I had my first NYC DMV experience this morning.
I showed up 30 minutes before it opened and was still about 65th in line. Ridiculous. Surprisingly, though, once I got inside, the process went pretty smoothly. I came with all the right paperwork, got my photo taken, and started to think that maybe, magically, the little suspension problem might have taken care of itself.
No such luck.
Turns out, the failure to appear for a summons was because of a ticket from 2003 (not 1996, as the poorly informed car insurance agent said) and evidently never paid. It was given in Fishkill, NY for not wearing a seat belt. Now, this is odd for a number of reasons — the first is that I have absolutely no recollection at all of being anywhere near Fishkill, NY ever in my life. The second is that I am somewhat obsessed with wearing a seat belt. And the third is that I always pay tickets!
So, after all that waiting in line, I had to call the Fishkill Justice Court, who told me that I just had to pay $105 to make it all go away. The woman actually used that phrase and it freaked me out a little … but away I went to get a certified check and put it in the mail. Too bad I have to spend another 2 hours in the DMV at some point in the future when I get the confirmation the ticket has been paid.
Meanwhile, it is hot as dickens in NYC. I’m so glad to be in Seattle this weekend for a wedding!
