I totally got cut off for a parking space

[jal]

I don't get why you pulled into the parking lot. I'm really trying to figure that out. I wish I had a diagram.

I didn't have a clue what was going on until the OPs 2nd post...
Perhaps not a perfect description, but I think the OP was doing something like the following...

OP is driving down the road and there is a parking spot on the other side of the street. Just past the parking spot (relative to the OPs direction of travel) is an 'alley' (entrance to a parking lot). Since the road wasn't wide enough to make a U-turn, the OP pulls into the alley and begins to back into this spot such that when finished, OPs car will be pointing the opposite direction for the side of the road OP is parked on. While OP is in the alley and begins to backup, another driver coming from the other direction passes the parking spot and then backs into it in the 'typical' parallel parking procedure.

OPs b!+ch is that the other driver saw the OP trying to back into the parking spot from the alley, but moved faster to "steal" the parking spot.

[kristenk]

I didn't have a clue what was going on until the OPs 2nd post...
Perhaps not a perfect description, but I think the OP was doing something like the following...

OP is driving down the road and there is a parking spot on the other side of the street. Just past the parking spot (relative to the OPs direction of travel) is an 'alley' (entrance to a parking lot). Since the road wasn't wide enough to make a U-turn, the OP pulls into the alley and begins to back into this spot such that when finished, OPs car will be pointing the opposite direction for the side of the road OP is parked on. While OP is in the alley and begins to backup, another driver coming from the other direction passes the parking spot and then backs into it in the 'typical' parallel parking procedure.

OPs b!+ch is that the other driver saw the OP trying to back into the parking spot from the alley, but moved faster to "steal" the parking spot.

I think you have the scenario correct (according to my reading - however accurate that is!) except that the OP would be pulling forward into the parking space AFTER she finished backing out of the lot.

OP, I'm sorry that happened! Parking/parking lots are a minefield sometime!

[TwinFoxes]

I didn't have a clue what was going on until the OPs 2nd post...
Perhaps not a perfect description, but I think the OP was doing something like the following...

OP is driving down the road and there is a parking spot on the other side of the street. Just past the parking spot (relative to the OPs direction of travel) is an 'alley' (entrance to a parking lot). Since the road wasn't wide enough to make a U-turn, the OP pulls into the alley and begins to back into this spot such that when finished, OPs car will be pointing the opposite direction for the side of the road OP is parked on. While OP is in the alley and begins to backup, another driver coming from the other direction passes the parking spot and then backs into it in the 'typical' parallel parking procedure.

OPs b!+ch is that the other driver saw the OP trying to back into the parking spot from the alley, but moved faster to "steal" the parking spot.

Oh, NOW I get it. I thought she was driving in the same direction, so I just couldn't understand why she would pull into the parking lot. Yeah, I would have let OP have the spot.

Seriously? You ladies are nitpicking her driving in a bitching post? You are making me giggle.

[#2ontheway]

I didn't have a clue what was going on until the OPs 2nd post...
Perhaps not a perfect description, but I think the OP was doing something like the following...

OP is driving down the road and there is a parking spot on the other side of the street. Just past the parking spot (relative to the OPs direction of travel) is an 'alley' (entrance to a parking lot). Since the road wasn't wide enough to make a U-turn, the OP pulls into the alley and begins to back into this spot such that when finished, OPs car will be pointing the opposite direction for the side of the road OP is parked on. While OP is in the alley and begins to backup, another driver coming from the other direction passes the parking spot and then backs into it in the 'typical' parallel parking procedure.

OPs b!+ch is that the other driver saw the OP trying to back into the parking spot from the alley, but moved faster to "steal" the parking spot.

Yep, you have it exactly right and described it better than I did! And I was partially backed up, so he had to pull around me to get the spot. It really felt like he swooped around me to "steal" it.

Also to attempt to clarify, though I know it's hard without the visual... he couldn't have thought I was trying to nab it before he got there. He came from around the corner (the lot I pulled into is on a corner). I didn't see him coming until he pulled up. So he wouldn't even have seen the space until he pulled around the corner and at that point I was already backing up to park there. Again, very small town, the kind of place where drivers stop mid-block if they think a pedestrian is about to cross the street. People are very polite here. In his position, I would have waited for the other driver to back up/park; I definitely would not have pulled around. That's the vibe here.

Seriously? You ladies are nitpicking her driving in a bitching post? You are making me giggle.
If he had to pull around you to get into the space, it sounds to me like he definitely made the riskier move. He made himself look like a jacka$$ in front of a friend- bet the other guy was very uncomfortable with the situation! Too bad it wasn't a wife. She would have given him an earful. Though who knows, maybe it was his DH and he heard about it later :-)

Haha! I was starting to wonder if I missed the point of the bitching post forum... I really just wanted to b!tch! And I really was hoping it was his wife with him!! No such luck.