The New Jersey Turnpike
There's nothing that gets me more fired up to begin my day than the prospect of flying to New Jersey later in the day and getting the chance to drive on the New Jersey Turnpike. The first time I was on that gorgeous stretch of highway, I was trying to get to the Meadowlands to cover an NCAA Tournament game in which David Robinson was playing for Navy. Yes, I know that means I'm really, really old. I could see the Meadowlands from the highway but couldn't figure out how to get there. I went through those dreadful toll booths several times and still couldn't figure it out. Finally, I asked one of the guys manning the toll booth for help. He was very nice. He told me to turn around and go the other way and that if I explained my situation to the guy at the other toll booth, I wouldn't have to pay again. Right. The other guy not only made me pay again, he was about as nasty as you could get. At that point, I made a remark about New Jersey that would get me arrested today in post-9/11 America. I think of that trip every time I fly to Newark. I've since learned to navigate the Turnpike better, but I still hate driving on it.
posted by bill koch at 10:36 AM
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oldtimer said...
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Post a Comment*There is no place in New Jersey that's more than a stone's throw away from a Toll Booth. State-sponsored robbery -- they get taxed for highways and they pay for highways at the toll booth. That's better than Ponzi any day of the week.
Other memories: sitting down for breakfast and having the waitress lecture me on over-easy eggs...that they wouldn't be legal sometime in the near future. That they were bad for me. That they were dangerous. Sheesh....can't I just eat my breakfast in peace???
Other memories
A spelling test in Monmouth: The teacher asked my daughter to spell Ooouldum.
She came home very upset. "What in the world is Ooouldum she asked?" I had no idea.
She returned the next day to discover she'd misspelled Autumn.
Damned accent. Give me hillbilly any day of the week.
BTW, they should take all those little states up there and combine them into one respectably sized one.
ucfan79, just give them to Canada and be done with it. Of course, Canada would have to agree to it. Oh, well...
Exit 172 on the GSP checking in with ya. I lived there for 19 years before coming out to UC. Live and die by the Mets, Giants, Knicks, Rangers and Bearcats .... next time the cats are in Dirty Jersey you let me know Bill, I'll help you out.
.... or you could have just asked bishop for some help, he's from Newark.
Woulda loved to have been with ya in the car at the second toll booth. Coulda provided ya with some additional colorful language if needed. The natives up there do get restless.
One thing about the Big Apple, people aren't afraid to tell you what they think. And they don't blink when you tell em right back. I find it somehow refreshing and stinging at times, like a cold shower.
Oh and it's Joisey, not Jersey. Enjoy the grinders.
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