Not to mention, many of the streets are one way, and there is a severe lack of street signs. I was used to seeing street signs at every corner. You never had to guess where you were. Even little cowpaths got street signs. 90%* of Florida's budget goes into ensuring that, no matter what, motorists would know what street they were on. Lowell has a full 60 years on Miami as a city, but people began to settle in present-day Lowell in the 1600s. The transition from horse and buggies to cars was not the easiest, as streets were so narrow, which led to the really crappy "traffic circle" downtown, an overabundance of one-way streets, and near impossibility to get from point A to point B. Some real-life examples:
- Using my printed-out directions, my parents and I set out to find the local Walmart. We ended up in Salem, NH. My dad rarely gets lost, even if we're in another country.
- I tried finding the university (2 minutes from my apartment) and ended up downtown.
- My fiance and I went out for dinner and ended up finding a Walmart in Tewksbury.
The arrow is supposed to be pointing at the center of town, so let's pretend it is. The two major highways that converge in Lowell are Route 3 and I-495. A short drive down 495 will take you to I-93. The other highway is the Lowell Connector, which is a mini-highway that runs through part of the city. If you follow it to the end (Exits 5A-C, I believe), you get dumped out near downtown. It's fun, because two lanes end up becoming one with very little warning, if any. It's also supposedly the most dangerous highway in the United States. I'd like to meet the person who decided that and bring them to Miami so s/he can take a trip down the Palmetto Hwy at 5pm.
With all these highways within reach, it's no surprise that they're such an important part of the commute up here. But, for a Newb Englander such as myself, I found it a bit strange that every: "How can I get to [place] from here?" was met with "Get on the highway". "Where is the laundry room?" "Just get on 495..." It was as though back roads were nonexistant. Everything was off the highway. You couldn't just drive down the street; you had to get on the highway and off at the next exit. It was so ridiculous that, in order to get to the aforementioned Walmart, I was getting on the highway, when all I had to do was take a left from my apartment, follow that street til the end, and then make another left. What should have been a 5 minute drive was taking me 15 minutes. Of course, gas prices had hit record highs in Massachusetts at that point; it was something like $3.15/gal.
Some of my agony could have been avoided had AT&T actually set up my damn phone/internet, so I could have looked at a map. (I couldn't even figure out where the tourist center was so I could pick up one of their maps.) No, instead I was given excuse after excuse as to why I was not getting my service started. I was starting to get rather ticked off. Then, the worst happened -- my cell phone died. YES! Cut off from all communication! Exactly what I needed in a strange place where I knew nobody! It wasn't the best cell phone in the world; it had lousy reception and was way behind the times. (Prior to that one, I had one of those giant carboard boxes with a huge antenna that didn't work. I just had to shout really loudly.) Still, that warbly old hunk of junk was my only means of communication. Without it, I couldn't even bitch out AT&T. Turns out, my mom had cancelled it without forewarning me. She did, however, make up for it by sending me an updated cell phone (still with bad reception) and bitching out the telephone company for me. A month after moving in, I finally had a telephone.
Once the internet setup kit arrived, I was back in business. I was able to access Google Maps and realize just how much more work I was making for myself when it came to driving. I didn't have to take the highway to get to my next door neighbor's house after all! My life became much easier... in that sense, anyway. And it's not as though dealing with the zany Lowell roads was all bad; I gained a sense of direction and the ability to read a map.
Before setting foot in the city, make sure that you have a map already onhand. It won't be enough simply having written directions, unless you're already used to navigating the place. Make sure said map has close-ups so that street names are visible. If you're new to the area, drive around well before 7pm, when you can see where you are and before everything starts to close for the night. If you get lost and end up in New Hampshire, stop for gas there. It's usually 2 cents cheaper.
* Completely made up figure.
Next time: More about driving!
