Visiting Friends

I leave the campus as soon as I am done with my orals. I climb into the gigantic rental SUV and head to Mequon to gas up and grab lunch. Then I head south. I know it is the 4th of July weekend, but I am hoping that I am early enough to avoid the major traffic. I am not even a half hour away when Tom-Tom informs me that there are traffic delays ahead. At least 2 hours worth. Should he reroute me? I say yes.

I find myself on the older lakeshore 4 lane rather than the express way. I am moving at about 50 mph. Once again Tom intervenes with a report that there are delays ahead, meaning that I won't arrive at my destination until after midnight. What??? This is a 4 hour drive. It is 2 pm. Surely the traffic can't be that bad. I accept his reroute. And the next one. And the next one. I find myself driving through little Chicago suburbs with no idea at all where I am or where I am going or how long I will be. I stop at a gas station to fill up again.

Things go from bad to worse. I am crawling along at about 10 mph, stopping at so many red lights I am convinced I will never find my way out of the city. I try to get Tom to take me back to the expressway. Even if it is a parking lot, at least I know where I am going! Tom flakes in and out, losing signal, taking so much time to come back online that I miss turns. I am beside myself. The final straw comes when I find myself literally in downtown Chicago - Main Street where Saks and all the upscale stores - are smack dab in the middle of rush hour traffic.

I throw Tom in the back and watch for signs to the expressway. I will fix this mess myself. There is construction, taxis, buses, detours, rerouting, pedestrians, traffic cops and a million other crazy things. I see the sign I need. It has taken me almost an hour to drive about 5 blocks. I have escaped numerous accidents by grace. I wedge my car into the proper lane, praying that the detour signs won't prevent me from getting back on track. Fortunately, when I finally get where I need to be, I can see that the construction is just past the entrance ramp. It takes forever to get to the ramp, but at long last, I am there and though travel is slow, 40 mph is way better than the half mile per hour I had been doing.

I replug Tom, and the first thing he said was "Traffic delay ahead. Reroute?" I shout a resounding "NO!", but Tom won't listen. He keeps trying to direct me off the expressway. I stand my ground. As I pass every single exit, he would insist that I take the next one. I finally turn him off and reboot. Suddenly he is on board with the expressway. I had lost much time. And according to the radio, the expressway behind me was indeed a parking lot. Maybe Tom did get me through. But I have to say, I sure don't want to repeat that scenario! Now I remember why I always stayed on campus on Friday and left at the crack of dawn on Saturday. I finally manage to arrive at my friends' place about 8 or 9 at night, and fall into welcoming arms. Yeah! Let's not do that again anytime soon.