In the last two weeks I have had car trouble. First, I was rear ended in a four car chain reaction crunch  precipitated by a Snapple truck (Snapple Crackle and Pop!) which caused extensive damage to both the front and rear of my car. Then last weekend, I took the substitute rental car and parked in a lot adjoining the restaurant where we were dining.  When we returned the spot was empty. A vanished car (rental or otherwise) is a surreal shocking sight! This is the second time that I've experienced what I call stolen car syndrome, as a few years ago my car was stolen off my driveway on my birthday. Some present!

This time, as it ends up, the car wasn't stolen. As I was reporting the car theft to the police department on my cell phone I noticed a tow truck pulling another car out of the lot. The tow truck driver told us that the owner of the Harborview Shopping Center (Roslyn) parking lot had contracted with his towing company to clear his spaces filled by non customers.

A word to the wise!  Pay attention to those signs that mention a towing company. It was an expensive lesson learned.