John Fischer's Philadelphia
Vol. 1 - Number 37 - 08/20/99
I am one of the few people I know who can turn a weekend trip to New England into a major production, complete with my own electronic store on wheels. We had planned to leave for New England yesterday morning at around 8:00 a.m., but did not end up leaving until about 11:15.
By the time we were ready to leave, Eileen's weekend travel materials consisted of one small shoulder bag. Mine consisted of a full size suitcase, a camera bag and a laptop computer complete with all of its accessories. It gets even worse when we make really long trips. I end up taking so much stuff that by the time we reach our destination we end up shipping things home just to avoid having to lug them around with us
In my opinion, a trip to Connecticut would not be bad if it were not for two things - 1) the New Jersey Turnpike and 2) New York City.
The New Jersey Turnpike has got to be the most boring road to drive in the United States. I have driven in all areas of the country and I can tell you that driving across the plains of Texas or the deserts of Arizona are far more interesting than two hours on the New Jersey Turnpike.
In the 70's and 80's before I began to work in New Jersey, my only exposure to the state was the New Jersey Turnpike and the various roads to the South Jersey shore through the Pine Barrens. I could never figure out where people actually lived in the state. I know now, but for most Americans, all they see of New Jersey are the major highways, such as the turnpike, and that's a real shame.
Luckily, yesterday there were no traffic issues to deal with - no tractor trailer jacknifes, no hazardous waste spills and no shoot-outs at toll plazas. It was truly an unusual day for the New Jersey Turnpike.
We decided to skip the entire New York City part of the trip this time. As much I missed the thrill of driving across the George Washington Bridge and Cross Bronx Expressway, we decided to pass up the fun.
There's an old story of a fellow who was driving the Cross Bronx Expressway and his car broke down. As he opened his hood to check his engine, he heard a strange sound at the rear of his car. Looking around the side of his car, he noticed a fellow at the back removing one of his wheels. He approached the fellow and asked him what the heck he was doing. The other fellow looked up and him and said, "be fair buddy, you take the front end and I'll take the back." Such is the Cross Bronx Expressway.
We elected to drive up the west side of the Hudson River on the Palisades Parkway and across the Tapan Zee Bridge. The Tapan Zee is not a bridge for anyone who dislikes bridges. It's not so much that the bridge is high, it is not. I just don't like the long causeway over the water before you get to the raised part of the bridge.
Once we reached Connecticut I was immediately impressed by how green the entire state is. While Connecticut has also been suffering from the drought of 1999, it has survived much better than Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Lawns are still for the most part green, although my sister-in-law Joan tells me that many towns do have water restrictions.
I'm looking forward to the weekend. A number of About.com Guides are gathering for a weekend together which should be a lot of fun and maybe lead to some interesting stories for Monday.
Well, that's my spin on things. I hope that you all have a great weekend. You can join me in our chat room almost every evening - Philly Chat - or drop me a note at philadelphia.guide@about.com. Also, be sure to check out our new Philadelphia Forum where you can share your comments and feelings, ask questions, post classifieds and much more
If you missed any of our recent columns you can still catch them:
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/09/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/12/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/13/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/16/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/18/99