Letter of the Week

Well, we tried. We tried to have fun at the Fun Zone, but no such luck.

Instead, we had an encounter with a “mean” meter.

We received a $36 ticket -- $36 that could have gone to the boat rental

folks for another hour. Or to the artist to do another couple caricatures

of our grandchildren. Or to the arcade for a few rounds of Skee Ball.

Instead, our $36 will be going to the city. We do not go to the peninsula

to shop. We do go to the peninsula and the Fun Zone to have fun. We do go

to rent boats to cruise the bay with family and friends. We do go to

treat our grandchildren, nieces and nephews to an afternoon -- not an

hour -- of riding the Ferris wheel, enjoying a frozen banana, playing a

little Skee Ball. At least we used to.

You know what it’s like on the peninsula. Just try to find a place to

park. Why, we start praying to Saint Anthony to help us find a parking

spot from our house on Westminster Avenue and keep praying until we get

down there. Naturally, if and when we do find one, we thank good ol’

‘Saint A’ and pull in.

Little did we know, prayers are not enough. Please remove the “mean”

meters or it will remain the “No Fun Zone.”

KATHLEEN VAUGHAN

Newport Beach