Literally want to say this to them: FUCK YOU. The Pasadena citation office feels more focused on extracting money than serving the public. I stepped away for literally three minutes while I had overlapping paid parking sessions and still received a citation. I submitted clear evidence, and the appeal was denied anyway. The process felt rigid, dismissive, and disconnected from common sense. I no longer park in Pasadena because of this experience. read more

Four people behind the counter all helping one person. City workers at their worst! It's too bad I didn't have a choice.

The parking enforcement will give you a ticket the second (!!!) your meter expires. They circle around that block like their life depends on it and look for their victims. read more

Pasadena is a great city to live in and hang out. The parking side is a multi million dollar business. It's in the cities best financial interest to continue to hire parking patrol in cars, bikes and on foot to scour the city and cite everyone who is 1 sec over the paid time. They have no grace or regard for anyone. If you get a ticket you have a 0% chance of appealing even if they are in error. They are not regulated by anyone & do as they please. 100% they make mistakes and you will pay for it. Someone should get some balls and investigate this huge business & sue the hell out of them. read more

Unfortunately I have to agree with all the reviews here. The rigid ancient "policies" of Pasadena parking makes sure that you have to jump through a 1000 hoops just to pay for parking on the street (which should be free anyway!). And when you call, they don't help you at all. Our complex has only one assigned spot. In order to get a street parking pass, they require a site visit ($48 you have to pay for) for them to verify that you need a street parking permit. Then, the only documentation they will take is car registration (not an DMV official record). So if you don't have that (because you just moved in), they deny your request and do not refund you the $48. So now I have to pay $25 to DMV for a new registration. Another $48 to Pasadena parking for a site visit. And THEN, $75+ for a parking pass. The whole thing will cost me almost $200!! And that's not including the daily parking I'll have to pay until all of this gets processed (again!). Seriously?! Disappointed and frustrated is an understatement. What a rip off. read more

Parking in Pasadena, California is a bit tricky. Sometimes, there's no meter next to the parking space, so you think it's free. Well, that's what happened to me. I didn't know that there's a machine which issues a receipt to show that you've paid to park in that space on the street. Apparently, you insert money, get the receipt, and place it on your dashboard. Uhg. After a nice lunch, my friend and I walked to my parked car. My friend said, "Is that a ticket?" I looked on my windshield and saw a white piece of paper. Hmmm...what is that? I picked it up to take a look and it appeared to be a notice of a parking violation. Shucks! I should have hung my Disabled Person's parking placard! Arggg! There was an address on the ticket, so we drove there to make some inquires. GPS led me to a parking lot with a $2 fee with no grace period. I made sure I went on with my business quickly because the $2 goes up the longer you stay there and I didn't want to know how much more! The numbering system for rooms of the building has a strange order. I went to the left because I thought that the numbers would decrease, but no... I should have gone to the right and the Parking Office would be there. That's ok... we followed signs to the correct room. Inside, there were just 2 people ahead of me. When it was my turn, my ticket and placard were photocopied and I completed a form with my statement. I should receive an email in 6 to 8 weeks. Let's keep our fingers crossed for some good news! So far, so good! I think my case was dismissed! read more

Pasadena Parking Office - This building...enter and turn right - Public Services & Government Near Me - Pasadena, California

Lorraine with the permit office was incredibly helpful and patient with me. She was so kind and made my day just a little bit better. I know government offices are stigmatized for being impersonal and uncaring but I just had the opposite experience and wanted to acknowledge it. Lorraine gets five stars. Thank you! (The wait to speak with someone took about 6 minutes, I needed help resolving a permit issue, all good now). read more

I parked right under the sign indicating no restrictions and got ticket for no parking on 2/4th Thursdays; took photos and video of it, showed to the staff at the city hall and submitted appeal - nobody cares; they say that they did a "field investigation" but I doubt they actually went to the place to check for themselves for it's clear as day what sign states. I guess they are either blind or just don't care as nobody's going to sue them for $60. I posted picture here as well. read more

Pasadena Parking Office - Public Services & Government Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Avoid/ Be very careful when using the Passport parking app to pay while parking in Pasadena. I received a parking ticket although I had paid in the app. I appealed but the city of Pasadena rejected the appeal. The issue is that I never received notification of the appeal rejection. So, I thought it was approved and forgot about it. I called the parking office (6 months later at this point) and was told that the appeal emails often don't go through. Now I find out it is too late to provide further info to appeal the rejection and the $80 fine was placed on the vehicle registration through DMV. tldr: don't use Passport Parking app. they city will cite you anyway read more

OH BOY. Let's talk about the clusterfuck that this place is. I'm a new resident here in Pasadena. Love the city! It's great! Buying a permit for your residence is a nightmare and they REALLY need to figure this out. I recommend getting someone on the phone that isn't a complete fucking asshole to help you out. I've had three guys on the phone with me and they were all condescending douchebags with attitude. Like, I get it man, you probably get the worst attitudes from people. But don't make it worse by treating everyone that way. The ONLY PERSON who was able to help me with my situation was Danielle. She was quick, to the point, kind and knew exactly what she was talking about. I would give only HER 5 Stars. The other guys can go fuck themselves. I got so much attitude from the guys for asking a simple question. You said the calls were recorded, so feel free to look it up! From Christian B on 12/28/2023 from the times 2:30pm - 3:10pm PT. But seriously, Pasadena, you need to fix this because it's absolutely awful. I can't recommend anyone in good faith to live here because of the Parking Department. read more

The Pasadena Department of Transportation are the thieves who purposefully issue the parking citations to car drivers who may be stopping to drop off and pick up passengers. When you try to dispute it with them, there is no evidence provided or whatsoever. What happened is we stopped our car very briefly (with us being inside and the engine on) to pick up our son, and received a citation for a parking violation, when we hadn't parked there! There is a difference between the "no stopping" vs. "no parking" signs these people apparently do not follow, and they don't communicate to visitors properly. This is a borderline corrupt criminal behavior to be addressed by the State and Federal authorities sooner than later. Shame on you, the City of Pasadena and your Department of Transportation! read more

They refused to appeal a citation even after I supplied proof of payment. I will definitely be contesting this.

I literally felt robbed after being issued a ticket as my meter expired. Yes I was trying to leave.. Next time just steal the car like the criminals you are. Disgusting. read more

Beyond upset with the city I live in. Son got a citation for a paid meter because on the app, the license plate number was entered in a wrong box. At the time, son showed proof to the parking enforcement person with the car make, color and plate number. Still got a ticket in the mail a few weeks later. Am at the city showing them proof. All the clerk wanted was for me to pay the citation and go to court. What happened to listening and being understanding? I paid the darn ticket. Afraid to deal with a third round of greedy people and ignore everything else. The stress this caused me is up the roof. My share of funding this great city of Pasadena! read more

Honestly, pretty freaking bleak. I absolutely love living in Pasadena, but the parking situation is really bonkers. I mean, I totally get being strict about overnight parking in the downtown/city center area. But the fact that my neighbors and I (in a neighborhood full of families and elderly people) can't park on the street outside our houses without getting a $52 ticket in the morning is totally wild. I called the parking office to purchase a permit over the summer and talked to a lady who could not be bothered to help me in any way, shape, or form. We finally got our permit (count 'em, one!) today--that's right, they'll only issue you one permit, so one of our two cars is permanently relegated to the street. My fiancé and I both work in careers that involve loading gear in and out of the house (him as a musician and me working in events) and we take turns on who gets access to the spot in our parking lot. The fact that we can't even pay for that option is *such* a bummer! Speaking of payment, it's like, $70 per year and you have to do a paper application + visit the parking office every September. Like, can you even?! I get that these fees (and like, the zillion parking tickets we paid in the interim) go toward stuff that make Pasadena really nice, but it'd also be really nice to make things a little easier for the people and families who live here. Definitely not looking forward to my standing yearly appointment at the Pasadena parking office! read more

I absolutely LOVE living in Pasadena for countless reasons HOWEVER the 1 thing you have to get prepared for is getting ticketed for parking in front of your own house! YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY! If you want to park WHERE YOU LIVE you either have to download an app or go to the Fire Station EVERY SINGLE NIGHT to pay $3.10 to do so. They also have an annual Pass SUPPOSEDLY which is impossible to get. My cars are registered to our home however it doesn't matter how many cars you have you're only eligible for 1 PASS, which to date has been 3+ years my wife and I for some reason have been unable to attain. They will however ticket your car NIGHTLY for not having a pass they will not issue you. Talk about some BS. I get cities need to raise money to operate but seriously, screwing over your own residents to do so? What a Fkn JOKE! They've told my wife 3 TIMES they're sending someone to "assess the situation and see if we qualify for a pass " which is ridiculous when we've submitted our freakin registration, and guess how many times they came out to do what they said?!? YUP! Z E R O ! ! ! So, you get to pay $96.10 a month on top of your mortgage (or rent) OR $56 EVERY TIME they ticket your vehicle just for living in this overpriced area. No wonder why they lied to us so many times saying they're sending someone out (again even tho we're already registered to our address), they're making money left and right screwing over the beautiful people that make this city what it is. They'll probably read this and laugh knowing the amount of money they've screwed their citizens over for, so, from someone who's lived here for years (and now looking to leave), be prepared to be screwed over by the city that vows to protect and serve its residents $3.10 OR $56 a night at a time. What a joke... Thanks for completely ruining what I once held as the best city in Cali to live in. Can't believe how excited I was to move here not knowing I'd be ravaged by the very City I used to love.... read more

I paid for a parking meter using the app displayed on the meter. I obtained a receipt. I was then cited 15 minutes later for "expired meter" when i was still within my two hour parking time. In order to appeal the parking ticket, you must pay for the parking ticket first and the appeal process takes 4-6 weeks. WOW. I was told over the phone that there has recently been a glitch in the system that causes parking enforcement officers to not see that the meter has been paid. What if i didn't have this money available ? Would i just continue to get rammed by Pasadena ? I was issued a cite and my vehicle was described as a 4 dour, Chevrolet. I drive a two door, dodge. This entire system is a scam and I want my money back. read more

I have been here many times. I have been treated differently by different staff members. A few are VERY helpful and some are rude and condescending. The thing is - the city needs what it needs, so I recommend checking online or calling beforehand so you know exactly what you need to bring with you! Don't be caught unaware 10 mins before closing. I'm here to compliment 2 staffers who have helped me tremendously! I believe their names are Lorrayne and Asia. Both have been patient, nice, clear in their expectations, and willing to explain what I needed to do to get my permits. They were both efficient and clear with what they needed me to provide to obtain my permits. Thank you both SO MUCH for being helpers and making my experience with the parking office pleasant. Thank you. We need more people like you in these professions!! TIP: Avoid the girl with dyed red hair at all costs. I won't post her name bc that's too shady. I don't think she's in the right profession to help people. I remember I asked her once to explain the online system to me and she was clearly lying about having no information. I think she was really just unwilling to help. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Ask for someone else! read more

Getting a parking permit in pasadena was a horrible experience mainly because of the staff working the window at the parking office. I had to come here 4 separate times before i was able to get a permit. The staff gave me incomplete information over the phone which led to me having to come back a 2nd time. Then a staff person told me incorrect information which led to me having to come back a 3rd time, the 3rd time i was denied because of some dmv error but it was due to the citiy's strict policy of updating vehicle registrstions.... the manager was actually very nice and good to work with. Ask to speak to him if you have any issues. The 4th time i got my permit and the lady working the window was very pleasant. The first 2 times i went the ladies in the window had a bad customer service attitude and seem like they expect you to screw up the permit application. They hate their job obviously. On a side note, the parking lot at the pasadena parking office is 3rd party contracted, the price to park is very arbitrary. Each time i went i was asked to pay a different price... read more

This is one of the most poorly run entities ever! The communication on what is expected is horrible. They do not answer the phones and you will get an email response within 5 days! Give me a break. How are they still employed? Tomorrow is the start of Daily parking enforcement and I am not able to get the daily pass yet. I have an appointment for the 12th of October thank goodness they are so efficient. They now have a new online portal which will cut out the middle man. I was extremely excited about this option. They allow you to upload your registration or click a DMV verification box for easy processing. If the DMV verification worked, I am sure it would be great. It however does not. So I uploaded my registration at 12:30 p.m. and over an hour later and it is still pending. Honestly what do these people do? Besides waste everyone's time! The Annual Daily Parking permit use to be 20 dollars and you would get 2 permanent residential passes, 3 permanent guest passes and a pack of 10 daily guest passes. I tried to sign up online for the yearly pass and it is now $79.00 and from what I can tell it does not have anywhere to add your guest passes in. If the city is changing guest passes and not allowing for the additional 3 passes why was this not communicated? I am so fed up! I have lived in the same place for 6 years now and this never get's easier. There is always something with the parking department. I am so frustrated that my tax dollars going to pay this department of the city. When you call the general information number they try and assist as much as possible but they usually are not given the correct information or any information. Since they will actually answer their phones they take a lot of flack for the parking department. Some one really needs to audit this Pasadena parking office of the city's government. They are horrible at their job. I love Pasadena but the parking is enough to make me consider a move. Please just do your actual jobs. I read more

Love Pasadena and all, I live here, eat, and work here. But one biggest thing about this city is parking enforcement. I'm highly considering moving elsewhere. The parking office staff members are horrible and inconsiderate. Parking enforcement are out to catch its well intentioned, law abiding citizens making mistakes through 5-10 minute windows of parking over a certain time limit, and making bank off of them, at times even citing for the wrong reasons. Like, I work from home now, and I keep my car parked outside my house. And there is literally no way for me to keep my car outside my house without being imposed a fee or a fine. They'll tell you to purchase an annual parking permit, and still cite you for having an inapplicable permit, esp when you're not sure which permits to purchase. I literally have like 6+ parking tickets in my stash right now and risking my car(s) being impounded. My warning to City of Pasadena: continue relentlessly harassing your law abiding citizens with parking tickets, crest bogus permits and fees for everything possible, jack up property taxes, inflate housing prices, raise the minimum wages in response to that, jack up your tax rates hurting your local businesses for your self imposed and manufactured economical crises, and before you know it, you'll end up like Detroit in 20 years. read more

The City of Pasadena parking citation department is unethical, unprofessional and can even be a scam to make money! Two years in a row I had to pay a parking ticket twice just to get my car registration. I even proved the payment with a receipt and they still did not report it paid to DMV. I am so glad I moved out of this city! read more

Who are these people giving 5 stars? I don't even know where to start. No signs on the street saying you can't park there. Doesn't matter. Get a ticket. Contest that ticket with photos. Doesn't matter. You still pay because the whole city is apparently no parking. Parked at work with expensive permit displayed. Doesn't matter. Get a ticket. Contest it with photos. Doesn't matter. You still pay because seeing my car there always permitted for a year and seeing the color, year and date of the permit is not enough it must have every number clearly displayed. Parked at home with permit displayed. Doesn't matter. Get a ticket. Parked 21" from curb, must be 18". F getting a ruler and sending them proof. They would find a way out of it. Show up to their office to get my permit which expires every 6 months and my permit that expires every month (thankfully the third required permit I have lasts for a year). Doesn't matter. They can't make copies. Yes that is the copy machine you see within arms reach of the employee. No they won't just turn around and make a copy. No they won't take a dollar to make a copy. No they won't take $5 to make a copy. No they don't have email. No they don't allow you to upload it online. Better go across the street to get a copy. Don't park on their street though, they will ticket you. Because who cares about getting revenue by actually helping people or offering a service, they'd rather piss you off and then take your money. Great civil servants here. read more

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR they give me the hardest time with my parking permit. Again this year...but I will say, they were super patient with me...they were willing to take the time to help me out and make it a better experience. read more

Build a house you need a garage Build a city ... don't need to worry about where to park. Only need to build : limited meter parking. One size fit all !! Everyone must finish up within two hours. If you need more than that. Shut up. Pay ticket for it. (The most busiest area is down town LA even provide free parking at meter After 6 pm. ) Why not three hours ? Or pay as you go ? No one would be dumb to pay five hours parking and park only one or two hours. Sometimes they needs three or four hours. But they don't need whole month. Only limit two hours. When you are in the middle of something... better run for LIFE to the meter before it expires within two hours. How cool for free work out !!! Ridiculous!! Tickets Tickets How cool this city is ? This city is my last choice to be in !! People around me needs to know my cool experience! No thanks I don't want to hear the name of the city !! read more

I paid for parking on the Passport App and my payment somehow didn't go through. I get to my car before the police officer even begins to type the ticket and he talks to me like he's going to let go just to tell me sorry I had already printed it out and laughs at me. I have lived in Pasadena for 2.5 years now. The Rose Bowel is great and the parade is great. Other then that there's a lot of homeless, parking rules, old homes and snobby people. I'm buying a new home in Chino Hills and I am looking forward to it. Pasadena has no class or tranquility to it. Just a bunch of lies. I am extremely disappointed in it. Where is all the money going? Fix the streets. read more

You will not enjoy coming here. The staff seems to always be looking for ways to not give you a permit. The last time I came here they wouldn't even make a photocopy of my registration and told me to walk across the street to get one. The staffer was rude and even a bit condescending to be honest. To top it off she told me they operate separate from the online service and can't access any of the information/online application even though I clearly remember picking it up in person last time. Maybe they're not incompetent but they're definitely the rudest people you'll interact with. read more

Don't use the app. I paid and still got a ticket and it sounds like I'll need to pay and wait to get my $52. I paid a "convenience" fee as part of using the app and what for?! read more

Welcome to Pasadena. Here for a conference at the seminary. Move my car to another spot after 2 hours (but nearby because I'm in the middle of a conference). Still get a "you exceeded 2 hours ticket." Great work, Pasadena. You really have nothing better to do with your time than ticket people trying to attend a conference at a seminary? Great going. Makes me literally never want to come to this city. read more

I am moving from Pasadena to Chicago and hired a moving company. To ensure that I'm fully compliant, I filled out the requisite application and took it to the Parking Office. Much to my surprise, I received a call back the very next day saying that it was approved. Yay! That was simple! My spouse went back down to the office to pick up the no parking signs. Except. There was a problem. They used the completely wrong address. So my spouse had to wait and wait and wait for them to correct their error. Fortunately, at the end of the day, and a very long wait, I got the signs. This really should come as no surprise that the local branch of government is inept. read more

On weekends that my sister stays with us, we will purchase a temporary overnight permit online. On one night that I forgot to give the permit to my sister after asking her to baby sit my kids, we got a citation ticket for not displaying the printed permit on her dashboard. So, we are actually paying more now, we paid for the permit to park and then, paying more on failing to put the permit on the dash board. Pasadena for sure is making more money from parking but sad to say that their parking officer does not even have any handheld device to confirm if you have permit or not. By the way, it happened on June, I right away sent a reconsideration request with the copy of our overnight permit for 2 days and I just got a response that they denied my request. I paid for temporary permit to park and it is not my intention to forget to display it. So, if you are a good citizen purchasing a permit to park, but also a human that can forget, Pasadena is not for you! read more

I received a parking ticket on the fourth of July for parking overnight on the biggest drinking day of the year. I left my car on the street, because I drove my drunk friend home in his car. Whereas neighboring cities relax restrictions on parking on this day, these guys are hell bent on revenue enhancing. When I went into contest the ticket, the heavy set gentlemen told me a whopper that if he grants me exception, he won't be able to feed his family. What a liar. He had plenty of food stored up. read more

parking in Pasadena is almost as bad as the people that help you with parking. They dont help you out at all. They just give you "options" which in my case were, pay $75 a month for a parking lot that has 0 security and is down and around the block (about 1500 feet). I had micro fracture knee surgery and they dont seem to care about that all and told me my situation is the same as other people in the city. Well by golly! Maybe you should fix something about that policy then, but who cares what I think. Pasadena is a great city but parking is making me move out! I would fire all city employees and start over again. read more

I wish I could rate them minus zero. It looks like the City of Pasadena Parking enforcement have a BUSINESS going on at the corner where The Container Store is. They know that there are only two spots to park when online pick up orders are placed; this UNETHICAL "Officers" wait (Seconds) for you to stop while the car in front of you is moving away so you can park on that spot. In top of that they do not give you the citation BUT send you a notice indicating a DRIVE AWAY NOTICE when you have NOT driven away. My suggestion; do not EVER GO TO THE CONTAINER STORE IN PASADENA; when possible instead, order on line for delivery (The employees are aware of this problem and still insist that you park on one of the two spots outside the store) and do not make a living for this opportunistic unprofessional city employees; park at a safe spot as this "officers" make their living out of your needs for parking. read more

Do not park on Arroyo Parkway after 3:00pm! OK that said here is what you can expect if you do park there. You will be towed immediately. Yes even at 3:01pm. What you will need: A metro line card so you can take the gold line to Memorial Park Station Access to Uber or a taxi A valid drivers license. You must be the registered owner of the car Money- $437.00 A Smart phone will help you with directions and to communicate with someone if you need help. Patience with mean bureaucrats that have no mercy Once towed you have to go to to the parking office located at 221 E Walnut St #199, Pasadena, CA 91101 You can take the gold line and get off at Memorial Station, take Holly (L) then walk a block look left and you will see Walnut and the parking office is in that building on the corner. Enter and go left the office is on the first floor. Once you get into the office you must be a registered owner of the car that was towed. So at least say that you are otherwise they will not give you the time of day. Also, I think the City of Pasadena must spend all of their money on the Rose Parade because they sure aren't spending it on building the infrastructure of the parking office. It is very much like going to an office in the 70's. Be prepared to travel back in time at this office. When I read job descriptions about attendants that service customers, I never read that they should be rude, not helpful and plain mean. But yep these women here have taken classes in the let's treat our constituents like crap, they have no idea what customer service is. Additionally, I would go on to say they know little about basic humanity too. It is brutal. My phone died and one of the attendants did try to help me with her phone, as she could see I was upset, but she took it back mid stream when I almost had the problem fixed and just gave me a cold stare after that. Anyway, here is what else you need to know. You will pay $55.00 for the ticket and $150.00 for processing fees. There are 3 tow companies that the city of Pasadena hires to tow the cars. Apparently, each charges differently, do not even bother asking the attendants how much that is going to cost. However FYI it is $160 plus $36.00 a day. Not 24 hours, but per day. So if your car is towed at 5:00pm then you will be charged for that day and the next day even if you come in the morning to pick up your car. So the total charge for being towed in Pasadena is $427.00 less $36.00 if you can get this all processed within 2 hours from 3-5pm. Oh you will need to Uber to the tow yard too. Add another $10.00 for that. read more

How does one receive park g citation for a vehicle whose engine has been blown and have been parked for over 3 years? I went into the City of Pasadena's parking office to speak to someone in person. The manager, John Hamblen was not in on a Friday, so I was left to speak with the acting supervisor names Hilda. She pulled up a print out of all alleged citations. I then asked her how does a vehicle that's been parked in my driveway since the time it broke down and was towed receive all these citations? As a proof, she presented me with a picture of a windshield of a vehicle that is silver (that could have been anybody's). Um, I'm sorry. I was expecting to see an actual picture of my vehicle showing my license plate number in my neighborhood parked in the street. According to her, "well, what do you want me to do because I say it's your vehicle and your going to say it's not yours..." And this ladies and gentlemen is who we have working and representing City of Pasadena (end scene). By the way, the only way I could've posted this is to give it at least a star (and I really didn't even want to do that), but, for the purpose of this review, whoop there it is . read more

Pasadena Parking Office - Public Services & Government Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Every time I go the parking in pasadena office the people behind the counter cop a attitude. Every time for the last 7 years! They are rarely helpful and always have a attitude every timeI talk with someone. If this was a private company I would have fired them already. read more

Poor management. This review connects to pasadena police dept. It doesn't make sense getting a parking citation asking for advise to park at a meter for an amount of time and approved to park there by an officer. I contested through letter online. And 2nd upheld hearing to stanley mosk courthouse today. What a waste of time and you guys managed to not hear asking assistance from Pasadena police dept. Sargeant padilla. He "quotes its just a parking citation not a criminal record." Smh. Happily pay that 49. 00 & transportstions arguement is read the sign don't ask a police. I guess pasadena transportation has more say the Sargeant Padilla! read more

I don't know why the bad reviews are for. I went in there couple of times to fight a parking ticket and they were really helpful explaining me the process. I have no complains read more

Worst customer service experience I've had. There was an extremely rude and impatient lady working. I came in to get a parking permit as a new resident. It was my first time doing it. She gave me attitude and laughed at my questions. Every time I asked her to clarify something, she would look at her co worker to roll her eyes, then look back at me with a fake "you're an idiot" smile. Please hire people who actually know how to work in customer service. It's stressful enough trying to move to a new place. read more