...I get up early to pick up my car from the Greenwich Village rental place. The day is sunny and beautiful
...the rental clerk doesn't talk much but gets the job done quickly; he is somehow surprised when I can't find what he describes as a "brownish Mazda" in the parking lot while the car is actually silver
...I drive out of the Village onto the Hudson expressway fairly quickly and then I hit some traffic. However, it is soon over and I reach the shopping mall in just over an hour
...after some usual shopping and bumping into usual hordes of Chinese and Brazilian tourists I drive back to Jersey to pick up J. and hit some bad traffic around Newark
...I am still annoyed by how many people don't use turn signals when changing lanes and how many slow drivers block the passing lane unnecessarily. Worst yet, some of those when I try to pass them on the right suddenly speed up and block me..:/
...I enjoy driving the nicely equipped Mazda, complete with a reversing camera and lane change warning systems
...we drive to D.C. aided by a hefty supply of coffee from roadside stations
...we are irritated by the fact that none of the 7 or 8 toll booths on the way seem to accept cards. Cash only!!!
...we check into our cheap (but pricey!) motel and crash. Big day tomorrow!