When you park at a sign in Fells Point that says "2 Hour Parking Limit in Area #16," please pay careful attention to the preposition (which I italicize for those of you who, like me, didn't pay much attention in sixth grade English). It does not mean move your car to another space before your two hours is up — it means evacuate your car from Area #16 entirely or you will be ticketed $52. Do not evacuate on Area #16, no matter how strong the urge! Prepositions make a critical difference in Area #16, and those you evacuating in the street will surely get a citation.

You cannot simply find another space in Area #16 and park there. Your car must leave Area #16! Unfortunately, I cannot tell you where Area #16 begins and ends; this is the esoterica of the ticketers, who work hard at a thankless job. I can tell you there's not much for them to do there except ferret out those of us who haven't pondered our prepositions with perspicacity. Oh, there is one more thing I'd hazard about Area #16: you won't bump into me there — I'm stayin' put for a while, boning up on prepositions. (Careful now, the omission of those prepositions will definitely get you cited in you know where!)

Please avoid making the mistake I made — it's an expensive one.

Mary Graham, Hyattsville