Day by Day: July 1
I had done all the preparations I could manage, taken a shakedown ride and the only reason I was still in Brooklyn is that my apartment had no other guests. I was antsy and annoyed with the weather and just finally decided to get on the road.
How does one “leave” a place where she hardly spends any time? Some people throw a big party, gather all of their friends for a last drink. But that’s hardly my style when I’m in one place for a long time, nonetheless one where I breeze through.
It was raining… again… and a look at the radar showed a break about to come. I was packed, the apartment was clean, mail had been checked and keys left where they needed to be. It was time.
The goal of any New Yorker about to head out on a road trip is simply to Get Out Of Manhattan. I knew that I would spend more time doing that, sitting idling waiting for traffic to move through to the Holland Tunnel, than I may spend crossing some states. It was time to “pull the band-aid” and just get it over with.
One of my neighbors happened to be walking by (with her adorable dog) and I asked her to snap a photo. The questions started and we chatted for a few minutes, but both of our dogs were ready for us to go on our way.
Ready to Roll, Purl and Jill leave Brooklyn for the Summer
As expected, the trip across Manhattan was longer than I wanted, even with the occasional sneak to the front of the line afforded by riding on two wheels. I finally went straight instead of veering left toward the Holland Tunnel in China Town and did a ticket-worthy (and arsehole-award-worthy!) maneuver and cut into the line coming from uptown on 9th Ave. Thanks Guy In The Construction Truck for waving me in!
A couple of hours later, needing gas and losing the light, I pulled up the Priceline app and found a place to stay. On the way, spotted a Five Guys and immediately started to crave their fries. Alas, after ordering, a broken bulb fell onto their grill and it would be a longer than I wanted to wait time until it would be cleaned up, I grabbed a refund and headed to the hotel. Thanks Bulb-Breaking Worker for saving me some calories and the inevitable aching stomach!
I realized how I had gotten away with a very easy day when the passengers in the car pulling into the hotel parking lot at the same time as me came out talking about how long it took to get here around the storms. There was massive flooding around the Tri-State area and yet I had hardly seen a drop. Walked over to the restaurant next door and grabbed a salad. And a drink to toast the beginning of what is sure to be an epic journey.
Start: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Finish: Bridgewater, NJ
Miles: less than 50
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More from our journey:
How We Get To Stay At So Many Incredible Places…
