• Want to parallel park like Willie Geist? Here's how

    After telling Parade magazine he is "one of the five best parallel parkers in the United States of America," TODAY's Willie Geist is put to the test, attempting to show off his parallel prowess on the plaza.

    By TODAY.com staff
    Few things bedevil drivers as much as parallel parking, but TODAY's Willie Geist boasted to PARADE magazine that he's "one of the five best parallel parkers in the United States of America." He showed off his mad parallel parking skills on the plaza this morning, and in this online exclusive, shared with us his step-by-step process for parallel parking.

    "1. Relax. You’re Michael Jordan at the foul line late in a playoff game. Sure, there’s some pressure, but you don’t feel it because you don’t miss. Even with that guy honking to get around you."

    "2. Pull all the way up nice and flush to the car parked in front of your spot. If you graze the side-mirror, so be it. You’re on a mission. Petty property damage is not your concern."

    "3. Get that arm up on the back of the passenger’s side seat. It’s the iconic moment in any parallel parking job."

    "4. Cut the wheel much sooner than it feels like you should."

    When do you cut the wheel exactly? For instance, the FNL Driving School of New Jersey says you should start cutting when the back end of the parked car to your side is in the middle of the passenger-side back window.

    But Geist doesn't have any such strict rules.

    "I play on gut and instinct, much like Michael Jordan himself. Let the game come to you. It’s a feel thing."

    "A second or two after you begin to turn in, cut it back and then straighten ‘er out. You don’t want to have to pull out and start over."

    "5. Glide in slowly and prepare to accept the accolades from your passengers."