There were many. This little snowbound adventure of ours has reminded us of/taught us a few things.
If you’re a mom, specifically one of ours, please stop reading.
Or… read the following knowing that we are usually very trustworthy, prudent, responsible beings. And please don’t worry - we learn lessons every day and are now better equipped to go about the world in a(n even more) safe and responsible manner.
1) ALWAYS CHECK TIRE TREAD ON RENTAL CARS
Okay, so call us naive… but we didn’t think that rental cars, particularly from non-rent-a-wreck, non-super-budget/economy agencies such as HERTZ would give us tires on which you can barely drive. C’mon, we’re a part of your Number 1 Gold Club status thingy. Joe and I are not the world’s most paranoid inhabitants, but we do common sense things like check the car thoroughly for body damage, make sure the gas is actually full etc. But thoroughly examine the tires? Those cars are typically brand new, aren’t they?
WELL!
As we learned the hard way, rental car companies don’t particularly worry about your safety. We picked up this car in Manhattan on Sunday evening. They had upgraded us, they told us! From an economy to a mid-size car, lucky us! This Mazda 6 felt as though it had no suspension as we were bumping along the road to Williamstown, but all seemed to be fine the first day. Yesterday, as we began to drive back down to NYC, it became painfully obvious that the tires weren’t faring so well. Put another way, they were basically completely bald in many places.
What did we learn? CHECK YOUR TIRE TREAD. Oh, and there’s an easy way to tell if tire tread is still passable. Per law, there should be at least 2/32nds (aka 1/16th) of an inch worth of tread. Lacking a tire gauge? Use coins. This handy site gives you ways of estimating using various US coins. Lincon’s full head of hair should NOT be completely visible if you’re using a penny.
Let’s put our little rental car to the test, shall we?
Need a closer look?
What do you think? Pass or Fail? I think: FAIL!!!
Alright, fine. Let’s look at the other side…
Again… hmm… NOPE!!!!!
Yes, some tread on the side has apparently absorbed some muck, but should tires look like this, once they’ve been rotated out for a proper look? And by “this,” I mean like a baby’s bottom? Smooth and unblemished?
Yeah… I think NOT.
Grrrrrrrr… if I ever am feeling very calm and peaceful, I will just come and look at these pictures and reboil my blood. Thanks, Hertz, thanks a whole lot.
However!! Lesson number 2… for now…
2) Withhold Judgment
The car was no longer safe to drive, as we could painfully tell. So we stopped driving. And had it towed to the nearest yard… and have paid them to tow the car to the nearest Hertz when the weather clears.
So. We haven’t yet completely taken care of this issue with Hertz. Let’s take some bets… will they handle this issue with grace and an eye toward customer service? Or will they attempt to charge us for extra days and a drop off location different than we’d originally intended? I will keep you posted but I hope, for the sake of the eardrums of the person on the other end of the phone when we call, that they opt for attitude number 1 versus 2. Because I have a few words I’d like to share with them. None of which I will currently share with you.
Speaking of Sailors… or at least swearing like one, as I am occasionally wont to do…
3) Befriend your navy
As I mentioned previously, we spent several hours at a roadside diner, stranded along with 3 navy guys. They were recruiting high schoolers in the surrounding area, and had driven down from the New York State capitol area (Albany, Saratoga & Schenectady, to be specific). Joe and I tend to be friendly types. We strike up conversations with a variety of people we encounter in our travels. Boy are we glad we made friends with these guys at the diner. One of them had cell service, so we were able to make a few vital phone calls during the many-houred wait. We made sure to buy them coffee as a thank you. We joked around a lot and chit-chatted for the afternoon. Then we shook hands and parted ways.
And then we got stuck. And then they drove by when we were stuck. And they stopped. And they made sure we got to a place from where we could fend for ourselves. Men in uniform, gotta love ‘em.
4) Pack a change of clothing
Any of you who know us, know that we travel CONSTANTLY. And we usually just pack a roll aboard suitcase. This time, however, we packed 6 suitcases since our United status allows us each to check 3 for free. Since we plan to move part of our lives to NYC for a few months, and we’ll have to bring a few felines along next time, we decided to bring over as much as we could this time. Late the night before we left, this is what our room looked like:
Lovely, eh?
My friend Gob was keeping me company as I packed… and believe it or not, I managed to get all this junk packed. There is a method to my madness. Gob reminded me to pack a change of clothing in my carry on. I usually only have carry on luggage and fly direct, so I have to admit this is not something I have been doing on a regular basis. Needless to say we missed our direct JFK-SFO flight last night. And have rerouted to leave from Albany. Now that we are sitting here delayed in Albany, and clearly will not be making our connection to SFO out of Chicago, I’m glad I heeded Gob’s advice this time.
5) Make lemonade out of lemons
I won’t lie, it was a stressful day yesterday. From the harrowing drive to the uncertainty about how we were going to deal with the car, retrieve our belongings, get back to California, change or flights… but really, in the end, it was okay since we were together. And here we were, cut off from all of our usual ways of engaging with the world (cell phones, family, friends, computers..) - but it meant we could just rest up and hang out with each other, no distractions. I think it was actually a good test for our relationship. Would we freak out and yell at each other, or would we try to make good decisions together and remind each other that we loved each other? I think we passed this test. (Unlike the car.)
6) CVS Sells Electronics aka Be Prepared
Even though they may not sell iPhone chargers, they might sell car chargers. And they might sell car-to-wall converters. Add those together, and you may be able tobring your phone back to life if you’re ever in a jam!
Testing out my recharged iPhone. The camera works. And I need a makeover.
Oh, and keep these handy doo-dads in your backpack or computer bag. My sister asked me the other day why I had so much stuff in my purse. While I don’t usually pack chargers, in this case I was glad I had extra disposable contacts (esp. if your fiancée is only *slightly* less blind than you are), a little bit of dental floss and some lotion. This was before we made it to CVS in the morning. Made our stay in the random hotel last night much more normal than it otherwise would have been.
7) Fluff!
Remember this stuff?? The large, messy jars of gooey white sweetness they had in the dining halls in college? We were reminded: it tastes good!! This morning we stopped by a small coffee shop in Hudson while we attempted to call various cab companies. They had PB&J as well as PB&Fluff sandwiches. I have to say: genius. Not everyday fare, but good sustenance while you’re out on the road.
And it makes Joe smile. Can’t ask for much more than that!
8) We heart small airports
If you’re going to get stuck at an airport, ALB is not a bad place to be. For one, free wi-fi! And also very friendly, empathetic United customers service agents. Some of whom I’ve seen for more than a decade now. Albany may not be the most happenin’ hotspot in the world, but the accessible, wired and comfortable airport is one of our favorites.
Bonus and related lesson 9) There are some lovely and interesting people out there
Navy guys, hotel proprietors, roadside diner waitresses, bar owners, German sausage & peanut distributors, United customer service agents (we love them, we really do, they have been very good to us many times)… we encountered a whole host of characters out there in the last 24 hours. And thoroughly enjoyed doing so! But that’s another blog…
For now, I will mosey on over to the gate, in hopes that we will be able to fly to Chicago tonight.
