I Won’t Take Manhattan…

Posted By elissa on Apr 28, 2010 | 5 comments

I played hooky from Supply Side today, as I had a meeting scheduled with Rick (Collins) and James (Villepigue) at Rick’s law office in Mineola, NY. Rick gallantly offered to pick me up from NJ, but I declined… I preferred to make the journey myself. I Googled the directions – which seemed pretty straightforward – and was traveling during non-peak hours, so it didn’t seem like it would be any big deal.

Bwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…

The problem with Google Maps, is that the shortest, seemingly most convenient route is NOT always the best one. In my case, the route Google gave me a) took me through Manhattan; and b) did NOT accurately reflect the signage at a critical point in the journey (leaving the Lincoln tunnel) … so I ended up in the WRONG place in Manhattan. I had to negotiate my way through the joint blind to get back on track. While it “only” took about half-an-hour to get back to where I was supposed to be, it was probably the most harrowing half-hour I’ve ever spent behind the wheel of a car.

Obviously, I’ve been living out in the tumbleweeds a little too long…

If you’re a New Yorker, or have visited/lived there in the past, you’re probably laughing your a** off at me right now.  And if you’ve never been there, then you’re probably scratching your head, wondering what the heck all the fuss is about. Suffice it to say, only a truly insane person (or a cabbie) would voluntarily try to drive in Manhattan… as James later told me, even people who know where they’re going won’t do it.

On the plus side, I got to see some famous landmarks, such as the Empire State Building and Broadway, although at the moment,  I honestly don’t care if I ever see them again.. it was soooo not worth the hassle of crawling at a net speed of 7 miles per hour through the roiling mass of humanity, dodging pedestrians, buses, cabs, emergency vehicles (there seemed to be a lot of these) and cyclists.  It seemed like there were red lights every 50 feet or so (which would trigger another onslaught of pedestrians) + chaotically-placed highway signs that invariably indicated that left turns were required when I was on the far right hand side of the street (or vice versa).

Obviously, I’ve been living out in the tumbleweeds for far too long… 😀

But I did (finally!) make it to my destination… and had a fabulous time with the True Alphas (yeah, it was a business meeting, but it wasn’t ALL business…).  My one regret is that I did NOT get any pics!  Aaaargh!!!

Guess that will await another return to the area… although next time, I’m going through the Bronx… it’s the route I took back to NJ and – needless to state – was much easier on my nerves.