Vespa Vantastic

A dark cloud looms over the city: Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed [congestion tax], which will charge vehicles $8 a pop to enter the city below 86th Street. For those who pass through the gates daily, that’s $56 a week or $224 a month. So what’s a New Yorker to do? Well, you could invest in a [Vespa](http://www.nysun.com/article/56906 ).

Plus, these Urban crotch rockets will save the environment. Vespas are more fuel-efficient, and only need about $2.50 a week in gas. And as there are no designated parking areas for smaller vehicles, people have taken to illegally parking on the sidewalk and removing their tags to avoid tickets. What rebels!

The Vespa craze has been growing for the past five years—SoHo Vespa’s sales are up 60 percent. Like all exclusive hipster communities, the local Vespa crowd has opened its own [hang-out](http://www.barvespa.com/index.html ). Quick everyone! Run out and buy a scooter before the European trend goes all American and they replace the original Vespa with a Hummer Vespa.

Photo courtesy of [arlen on Flickr]