Sure, their rotating exhibitions are generally a good inducement.

I can see how the visitor might feel Seattle parking tickets will never run him down in his hometown, but as soon as you're yelling "Slash my credit rating to the bone, this principle is inviolable!" you might want a slightly stronger principle than the Freedom to Park as The Spirit Moves You.

I've only been there a couple dozen times in my life. The new space is a beautiful repurposing of the old hall where Gay Bingo was in olden days, plus what @1 said. But if I had to make a list of places I'd least expect to run into Dan Savage, it tops the list.

Dan, do you get CC'd on all incoming email messages to the City Council? Because if not, you probably should be.

@3

I think you're right. From Dan's writing, you can tell he's basically an idiot to History and industry. But I think he's cool with that.

I've never even been once. I've always meant to go . . .

Yes, There are many good reasons to make multiple visits to MOHAI. Dan, it is disappointing that a father would take such a dismissive tone in regards to a cultural jewel. I think we all know how many times your son has visited.

Further, the tourist is correct. It is a scam. The signs are placed poorly, apparently in order to enhance the revenue stream. One is actually IN A TREE! Don't believe me? Go look.

Back in parking might be a foreign concept to tourists. Seems like reasonable feedback. MoHAI is great.

@7 is probably right that it's a scam, but I would be very surprised if the money actually benefited the museum.

Excuse me for asking a stupid question but why in the world does it even matter whether you back into a parking space or head in to it? That's ridiculous on its face.

@11 usually it's a clearance/line of sight issue. Backing into spaces causes less accidents when idiots are leaving the parking space

I would go back just to see the Great Fire exhibit again. I have a total museum crush on it.

I was in town for some vacation and visited MOHAI. I think the new space is beautiful, inside and out, and the exhibits are a wonderful exploration of the region. I will definitely return when I'm in town. Don't be a hater, Dan.

Swashbuckling (10), The parking lot is owned by the city and it is city parking enforcement that issues the tickets. All proceeds go into city coffers. BTW, relax in the park, drink a cup of coffee and watch. Parking enforcement comes by hourly. They know where the pickings are best!

There's a nursery (plants, not babies) near me where the signs say you have to park front end in. It doesn't say there's a penalty for backing in, so I don't know how anal they are about it. Stupid rule, I always back in to parking spaces. It's safer.

We’re really glad to hear this feedback, and it sucks that visitor had a bad experience. We know it’s tough finding a place to park in our neighborhood (our staff gets parking tickets too), which is why we recommend using transit if you can (routes 26, 28, 40, 62, 70 and more all stop within walking distance, and of course the streetcar)! And, indeed, we do not receive funding from parking fines :)

We have some great exhibits coming up, and TONS of programming – check it all out here: http://bit.ly/17qtoEn! And Dan, you should definitely come down at least once because you’re actually in the museum, in our prologue film that plays at the beginning of our core exhibit on Seattle history. Hope we see you around soon!

Dan gets a MOHAI spanking. I hope that is a theme in a HUMP video next year.

Everyone in Vancouver seems to back in.

Let's have our next Slog Happy Hour at MOHAI's pub trivia!

http://www.mohai.org/adult-learning-oppo…

PS - It's on TERRY AVENUE! That alone should be a reason for you to visit :)

@12 and @17 if a person is too dumb to be able to back OUT of a space without getting into an accident, why would it be any easier to back INTO a space without getting into an accident? At least backing out you're usually doing so into a lane of traffic with space on either side, backing in there's almost always a car on either side.

Some company parking lots are back-in only and come companies have policies for their vehicles to do all parking back-in. Both reduce accidents upon departure, especially in larger vehicles with poor sight lines. I've worked at a few facility that required backing-in due to possible emergency evacuations (chemical plants).

And backing in allows narrower parking lot lanes. It's been eight years since my last visit (two in the last 20 years), but I recall it as being pretty tight.

Still, in a city-owned parking lot? Seems overly onerous.

Not sure why threatening MOHAI or Seattle with letting your own credit rating get dinged is supposed to make them care. Trying to out passive-aggressive Seattle? You'll never win that contest, sir.

I've been to the new MOHAI twice and the old location three times. And I'll be back.

I'm not familiar with these parking spots in particular, but I know that some places request you pull in facing forward so you're not blowing exhaust directly into a door, window, or vent. Not everything is a scam or a product of micromanagement. (Not discounting the possibility, here, though.)

It's the same thing in West Seattle by the bowling alley. The meter maids are out there past 9pm ticketing people. The friggen road is wider than 4 lanes, it is a total money maker for the city, and it's silly shit like this that creates anti-government types.

When I was a telephone service tech (In California) we were required to back into parking spaces at all times, as approaching the space is the best time to see anything that might be a problem, and coming out nose first is clearly safer for everyone in the vicinity.

@27

Yes, I hate it when municipalities create posted parking regulations and then have the temerity to actually enforce them. It's just so silly!

@23:

Possibly it has something to do with the fact that adjacent vehicles in angle-parking spaces aren't actually moving when you back into the empty stall, so it's easier - and safer - to back in and drive out facing forward than to drive in forward and then have to back out against oncoming traffic.

1. Is there a sign saying that all drivers must back in to the spot? Because if there isn't, then this is legit.

2. Did this person get the ticket for not positioning the car so that it was facing out or for driving through an empty space to get to another empty space in which the car was positioned facing out? If the latter, then this is legit.

3. Is this a large parking lot with relatively little traffic and few accidents? Because if it is, then this rule might be excessive.

I wouldn't have thought a prominent gay activist in this town would get tired of seeing the original Shelly's Leg sign, but there you go.

I used to go to Mohai often with my family. I'm sympathetic on the parking issue. Takes a lot of revenue generation to make up for the wealthy paying less and less of their share as each year goes by.

I am over the top irrational when I get near a parking enforcement person. I had one in Seattle who seemed like he was going to cancel my ticket, but he told me I had to beg nicely, honest to god. I'm supposed to abase myself when I've parked for 2 minutes on the parking strip in front of my house? Fuck that. I'm like a dog with a mail carrier with these people. Very little self control.

We have a couple areas of back-in parking, and it's exactly for the reason others have surmised. You travel just past the parking spot in the direction of traffic (hopefully signaling your intent to park with a turn signal), then back in between two stationary vehicles with clear sight-lines to the traffic around you. When you go to leave, you can see oncoming traffic. As someone who has always driven a car (sedan, coupe, whatever), it makes a world of difference. The ONLY accident I've been in in the last 14 years was when I and another car driver were backing out in opposite directions on opposite sides of a large SUV in a parking lot. While we couldn't see each other until our bumpers met, thankfully, we were both moving slowly and cautiously due to not having clear sight lines, there was no damage to either of our cars, and we apologized to each other and went on our merry ways. But that result hinged on both of us behaving cautiously in the first place (inching out of the spots slowly) and not being "victims" (we both realized that we were equally at fault, and since the bump was pretty minor, willing to let it slide...I surmise that if there had been damage, given the immediate "I'm sorry...no, I'm sorry," we would have been fine with taking joint fault and letting our own insurance fix our own cars).

I'm just visiting this web site from Toronto. You people in Seattle have some serious issues. You need a mayor who will look out for the little guy. May we send you ours?

Park at MOHAI? Just ride the SLUT.

So, Americans are so civilized they even have fines over whether you back-in or front-in into a parking place, but when they vote for their mayor it takes weeks to gather all the ballots and make sure all and every one of them are counted -- like in the poorest 3rd-world country.

So strange.