The trip out East, Part 2

Let's see, where did we leave off? So I got to the hotel at 11:30pm. Took care of some business and made it to bed around 12:30am. Exhausted but could not sleep... I realized I had a long day of training the next day, and I would have to drive into downtown New York afterward, and here I was all very alone in a hotel room in New Jersey. But Calvin & Hobbes comics always save the day, I mean the night... I fell asleep reading them with the lamplight on full blast above me.

6:00am! Time to get up! Time to get ready! Time to eat breakfast and pack up all my stuff and - uh oh, I was supposed to be there in 15 minutes and I would still have to figure out the way and I just didn't think it was right to be late for something the company had paid me to attend, so I ran out the door without checking out of the hotel. It was gyp the hotel or gyp the trainers, what do you do? Hopefully it would be OK to come back and check out at 5pm.

Oops it was NOT as easy to get to the business destination as thought. Sure it was right down the street, but it was in a Center, which means you drive all over windy curvy roads past various Suites till you finally beyond all hope realize you're at your number. You get out and go in and go up the elevator in good faith, 'cause there aren't really any signs for the company you're looking for... <Bam> there it is on the glass door right in front of you. Yippee!

It wrapped up sooner than I expected. I left around 4pm. We were done at 3:30 and they had found out I was driving to New York that night so they said, "Go now and you'll be good!" But I don't like to be rushed. So I asked my questions and said good-bye and left, and found my way back to the hotel. And discovered my room key no longer worked. Surprise! I guess not, I told them 1 night. Two can play at this game, I thought, carrying my sack of casual clothes... I stopped in the hotel's public restroom to change and then checked out.

Well it was now around 4:30pm and they had said, "If you wait till 4:30, don't even bother trying to drive out until 6:30, you'll be on the road forever." I thought about the drive ahead. I was quite tired. I decided to be cool and stop off at a bookstore in the hotel neighborhood, spent some happy time browsing, finally at 5pm I couldn't take it any more, I just wanted to leave and didn't care about the traffic, so I bought myself a water bottle and some chocolate and headed out.

Oh my goodness, it was time for the great drive to New York! I turned on the GPS and typed in the address-- uhh--- OOPS! OH MY GOODNESS, it's time for the great drive to New York with Google directions because the GPS cannot locate Ben and Franci's perfectly legitimate NY address! Oh boy, this will be fun! And in heavy evening rush hour traffic! Of course I totally trusted my Google directions, more than the GPS by this time.

And off on Highway 1! Which is probably the first highway ever in the U.S., don't you think? How historic!

To be continued...

The trip out East, Part 1

It's time to tell the tale of the Great Trip Out East!

Actually it's not that epic, but it was quite fun and exciting in its own way.

Upon finding out that I would get to attend training for work in New Jersey on a Thursday, I immediately started planning to spend the weekend. Then I discovered it would be Memorial Day weekend! 6 days of adventure, counting the time to travel and even the training! I was very nearly besides myself, especially with having cousins out in New York and Pennsylvania that I would get to visit.

At 10:00am on a Wednesday morning, I happily drove away from work and off to the airport. It started pouring screaming rain. I almost stopped but then it got better. Then I almost stopped again, but then I thought, "Nah."

At the airport, the storm rolled in again and flights were canceled or delayed due to lightning strikes on the runway. Mine was one of them. So instead of hopping up to Detroit and over to Newark, New Jersey, I got onto a flight via Cincinnati. I was very excited about this because I already knew Detroit like the back of my hand from two previous business trips, but not Cincinnati (I'm talking about the airports of course... not the cities).

Unfortunately the flight changes meant I lost my two window seats, but life went on.

I also thought there was going to be a meal on the Cincinnati-Newark flight and there turned out to be nothing. So I was getting quite hungry.

Arrived in Newark around 8:30, just before dark. Too bad, I had planned to be there by 5:30 and have plenty of time to find places in the daylight. But no matter! I was armed with Google maps for every route I had to take, and imagine my ecstasy when the Avis guy told me that I could have a GPS with my rental car! Ecstasy mixed with trepidation that is. I was on a mission and collected my baggage and the car and drove off with a thirsty throat and an empty stomach. Humm.

The Avis guy had set the first destination for me, so I followed it... at first I was bad at following a GPS. New cities are always a bit tricky to navigate, too many turns to fast, and I just didn't believe the GPS in time to make the turn. After a few "recalculatings" in which I was trying to stay alive in non-interstate traffic, I got safely onto the great 95 N-S. I think it's 95... right? I'm not bothering looking it up just for this story, I prefer to rely on my nimble memory!

Once on the interstate I breathed a huge sigh of relief, found a radio station I liked, stopped at the first travel plaza I came across in order to get a nice bottle of water and a cheeseburger and emergency snacks. I was not willing to sit around and eat, so hopped back on the road and attempted to tear my cheeseburger into bite-size pieces with my right hand while driving, and eat it of course (can't really bite off sandwiches due to my braces). It worked pretty well, I don't think I got any ketchup on the seat, but then it was dark. They could really make cheeseburgers less slippery!

That drive went fine except I passed highway 1 which I'd thought my Google map would send me off on. Eventually the GPS took me off the highway on all kinds of weird roads, I nearly panicked until I saw signs for Princeton, finally! (which was my destination) .... until I ended up a neighborhood and the GPS said I was at my destination. Phooey! I don't think so! Stupid GPS! So I set off to find highway 1 myself, and did it with no problem. Unfortunately I probably turned east onto the highway just east of my hotel, 'cause after going 10 miles east, I stopped at a gas station and gave the GPS another shot, as it was now 10:30 and I was extremely exhausted... This time it worked. I arrived at the hotel and a very nice man checked me in and I found my room and was promptly awed by its plushness... I decided I'd better get a Super 8 next time to recalibrate my hotel meter!

High time to pause the story, all this talk of hotels is making me sleepy.

(I apologize in advance, I'm not proofreading anything)

To be continued...