Wait A Minute…Is Parking In Portland Free Today?

This morning when I went down to pay for my parking on Temple St. in Downtown Portland, there was a message on the display of the parking kiosk that I'd never seen before. It said "No payment required." So, I didn't pay. And all other vehicles that I looked at parked on the street didn't have tickets in them either. I know the 4th of July is this week, but I didn't think we'd have a parking holiday two days away. So I checked the Portland Parking Division's website. It says that the 4th is a parking holiday...but not the day before, or two days before.

So to TRIPLE check, I called the Parking Division office. I was put on hold, listened to the pleasant music for about 10 minutes, and then was abruptly hung up on. I called back, and spoke with someone who really didn't seem to be in the mood to be talking to me. I asked her if parking is free today, and she told me no, it's only free on Sundays and holidays. I told her about the situation, and she advised me to buy a ticket from a machine that works.

So to clarify, parking in Portland is NOT free today.