BEEEEP! I glanced at the speedometer, which read 60 mph. I felt dirty looks on me as drivers raced past the car. Sixty miles per hour was right below speed limit, I thought to myself. Why are these people horning? I was very confused. However, I did not have enough time to contemplate the matter any further. “Drive half mile and exit at Santa Ana South,” my GPS announced. Taking a quick look, my mom changed to the right again and again. “Six, five, four, three, two, one,” I slowly counted the number of lanes we still had to cut before we were in exit lane. A dimly lit lane appeared and the car drove down it. “Preparing to reroute,” the GPS declared almost too clearly- a dreaded moment that occurred for the fifth time that night. We were lost. Again.
I was under the impression that New York City would not be too different when compared to Los Angeles because NYC was also a fast-paced city. This is not true! Because people need to drive everywhere they go, California has designed freeways with seven lanes; whereas NYC has an average of four. Multiple signs line up side by side while more signs are posted next to the highway. How are these drivers able to choose a route when they are driving at 70 miles per hour? California is very different compared to New York in that driving has become second nature to residents. In NYC, a person is able to navigate everywhere within the city with the metro system, which runs all day. I had difficulty wrapping my mind around the idea that cars have become a necessity in some cultures. How would someone without a driver’s license navigate around the city? How difficult is it to find parking spaces in a city where every family owns a car? These questions remain unanswered. After this trip, I appreciated the metro system in NYC a lot more. I cannot imagine a day going by without having to run to the train station to catch the next train that will bring me to a new neighborhood in the city.
