The Car Culture

Things that people remember fondly are usually things that no longer exist. Nostalgia is for things long gone, after all. Fortunately, some things continue as they have always been. I don't suppose that there are many drive-in restaurants around any more, but around here, there's still Sonic. Sonic originally opened in Oklahoma in 1953. They didn't arrive in Southeast Texas until the 1970s, a date that was really past the prime of drive-ins. It's nice, then, that they've managed to not only hang on, but to thrive. There are four Sonic Drive-ins within 10 miles of my house, and one is only a half-mile away! I just got to thinking about that as I was enjoying a hamburger (with mustard... this is Texas after all) and tots at the Mont Belvieu Sonic before going to the post office this evening.

2006 Chevrolet HHR at the Mont Belvieu Sonic

Possibly the best memories are of when we were first married. We couldn't afford much (wow, is that a setup for a nostalgic statement, or not?), but the Sonic on Dowlen Road in Beaumont was something we could manage. And when my wife was expecting our first child, I remember specifically stopping there for ice cream after the Lamaze instructor mentioned that ice cream (but not chocolate ice cream!) was an acceptable source of calcium for expectant mothers. (I'm not so sure about that, but we went with it anyway.)

And for the 5 years I had the Corvette, removing the targa roof and heading to Sonic just seemed like the right thing to do. Even now, on a cool day my wife and I will go to Sonic, and eat at the picnic table rather than in the car.

Nights like tonight, when I'm just stopping for a bite to eat while my wife is running errands, are just nice because I can sit in the cool air and watch the cars go by.

Thanks, Sonic, for helping to keep the car culture alive!

Oh Frabjous Day!

Much to my surprise, all four eastbound lanes of I-10 between I-45 and US-59 were open this afternoon! Approaching I-45 it wasn't obvious because there was a backup in the lanes that exit to 45. And, of course, once I got past that backup, three cars in adjacent lanes didn't bother to speed up, holding the rest of the traffic up. As I got around them I realize that there was about a quarter mile of empty space ahead of them where everyone else was already up to speed. Hurray!

This means no more Loop 610 on the way home.

Unless there's more road work schedule further up. If so, I hope the stimulus money runs out really, really soon.

Technology Giveth, and Technology Taketh Away

I like to say that commute time isn't the worst part of the day, meaning, really, that it can be quite enjoyable. Lately, though, construction on all possible routes has made it nothing but stressful. I have to admit that I know, if I'll just relax and take it in stride, it really could be nice: That's what the radio is for. But every day?

Normally it takes awhile for the GPS to figure out where all of the delays are, but the other morning I plugged it in and before I got out of the driveway it was warning me of a delay of over an hour! I decided to head south to highway 225, which I haven't done in some time. Then it did a funny thing: It told me to get off of the freeway and run the access roads when I got to I-45. Usually that's a bad idea. The GPS doesn't track speeds on the access roads, and usually if the freeway is backed up, the access roads are worse. But when I got stuck in the mainlanes and saw apparently empty access roads, I decided to exit. It turns out that these are almost completely empty, and it really shortened the drive.

Ah, but Friday. Friday mornings are the best time of the week for traffic, and Friday afternoons are the worst. I checked before I left the office and knew that it was even worse than the typical Friday, so I opted for an I-610 around to TX-225 route. As I got to the southbound portion of 610, the GPS said to exit at McCarty and run three miles east, then go to I-10. Having never gone that way, and because I wanted to know the route, I took its advice.

Thirty minutes and only half of a mile down McCarty, I turned around. That's 30 minutes I wouldn't have had to spend if I wouldn't have listened.

Fortunately, as I got back to the loop it suggested staying on the access road and heading back on side streets to the south of I-10, then taking Market Street (which parallels I-10). Good idea, but I should have headed back to I-10 on the major road before the one it told me to take. The lesson in chilling out would be a very good one to have learned before this trip — my 45 minute drive home took an hour and a half.

I could have either been relaxed, just taking it in stride and listening to the music, or I could have done my best to avoid traffic and, failing to do so, become very frustrated and completely exhausted. I took the latter course and paid for it. Note to self: Remember to choose the most likely route and stick with it (unless it becomes impossible), then go with the flow.