There is an ease in traveling with a GPS system in that you just punch in an address and go. But on the other hand, you need an address.
Last night we were in Richmond, Va. and we were headed to Monticello. I had that address, but I didn't have one beyond that. I mean, I could always punch in home and just head in that direction, but we wanted to check out D.C. But you can't just punch in Washington, D.C. because then you are just stuck at the edge of town feeling like a fool.
You need a concrete address.
The best way to accomplish this is to have a hotel to direct yourself towards. Except that last night at 9:00 I couldn't find one under $400. Screw that.
I went to bed thinking I'd deal with it in the morning. Great. I woke up this morning not too happy to have to go through the rigamarole. And rigamarole it is. First I seek out cheap hotels in said area. Then I find names and then I go to Tripadvisor.com and read the reviews. Then I go to half a dozen different places looking for the best price. This is for one hotel. Only to find out is full. Or $569 for one night, not including tax.
What a pain. One hotel after another -- scribbled down on a sheet of paper, crossed out, starred, seek, search and repeat.
Bleh.
Tonight was a wine night. Meaning, I found my hotel, after trekking through downtown D.C. at rush hour (well, it wasn't hideous, but it was going on 5:00 and seriously, what the hell was I doing?) and parking in a garage that barely fit my beast of a car, hauling up stuff to said room and plunking it all down and struggling with the screw cap of a very expensive bottle of wine. Good bottle though, halfway through and I was feeling fine. Red teeth and all.
Anyway, it occurred to me hours later that I had no definitive plan for tomorrow. I could just plug in my home address, but I have some other ideas. Which requires more research.
Bleh.
Being organized is and isn't my thing. I can go either way; but there are times when I realize that a simple address is going to make my life a whole hell of a lot easier.
I do love to travel. Everyone I knew kept saying Do NOT go through Washington, D.C.
Why not? I didn't find it that hard. Ahhh, true, I messed up on one traffic circle, but the wonder of those buggers is that you can keep going round until you get off. Love that. Love driving by all the sights and taking pictures (yeah, while driving!!!!) and getting my city driving groove on. I have a big car and don't mess with me. I am no country mouse wimp, oh no sireeeeeeeee. I will u-turn anywhere and I do not blush when I need to get in the right lane at the last minute. Nope. I have driven in just about every type of condition imaginable; snowstorm; wrong side of the road; city driving galore, small, winding country roads, straight down hills of ice. I have no fear.
This may not be a good thing, but it is what it is.
It's a good feeling to know that I can drive anywhere; and it's a lot easier with a GPS system, even if I have to prepare the night before. Tonight I am trying to figure out if I want to make a straight shot home on Wednesday or make some more stops. I really enjoy being on the road.
A lot.
2 comments:
What kind of GPS system do you have? I have a Garmin and there are all sorts of features to help you find local attractions, hotels, food by type, etc. Do you not have that or it just wasn't working for you situation?
It is the one that came with the car. It is very good -- better than my "Garmina." It does have that feature, but I find it easier to find the hotel first. I did have to use it tonight; silly me I landed in the world of no power (CT.) and it took three tries to find a hotel that wasn't full!
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