My favorite part about this whole conversation is that it reminds me that I never drive anywhere.
I of course usually drive in Australia, which doesn't seem outlandishly reckless. (I found the drivers in Philly to be largely reasonable, but the road system outside the central grid had been designed by sadistic lemurs who wanted to add a little variety into their poo-flinging. I cite the on- and off-ramps on the Schuylkill as Exhibit A.)
I have found somewhere I refuse to drive, namely China. A source of fascination to me was the sheer variety of ways in which the Shanghai taxi drivers conspired to kill us. It's a real growth industry! I bet it's recession-proof too.
I am a cautious driver. There are certain places where I truly enjoy coming to a full stop. But I do roll when it makes sense.
I have to say I think the worst city I've driven in is Boston. But, I've never driven in NYC, so I can't say Boston is the absolute worst.
The big thing about driving in Spain is actually being a pedestrian. You can not look the driver in the eye, if you do hir will run you down. They figure if the pedestrian saw the car (i.e., make eye contact with the driver), then they would know to stay out of the road. Otherwise, I'd say they don't drive any worse than most Americans in any city and they can be very polite. It's quite common to see a large truck pull over onto the shoulder and an arm come out to wave you around. Although, that means 2 lane roads quickly turn into 4 lanes at any given time.
Yeah, there are only a few places I've been where I thought I might not want to drive. One of them was the middle of London, the other was The Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Sweet zombie Jesus the Arc de Triomphe roundabout is insane. I've come to the conclusion that in Paris, pedestrian crossings are there only so the drivers know where to find you. (The horn is simply to ensure you're facing the right way for them to savour the look on your face.)
OMG! YES! We witnessed the Arc de Triomphe from the top of a tour bus and it looked CRAZY INSANE.
The big thing about driving in Spain is actually being a pedestrian. You can not look the driver in the eye, if you do hir will run you down.
ha! I found this to be true in Boston too! When I was headed to Mexico City a few years ago where we would be driving there people were like "You are crazy!" but it was just like driving in NY. Lots of cars but no big deal really.
Driving in NYC really isn't that bad, I think. Maybe intimidating the first day, but on an average day in Manhattan, there's so much traffic, you're not going anywhere fast, so there's usually room to maneuver. Plus, everyone expects everyone else to take their best shot at getting into that lane or making that turn, so everyone's on the defensive.
Parking, now. Whole different issue.
I don't want to teach tomorrow. I'm giving my students a quiz, and I know that a lot of them don't know the material well enough. This really feels like too much material to cover in just one semester, and I can't teach it well enough in the amount of time I have, and I can't figure out how to do it better.
Good Lord, that has got to be one of the most bizarre things ever.
My new junk food discovery: Simply Decadent ice cream made with coconut milk. Ridiculously yum.
