Letters to the editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times point out some of the problems that visitors have in our fair city. A response seems in order. If you expect to go camping, you have a much better time if you plan in advance. Similarly, if you decide to visit Asheville, it’s good to have a plan.

Parking:

Although Ashevillians know better, visitors to our fair city still expect to drive into town, drive to the front door of their destination, and find free parking on the street within spitting distance of the front door. Folks, those days are gone forever! If you drive into Asheville and find apparently free parking on the street, or just behind the building where you plan to eat, you are just asking for a ticket or a tow. So, what’s a body to do?

The good news is that Asheville leaders anticipated these problems and have provided several solutions. Next time you have to visit downtown Asheville, leave a little early, find one of the three city parking decks, park, and then spend a few minutes discovering the entrances and exits and learning the parking fee schedule. See how you will NEVER get a ticket or get towed if you park in one of the decks. See how it is always cheaper to park in one of the city decks (Civic Center, Rankin, or Wall Street) than on the street during business hours, Monday through Friday. It’s only a buck (a bill, or 4 quarters, or a dollar coin) between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. the next morning, and all day Saturday and Sunday. [Wall Street evenings and weekends are two bucks.] One of the best reasons to park there? It’s good, old-fashioned angle parking; no parallel parking skills are required. Also, once you know your way around the Civic Center deck, you will find it handy and available for parking during Bele Chere. It’s essentially never full!

Trash and graffiti:

We’re working on that. More and more of those of us who live and/or work in the city are taking these problems into our own hands, helping to clean up and preaching the gospel of responsible life in the city. You would not expect a friend in the “burbs” to throw a lighted cigarette down on your front lawn we would like to teach that same friend not to throw down their butts on our sidewalks and streets. Again, the city has provided a solution to that problem by attaching butt cans to the trash cans. Please, dear friends, use them!

Panhandling:

Like any city, Asheville attracts panhandlers. In fact, we seem to attract more than most cities, and there is a reason well-meaning people, both citizens and visitors, give them money. Asheville is known for its generosity. The result of that generosity is more panhandlers! So PLEASE don't give money to panhandlers. Ever. Not a dime. Help solve this problem.

The good news is that there are several agencies in town that feed anyone who walks through the front door sober. Three meals are available seven days a week. No one need go hungry in Asheville. Let no panhandler tell you differently. They know. They want your money for alcohol and other destructive habits.

If you are aggressively panhandled, leave the area as quickly as possible. If you have real trouble getting away, call the police non-emergency number, 252-1110. If you are grabbed, pushed, even touched, first get well away from the area, call the police, and then assist the police as necessary, even if they want you to press charges.

Drugs:

Many people go to the nearest big city to get drugs. Unfortunately, that includes Asheville. If you are approached with a drug offer, please help us stamp this out by a) leaving the area (so you are physically safe), b) call the police at 252-1110, and c) assist the police as necessary.

The upside:

While there are problems in Asheville, there are many, many positive reasons to visit here and live here (as we do). The many festivals, the wonderful shops, the multitude of excellent restaurants, the art, the crafts, the music, the theater, the antique shops, the wonderfully diverse population, the weather -- any one of these is reason to visit, often. For many of us, these are reasons to live here. If you plan to have a good time in Asheville, and if you follow the guidelines above, you will have a great time on your next visit.