Sooooo rude

So I mentioned here that I went to NYC for a wedding. Dispite the mishaps (PANTS), we had a nice time. However there is one thing that bears some scrutiny about that weekend, something needed to be addressed. That is returning to NY as a driver.

Listen, I lived there for almost 30 years and I felt that I had mastered both the roadways and rapid transit system. I commuted to school and work for years, braved the Long Island Expressway, the George Washington Bridge, The Cross Bronx Expressway, The Van Wyke, all without so much as a bat of the eye. I rode the busses, took the train, waited on the Long Island Railroad. But when you leave that system, you lose your edge, you lose that “nerves on the edge” mentality. And this is not something that is like riding a bike, you do not get that back, it is not muscle memory (no, my brain is NOT all muscle). But it is also not just about the aggressiveness, it is about the rudeness, and one sees it wherever you go there.

Knowing I was going to NYC and spending a bunch of time driving, I knew to expect the worse. So much so, that I was hyper vigilant even before we left for New York. I went to see my cardiologist (that makes me feel so important, MY cardiologist!) on a very rainy Friday before we were to go to New York. As I was leaving the appointment, I was exiting thru the automatic sliding doors. I was using my wheelchair because it is quite a distance from the parking lot to the office, so I am wheeling quickly to the doors anticipating a quick run to the car so that I do not get too wet. A person ahead of me gets to the doors first, walks thru and stops short just outside the entrance effectively blocking the doors. She has an umbrella so she is dry but she “needs” to adjust her hat and look for her ride to pick her up and she stands there. I am behind her, without the benefit of an umbrella, and cannot get past. I am not the only one, as several hospital patrons are now stuck behind her getting wet. After what seems like several minutes (Einstein’s theory of relativity…) she moves out of the way and at least 5 people stuck behind her getting wet, move on. So rude…

So now onto NYC. We arrive at the Throgs Neck Bridge and prepare to pay the $5.50 toll (imagine having to pay to enter the city? I can see making me pay to leave…) The lines are long but moving along when I notice a car about 6 cars in front of me on the line pull up to the booth. There is a long pause and finally the person hands the toll taker some money, gets change and moves on. Seems pretty innocent except for the fact that that person waited on line for at least a minute, pulled up to the booth and THEN got the money out of their purse or wallet. The car in front of me did the exact same thing. I had some money at the ready as soon as I got on line. I know, it’s only a minute here or there but still, making others wait is so rude…

Because of the PANTS episode, I had to go to the store to buy something to wear. Thus I had to deal with Long Island Mall traffic. This means lots of stops and starts at traffic lights. All I can say is look, everyone has someplace to go or someplace to be and we all hate waiting for traffic lights. We are going to sit there for 45 or 60 seconds waiting for it to turn green. If you are in a car waiting, could you please pay attention so that when it does go green, you GO! At every light it seems someone is too busy texting, talking on a cell, talking to passengers, day dreaming, whatever and so when the light turns green, they sit there not noticing. We only get green for a minute, could we get a few cars thru? And it is not just the first car in line, several times I saw the 4^th or 5^th car back not go and just sit there looking down or not paying attention. It is only after car horns blare that there is movement. So rude.

Speaking of horns, obviously this is a necessary event at this time. However does every NYC driver have to blow their horn for everything? Really drivers? Let’s give it a break once in a while. Save the horns for necessary situations. Please…