As I implied in the last post, Miami’s street layout is a lot more organized in comparison to Lowell’s. Everything in Miami is on some sort of grid, whereas Lowell’s streets can be a big old mess. Not every street ends in disaster, but a lot of them do. They split or converge with different streets; sometimes the street seems to disappear for awhile. I also implied in my last post that it would be nice to have more street signs up, but that is misleading. Street signs won’t help all that much.
An interesting aspect about this area is that there are a total of 10 street names, and they are recycled endless amounts of times. This W-shaped road you are driving on may be Pine Street, but cross over a couple of streets and you'll run into Pine Avenue, Pine Boulevard, Pine Lane, and if you're not careful, Pine Tree. You may pass streets called Church, School, Market, Central, Cabot, Stevens, Westford, Smith, Plain, and Chelmsford while still in Lowell, but as soon as you cross into the next town or city, you'll see those same names again. Keep driving, and you'll see them yet again. Whoever thought up this area of Massachusetts certainly can't be called creative.
NOTE: Not an actual map of Chelmsford/Lowell
The other major difference is (are?) the road conditions. Besides the fact that there are things in New England called "hills", there is also something called "winter" in which water that seeps into cracks in the road freezes, causing cracks to form/worsen. As Florida (like many of the southern states) is bathed in nearly year-round summer, this kind of thing doesn't happen, and roads can maintain their quality for years.
NOTE: Not actual pictures of Miami and Lowell
Driving through parts of Lowell is kind of like driving through a mountain path that is littered with rocks. This doesn't help with the street sign problem. And adding to all this, people like to park their cars on the street, leaving just enough room for an average sized car to squeeze by (with or without mirrors still attached afterwards).
That is not to say that driving in Lowell is necessarily worse than driving in Miami, because although it boasts wider roads with fewer cracks and potholes, it has the problem of Crazy Miami Drivers. Those in the greater Boston area may claim to be among the worst/rudest drivers in the country, but I think Miami takes that prize home at the end of the day. In Miami, you have to have road rage, and you have to swear in at least two languages to ensure the moron you're yelling at can understand you. Impolite hand gestures are a must, and I believe that the act of punching an offender's car originated in Miami. It is a city of INTENSE RAGE. I'm angry just thinking about it.
Aside from the aggressiveness, we're also known for pulling really stupid stunts on a whim (e.g., cutting people off with about an inch of room to spare, taking left turns that probably shouldn't have been taken). Everyone who has ridden shotgun in a car with me has experienced what is affectionately called "Miami Driving" or "Miami Maneuvers". In my defense, I think this so-called Miami driving is just general aggressive driving behavior that transcends city lines. Agree or disagree? I'd like opinions from both Miami and non-Miami drivers.
If you've grown up driving in relatively flat territory, do not be alarmed when driving up a hill. Your car will shift into gears previously unknown and make different noises. This does not mean that you should fly into a panic and assume your car has driven to the great road in the sky. Trust me. The locals will laugh at you. They will do this unceasingly.
If you plan on staying up in Lowell territory, apparently the folks up here have to get their cars inspected annually. This means that you drive your car to Sears and get overcharged for stuff that doesn't even need to be done, so you get a nifty sticker, which obviously means nothing, as the car will give you the finger a month later. Don't take your car to Sears.
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