Washington City Paper: Contents for Sep. 24

Cover Story

Acrescent moon hangs on the horizon, dividing black night from the dawn breaking orange over Union Station. A block down Massachusetts Avenue NW, the door to the old Gale school at 65 Massachusetts Ave. NW clangs loudly as more than a score of sleepy District employees in white shirts and blue trousers hurry inside the Bureau of Parking Services for their 6:30 a.m. roll call.

Known officially as Parking Control Aides (PCAs)—the meter maids and meter men of yore—they are assembled for a dawn assault on illegal parkers. Just 113 strong, these blue-and-white soldiers raise more than $60 million a year for the city. They also manage to alienate most of the population while doing so.

As four supervisors with gold badges confer at a desk at one end of the squad room, 23 ticket writers with silver badges collapse into chairs that line the walls, looking like an encounter group for compulsive yawners. At precisely half past, there is a sharp rap on the wooden desk and George Carr, the morning shift coordinator, stands.

“Today is September 14th,” he announces. “September 14th.”

The date of this Tuesday is important. Every parking aide is expected to write 85 to 100 tickets a day, and if a writer labors through his entire shift scribbling the wrong date (it has happened) scores of tickets could be voided in adjudication.

“Good morning,” Carr continues. “You know today is election day.” He urges the crews to vote in the council chair race, and there is an immediate and lively barrage of complaints and quips.... Continued

Issue of Sep. 24 - 30, 1993

News and Features

That's the Ticket
Cover Story By Patrick Symmes
Naked Truth
The Lowdown on the Adams Morgan Rubdown
The City By Mel Kennett
Run and Gun
Some Serious Hoops at Chevy Chase Playground
The City By Scott S. Greenberger
Earning High Marx
The Mail By S. Gudowitz
Bi the Way
The Mail By Robin Margolis
You Be the Judge
The Mail By Mark Gauvreau Judge
The Butt of a Joke
The Mail By Henry S. Shields

Columns

Shaking With Sparky
Breaking Balls By Eliot Cohen
Environmental Extremists
City Desk By Clara Jeffery
Wrong Number
City Desk By Clara Jeffery
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
City Desk By Clara Jeffery
SHARON MORROW'S MANY LIVES
Loose Lips By Ken Cummins
Jumping Jack Flash
Evans Makes Pro-Developer Moves
Streetscape By Mark Jenkins and Bill Rice

Eats

Movies

The Evil That Boys Do
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Culture Club
Film Review By Nicole Arthur

Music

Singular Women
Music Review By Reuben Jackson
Go-Going Back
Sound Check By Alona Wartofsky
Wear It Out
Sound Check By Alona Wartofsky
Timeless
Sound Check By Mark Jenkins
Traveling Carnival
Sound Check By Mark Jenkins

Theater

The Pinter of Our Discontent
Theater Review By Bob Mondello

Arts and Events

Collector's Choice
Artifacts By Claire Floyd
And the Winner Is...
Artifacts By Dave Nuttycomb
Daze of Future Passed
Techno's Digital Dionysians Rave to Old Notions of the New
Arts By Mark Jenkins