So a couple days before heading out on my road trip to New York, I received word that a new car registration sticker came in the mail for my car. So I attached the sticker to my license plate, and then I looked at the new registration card.
It was for another car in the family.
Whoops! And it gets even better. When we went to take off the sticker, we pulled off the current sticker (19) with the incorrect new one (21) together. Now we had to get a new sticker for both cars!
Another chance to laugh about life’s crazy events. Sometimes, you can’t make this stuff up. Fortunately, the motor vehicle registration people were very helpful and noted that this happens a lot apparently.
A Brand New Start of It
So after that hiccup, I was ready to 🎶 make a brand new start of it–New York, New York! If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere, it’s up to you, New York, New York! 🎶 Oh, sorry, just channeling my inner Frank Sinatra.
Where was I? Oh yes, the start of my road trip. So after resolving all my issues, I started out on my journey to New York. I knew I had to stop for gas before getting to Baltimore, so I pulled off at a Wawa right before Interstate 97. Now usually, gas stations have three octane levels. This one had four.
Four octanes, including octane 93? That reminds me of a racing commercial starring former race car driver Jeremy Mayfield.
After I filled up my gas tank, I headed north to Baltimore. When traveling through Baltimore to go to New York, I go through the either the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel or travel on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This time, I chose to go on the Key Bridge because the weather was nice.
It can get windy up there, so I don’t like traveling on the bridge in bad weather, but it was good that day. Note to travelers: there’s a toll through the tunnels and on the Key Bridge, but it’s worth the time savings. There’s also a toll to cross the Susquehanna River.
As I got further up Interstate 95, I realized I was hungry, so I stopped at the Chesapeake House rest stop about 45 minutes north of the Francis Scott Key bridge. I went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken and got this meal without a drink because I already had Dr Pepper in the car.
Simple, inexpensive KFC sandwich. 
Dr Pepper and I are buds.
There’s also the Maryland House, which I will talk about in a later post, about 30 minutes north of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. At both rest stops, there are restrooms, several restaurant and food choices, a gas station, and room to walk around to stretch your legs.
A Lovely Bridge View
Continuing up I-95, I traveled into Delaware through an EZPass toll booth. EZPass is truly helpful as it deducts the tolls automatically from your account through a device mounted on your car. It also allows you to pass through toll booths without stopping to give money to the toll collector. Sometimes, the toll rates are slightly cheaper if you have EZPass. Check with your individual state about getting set up with EZPass.
One of the main reasons I got a dash cam is to capture picturesque views of my drive. I knew the Delaware Memorial Bridge would be one of those spectacular views and it did not disappoint.
After the Delaware Memorial Bridge, I started my long expedition along two major New Jersey routes: The New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. In conversing with New Jersey residents, I’ve witnessed them indicate where they live based on which exit on the New Jersey Turnpike they live of off. This may not be the case with all residents of New Jersey, but what I know is that these two toll roads are iconic and well-known for those who have traveled them.
Rest stop along the New Jersey Turnpike
There are several rest stops along the way on the New Jersey Turnpike, all named for people connected to the state of New Jersey. There’s John Fenwick, Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, J. Fenimore Cooper, Woodrow Wilson, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Edison and others. My first thought was Joyce Kilmer is Val Kilmer‘s wife, but apparently she’s a poet and I didn’t even know it.
Anyways I stopped at the Woodrow Wilson rest stop around Exit 7 to stretch my legs. I ate some of my snacks before departing, though I noticed that there’s a $250 fine for idling. I wonder how often that is enforced.
Anyways, I continued on my way to the Garden State Parkway, where I ran into stop and go traffic, probably because it was around rush hour on a Friday afternoon. I passed by the sign for Paterson, NJ, which reminded me of the film, Paterson, directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Adam Driver, and named for the same town. Did they cast Adam Driver to drive a bus simply because his last name is Driver? I don’t think so, but it is quite the coincidence.
I finally reached New York, briefly headed east toward the Tappan Zee Bridge (recently renamed the Gov. Mario Cuomo bridge, but for me it’s Tappan Zee!), and headed north on the Palisades Interstate Parkway. My sister’s family lives in a town in the Hudson Valley region, and soon enough, I arrived at their residence.
“You Have Reached Your Destination”
When I arrived, it was about dinner time, and my family fixed up a wonderful meal on the grill. I enjoyed the meal thoroughly, and it was a great cap to a smooth trip up to New York.
In my next post, I’ll discuss my first full day in New York, including a walk on the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge!