Long Island Road Trip

Road trip to Long Island - sorry, Lonkayesland - for to take the Air Traffic Control Aptitude Test (AT-SAT). Sunday, 4/27 - Tuesday, 4/29.

Sunday, 4/27

#1. I have a rockin' road trip mix on my iPod. At least I think I do...I know many who would object. However since it was just me and the car and the road for an insanely long time, I overrule all y'all.

#2. What is the difference between a Lincoln Town Car with Limousine plates and a Lincoln Town Car with Livery plates? Inquiring minds want to know.

#3. I HATE CITIES!! I was in the city for all of a mile, and I don't know how people can stand it. First of all, the traffic is atrocious. I saw some woman digging through a street vendor's stock - in a SUITCASE!! And how exactly does New York run 24/7 if I was stuck in a mile of traffic for something like an hour? I just don't know how people do it.

On that note, I'd rather slit my throat than drive through the city again. However, I have this little problem that I'm currently on Long Island, and have to go back through the city to get home... So I may be coming home in a body bag! The alternative is to take the toll-less road suggested by Sheila, my trusty GPS sidekick - which entails a 24 hour drive north, around the Great Lakes via Canada and Minnesota, and back down. Sounds like a plan.

Which reminds me:

#4 How did people live before GPS units? Probably every other person whose car I peered into had one, and I would have gone crazy without mine.

But back to hating cities, NYC in particular...

I take back every bad thing I've ever said about Baltimore or DC, both of which I curse roundly and regularly. Because this was just that much worse. On the plus side, I saw every tourist site anyone comes to NYC for, so I guess I don't really every have to come back...I've done it all.

For example, I passed Ellis Island Park as I headed for an EZPass toll booth. Imagine how pleased I was that I could simultaneously drive, hold my EZPass Transponder to the window of my rental, and take a picture of The Statue of Liberty!

See:


Oh, wait, that's the one when I dropped the camera in favor of the EZPass.

Here's a better one:

I circled Lady Liberty for those of you who may not know what she looks like.

I also got to drive by the site of the 1964 World's Fair, which I recognized because of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men In Black. Thanks, Pop Culture!

Here's my photo:.





Right behind the bit that has the seatbelt attached (which completely blocks the view of my picture, by the way) is this structure:



(courtesy of Google Pictures)
Time, by the way, has not been good to it. It's a tad rusty and run down looking. But I saw it, so I'm happy.

A little before that, I also saw the globe etc. of the 1969 World's Fair, but I didn't even try for a picture of those - I was fighting a cabbie for the left lane at that point...
(also courtesy of google pictures)

After the World Fair and Ellis Island sightings, there was the 3 mile, 1/2 mile an hour crawl. I finally found out what all the fuss was about:
Trust me, the fact that there's no traffic ahead of me only means that I was the first at the red light in the EZPass only lane. In fact, if you look, there's a cool perspective type line drawn towards the tunnel by the 2 lanes of cars to my right and my left that are waiting in line to pay with cash. How quaint and archaic!

Finally, my last observation. Lonkeyeland is LONG. And I spent a good 30 miles following this:
My best guess is that it's a really BIG tree. Really, that's my only guess. I saw it as it passed me, and it's definitely tree-like. If it's not a tree, I really don't know what it is. But it's big!

Ok, ATSAT tomorrow at 8 AM. Supposedly, 8 grueling hours of Letter Factory (I suck at that), Math (If XK-908 leaves Dulles traveling west at 300 MPH and PR-435 leaves Dulles traveling east at 400 MPH, how far apart will they be in 30 minutes? Think fast, you have 15 seconds!), Scan Test (Why are all those dots moving so erratically?), Analogies (Sluggish : Sprightly // Hellish : ?), ATST (Tell the 10 planes where to go at what speed, direction, and altitude without crashing any of them in 7 seconds), Angles (< :is this angle a) 30 b) 45 c) 90 d) 170), Personality (at least I KNOW my personality), and finally, Dials (which will be my saving grace, hopefully). I've had the practice book since Thursday. Good Luck to me!

K, time to find food that isn't exorbitantly priced!