New York City parking issues can wear down even the most patient driver. We’ve all been there: You’ve circled a span of five or so blocks for what feels 14 years in search of a parking spot. Then you spy the perfect space, only to have it snatched away by a sneaky Beemer driven by a wannabe Le Mans racer. Or maybe you come across what looks like a parking spot, but it’s marked by a parking signpost stacked high with 57 different instructions, including a “No Parking” sign, a “Parking Tuesday to Thursday” sign, a “No Standing Anytime” sign, and a couple of equally contradictory signs that seem to have been put there as a dare. Before you lose it and calmly park your car in the fountain at Lincoln Center, the following tips may help you win at the game you didn’t even know you were playing: the New York City Parking Wars.

Know Before You Go

There are websites for checking the weather before you head out the door, websites for finding out the status of the mass transit system before you catch your train, and there’s a website for figuring out what the city’s parking regulations are before you hop in your car. The New York City’s Department of Transportation Parking Regulations page will let you know important information, such as whether there’s alternate side of the street parking or handicap parking availability in whatever neighborhood you’re planning on parking in later today .

There’s an App for That

One of the best things about living in this fabulous digital age is that there’s an app for just about anything. For NYC drivers, some of the best apps are those that help them find parking. The Best Parking app helps you find parking garages in every neighborhood in the city. You’ll be able to get location and rate information so that you know exactly where to go on a Sunday afternoon in Times Square in the middle of June when street parking is harder to find than Jimmy Hoffa. The ParkMe app also helps you find garages and lots — just type in your destination, and you’ll be able to find parking location and rate information.

Already Got a Ticket?

Even armed with the best apps and the best of intentions, it’s possible that you’ll still end up with a parking ticket. Parking tickets in NYC can cost as much as $115, a tidy sum indeed. The good news is there are ways to beat parking tickets, especially if you think the ticketing officer made a mistake. If the offending parking post had 39 signs, take a picture of it, as well as a picture of your car next to the sign. You may be able to prove that your ticketing offense was a result of genuine confusion and not ill intent. Now all you need is an app that helps you fight NYC parking tickets, and the world would be perfect. Oh wait … there is an app for that!

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