Two weekends ago Mike and I went to Bluebell, PA for the wedding of some good friends. It was a wonderful. Per usual we decided to drive down instead of taking a plane or the train. While many people dread six to seven hour car rides, I happen to love the drive.
I love flying down the Mass Pike toward route 84 and somehow like clockwork the Get Up Kids get stuck in my head halfway between Boston and Worcester. As much as I don’t like driving through Connecticut, when I take 95 I love being able to see the ocean from the road briefly. I love deciding last minute which bridge to take through New York, guessing which choice will have the least amount of traffic, and I love looking over at the New York skyline quickly as I cross. I love the Jersey turnpike because the arrows on the exit signs are slightly different than the ones in Mass and it makes me feel like I am really getting away. I love that I don’t have to pump my own gas once I cross over into Jersey, but I also love that I always forget until I am told to get back in my car by the gas station attendant – ingrained habits ground me and being jerked out of them does too. I love that the second I cross over into Pennsylvania I get pangs of homesickness because it’s a place I once considered home.
I particularly loved our recent trip because Mike and I never turned on the radio – not once. We just talked. Aside from a short, but stressful excursion through the Bronx because decided to trust the Garmin as it advised us to take a detour around dense traffic on the GW bridge, our drive was the kind of winding down we never have the time for after work.
I love being reminded that despite the many distractions we have built into our lives, we are just fine without them.
It was a great trip.
But did you forget when we turned the radio on briefly, and in the span of 45 minutes heard George Michael’s “Father Figure” not once, but twice?!
Glad to hear you can make it in the car with Mike for that drive with no music, that’s a good sign. As a kid we commuted 4.5 hours each way every weekend to maine as a family and those are some of the best memories just talking and laughing in the car. That was long before cars came with dvd players and headphones and video games.
I live in NJ lol
now that’s a long time to go without any radio or anything! good for you! ive made that same drive with matt more than once, and i guess i can’t say we’d be able to make it sans ANY music at all! but it is a good time for catching up, ill give you that!
aww, that sounds like a nice car ride. I remember gus and I drove home from vermont once with no music. But it was mostly because we were discussing Michael Vick (there was nothing he could say to change my stance though). lol i love how i took a sweet story and turned it into a sour note. whoops!!
whoa. five hours and no radio? I’m impressed. and yes, the not-having-to-pump-your-own-gas is really nice, one of the 938493739 reasons I miss NJ.
Wow this is lovely post and you are so right its i great just to talk and unwind with a buddy and forget all the stresses, as you so rightly pointed out, we create!
This was so nice.
Your choice of conversation > music sounds like a good recipe for a great relationship.
oooh, i actually bought mike a tiny pair of headphones not easily discernible by the human eye when you moved in together…my guess is he may have been using those.
i wore them through most of college.
not pumping your own gas is a total perk of living in jersey.
and i prefer 84 to 95 when i drive to conn, it might be slightly longer, but i ALWAYS hit horrible traffic on 95 in conn!
sounds like a fun car ride, i love road trips!
Love your blog. Can’t believe you don’t have to pump your own gas
somewhere in this world!
I totally love a good road trip, and I was totally with you except for your love of the mass pike. I hate the mass pike! that thing is THE DEVIL
I love a good roadtrip like that
ANd hey, your relationship sounds wonderful
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[...] out this site: http://transienttravels.com/2009/11/19/road-trip – Trip no Radio on [...]
Best part of travel is the no radio on…..