Why People in New York City take Mass Transit

...Because the people who try to drive eventually do something retarded! Case in point, I had a patient to see yesterday at the bottom of Brooklyn. I mapquested (yup, it's a verb, kinda like "googled") the address and had to take the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) to the Belt Parkway. When I tried to get on the BQE, my exit was closed so I had to take a detour to the next on-ramp. Assuming that it would only be a few blocks away, I didn't panic. Unfortunately, it was about 40 blocks away. Unbeknownst to be, I got on the BQE past the exit to the Belt Parkway. So I kept on truckin' down the BQE looking for the exit to the Belt. Still driving...No exit sign. What I did encounter was the sign that said, "Last Exit before Toll". Being new to the driving thing and not exactly knowing where I was going, I ignored this and then....

All I saw before me was the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge that leads from Brooklyn to Staten Island. Shit! It's a super-long bridge. I'm not usually a fan of bridges, but I'm especially not a fan when I'm the one driving. Oh well, no place to u-turn, I was stuck going into Staten Island. I just figured I'd pay the toll (it can't be that bad) and then turn around and head back to Brooklyn.



Man, I was shocked when I got to the toll booth. There is no sign for the amount of the toll. I gave the guy a $10 bill and he handed me my change - $1 !!!! Yep, the toll to get into Staten Island was a whopping $9. I was shocked. Are they kidding? I can see someone paying this to get OUT of Staten Island, but to go into Staten Island?!?!?! So I turned around and headed back over the bridge to Brooklyn.

As scared as I was and as stupid as I felt, I must say that the view from atop the bridge was amazing. I could see forever. Water, water everywhere. I could see Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry, tons of boats and more water. It was scary to realize how high up I was and to realize how loooong this bridge was. Crazy.



Well, at least I can now say that I've been on every single major bridge in the NYC area. The Brooklyn Bridge will always be my favorite.

So I finally got to my patient's house - 30 minutes late. I didn't dare tell them or any of my co-workers about the stupid mistake that I made. But I will say this - I won't ever make the same mistake again. From now on, if I don't know where I'm going, it might be best to steer clear of the highways and just use the crowded streets in Brooklyn - or take a Subway or a Bus!