Rock ‘n Roll Marathon, Construction, and Parking Nightmare

I hate trying to find parking around here. In the Midwest we had a two car garage, a very long driveway, and street parking. I really miss it! When we moved to DC that was a convenience we had to give up. Our 1890’s condo building doesn’t have underground facilities. So parking is always bad, but now it is even worse. For more than a month the entire street behind our building has been blocked off for utility work - although no one seems to know what it really is all about. It was supposed to end by February. Now the signs say the end of April. On top of that the ridiculous Rock ‘n ‘Roll marathon was yesterday. We were not only trapped in our house because of street closures until two in the afternoon, you also had to find parking that was not along the scheduled route - or you would be ticketed and have your car towed. It used to be you wouldn’t be able to move your car, now it would be moved away for you whether you liked it or not. I am not against marathons but this one needlessly disrupts every DC quadrant. We oftentimes decide when we go somewhere based on events in the neighborhood and time of day if we plan to take the car. It is a real pain in the neck but we are not yet willing to give up our vehicle. The only bright spot is we have a circle drive that takes you right to the front door to unload groceries, etc. but when someone decides to use the drive for a parking space - forget it!