Archive for July, 2010

IMPORTANT: The information given in this chapter is from December 2009; regularly check the Online Survival Guide for updates!

Parking is one of the biggest infrastructure issues in the city. Because there are insufficient parking meters, cars are parked everywhere including on sidewalks, in cross walks, at bus stops and where ‘No Parking’ signs are clearly posted! To make things worse, there is a lot of confusion about towing.  Since new regulations were recently announced, a lot more cars are being towed. To help you (and us) make some sense of the whole issue, we called the police directly; below you will find what we learned.

There are several fees you will have to pay for a violation: the lifting, towing and storage fees (listed below by sector) are different in each sector! But in addition to these fees, the police will fine you personally for the violation and will give you penalty points on your licence: Personal violation fee: RON 216 (or RON 108 if paid within 24 hours) + 3 Penalty Points.

You will need several documents to retrieve your vehicle: the vehicle registration, personal identification (passport, visa card, or national ID), and the driver’s license of the person responsible for the violation.

Sector 1
Storage Facility
Address: Aleea Matelotilor Nr. 31-43
Phone: +40 021 95 40 or +40 021 66 76 772; +40 021 66 76 772
Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00-22:00; Sunday 8:00-1400
For violations in Sector 1, here are the fines:
Lifting fee: RON 200 + VAT;
Transport fee: RON 200 + VAT;
Storage fee for vehicles less than 3.5 metric tons: RON 300 + VAT;
Storage fee for vehicles more than 3.5 metric tons: RON 400 + VAT.
The lifting, transport and storage of vehicles happens 24/7. After a period of 30 days, unclaimed vehicles will be declared abandoned and therefore property of the sector, and are likely to be sold for revenue.

Sector 2
Storage Facility
Address: Fabricii St. Nr. 2
Phone: +40 021 310 45 90; +40 021 310 45 90
Schedule: None Given
At the gate you will have to present your identification (residency permit, passport, national ID) and they will take down your data. Then you can enter the storage house, and retrieve your vehicle. The fines are as follow:
Lifting fee: RON 130 + VAT
Transport fee: RON 130 + VAT
Storage fee: RON 180 + VAT

Sector 3
Storage Facility
Address: Sos. Dudesti, Pantelimon Nr. 2– 6
Phone: +40 021 95 43; +40 021 96 40; or +40 0761 118 976; +40 0761 118 976
Schedule: None Given
The fines are as follow:
Lifting fee: RON 200 + VAT
Transport fee: RON 150 + VAT
Storage fee: RON 150 + VAT

Sectors 4 and 5
At the time of publication, these sectors did not have a parking violation system implemented, but you can check the Online Survival Guide for updates! Just search for ‘Towing’.

Sector 6
Storage Facility
Address: Drumul Mânăstirea Văratec, Nr. 14-16
Phone: +40 021 95 46
Schedule: None Given
The fines are as follow:
Lifting fee: RON 150 + VAT
Transport fee: RON 150 + VAT
Storage fee: RON 200 + VAT per day

If you’ve paid for a parking space and someone parked there, call the institution, company, or person that gave you the parking space first. There is a parking office in the jurisdiction of every sector. Or, you can use the Romanian method: stop your car next to the vehicle in your spot and simply honk your horn until they come and move their car. It is surprisingly effective. If they don’t come, or it happens more than once, lift up their windshield wipers: this will let them know they are in the wrong spot!
You can also call the police in your sector to report the violation: they probably won’t tow the car (because they tow cars based on a pre-determined plan), but they may fine them.

And remember, always call the police in your sector if your car is missing; if it wasn’t towed, it is probably stolen!

HINT: You can find the numbers for Police Stations in each sector in the Emergency Telephone Numbers Section!

Here at City Compass, we are big fans of maps. In the guide online you can find several interactive maps, as well as the latest city and subway maps. So when we found this new interactive 3D online map that gives a bird’s eye view of the city, we knew instantly that we had to make it the hint of this issue. Check it out and let us know what you think!

ADDRESS: 32 Kiseleff Avenue
PHONE: +40 0311 076 371
WEB: www.hardrock.com

The Hard Rock Cafe is a global institution in the bar and restaurant world; loved by many, but not by all. The first was opened in London’s Mayfair in 1971 by two Americans, Peter Morton and Isaac Tigrett, and there are now 149 Cafes around the world in 53 countries. The one in Bucharest opened its doors three years ago in a great location by the lake in Herestrau Park.

I have to say that on balance I am a fan of the HRC formula, for various reasons. The main ones are the standard of service, the consistancy of the offering, and the attention to detail. The Bucharest HRC ticks all of these boxes, and in a city where I think you would all agree the standards of service vary enormously, the HRC is a long way ahead of the game due to good training methods and maintaining standards.

If it’s a burger you fancy then the Cafe is hard to beat, although my own favourite is the BBQ  ribs – the best in town!

A characteristic feature of Hard Rock Cafes is the live music in an intimate setting: you can enjoy the gig whilist eating those ribs. Call or look at the website for details on up coming events.

The memorabilia around the walls is always interesting, and here they currently have one of John Lennon’s suits which was donated by Paul McCartney.

The Bucharest HRC has a large island bar in the middle of the floor as you walk in where you can eat, drink or both. To the right of the bar is the smoking section and to the left is the non-smoking section, which leads out onto the very large lake-front terrace.

All in all I would say the Hard Rock Cafe in Bucharest operates with a very high standard and makes you leave feeling as though you’ve had a good time and that’s one of the reasons they have a very loyal following.

Romania Business Insider is an English language news source new on the Romanian market.
If you’re having a hard time scouting a source of news in English about Romania, you should give up on asking for translations from friendly colleagues and local friends and simply check out the Romania Business Insider. This is a website with daily updates on business and entertainment news, details about upcoming events, expat profiles, and with articles exclusively in English. Check it out at www.romania-insider.com

ADDRESS: Strada Smardan 9 (vis-à-vis BNR, Lipscani)
PHONE: +40 0311 076 371
WEB: www.vangogh.ro

As you’ll know, Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter who’s works have influenced, and inspired, many. He died in 1890, of self-inflicted wounds, and could not have every imagined that one day his works would sell for millions, and, perhaps more importantly, that 119 years after his death he would have a bar named after him in Bucharest. Opened, by a fellow countryman in October last year, it’s a bar to make the great man proud. The building itself is an old converted bank with domed high ceilings in the main bar area supported by large pillars. Yet the defining feature remains the bar itself – solid oak, and very, very long – inspired, perhaps, by a man who comes from a culture where they do their drinking sitting on a bar stool.

The food is good, both hot and cold. I washed down an excellent Coq au Vin with a large draught Heineken, as ice-cold as advertised. Perhaps at odds with the melancholic artist and his cavalier approach to his hearing, the bar is centred around the patrons listening and talking to each other, with TVs absent. Usually absent: the World Cup is an exception – so a fantastically large screen shows the games, with English commentary and side orders of related food and drink specials. A full-function room upstairs can be hired for private events tailor-made to your requirements. Small groups for dinner, corporate events and drinks parties for up to 100 people, with pre-booking required. A basement bar area, open in the winter time only, is designed inside the converted safe of the old bank, the original safe door still there. The terrace in summer is a large space with seats for around 60. So if you’re drifting through the old town and need to make an impression(ist) with friends, the service and atmosphere of Van Gogh would make a fine choice.