Item of the Day: Parking Pin by Everyday Odyssey

I went to Portland, Oregon a few years ago for one of my closest gal’s birthday shindigs. There were four of us staying in a hotel over the weekend. We had a great time. Portland has these awesome parking garages that all look the same called “SmartPark Garages.” And boy, are they smart–smarter than I am, at least. When we arrived for our weekend o’ fun, two of our friends went to park the car for the weekend because Portland is a great walk-able-and-public-transport-able city, so we didn’t need Goldie Hawn (the car) to drive us around for a few days. The other two of us went to check into our hotel room. We had so much fun the next two days that when it came to leave home for Seattle, none of us could remember where the car was parked. No, not in a cute Seinfeld way, but in a like…which SmartPark Garage is our car even in? It was pouring down rain. We had bags and bags from shopping, as well as our initial suitcases. We were all in flats, our feet were soaked, our curls were ruined. It. Was. A. Mess. I think it took us two hours to find the car. We finally did, but everyone was irritated and mad at everyone else.

Isn’t there an app for that?

Well, I have great news. There certainly is, and (if I believed in coincidences), I would tell you that coincidentally, the creators of this app hail from Portland, Oregon! Jessica and Kellan Craddock (the creators) must have had some experience with SmartPark Garages, as well.

Parking Pin remembers where you parked and helps guide you back to your car’s location. But I don’t just mean it helps you remember where you parked–I mean it automatically helps you remember. Unlike the other apps that claim to help you remember where you parked, Parking Pin is the only one I can find that does it automatically for you, using only your phone. No opening of the app is necessary, it just knows. Like magic. (Well, iPhone magic.) It is wonderful for traveling in a new city, grocery shopping in a large area, parking for sports games or theater stuff, and even parking in a downtown area. Or if you’re like me, even in your small town, it is helpful to remember which residential street you decided to park on to avoid meter maids.

I love this app, and for only ninety-nine cents, it is well thought out and easy to look at. (It’s even fun to play with!) Get it now, available for iPhones. (PS a tip: for users with “older” iPhones–like the 5, 4s, and 4–Parking Pin can be used manually by tapping the “+” button to add parking spots. Users with the most recent iPhone have an advantage, but let’s not be lazy, amirite?)

Featured image via everydayodyssey.