Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Degrees of Separation

I weathered my first solo trip to Westbury, Long Island yesterday to see Beth and Dave's new apartment and drop off the frozen wedding cake in time for their first anniversary.
On the deck

Nice kitchen!
I made the 48 mile trip in a relatively easy hour and 15 minutes, but why does it seem like such an epic journey? Part of it has to be the fact that you cross two major bridges ( a bridge too far?) and part is the anxiety of what will confront you on the road--accidents, construction, lanes closed in anticipation of construction, Yankee or Mets game traffic, beachgoers, bad weather, crazy drivers, car-eating potholes.....and being on the Grand Central as it approaches the Van Wyck Expressway. 


Remember this Seinfeld episode on Elaine's famous drive to JFK: "....and then I hit the Van Wyck....(start at 44 seconds)  
Click here to view

I had plenty of time to think about all this as I was driving, so I came up with my own scoring system to compare how easy a trip will be. It all depends on the Degrees of Separation, which is the sum of the number of major roads and bridges travelled.  


So for my Long Island adventure, the roads and bridges included:
Rt 208- Rt 4-GWB-Cross Bronx Expressway-Harlem River Drive- FDR Drive- RFK Bridge (formerly the TriBoro)-Grand Central Parkway-Northern State Parkway-Meadowbrook Parkway


That's a whopping TEN Degrees of Separation by my calculation, including TWO bridges and goes a long way towards explaining the formidable nature of the trip. Lewis and Clarke didn't take that many turns.


Let's compare the Degrees of Separation Score for other trips:
  1. The Shore: 
    • THREE: Rt 208-Rt4- GSP
  2. Schenectady, NY:  
    • THREE: Rt 208-287-NYThruway
  3. The Bronx: 
    • FIVE: Rt 208-Rt4-GWB-Cross Bronx-Deegan
  4. Wilton,Connecticut: 
    • FIVE: Rt 208-Rt287-TappanZee Bridge-Rt287-Rt95-Rt7
  5. Brooklyn:
    • SEVEN: Rt 208-Rt4-GWB-Cross Bronx-Harlem River-FDR-Brooklyn Bridge
  6. San Francisco: 
    • SEVEN: Rt 208-Rt4-GSP-Rt73-Newark Airport-SanFran Airport-Rt1
  7. Gijon, Spain:
    • SEVEN: Rt208-Rt4-GSP-Rt73-Newark Airport-Madrid Airport-Madrid Rail Station
  8. Long Island:
    •  TEN:  the clear winner (loser)
Sure, total time elapsed and miles travelled could figure into it. One could argue that this system should apply only to road trips and not include air flights or trains, but I'm sticking to my formula of number of roads and bridges. 


What do you think? Can you offer us any epic journeys of your own?
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3 comments:

  1. Eric KnackmuhsJune 16, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    When I moved to SF I did it in THREE: Rt208, GSP, I-80

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 16, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    I remember someone telling the importance of any address on the LIE by its exit number. Exit 58, for example, brings you to Brentwood. I believe the higher the number the bigger the house on other end. If you live close to Queens it is a low exit number and crowded, what number is Beth?

    crh

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  3. BethJune 17, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    Hmm...I have several comments.

    1. While going to the shore is only three steps, the last one is 60 MILES long! And I seem to recall lots of anxiety regarding accidents, beachgoers, crazy Jersey drivers and bridges being up! Who remembers the fateful 3 hour and 8 minute trip??

    2. The Grand Central changes name to the Northern State once you enter Nassau County, Long Island. That brings us down to 9 degrees of separation. And the Harlem River Drive seamlessly turns into the FDR, bringing us down to 8. A near-tie with Gijon, Spain for last place.

    3. Uncle Chuck, I'm pretty sure Jersey is measured in highway exits too. Once you hit 159, you're home from the shore!

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