To US and back

[amitoj]

Hi guys

Sorry for the month long hiatus but those honchos in US made sure that my hands were either always tied with work, or there was always a bottle of beer in my hands!

Anyways, here are some observations i made about driving in US and other stuff:

1. Big cars, good roads. But you go 10 mph above the limit and you are booked. Sad.

2. Driving is a big bore!! The toughest part of driving is to stay awake! Here in india the toughest part is to stay alive! Wot contrast. Did a trip to Niagara... about 8 hrs drive one way. Set the car on cruise control at 75 mph, stick to center lane, and you are all set to read a novel while you drive!!

3. American beer sucks. The only effect it has is that it makes you do frequent trips to the loo.

4. Weird place... you get ciggies at chemists shops and petrol pumps!!!

5. They call petrol "gas". short for gasoline, i presume. Shall we start calling our fuel "pet" now? Hey ma, need to stop for pet!

6. England is described as "bad food, worse weather" kinda place. Well, same applies to New England in US as well.

7. After the big car, the only other thing i miss about US is the FM stations. Absolutely hate the crappy Vasanthi that i havta listen to here in Blore.

Anyways, thats all for now... glad to be back home.

Might post a couple of pics later on in the day... when the jetlag kicks in.

Cheers
Amitoj

[Psycho]

Welcome back.... anyway's where is the engine

[iceman91]

hey welcome back...so you are back with some sweet and some not so sweet memories...see ya on sunday

[GTO]

2. Driving is a big bore!! The toughest part of driving is to stay awake! Here in india the toughest part is to stay alive! Wot contrast.

Spot on Amitoj, and welcome back. I remember a conversation with Rehaan where we were of the opinion that its a lot more fun to drive on the Indian highways (slipstreaming, downshifting and overtaking) rather than the cruise mode of US.

Any interesting car pictures?

GTO

[deepakhon]

Originally Posted by amitoj

2. Driving is a big bore!! The toughest part of driving is to stay awake!

I agree. I remember when I was driving from Las Vegas to San Diego, I dozed off for atleast around a few miles I guess. Nothing much to do, straight roads, keep the cruise control on. I just can not imagine the same situation in India.

Infact I felt so much at home when I landed in Bangalore after an eight month stint in San Diego. Welcome back.

[man23ish]

Hey Hey, welcome back amit.. So how is boston doing this summer?? Did you do any interesting things apart from Driving??

[Rehaan]

Hey,

Well too true, i'd rather be driving an accent in india than a M3 in the US....no joke.

However, its fun when theres a bit of snow on the ground....

cya
R

[Rtech]

It appears you've all been driving on the wrong roads then

But yea, some of the interstates can get downright drousy, especially in the flatlands. But then the interstates were not made with driving pleasure in mind. For that you have to go on the B roads, and trust me, you will not fall asleep there!

I would rather have the dull expressways for traversing long distances with the option of B roads for getting my thrills, rather than have no choice but to drive on our infested "highways". It's fun for a couple of hours here, but spare a thought for people who have to travel between cities often.

[tsk1979]

you bangalore guys are lucky, here in delhi we have to endure 5 radio stations with the RJ's of each vying for the "worst RJ of the year ad". thank your starts you do not have to endure simran on red FM!
Anways welcome back, and remember drive on the left side of the road more than 50% of the time

[navin]

New England has some beautiful roads. So have CA, NY and most of the Coastal or Rocky Mountain States.
e.g.
You wanna get from LA to SFO fast take I5. You wanna enjoy the ride take PCH.

[camry93]

Originally Posted by navin

New England has some beautiful roads. So have CA, NY and most of the Coastal or Rocky Mountain States.
e.g.
You wanna get from LA to SFO fast take I5. You wanna enjoy the ride take PCH.

I agree
One of the best drives I've ever had was from NY to Niagara Falls with a big detour through Connecticut. The drive was made in a Sebring convertible, along Oh So Fabulous country roads (in the Fall) with my beautiful wife to give me company.

For me, the "most soporific drive" award would go to LA - San Jose along the I-5. The runner-up would be LA - Las Vegas along the I-15.

[amitoj]

Yeah well, we took the Mohawk Trail (route 2) on the way back from niagara. The roads were somewot twisty and hilly... but then again, the speed limit was so rediculously low that it was all a bit too safe to be any interesting.

Will post a couple of pics but they wont be much coz my co-pilot who was in charge of the camera deleted them after uploading them to ofoto : (

[Abhay]

Yep good observations amitoj........
Interstates are indeed monotonous but it really helps you relax as cars have cruise control..
I do remember the first time I went on to the I-95 near Richmond on the way to DC and it was a kinda weird shock....bumper - bumper (or as close cars get on highways) at 70mph !
Got used to it after 15mins or so....I had come from I-85 which is a very sedate highway in comparison thru pine forests of NC and Virginia.
If you want really fun roads to drive, hit the Lake District or any hilly region of Britain

[Mpower]

When building freeways, they go out of their way to make sure there no sharp curves. Its meant for quick and efficient travel.
I agree the experience is sedate.
If you want fun try the Pacific coast highway from SFO to Los Angeles

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Hey,
Well too true, i'd rather be driving an accent in india than a M3 in the US....no joke.
However, its fun when theres a bit of snow on the ground....
R

You can still do a quick 0-80 mph blast and back off after that........ nothing stopping you from doing that. Why would you want to go faster anyway?
For me every on-ramp and exit ramp is a thrill.........like the RX-8 ad.
I would much rather drive my M3 in the states. Cars are cheap, gas is cheap and I can do trackdays anytime. Insurance is high but same as UK.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Mpower

You can still do a quick 0-80 mph blast and back off after that........ nothing stopping you from doing that. Why would you want to go faster anyway?
For me every on-ramp and exit ramp is a thrill.........like the RX-8 ad.
I would much rather drive my M3 in the states.

Hey Mpower,

True, i did hammer it down every onramp and exit ramp i came across, the passengers were a little uptight though
Hell! im not saying it wasnt fun....sure was..... but the thing is even when the roads are fun, there is always that fear in your mind about the cop behind the bush.

Originally Posted by mpower

If you want fun try the Pacific coast highway from SFO to Los Angeles

I actually did SF - Monterey (Route 1) in an s2k, isn't that the Pacific coast hwy?
(Still would probably pick the Mahabhleshwar ghat )

I guess it comes down to personal preferences...
cya
R