The traveling bonanza gets underway at 5:15 a.m. Pacific time tomorrow. It's about an hour drive to Ontario airport from Murrieta, which I just happened to pass while on some official KTM business today. Kind of convenient because I know what to expect for travel time etc. Tonight kind of feels like I'm packing for a week of hockey camp. You've got a gear bag, a personal bag, a backpack loaded down and you're a little nervous.
Traveling does get old after awhile when it's for work, but when you get to go to new places it kind of makes you feel like a kid eagerly anticipating his first day of a new school year. You don't want to do anything stupid, and you don't want to get lost looking for your classroom.
As for Thursday's classroom, I'll be at an important business meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, at CPSC headquarters along with several other influencial member companies of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America. Most of the other companies' representatives come from the old guard and have been in the game for a long time. But, strangely I've never felt out of my league while sitting at the boardroom table. No matter our age, we all have one thing in common and that's the passion for the motorsports industry. Believe it or not, I think new blood like myself at these meetings is a benefit for everybody there. It's a fresh perspective that represents the next generation.
Anyways, this bring me to my next point: Why can't Minneapolis or even Los Angeles truly figure out public transportation like the east or even Chicago (The L) has? OK, L.A. has that earthquake thing that can make it a little challenging, but really the bullet train idea would be a huge improvement. Minneapolis is slowly catching on with LRT, but it's not even close to a viable solution. I've sat in worse traffic in Minneapolis than almost any other metropolitan area, including L.A. Sure, things get bad here, but everything is really spread out. Two hours to go 90 miles in rush hour from the Inland Empire to LAX would be equal to the 90 miles two-hour trip from Saint Cloud to MSP at the same time of the morning. Is it bad in L.A.? I guess that's all relative. It's bad in Minneapolis too.
Which finally brings me to my last point. I arrive at DCA in Washington, D.C., at 5 p.m. tomorrow. The best part is, I won't have to rent a car or take an expensive taxi. I logged on to the Metro website and it basically plotted the directions for me. It gave me what trains I need to take and precise times to get to Bethesda. The best part is, I'm actually excited to try out the transportation system there. I've ridden Boston's T, and I hope the Metro compares. In the meantime, I'll be a little excited and a little nervous. And, if I have time after the meeting on Thursday, I'd really like to see the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. I've never been to the nation's Capital, and I am really looking forward to it. My only wish would be that I could share my experience with Tracy. There's always next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment