Few feelings are as unpleasant as the mini basketball that balloons in your stomach upon realizing that you didn't, in fact, read the street sign and, yes, your car has been towed. Until recently, this nausea was amplified by the awareness that the next step was to visit a post-apocalyptic wasteland. This is no longer the case. The city has relocated its Vehicle Impound Facility to a more accessible location (Interstate 435 and Front Street) and has built a modern, environmentally sensitive structure to house its offices and employees. Outside the building, native plants grow in tranquility; inside, the restrooms are clean and outfitted with low-flow plumbing. You wait on a comfortable bench in air conditioning — air conditioning! — as the forms are processed, and then a nice man shuttles you to your vehicle in a small, futuristic-looking electric car. If you hadn't just forked over $165, you'd almost want to tip him.
