Yaris versus Corvette

[bronsin]

I could believe there are cameras on the GW Bridge. But i doubt very much there are any on the Turnpike.

My friend at work Tracy is a Phillies fan. She heard Cliff Lee say the spitting inciddent didnt happen.

She believes it because if she didnt she would let me have it but good.

[jayeh]

Originally Posted by bronsin

You ought to come to NJ on the NJTPK. A Honda 600 Ninja blew by me a few years ago doing 150.

The turnpike, and the NY/NJ/CT area reminds me of driving in Ontario, although driving in Toronto is much closer to Chicago traffic. Montreal reminds me more of NY.

Originally Posted by why?

it depends where and when you are. When gas is as expensive as it is, people value their money over their time. There are many places in the US too where the speed limit is more of a suggestion, and the average speed is in the 90's.

There are also many areas where people just don't feel the need to go fast, and the journey is just as important as the destination.

Totally true, driving in rural texas people gladly pull on to the shoulder and allow me to pass and give a friendly wave. In Ontario people pull to the absolute centre of the road (on a 2 lane highway) and purposefully block your view of oncoming traffic. People also LOVE to speed to the end of a passing area then pull in front of everyone and slow down to below the speed limit because they feel the need to be the pace car for everyone. In hundreds of miles of 2 lane highway driving in the US I've only had to pass about 4 or 5 cars. Everyone just follows along at a proper distance at the speed limit. Its so beautiful it nearly brings me to tears!

Originally Posted by david_827

agree 100% with this, here in MA the speed limit is more of a suggestion. Then i've been places further south (what isnt south of MA???) and they tend to drive alot slower......

The more reasonable the speed limits, the better the drivers. Lowering the limits seems to cause people to drive faster, then the people who already want to go a bit higher end up going way faster.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by jayeh

The turnpike, and the NY/NJ/CT area reminds me of driving in Ontario, although driving in Toronto is much closer to Chicago traffic. Montreal reminds me more of NY.

Totally true, driving in rural texas people gladly pull on to the shoulder and allow me to pass and give a friendly wave. In Ontario people pull to the absolute centre of the road (on a 2 lane highway) and purposefully block your view of oncoming traffic. People also LOVE to speed to the end of a passing area then pull in front of everyone and slow down to below the speed limit because they feel the need to be the pace car for everyone. In hundreds of miles of 2 lane highway driving in the US I've only had to pass about 4 or 5 cars. Everyone just follows along at a proper distance at the speed limit. Its so beautiful it nearly brings me to tears!


The more reasonable the speed limits, the better the drivers. Lowering the limits seems to cause people to drive faster, then the people who already want to go a bit higher end up going way faster.

I agree with you, driving in Montreal is like driving in New York and driving in Chicago is like driving in Toronto. I like driving in New York and in Montreal and don't like driving in Toronto nor in Chicago.

I HAVE to ask....where in a rural Texas did you find any roads with a shoulder In California most roads have shoulders...some not paved BUT THEY ARE THERE. This was one of the first things I had to get used to in Texas. The only rural road I can think of in Texas that has a shoulder in any places is Hwy 75 South of Huntsville. I agree that rural Texas drivers are extremely polite...and in Louisiana as well.

Re your waxing poetic about US drivers.....spend time driving in Miami, LA, San Francisco, or (on a day when the crazies are out) Houston and I don't think you'll have that same perfect single file enthusiasm.

[jayeh]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

I agree with you, driving in Montreal is like driving in New York and driving in Chicago is like driving in Toronto. I like driving in New York and in Montreal and don't like driving in Toronto nor in Chicago.

I HAVE to ask....where in a rural Texas did you find any roads with a shoulder In California most roads have shoulders...some not paved BUT THEY ARE THERE. This was one of the first things I had to get used to in Texas. The only rural road I can think of in Texas that has a shoulder in any places is Hwy 75 South of Huntsville. I agree that rural Texas drivers are extremely polite...and in Louisiana as well.

Re your waxing poetic about US drivers.....spend time driving in Miami, LA, San Francisco, or (on a day when the crazies are out) Houston and I don't think you'll have that same perfect single file enthusiasm.

Well, I've got a San Francisco story for you. I'm driving a 5 ton truck down a very steep street in SF and its a one way street with pull in street parking along the right. A guy in a BMW decides that looking is unnecessary and proceeds to back out without looking. I was already in first gear and hit the brakes and the horn and luckily he got himself back into gear in time zipped back into his parking spot.

The cities anywhere have plenty of bad drivers, but rush hour aside people are way nicer. I drove through Minneapolis at night, and I think a concert/sporting event had just let out as there were a lot of cars on the road, all heading one direction and it was around 11 pm or so. To my amazement the traffic was flowing, and the far left lane was EMPTY. I was going 56mph and passing everyone! I was in shock.

Houston didn't bother me, rush hour was fine. All the toll roads are handy too. I love texas highway design. The slip roads and u-turns are very handy. People actually know what a yield sign is in texas. Here people either ignore them and blast right through, or come to a complete stop - whatever the wrong thing to do is they will do it.

These days I walk to work and witness at least 3 red light runners, somebody driving on the wrong side of the road or somebody going the wrong way down a one way street. My walk to work is half a mile!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

I could believe there are cameras on the GW Bridge. But i doubt very much there are any on the Turnpike.

My friend at work Tracy is a Phillies fan. She heard Cliff Lee say the spitting inciddent didnt happen.

She believes it because if she didnt she would let me have it but good.

That's good to hear. As much as I hate the Yankees, I'm glad I can still have respect for the passion of their fans......and as much as I didn't like George, it is impossible to have COMPLETE animosity toward someone who LOVED BASEBALL as much as he did. There is a guy who works nights at my health club whenever they have a shift to give him. He does it just to occupy time. He is a native New Yorker ho didn't leave until his company transferred him to Tampa when he was 37. He met his wife in Tampa and raised his son to age 18 and daughter to age 15 in Clearwater.Then his wife needed to come to Texas to take care of her mother. With that development, he retired and they moved here. His daughter is finishing high school here and his son has a college ice hockey scholarship. He's been to the new Yankee Stadium during a nearly full game as well and he said if I think the energy is incredible during that experience, he said it is nothing compared to a Ranger home game.

I'm mentioning him because he said that it is amazing how much George did in the Tampa area so that many, many kids could play baseball (and he said George did it without any fanfare and wanted it that way). He said George bought up land in strategic places around the Tampa-St. Pete area and built baseball fields, donated equipment, and other things so that as many kids as possible could play baseball.

I'm a lifelong A's and Giants fan and when I moved to Newport Beach the Angels became my #3 team. Now the Astros are my #3 team and the Angels are #4. By the end of the 2007 season i'd been lucky enough to see a game in every Major League ballpark, and I've also seen a game at all five parks that have opened since then. I can't stand A-Rod, but I can't help but admire Jeter. If all superstar athletes comported themselves with as much dignity as he does, each professional sport would be better off.

I first became tangibly aware of just how dedicated some Yankee fans can be while waiting in line at the old Yankee Stadium for a same day ticket in 2006 or 2007 (can't remember which) . The guy in front of me in line was a lifelong Yankee fan who had never been to Yankee Stadium before to see a game. He was from Toronto and he had ridden his motorcycle from Toronto to the Bronx to attend the game and he was so excited that he had been able to do that. I wish I could have seen the stadium before the makeover in the 1970s (my dad did).