They paved paradise,and put up a parking lot...

I've been visiting family and friends these past several weeks and after living alone for so many years with only the cat to talk to, it can get to be claustraphobic after a few weeks, particularly as a person who experiences anxiety. To combat this I simply go for a drive a few times per day. I often throw in other errands such as returning items to the store, picking up medications or food, shopping and so on. In order to get some alone time, i sit in the vehicle in a large parking lot that overlooks the street below. As it turns out, I am not the only parking lot sitter. There are several in every parking lot I have visited. It isn't a social networking thing either as contact seems to be discouraged, as people seek their alone time away from the constant press of physical social engagement with others. In the comfort of our vehicles, we capture time alone in plain sight. Our activities may vary while sitting in our vehicles but what seem to have in common is that need for controlling just what social interactions you want to have.

I've always been fascinated, watching the interactions of others. It must be the sociologist in me. The social worker in me assesses the situation, and the mother radar scans the area for risks, while the sociologist in me is what I often enjoy the most. I think I might enjoy ethnographic research. I've found the perfect location - the parking lot. I've been around many highways and byways, country roads and outback bush tracks, city interchanges, and driving on both sides of the road. I've parked in many parking lots for many of the same reasons I've observed in others lately. 

There are several common activities among parking lot dwellers.
Eating - Some folks only have a few minutes to wolf down a takeout lunch either from home or the nearest fast food place or hipster cafe. They spend a few minutes texting a friend and checking facebook before heading back to the office to continue the work day. I see people in uniforms all the time. 

Smoking - They can no longer smoke at their office or outside the building, or have been forbidden to do so at home. So they grab a quick smoke parked in a parking lot with the window down while checking text messages, updating facebook, watching porn, who knows? Or they are just stressed out and a quick cigarette may prevent them from throwing the stapler at the colleague who insists on tapping his pen. 

Thinking - they don't seem to be doing anything. There's no coffee cup or water bottle in hand, no sign of food or electronic device. But some serious thinking going on. It could be big thinking like should I quit my job, or do I want to get married right now. Or it could be as benign as did I use all the milk this morning or what movie should I watch on Netflix tonight. Who knows.
Talking - people are stopping to chat all the time, but most often it seems serious, unless people are combining it with another activity listed above. If they took the time to park in a parking lot just to talk, chances are the topic is likely important.
Reading - from the old fashioned printed book, to the newspaper, to a tablet or smartphone or a magazine, people do enjoy reading in parking lots. I know my Dad would sometimes take a newspaper with the crossword to work on while he waited for mom.
Social media communicating - whether it's sending out Tweets, using Facebook, searching the net, text messaging family and/or friends, to having an actual live spoken conversation with someone. As humans we feel connected to our family and friends through our interactions with them.
Waiting - many people are waiting for someone else to finish their business up at the services and shops nearby. Others seem to just be having a time out. These folks often check their time often, flick through their phones often, look around, try to snooze with a hat over their face. I also see many cabbies parked, waiting for a call in the busy nearby area. Sometimes the cabbies are combining this activity with any of the above as well, if not all at once. Sometimes they just sleep, slumped against their car window, using clothing as a pillow or shade.

Whatever the situation, it seems as humans we continue to seek our time alone as much as anything else. Perhaps it is because we have control of more when alone, or do our minds requires this time alone. For me, it changes depending on my circumstances at the time. I very much understand the emerging fad of the "She Cave" very similar to the "Man Cave". Check out these cool ones below.