Fortune Cookie Parking Garage

Parking garages get no respect. You pay a premium to drive up tight corkscrew ramps, searching for an open spot as rare as an endangered bird, only to squeeze your rustbucket right between two SUVs. But the North Beach Garage makes parking fun by painting clever sayings on the floor of each parking stall. Since this 204-space garage is technically in Chinatown, fortune cookies pop to mind, but the quotes mix aphorisms ("What goes around comes around") and New Age positive thinking ("This is the greatest day of your life") with bits of advice ("The time is right to make new friends").  An open-air atrium with tall bamboo plantings adds to the garage's Zen decor. Try not to be tempted to pass up open spots in search of a better fortune ("Your sense of humor is enjoyed by all") — it tends to tick off your passengers. Prices range from $2.50 per hour for shorter stays (less than 4 hours), $3 per hour for longer; daily and monthly rates available. Open 24 hours.