I had my very first Manhattan driving experience yesterday!
I had to drive to Walmart to get some samples to shoot, and as taxis out to New Jersey are so expensive I had to hire a Zipcar and go myself. I don't think I've ever been so nervous driving somewhere before, apart from when I first started driving...
I had to drive to Walmart to get some samples to shoot, and as taxis out to New Jersey are so expensive I had to hire a Zipcar and go myself. I don't think I've ever been so nervous driving somewhere before, apart from when I first started driving...
Getting from Brooklyn to New Jersey was fine, no problems, just hop onto the Manhattan Bridge, drive down Canal Street through China Town and just follow signs for the Holland Tunnel... so I was VERY relieved and felt good after doing the first leg.
Driving over the Manhattan Bridge was an incredible exprience, driving over on such a beautiful morning, sitting high up in the drivers seat (I got a 4x4!) and looking over to my left seeing the amazing Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge looking so magnificent... I was breath-taking. I just wish I could have taken a photo or videoed it for you.
The trouble started when I got into New Jersey, the ring roads and turnpikes and freeways are a NIGHTMARE! It was supposed to take 30 minutes to get to Walmart... it took me 2 HOURS!
I tried to stay calm at first, but I was effing and jeffing a lot by the end, the signage was awful and the roads just seemed to make no sense - it definitely needs a certain transportation civil engineer to come over here and sort it out!
I tried to stay calm at first, but I was effing and jeffing a lot by the end, the signage was awful and the roads just seemed to make no sense - it definitely needs a certain transportation civil engineer to come over here and sort it out!
The journey back was a little more successful, I think it only took an hour!
When I got back into Manhattan I got to drive near Times Square, by Madison Square Garden, down by Macy's and down 5th Avenue, it was amazing! It was incredibly tense with cyclists darting out, pedestrians just walking out, taxis cutting you up and delivery vans just stopping dead, but it was amazing.
When I got back into Manhattan I got to drive near Times Square, by Madison Square Garden, down by Macy's and down 5th Avenue, it was amazing! It was incredibly tense with cyclists darting out, pedestrians just walking out, taxis cutting you up and delivery vans just stopping dead, but it was amazing.
The views weren't bad either...
As I drove down 7th Avenue and then 5th Avenue I saw loads of people standing in groups right outside their office buildings. At first I thought there was someone famous there (when I saw the first cluster), then I thought it was because it was lunch or because they were all having a cigarette break. When I was in a traffic jam I quickly checked Twitter and saw lots of people saying 'Earthquake!'
So all the people had been evacuated from their buildings! I'd not felt anything, and I couldn't see any sign of damage, but I read 'BREAKING NEWS - 5.8 Earthquake in DC, effects felt in NYC'.
When I got to our building no-one was outside (probably because we don't have an evacuation proceedure!) and when I asked about it they said they didn't feel a thing. I think the taller buildings felt it more, I suppose the higher up the more you'd notice a wobble?
Hopefully there won't be any bigger quakes any time soon.
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