I never realized what a small town we live in!

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Yesterday, Miss KT and I went on The Great Bed Purchasing Adventure, to and from Sacramento (three hours one way). On our way home, of course, we got stuck in the evening commute, complete with stop-and-go traffic, and Miss KT was absolutely amazed.

"Where are all these people going?" They're going home, Miss KT, this is called rush hour in a real city. (Stares out the car window, mouth open, shakes her head) "Do they do this every day?" Yes, they do this every day...to work and home from work. "Why would anyone do this voluntarily?"

I'm originally from the Bay Area, so this is pretty much normal to me. She's almost 20 years old, and has never seen this phenomenon...the occasional horse and cow on the road, maybe, but not rush hour. Wow.
 
T

TeDo

Guest
Wow. I can just picture it her awe. If it weren't for family occasions in the nearest metropolis (2 hours away), my kids wouldn't know rush hour either. The first time we got stuck, they asked very similar questions but they were only around 10 when they noticed.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
MAN... I live in a suburb, but since we have the Air Force Base as the largest employer around here... Rush Hour starts earlier.

I've never lived anywhere there wasn't one. I wish.
 

keista

New Member
My kids have learned of this phenomena due to our trips to the North East. Northern Virginia, Difficult Child area, Delaware, and of course, NYC are always very trafficky. The good news is when we have a jam up locally (usually due to a crash or construction) I remind them that it could be worse, like up North, they agree and stop their complaining.
 

cubsgirl

Well-Known Member
I, too, can picture Miss KT's amazement. I live outside of Chicago and at least twice a week I have to travel to the west loop area of the city for meetings. It doesn't matter what time of day the meeting is, traffic is bumper-to-bumper for 10 miles. Tell Miss KT we don't enjoy doing it - we do it because we have to!
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Although I live in the "burbs," there is still a mini-rush-hour in our town, but the bigger traffic mess happens earlier and heavier on the freeways that encircle our area taking people to an from the major business hubs. I think our entire county is considered a suburb of L.A., but in reality, we are just a smaller version of them.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I am getting a kick out of that!

I grew up in a suburb of Richmond so I always new what rush hour was but it was nothing like rush hour out of Difficult Child! My 3 boys were absolutely astounded when they got up there...lol. What was really amazing was that Jamie basically learned to drive up in that mess. He got his driver's licenses immediately before he left for the Marines and got driving experience driving their cop cars, tanks, trucks, etc. then went directly to a suburb of Difficult Child at Quantico. He had his own car there and he was on his own with all that crazy traffic. I was terrified for him. He has done well though. I guess all that training with cop cars helped...lol.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
We're from Miami and used to commute to Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale. When we moved to "nowhere" my husband kept repeating (for years, lol) "isn't it wonderful to not have traffic jams?" We've been here thirty years plus and I still miss the adrenalin rush of driving on the Interstates. How sick is that, lol?? What I miss in reality is diversity not traffic jams! Even when we go to Orlando I have to get my "game face and foot" ready for the traffic pace. Geez, if you go the speed limit you're run over. DDD
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
When we moved to "nowhere" ...

When WE moved to nowhere, we kept on arriving everywhere at least 30 minutes too early... because we were used to needing to allow that in case of traffic tie-ups.
Now, we STILL arrive everywhere 15 minutes too early.
Because you never know... when you're really going to need that extra 15 minutes.

(10 years later. Still arriving 15 minutes too early. Haven't needed it yet, but... you never know)
 
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