Big City Driving

[puffy]

This probably will sound strange to most of you,but here goes..I lived in the Detroit area for 40 years.I never gave a thought to driving I just got in the car and went where I wanted to go.Then I moved to a small town here in Carolina when I retired 17 years ago.Some friends now have invited me back to motown for a visit.Strange thing now is that I'm almost 70 years old and after being in a small town for so long the thought of driving in that big city is a scary one.Of course I'm making excuses not to go.Am I just over reacting here or should I listen to my fears?.. I told you it would sound strange.

 

[uberam3rica]

I hate big city driving. I'm used to rural, and small city driving.

 

[pstlpkr]

You should live in Bimingham, then try to navigate Atlanta...

I swear they have a North South-West Street East in the center of the city. :roll:

 

[philip]

I stay out of the city unless absolutely necessary.

It's a strange experience for a country boy.

 

[markw4mms]

I used to have to commute through Atlanta every day, and it didn't scare me, but it can be a pain. Thank goodness I don't have to deal with that anymore. Here in Bremen, a traffic jam is just someone driving slow in front of you that you can't pass.

 

[nsfisher]

Lot of things can change in 17yrs mate. Occasionally I have to go to the City, I have made about 40 trips there in the past 14yrs and I still hate driving in the City.

 

[baronsamedi]

I avoid city driving as much as possible. Dallas has the worst drivers in America.

 

[hauntedmyst]

The city rocks. Driving in Chicago is a breeze. Its the suburbs that are a nightmare. If you want to get around fast in the city, hop on a bicycle. Its the best way to travel in the city.

 

[crpntr1]

Dallas here has the worst drivers in America

+1...Wednesday I witnessed some pretty extreme road rage, throwing drinks out the window at each other & one car actually rammed the other, while trying to get on 30..pretty stupid, I avoid it at all cost..except Monday thru Saturday, all the rest of the week I stay at the lake where I belong! :D

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I don't know what Detroit driving is like, but if it's anything like Vegas I'd say just call for a cab.

 

[clunk]

What about driving as close as you can to keep the cost down, then get a cab or bus.

 

[topd]

Doesn't sound strange at all to me. When I was active duty I drove in a lot of places, Tokyo, Naha City, even

Olongapo. I retired and became a country boy again in '91. Drove to Chicago around 2003 and thought I was in

a nut house! Hauntedmyst must know the secret, next time I'll take a bike. But I'll never try it again in my pick-up!

 

[docrx]

Close your eyes and floor it! 8)

 

[steyrshrek]

I'm from Ontario, Canada and we go to Michigan, the burbs of Detroit all the time, I really don't find Detroit or the surrounding area that bad of a place to drive in. Now maybe In the winter with ice and snow, but outside of that it's not that bad.

 

[papipeguy]

When I have to drive in NYC or Philadelphia I just put on the blinders and go. He who hesitates becomes a statistic.

 

[carlomarx]

I can relate, Puffy. I grew up in Pittsburgh and spent much of my working life in San Francisco and D.C before moving to State College. I still travel to SF and DC occasionally as well as Pittsburgh and you do lose you "edge" when you're not used to that kind of driving. I find that with me,it comes back pretty quick.

But even so,when I'm in the city for buisness or pleasure I leave the car at the hotel and take public transportation as much as possible.

I don't think that your concerns are unfounded. Maybe its just me but there seems to be a greater level of hostility on the roads than there used to be. That being said,if you take it easy and try to plan your trip to avoid rush hours and driving at night you'll be OK. But if it really worries you, trust your gut and fly and take a cab or have a friend pick you up at the airport.

 

[baronsamedi]

Chicago has good public transit downtown. I wouldn't bother bringing a car. Detroit, I don't know.

 

[maineyachtie]

Take a train or a bus. Nothing puts me in a worse mood than city driving.

 

[brian64]

They've discovered the solution to big city traffic in China...remove the traffic lights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieFXAiS97A0

 

[simnettpratt]

Downtown Detroit has the People Mover. It's an unmanned train on a second story track. There are about three of them and they just go around constantly counter-clockwise. It's 50 cents to ride and, as long as you know which direction it's at, you can't get lost. Consider hitting a Red Wings playoff game. Also, the People Mover stops at Greektown casino, if you're in to that. The pizza my buddy and I got in Greektown was the best pizza I've ever had. We went up on a whim for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, and my Stars beat the Red Wings, but lost at home on Monday, and the stupid Red Wings won the Cup. Canada is across the river, so you could pick up some Cubans. Strongly consider taking some legal self protection if you go walking around downtown a lot.