Early American Musings

Yesterday, we embarked on our real journey, picking up our car for a day filled with plans. Driving in Manhattan was an experience unlike any other. I’ve navigated through bustling roads in Chicago, Washington D.C., London, and Paris, but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos of New York drivers. It’s a place where cars seem to park with no warning in the middle of the street, and the symphony of car horns creates a cacophony that can be overwhelming. It’s no wonder many people opt not to drive in this city, considering the parking challenges.

Some of the problem is supposed to be addressed by New York City’s congestion pricing scheme, which was introduced last year. Copying schemes in other cities, such as London, it is the first of its kind in the United States. The initiative aims to reduce traffic in Manhattan’s central business district, improve air quality, and generate an estimated $1 billion annually for public transit improvements. The New York subway definitely needs investment. The entire system feels antiquated, and indeed, much of the signaling is over a century old.

We left the city by the Lincoln Tunnel, but as we crossed over the Hackensack River, there was a huge bang, and we realised a tire had blown entirely. We had gone less than 10 miles. By that point, we were on the New Jersey Turnpike, and it is a private road, so rescue companies, like AAA, cannot access it. We waited for the Turnpike rescue. They arrived quickly and placed the emergency tire on the car, and told us to get in touch with the rental company once we were off the Turnpike. We decided to head for Liberty State Park and admire the view of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. However, as we rolled through Jersey City the car began to make a terrible grinding noise, so we pulled over.

We called Budget, the rental company, and they said they would send a tow truck over in about an hour. It arrived five hours later.  Abandoned in a slightly run down, semi-industrial neighbourhood, we weren’t sure what to do. But just down the road was a Puerto Rican restaurant and dance club. We ventured in. The people were so friendly and helpful. Some of them had limited English, and everyone was speaking in Spanish. We must have stuck out terribly as two lost tourists, but it felt more like an adventure than anything else. The food was great, and we had some lovely conversations with people in the bar, who all wanted to know about where we were from and our trip. This was clearly a close-knit immigrant community. People dropped in to say hello; people came in to get their lunch bags to take away; an older couple was smooching near the bar. And then the two old Scottish men looking very grumpy and checking their phones!

Finally, our tow truck arrived. The driver appologised for the delay and asked us what we were doing. We told him about our trip and he enthused about it. He was from India and had been un the US for  20 years, and had always wanted to do something like our trip.  Hot on the heels of the tow truck the Uber Driver arrived to take us on to the Budget Car Rental site at Newark Airport. Our Uber Driver was a Haitian immigrant who had lived in Montreal and moved to the US. We chatted again about our trip and he talked about some of his experiences in the USA.

Our experiences today underscored the enduring diversity of America. We had the pleasure of meeting such a wide array of people, each one as friendly and helpful as the next. It was impossible not to think about the proximity of Ellis Island and the countless generations of immigrants who have played a pivotal role in building the country. In the end, all Americans are immigrants, (excepting Native Americans and First Nations peoples) and their influence is woven into the fabric of American culture and society.