Driving in different locales
While I'm on the subject of driving, I thought I'd share some thoughts about driving in the places I know best.
Bay Area:
Driving in the bay area offers many pros. The wide open highways. The many laned local roads. High speed limits (well, higher than the other places I'm going to list). In fact, driving is pretty much assumed in the Bay Area. Need to travel 45 minutes? No problemo. Just jump in the car and head on out. For those of you raised around NYC, just think about that scenario for a second. 12 years ago, if you asked me if I would make a 45 minute trek to see a friend (even if I was the passenger), I'd say "Hell no! That's too damn far." At best, you would convince me to meet somewhere in the middle. But Californians do it without a blink of the eye.
However, the Bay Area does have its drawbacks. Abnormally "compact" parking spaces. Not just in length, but in width. If you've ever visited a NJ shopping mall, you could fit a H2 in any of those parking spots, and still be able to open the doors. Not in CA. Good luck opening one of your doors, let alone two of them, if you or your neighbor are even slightly askew.
Also, beware of the rain. That first rain of the season...you better plan an extra 30 minutes to get into and out of work, because you _know_ there will be an accident. Speaking of CA drivers and bad weather conditions, only in CA have I heard of chains for snow. Growing up in the east coast, where there are also plenty of mountains (hills, perhaps), I'd never heard of chains. But, I guess given the general quality of CA drivers, chains is a very good idea. =)
Moving over to NJ, there's not much to say here. Drivers are generally pretty competent. The downside to driving in NJ is the ridiculously short on-ramps (or should I say driveways) that get you back onto the local highways. If you don't have a V6 in NJ or a very light car, fuhgeddaboutit. I guess that's why they have really horribly low speed limits. Like 45 on local highways, and 55 on the major ones (though i think they finally created a few 65 stretches). It's as if they want to make NJ seem bigger than it really is by making you take longer to get through the whole state.
NYC...I actually really like driving in NYC. From the outside, you might think that NY is filled with crazy drivers and super tight highway lanes. I'll give you the super tight highway lanes, where you feel like you could reach over and tap the passenger's shoulder in the neighboring car, but those aren't crazy drivers. Well, ok, maybe they are, but they're _good_ crazy drivers. What makes them good crazy drivers is that they know what they are doing. In other words, they are predictable. To get around the streets of NYC, you have to be willing to swerve in and out of your lane, and even in and out of your lanes of direction. While you may think this crazy, that's what's expected. So as you swerve out of your lane, the car just behind you but a lane over, is expecting you to do just that and will swerve in accordance. What gums up the works in NYC is the indecisive driver. Those are the ones you'll find stuck behind an unloading truck, because they couldn't pull the trigger to swerve to the other lane when there was a tiny opening. In NYC, if you want to merge in the HWYs, just turn on your blinker and start making that move. The car on the next lane over will see you and create space. As opposed to in CA, where the car next to you will likely be busy talking on their cellphone and never notice you until it's too late.
Anyway, if you are an aggressive driver, or at least not an indecisive one, I think you'll enjoy driving the streets of NYC. You'll always be on your toes, but at the same time, every action is predictable.
Of course, NYC does lead to bad habits...like driving as far down the exit lane as possible before merging back into the thru traffic. I'm sure we all love that maneuver. heh.
Other driving notes, I hate Washington. Stupid cops and their speed traps. Booo!!!!
I've heard worse in Connecticut. You go a couple miles over the limit and BAM! You're toast.
In Texas, I've seen cops use the dirt path that connects opposing highway traffic as a way to U-Turn and snag a speeder going the other way. That's just unfair.
Vermont's cop cars are green. It's a wonder I never got pulled over as green is definitely not a color I associate with cop cars.
Bay Area:
Driving in the bay area offers many pros. The wide open highways. The many laned local roads. High speed limits (well, higher than the other places I'm going to list). In fact, driving is pretty much assumed in the Bay Area. Need to travel 45 minutes? No problemo. Just jump in the car and head on out. For those of you raised around NYC, just think about that scenario for a second. 12 years ago, if you asked me if I would make a 45 minute trek to see a friend (even if I was the passenger), I'd say "Hell no! That's too damn far." At best, you would convince me to meet somewhere in the middle. But Californians do it without a blink of the eye.
However, the Bay Area does have its drawbacks. Abnormally "compact" parking spaces. Not just in length, but in width. If you've ever visited a NJ shopping mall, you could fit a H2 in any of those parking spots, and still be able to open the doors. Not in CA. Good luck opening one of your doors, let alone two of them, if you or your neighbor are even slightly askew.
Also, beware of the rain. That first rain of the season...you better plan an extra 30 minutes to get into and out of work, because you _know_ there will be an accident. Speaking of CA drivers and bad weather conditions, only in CA have I heard of chains for snow. Growing up in the east coast, where there are also plenty of mountains (hills, perhaps), I'd never heard of chains. But, I guess given the general quality of CA drivers, chains is a very good idea. =)
Moving over to NJ, there's not much to say here. Drivers are generally pretty competent. The downside to driving in NJ is the ridiculously short on-ramps (or should I say driveways) that get you back onto the local highways. If you don't have a V6 in NJ or a very light car, fuhgeddaboutit. I guess that's why they have really horribly low speed limits. Like 45 on local highways, and 55 on the major ones (though i think they finally created a few 65 stretches). It's as if they want to make NJ seem bigger than it really is by making you take longer to get through the whole state.
NYC...I actually really like driving in NYC. From the outside, you might think that NY is filled with crazy drivers and super tight highway lanes. I'll give you the super tight highway lanes, where you feel like you could reach over and tap the passenger's shoulder in the neighboring car, but those aren't crazy drivers. Well, ok, maybe they are, but they're _good_ crazy drivers. What makes them good crazy drivers is that they know what they are doing. In other words, they are predictable. To get around the streets of NYC, you have to be willing to swerve in and out of your lane, and even in and out of your lanes of direction. While you may think this crazy, that's what's expected. So as you swerve out of your lane, the car just behind you but a lane over, is expecting you to do just that and will swerve in accordance. What gums up the works in NYC is the indecisive driver. Those are the ones you'll find stuck behind an unloading truck, because they couldn't pull the trigger to swerve to the other lane when there was a tiny opening. In NYC, if you want to merge in the HWYs, just turn on your blinker and start making that move. The car on the next lane over will see you and create space. As opposed to in CA, where the car next to you will likely be busy talking on their cellphone and never notice you until it's too late.
Anyway, if you are an aggressive driver, or at least not an indecisive one, I think you'll enjoy driving the streets of NYC. You'll always be on your toes, but at the same time, every action is predictable.
Of course, NYC does lead to bad habits...like driving as far down the exit lane as possible before merging back into the thru traffic. I'm sure we all love that maneuver. heh.
Other driving notes, I hate Washington. Stupid cops and their speed traps. Booo!!!!
I've heard worse in Connecticut. You go a couple miles over the limit and BAM! You're toast.
In Texas, I've seen cops use the dirt path that connects opposing highway traffic as a way to U-Turn and snag a speeder going the other way. That's just unfair.
Vermont's cop cars are green. It's a wonder I never got pulled over as green is definitely not a color I associate with cop cars.
posted by JD at 1:30 AM
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