The last few weeks have had me shuttling back and forth between our current home (in Maryland) and our soon-to-be-home (in Connecticut) several times to take care of various house purchase related things. For the most part, I've chosen to travel by car since it takes just about as long to travel by car as it does by air or train, and traveling by car gives me more schedule flexibility.

On my last trip up, I drove across the Tappan Zee Bridge into New York, then up the Saw Mill River Parkway and then over into Connecticut. The vehicle of choice was the Mini Cooper. Driving through New York kind of brought back memories of childhood living in New York. And, me being me, the inevitable comparison list between then and now started forming. Here's what I remember about this list I made as I hurtled up the road to Connecticut.

Car:
Then: Little Green Volkswagen
Now: Little Green Mini

Gas:
Then: $.36/gallon
Now: $3.00/gallon

Turnpike Rest Stop Food:
Then: Lousy mystery cafeteria food
Now: Lousy fast food

Toll Booths:
Then: Get a ticket, pay cash
Now: One word: EZPass

Guidance:
Then: Paper Maps and good sense of direction
Now: GPS and good sense of direction

Speed Limit:
Then: 65 or 70
Now: 55 or 65

Road Conditions:
Then: Bumpy
Now: Bumpy

Another thing I reflected on was the stretch of New Jersey Route 17 through Paramus that I typically take to get to the Tappan Zee. I remember this route well from childhood too. It's changed a lot, but my favorite diner (the Suburban Diner) is still there as is that funky Holiday Inn across the street from the big mall (though it's a smarter Holiday Inn Express now and the lousy Chinese restaurant it used to have is now gone). The other random thought was memories of my favorite burger place, The Country Burger. Unfortunately, a great little restaurant that first had the misfortune of having a McDonalds get installed next to it, and then being burnt to the ground in a fire.

But in the end, the thought of me driving (and not my parents) to a house my wife and I (not my parents) will own, where once again I'm going to have to deal with a well, septic tank, propane tank, fuel oil, and (more) snow, as well as two kids and a dog made me wonder where all the time has gone....31 years since I left that part of the country, I will soon be returning.

Tags: Travel