PORTLAND — Around this time last year, I set out for the Old Port on a Friday evening to see if parking was as difficult as people were saying it was. Not if you give yourself enough time and know where to go, was my conclusion.

This summer, something seemed to change.

With the day off of work on Juneteenth, I headed into town before 5 p.m., hoping I’d be there early enough to get into a restaurant without a reservation. By the time I found parking — a parallel spot on Congress Street that I saw as I was driving out of town, ready to give up — it was prime dinnertime.

I’m not sure what I would have done if I’d been trying to make a reservation. For the sake of my future self in this hypothetical scenario, I decided to look into reasonably priced public garages, the garages touted by city officials who expanded metered parking hours and raised on-street rates this summer.

Before taking myself on a tour of the cheapest options last weekend, I couldn’t have told you where any of the eight city-owned parking garages and lots were. Aside from a work-subsidized spot by our old offices in Monument Square, I don’t know that I’ve ever parked in a garage downtown or even considered it.

It’s not a decision I made consciously, but I think a lot of Portlanders share the same mindset — something that’s confounded city officials faced with complaints about parking in the city.

Why are we so adamant about parking on the street?

Cost seems like an obvious reason — or, more accurately, perceived cost, since I had no idea what the rates actually were. And the fear of ending up in a Unified Parking Partners lot, then shelling out beaucoup bucks to get a boot removed, has only made us more skittish at the sight of a big white “P” on a blue background.

Convenience is another reason that comes to mind, though it’s hard to argue that inserting a card into a slot is more of a time suck than circling the Old Port several times over. Not knowing how many floors you’ll have to drive up, and then walk or ride down, however, can be a deterrent.

The aversion, though, is something deeper, I think. I think it’s a form of denial. We don’t want Portland to be a place where parking garages are for anyone but tourists who don’t know their way around. For a local to use one would feel like defeat.

Of course, between the cost of housing and the number of hotels and high-end stores, we’ve known for a while that the peninsula doesn’t cater to longtime residents. Yet, we’ve hung on tightly to street parking, thinking our secret spots were something out-of-towners couldn’t take away.

Refusing to adjust to reality might be reason enough for some of us to continue circling in frustration or avoid the Old Port altogether during certain months. I was willing to give the alternative a shot.

Last Saturday afternoon, I headed toward Commercial Street with the addresses of the cheapest city-owned lots and garages in hand.

The first, Angelo’s Acre, across from Eimskip, was listed at the unbelievable rate of $5 a day, something I had to see with my own eyes. It was accurate all right. The lot was also full. I guess the word is out about that one.

Past Becky’s Diner and into the thick of things, there were dozens of available spaces in the Fish Pier Front Lot. Its rate of $3 an hour (4 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays, all day Saturday and Sunday, $15 nightly maximum) matches that of nearby meters since the new rates went into effect in July. Unlike the meters, it doesn’t impose a two-hour limit. For waterfront destinations, that’s a no-brainer.

Down by Ocean Gateway, there were only a couple of spots left in the Thames Street Lot, which has a flat rate of $15 for a 24-hour period — worth checking out if you’re planning to spend a chunk of time there or if a private lot is your only other option. (Don’t be fooled by the Towne stickers slapped over the UPP signs; the Pennsylvania company that acquired the highly unpopular local one is still charging a premium; some of its lots start at $8 an hour or a minimum of $40 for three.)

A sign on the Elm Street Parking Garage shows that spaces were available on a Saturday afternoon in July. (Leslie Bridgers/Staff Writer)

There were spaces available at two $4-an-hour garages — one (closed on Sundays) on Elm Street, by the library, and one on Spring Street, where the rates can change during events at the Cross Insurance Arena next door. (This is also where low- to moderate-income downtown employees and volunteers can park for half price.) According to occupancy data provided by the city, both typically have a couple hundred open spots during the week in summer and more on weekends.

Whether it’s worth parking in any of these places depends on a lot of factors, including when you’re going into town and where, how long you plan to be there and how much time you can or want to spend searching for an on-street spot.

I’m happy to say that, as I made my way between city-owned lots that afternoon, I saw plenty of open spots on the periphery of the Old Port, meaning that the trouble I’d had earlier in the summer was not necessarily the new normal but more likely a result of the holiday weekend and the soccer viewing party in Monument Square.

Stuff like that happens all the time, though, and I’m glad to have figured out where I can park, without getting gouged, when it does.