My friends M, J, and J live in Queens and I really wanted to see them on this trip. Covid plus some health concerns meant it made sense for me to stay outside the city and just come in for the day. I had planned to find some kind of park and ride, but M convinced me it would be just as easy to drive in and park near their house. I had literally never considered driving in New York City, and the experience convinced me that once was probably enough. I'm an aggressive driver compared to Midwestern drivers, average for DC, and woefully outclassed in NYC. I watched one driver grow tired of the slow moving traffic, and veer into oncoming traffic for 200 feet, honking wildly for them to get of the way, before turning left on a red light. And then I knew next time I'd be taking the bus...
It was utterly delightful to spend time with M, J, and J. They are all extremely creative people, but more on the artistic side than the engineering side. I helped with some house projects, including a trip to Home Depot, and I think my father's tutelage served me well.
Some pictures of the last days of vacation.
Mariachi players plus a ballroom dancing couple. If it's not clear, all of them are about twenty feet tall.
This American Gothic riff included a suitcase with stickers showing all their travel in Asia.
And thus ends our tour of Americana...
4 comments:
I don't remember ever having tried to drive in New York City other than going through one section to get from DC to Connecticut and we eventually found a way to cut that out.
I remember, your mother driving us through Chicago on the way to Oshkosh, and the number of traffic lanes and the volume of traffic was scary -- not your Mum's driving. On the return journey we went straight through the centre of Chicago, thinking we'd find a parking space(eye-wateringly expensive)and the traffic conditions were even worse. Your Mum drove as though she experienced these traffic conditions every day.
I think there is a lot to commend public transport.
It sounds like you had a great trip in spite of the change in plans!
I hope I can take a lesson to heart on the rootbeer float. How much we enjoy eating is, like all things, influenced by the experience surrounding it. I know I forget this all the time. The obvious example is when a local delicacy tastes wonderful on holiday but middling when you try it at home. I also harbor borderline thrifty tendencies and I think paying what I felt was an ass-ton of money for something would make me struggle to enjoy it.
Post a Comment