New England Trip: Day 1
Tracy and I are currently in the middle of a New England road trip where we are going to see seven states in four days. Here are some daily highlights:
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — Greetings from just outside Hartford, where we wrapped up day one with some ice cream at Friendly’s. It’s been a really long day and I’m sure we’re going to turn in not long after I finish this post. Starting a day of driving at 5 a.m. probably isn’t a great idea, but it needed to be done to fit in stops in Providence and Hartford before nightfall. We were successful, but we almost ran out of sunlight tonight at the Connecticut capitol.
By choosing the cheapest flight, we had the unfortunate pleasure of flying U.S. Air and had to connect in Philadelphia, two awful things I would have preferred to avoid. But due to waiting too long to book, we missed out on a direct flight on Northwest and had to settle for this. As it turns out, the airport was its usual hot and stinky self, and I was almost run over by one of those carts that shuttles old ladies around the terminal.
My luck didn’t change much outside of the terminals either, as it seems most people in New England don’t know how to drive. Without exaggeration, I think we were close to being involved in five accidents if both of us had a lapse in attention. Defensive driving was definitely the theme of the day, yet we seemed to be on the receiving end of dirty looks and verbal insults (seriously, some guy yelled out, “How you doin’, buddy?” in a sarcastic tone when I stopped from T-boning him when he pulled out in front of me). Driving seemed to be exhausting, as I felt I was constantly on edge and worried some idiot would cut me off. It also doesn’t help Rhode Island has the shortest onramp merging lanes I’ve ever seen.
On the positive side, we did stop at a “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” restaurant in Rhode Island for some awesome seafood. It was located right along the water and it made for a great backdrop for lunch. I was surprised at how busy it was for 2:30 in the afternoon, but our waitress said they are constantly busy since they appeared on the show.
Both capitols we hit today had some logistical issues that made getting a good picture tricky. Rhode Island’s capitol was located on top of a hill and had a grove of trees at the base. We ended up walking down the hill and across a bridge a block away to get a shot I found acceptable, as a shot from behind didn’t work as the Transportation Department offices was across the street. Connecticut had a similar issue with sight lines, but this time was a traffic light post. We went across the street to the Supreme Court building and climbed every possible step to get a good angle. I think both turned out well, but it was quite the production.
I’ll try to get some of the pictures posted tomorrow, since it’s been a long day and I’m ready for bed. I hope tomorrow is a better day and I better hear at least one person strong New England accent before I leave.
Total distance driven: 181 miles
Capitols visited: 2 (RI, CT)
Signs seen: 3 (RI, MA, CT)
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — Greetings from just outside Hartford, where we wrapped up day one with some ice cream at Friendly’s. It’s been a really long day and I’m sure we’re going to turn in not long after I finish this post. Starting a day of driving at 5 a.m. probably isn’t a great idea, but it needed to be done to fit in stops in Providence and Hartford before nightfall. We were successful, but we almost ran out of sunlight tonight at the Connecticut capitol.
By choosing the cheapest flight, we had the unfortunate pleasure of flying U.S. Air and had to connect in Philadelphia, two awful things I would have preferred to avoid. But due to waiting too long to book, we missed out on a direct flight on Northwest and had to settle for this. As it turns out, the airport was its usual hot and stinky self, and I was almost run over by one of those carts that shuttles old ladies around the terminal.
My luck didn’t change much outside of the terminals either, as it seems most people in New England don’t know how to drive. Without exaggeration, I think we were close to being involved in five accidents if both of us had a lapse in attention. Defensive driving was definitely the theme of the day, yet we seemed to be on the receiving end of dirty looks and verbal insults (seriously, some guy yelled out, “How you doin’, buddy?” in a sarcastic tone when I stopped from T-boning him when he pulled out in front of me). Driving seemed to be exhausting, as I felt I was constantly on edge and worried some idiot would cut me off. It also doesn’t help Rhode Island has the shortest onramp merging lanes I’ve ever seen.
On the positive side, we did stop at a “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” restaurant in Rhode Island for some awesome seafood. It was located right along the water and it made for a great backdrop for lunch. I was surprised at how busy it was for 2:30 in the afternoon, but our waitress said they are constantly busy since they appeared on the show.
Both capitols we hit today had some logistical issues that made getting a good picture tricky. Rhode Island’s capitol was located on top of a hill and had a grove of trees at the base. We ended up walking down the hill and across a bridge a block away to get a shot I found acceptable, as a shot from behind didn’t work as the Transportation Department offices was across the street. Connecticut had a similar issue with sight lines, but this time was a traffic light post. We went across the street to the Supreme Court building and climbed every possible step to get a good angle. I think both turned out well, but it was quite the production.
I’ll try to get some of the pictures posted tomorrow, since it’s been a long day and I’m ready for bed. I hope tomorrow is a better day and I better hear at least one person strong New England accent before I leave.
Total distance driven: 181 miles
Capitols visited: 2 (RI, CT)
Signs seen: 3 (RI, MA, CT)
Labels: Assignment: America, New England, Road trips
posted by Brian Schick @ 10:28 PM
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