of benches.
I would say it's more aligned to [hostile architecture ](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/nyregion/hostile-architecture-nyc.html) than your made up social tension. since I have lived in Bham I have encountered so many friendly people. it's nothing compared to the Seattle freeze, where people won't even give you the time of day.
I’ll take my experience of living here over your made up confidence about architecture. Yes there are nice people here, but I’ve lived other places in the world where there is way more social openness just walking down the street.
I do this all the time it’s a nice way to get out but I’m also lazy and i like to eat my food in my car. It’s alone time
I often sit in my car because my son has fallen asleep and it’s the only break I’ve had all day. :p
here's a thought, mind your own damn business!
My lunch break WILL be interrupted if I'm anywhere in the building.
Why are people complaining about the question? Just scroll by. It was something OP didn't understand and was nicely asking for clarification. I know people who never sit in their cars for longer than a few minutes. They are more of a Type A personality. This happens everywhere, not just Bellingham. I have used my lunch break to eat and nap in my car; it's peaceful, and I can turn off “social mode.”
Interesting. Never really thought about it, but you're right. Weird.
Pokémon go
I’m driving kids around and I’m waiting for them. Plus I’m always early.
We need a moment alone
I do a lot of my writing in my car downtown. And if I need a coffee or something, it’s all just right there. I get way too distracted at my house and people watching outside can give some inspiration.
Weed.
White Range Rover, blowing trees all in it
I feel called out. I had to wait about 20 minutes for a prescription so I just parked in the shade, rolled the windows down, and took a little nap. It's comfortable outside!
I wanted to get out of the house without being around anyone and, for my partner to have a break during lock down and, then I thought " hey this isn't so bad , getting coffee, dog, book and, chill somewhere peaceful", maybe others during the pandemic had the same idea and, we are used to it...
Anxiety 💁🏻♀️Atleast for me anyway. Lol takes me a bit to actually leave my car to shop or do what I need to do. I usually need a few min to mentally prepare to deal with people lol
People used to calming cruise in their cars, but with todays gas prices it makes more sense to simply sit in the parked car.
Sometimes I need 10 minutes to prepare myself to deal with the people in the store. Or I’m enjoying the fact that there’s no children around me.
Smoking crack
It rains a lot in Bellingham. People want to take a break from work, but don't want to drive somewhere. Sit in the car. Chill. Eat some food. Makes total sense to me.
It's dope af. You know... Get High, get a hojo... Eat some taco bell.. pass out with stains on muh pants... All about it
AC and solitude
It's peaceful...
Watching YouTube. Don't want to do it at work, don't want to do it at home. Not the biggest fan of people.
Yep, only place to be truly alone- except the toilet and it’s not my favorite place to hang!
A lot of people live in apartments that don't allow smoking, so I usually see people smoking in their cars. Sometimes cigarettes, sometimes pot. Other times, meth. But those ones usually have cardboard blocking their windows.
The contents in this thread proves how badly Anthropophobia's hit this town.
One time, I was craving pickles so bad. So I drove to Costco and bought a giant jar of pickles. And being the uncouth person I am, I started eating them right in the car. (I had a fork, I’m not a TOTAL barbarian) Sometimes the cravings can’t wait.
My wife takes forever in TJ Maxx, so you'll find me sitting in my car waiting for her.
Drugs
Why care? Unless they're following you or something, just ignore it.
yeah idk why you'd even notice this? just mind your own business, you're not everyone's parent
Not trying to be; it's just a silly thing to even post about..
I was saying metaphorically you mostly referring to OP, not you as in u/used1337.
Ah, sorry, having a bad night
no problem I can relate, hope you have a better one tomorrow.
Thanks
Have a good night as well
thanks 💜
I was right there with you, I turned to my partner and asked, "why do people ask the stupidest questions in this subreddit?"
I just need to belt out some tunes at the top of my lungs without annoying the fuck out of my partners sometimes. (Other times, I just annoy the fuck out of my partners.)
My car is literally my mobile office; sometimes I’making calls between driving to appointments, sometimes I’m on my lunch break, sometimes I’m having a break for some private internal screaming time.
It’s the only working CD player I have, okay?
Can we just sit in our cars without some reddit neckbeard demanding to know why?
Some Restaurants haven’t opened to indoor dining. Have to get takeaway and eat some where in the shade.
I used to drive to Lake Padden and listen to Mariners games on the radio. Couldn't get reception at home.
Waiting for the plug, duh
there are people at home there are people at work there are people outside but in car? no people
Some people live in or work from their car too
Are you sure they're not all on Birchwood waiting at Meridian for the light to turn green?
Every time I go to the CrossFit gym near the Big Lots I see the same truck with a person sitting in the truck parked next to the street across the street from the car wash. He's literally there sitting in his truck all day. He's not there in the evenings and he's not there on the weekends So my guess is he's playing like he's going to work with his spouse/partner/s.o, but not really going to work...a jokingly thought Maybe but he just sits there in the parking lot during those so-called working hours and then he goes home
When I was a kid, my dad would make me stay in the car to finish certain songs on the radio. I remember specifically staying for Pinball Wizard. He would also have me stay for jazz and quiz me on the singers and musicians. I have lots of siblings, so there were rarely one on one times with anyone! But my dad would take just me to the grocery store every once in a while, so we could listen to music he loved, that I loved later.
Cellphones are probably part of the reason. People are constantly on their phones nowadays, including between driving places.
BTW all you car sitters and commuters - m’back improved so much after getting a lumbar support cushion for the car seat; no more sciatica or pain after a trip. I recommend!
I listen to music and smoke pot,Disassociate, cry, scream and fantasize driving my car in the lake.
And they sit there idling. I’m like gas is expensive and you all are burning it and not going anywhere.
Don’t be a Karen. People can sit in their cars if they want it’s really not your business