Reason 1,798 To Dislike Philadelphia: City Confiscates Cupcake Truck
There are many reasons that Philadelphia, Automopedia’s adopted home, makes us swoon with happiness but also cringe with horror. Sure, every major city has its problems, but when you have choking sports teams, crumbling roads, pathetic public transit and a Parking Authority that should be lined up for executed – its hard to find reasons to stay happy. But one of those positive thoughts was knowing The Buttercream Cupcake Lady way coming around. She’d park her van in various locations throughout Center City (the “Midtown” of Philly) and and dispense her creamy goodness.
Oh wait, the City of Philadelphia wanted to stop that too. Bastards. Kate Carrara runs the “Buttercream Cupcake Lady” service out of a truck every day, announcing her location via Twitter. That’s how police knew where she’d be when they surrounded her converted postal van with a blockade.
“Three enforcement guys came out with badges blazing,” Carrara told the Philadelphia Daily News. “Scared the crap out of me. The three cops with them were looking at me like, ‘We can’t believe we’re doing this.’ – “And I’m like, there’s crack deals a block away and three cops are surrounding the Cupcake Lady? I mean, really?”
The officers impounded the van and drove away with dozens of uneaten desserts, “indifferent to the city’s never-ceasing demand for cream cheese.”
“I’m licensed as a roamer, like an ice-cream truck that plays a song, sells some stuff and moves on. I have a permit to park at LOVE Park on Wednesdays but most of Center City and University City are off-limits,” Carrara said.
The former lawyer said the officers were business-compliance officials from the city’s Department of Licenses & Inspections. But L&I Commissioner Fran Burns claimed, “It wasn’t us. We don’t confiscate trucks.” The mayor’s office agreed, directing questions to the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Luckily, Carrara was not held for long. She wrote a $200 check and then returned to the mean, red streets of Philly, where she vowed to fight for amending the vending law. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through red-velvet cupcakes demand no less.
Via Jalopnik
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