A Monday memory.....

Oh, the traffic!

Here we are again, just days before Thanksgiving.  What has come to mind are the many hours I spent while I was in college, then my daughters were in college, traveling "over the river and through the woods" to go - home.

No one tells you when you are filling in those dreaded college applications that it might be a good idea to actually consider the location of the school, what transportation links are available, and the number of colleges in a given area.

So it came as a bit of a shock the first time I tried to make my way home my first semester away.  Who knew there were literally hundreds of colleges in New England?  Who knew there was only one approach to the Mass Pike?  Who knew everyone would be leaving on Wednesday.  After lunch.  Who knew it could take more than six hours to get home?

Those bus stations can get pretty crowded, let me tell you.  And the buses?  After finally making my way to the George Washington Bridge bus terminal one time, I then had to take a "local" bus across the bridge to a spot where my Dad had agreed to meet me.  I managed to finally get a standing spot on one bus just as it was getting ready to depart. Problem was, I was all the way in the rear of the bus.  With a large old fashioned suitcase.  And I was the first stop off the bus.  I'm sure you can picture the um, understandably unhappy people who had to try and let me pass them.  Lets just say they were glad to see me get off.

I have a confession to make.  Based on that first experience, and a few other trying times, I did begin a pattern of skipping a few classes in order to leave early and beat the New England rush.  No, it wasn't right.  But I tried to justify it by telling everyone, "I'm from New Jersey" - to which people would often just nod and say, "Oh, well then, sure."  Professors?   I don't think they looked at it quite the same way.

When our daughters went off to college, they encountered similar challenges.  Sometimes rides could be caught with a friend.  We did a "switch"  a few times between daughter #1 in upstate New York and my nephew down this end at West Point.  And there were several times the Englishman and I each did a four hour up then back run.

So in addition to blessings too numerous to count this Thanksgiving,  I am most grateful that my little family all live in the same state and only one member has to drive just under two hours for our gathering.  

If you know someone looking at colleges, you might want to suggest they check the traffic reports on Wednesday, just so they're prepared.