It was a sunny July 4, 1993, when American billionaire Marvin Davis and his wife were travelling between Nice and Antibe, on the French Riviera..They were riding in style in a chauffeur-driven limo when their security detail got separated in Sunday traffic.. Hotel du Cap French RivieraThe Hotel du Cap, on the French Riviera offered free parking when writer Dave Makichuk stayed there. .They were full of anticipation of their upcoming hotel stay, at the luxurious Hotel du Cap. The hotel of the rich and famous..F. Scott Fitzgerald famously immortalized the breathtaking establishment, perched on a rocky promontory in the Mediterranean midway between St. Tropez and Monaco, when he wrote in his 1934 novel Tender Is the Night about "the large, proud, rose-colored hotel" that "has become a summer resort of notable, fashionable people.".Everything was going fine, until their vehicle was blocked from behind and in front. Their security team was nowhere to be found..Armed robbers emerged and demanded Davis, an oil industrialist and MGM shareholder, open the limo’s trunk..He had no choice, he had to hand it over..In it, the case contained €8.5 million worth of jewelry and approximately €46,000 in cash — to this day, the greatest jewel heist ever in Europe..Well, yet another major robbery happened across the pond many years later in a prairie town called Calgary just last week..The tall foreheads at city hall, led by one of the worst mayors in Calgary’s history, Jyoti Gondek, were laying down yet another costly shackle on beleaguered taxpayers..According to a story in The Western Standard, Calgarians, who are used to paying through the nose for parking, will now have to pay to park in front of their own abode..It isn’t enough — no, it’s not — we already have the highest monthly parking rates in Canada and third highest in North America..Gondek and her cabal, don’t give a good god damn … they don’t..Just keep paying and paying, and shut the hell up, too..Do that, and they will label you as a hateful person..I say to the mayor, and her Stooges in council; have you been to a grocery store lately? Have you seen the prices of things, how high the cost of living is now..Why, in God’s name would you hit people with yet another ridiculous tax, when they're already suffering the slings and arrows of an economy out of control..Paying to park in front, of your own house? Who was the idiot who thought of that?.According to the city hall website, the Residential Parking Permit (RPP) program is in place “to manage on-street parking in Residential Parking Zones (RPZ) for residents to help ensure available parking for residents and visitors..“Under this program, Calgary Parking issues vehicle parking permits to residents living at a qualifying address within an RPZ..“The RPP Program is changing based on the Residential Parking Policy changes approved by council. In the updated program, different permit types are issued based on the building type for which the resident is applying.”.The fee structures, which will go into effect in spring/summer 2023, dictates residential two-year parking permits (residents “are allowed” three): one permit $100; second permit $150; third permit $250..Worse, they city is treating us like a bunch of saps..It’s not about the money, folks. No, seriously..According to Gondek’s bunch, “As with all street parking in Calgary, managing parking demand and encouraging the sharing of public space is the primary goal, not to generate revenue.”.It’s all about sharing! Anybody want to share? Just dig deep in your wallet. Doesn’t it feel so great to play sharesies?.I knew it was a mistake to make Gondek mayor. I knew it..And I didn’t need night-vision goggles to see it..Spending was out of control at city hall, during the Nenshi era, and it continues to be under Gondek. Nothing less than Nenshi-Lite..But you voted for this, and now you are stuck with her and her “climate emergency” administration. What a bunch of clowns..God help us all..Oh, and Jimbo (my older bro) and I also stayed at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, back in September of 2011. But no bad guys appeared, and we had no jewels..I was on travel assignment — one that was most memorable. They gave us the presidential suite, which goes for US$5,000 a night..White wine, chocolates, a fruit basket, hardcover books about the hotel, and a wonderful sea bass dinner at the Eden-Roc restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean..Thankfully, they only charged us $200 euro, the media rate, thanks to the dashing Monsieur Perd..Fantastic hotel, just fantastic and, best of all, was the hotel cat, Bellini. Named after the hotel’s famous bar drink..For some reason, he’s the only one I remember from that visit..And the parking was free.
