Ask Daily: How Was Your Thanksgiving?

Nov 30

JeremySociety and Culture Comments Off

Question: How was your Thanksgiving?

Answer:  Dude, my Thanksgiving rocked.  I travelled a few thousand miles to spend it with my sister, brother-in-law and absolutely amazing little niece.  I got to cook Thanksgiving dinner, which in my world is the awesomest thing that could’ve happened that day.

Really, I had a week to remind me how much I actually have to be thankful for.  I’ve spent an entire week’s time away from work.  I haven’t even checked my work email ONCE since Saturday the 22nd.  I’m seriously thankful for that.

I’m thankful that I was able to spend a few days with a little girl who means the world to me, who is growing up so very, very fast.  I saw her three scant months ago, but already she’s big enough to be running around on her own and gibbering away, both in English and what appears to be her own language.  Seeing her means that maybe Uncle Jeremy won’t be such a stranger the next time around.  Seeing her also means seeing her parents, which is not something I get to do often enough.  I’m thankful that their schedules worked out so well for me to be able to spend time with them all, despite there being workdays in the week.

I’m thankful for seeing a friend I see altogether too infrequently who happened to move to the same city where my sister lives.  I’m glad we got to spend a day together and check out some cool art museum exhibits.  I’m thankful for the really tasty cocktail that I got as we chatted during happy hour.  I’m not entirely sure I’m thankful for the sweet potato spring roll, but we live and learn.  Seeing a friend reminds me just how much we don’t get from instant messenger and facebook.

I’m thankful for a cheap upgrade to first class, too.  On my way home, I was supposed to be spending two three and a half hour flights crammed between two other people at the back of the plane.  Instead, I spent it in luxury at the front of the plane for just a few extra dollars, with a flight attendant who kept refilling the one drink I ordered to the point where I was completely hammered.  That made the time pass quickly.

Yeah, my Thanksgiving reminded me that I have a lot to be thankful for.  I’m also thankful that I didn’t go shopping this weekend.

Ask Daily: How Was Your Thanksgiving?

Nov 28

AndrewTravel , , Comments Off

Question: How was your Thanksgiving?

Answer: This year we decided to be different and drive down to New York to have TG dinner with the family. We left at 9 a.m. and there were some slow downs along the way but we made pretty good time all things considered until we actually got to New York. On 95, we hit a rough spot, but the worst was one block away from the Holland Tunnel, trying to turn left on to Canal Street. It took us about 3 hours to get to Canal St and about three hours from that point to get to the tunnel four blocks away.

Why do I bring this up? Well that pretty much was Thanksgiving. No football, no snacks, no booze. Just sitting behind the wheel of my car, thinking about my carbon footprint and wondering if it might be faster just to swim to Jersey City. Fortunately, we had stopped in Connecticut to stretch, eat and gas up before sitting in the marathon traffic jam.

Rather than just letting the natural flow of traffic lights do their business, New York City drivers learn to jockey for pole position and assume that any space on the road is where their car fits. I’ve seen it before. A New Yorker will simply come into your lane and expect you to get out of the way (or not, that’s what insurance is for, I guess). I like my car a lot more without dents, thank you.

Driving in New York City is nothing new to me. But it never ceases to amaze me how New York drivers have developed a sense of entitlement on the road and then don’t realize that driving like that just ties things up worse for everyone. We were in the far left lane, so less affected overall by the drivers who were cutting over into the turn lane, or cutting across traffic just trying to get somewhere else. But the flip side of being in that lane was being essentially at the mercy of traffic with nowhere to go but forward at the pace set by other drivers. There was no traffic inside the tunnel, it was just the act of getting to the mouth of the tunnel that took us that long.

The evening arrived and it was a fairly traditional TG dinner for my family. Some booze, some snacks, mostly the usual turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. Maybe next year I’ll host.