Parking Ticket Woes

I must be the only resident of the state of Virginia who does not know that my car registration includes my address AND where I "garage" my car.  Funny.  I thought I "garaged" it in my garage at my present address.  

However, Arlington County just informed me via a $50.00 ticket that I actually garage my car in Alexandria City and must have an Alexandria City decal on it.  After what seems like an entire day trying to figure out why I got the ticket, I've been directed to my car registration where it has my legal residence and then below it has the word Alexandria City.  Now please note, just the words Alexandria City are there, isolated, with nothing to explain what that means.  So for those few of you who are as ignorant as I, that means that my almost new convertible is parked in Alexandria City not in my garage as I thought it has been for the past 19 months.  

I am in the process now of trying to get someone from the Virginia DMV on the phone to correct my registration so that it reflects that my car is garaged in my garage, which is in Fairfax County, which does not require decals, so that I can send this to Arlington County so that they do not charge me $50.00, which I assume they were going to send to Alexandria City after they collected it (wink wink), because I did not have an Alexandria City decal.  Is that clear?

Now the reason it took me almost half the day to figure out this problem was that a few years ago Arlington County also gave me a ticket for not having an Arlington County decal.  I made the mistake of actually parking on an Arlington County street, paying for the parking and eating at an Arlington County establishment.   As I don't live in Arlington County, but about a half block from there in Fairfax County, I was able to forgo the payment after almost a full day of phone calls, internet searches and the like.

I'm starting to wonder if Arlington County wishes to discourage immigration to its county.  Does the county wish that I no longer frequent its restaurants, gyms, bars, and the like?  How am I, a law-abiding Fairfax County resident, to avoid getting a ticket every time I park in front of Friend's house, or visit Motorbike?  I'm beginning to feel that I need to carry my papers with me to prove I am a citizen of Fairfax County.  Just like in the movies in foreign countries where the police are always asking for your papers and you are feeling intimidated.  Ominous.

I will get my car registration corrected today, I hope.  I will carry it with me and will be aware of what is printed on it and what it means when I venture out of the warmth of Fairfax County to foreign locations such as Columbia Pike, Rosslyn, the Courthouse Theater and the like.

I may suggest to my own county that they provide us with decals again that at least say to the Arlington County parking police that I don't need a decal and to leave me alone.  Any suggestions?