2010-01-05 - How to get to Logan by car

GPS - duh. I've lived in Boston for four years now and I know my way around really well by just about every means of transportation other than car. It's something that I don't need to know how to do so I never cared to learn it. On the rare occasion that I need to go someplace by car I just use GPS like every other civilized human being. I don't like that. I feel that things like GPS are undeniably useful but at the same time incredibly bad for your brain. You don't need to think anymore and you don't need to remember anything anymore. I've been to Logan a number of times but still use the GPS as a crutch. It's not that hard to remember!

So last night we had to go from my apartment on Mission Hill to Logan. There are a few ways to get there and I've probably taken them all at one point or another. When it came time for directions I immediately went for the GPS and immediately got frustrated with myself. It's not that hard to find your way downtown- then to Storrow drive- and then there are about 100 signs that say 'Airport'. The GPS did more harm than good because I spent more time looking at it for directions than I did looking at signs and using common sense/sense of direction. I knew how to get there but I had more faith in the GPS than I did in my own memory. Another factor is that it's always more difficult to remember a route if you're not the person driving.. When you're using GPS it's basically the same thing; you're not actively looking for sites or signs or mental landmarks to retain for the next time you go there.

We got to the airport just fine and I made it a point to actually remember how I got there and vowed to never use GPS for such a short and simple trip again. GPS is great for uncharted territory or when you're lost- but for the sake of fighting off premature Alzheimer's I'm going to encourage you all to rely on your GPS less often. Back when we were kids people knew how to use maps and their heads and I think there's something to be said for that.

2010-01-03 - Drive in snow

Leaving the mountain was a bit of a process. Over the course of the weekend 20 inches of snow accumulated on the car with more on the way. Great for snowboarding- bad for trying to leave in a Hyundai Elantra.

Driving in the snow is more of an intuitive thing if you grow up in New England- but there are a few helpful tips to be aware of. I guess I'm sort of cheating on this one because I already 'knew' how to drive in the snow- just never really thought about what I was doing. It's not that difficult of a thing so long as you understand and respect the snow and the physics that go along with it.

Depending on whether or not your vehicle is front or rear wheel drive you're going to want to have weight over those wheels. It's easy with a front wheel drive vehicle because the engine is there. With a rear wheel drive vehicle it helps to have some weight in the trunk or some heavy people in the back seat. More weight means more downward force which means more traction with the ground; Traction is good.

So we dug the car out and got it moving. The next challenge was getting out of the parking lot. The only way out was up a small but steep hill that hadn't been plowed or sanded in a while. The trick to getting over this sort of thing is momentum- and persistence. The steeper the hill gets the more gravity you're fighting- and soon gravity beats traction. To get by this you need to have a decent amount of speed built up to get over the top of the hill. Give yourself a good runway to get up to speed. It also helps to be in a lower gear if you have the option. It took a few tries to figure out just the right amount of distance/speed/acceleration to get over it- hence- the persistence part.

Almost all of your actions should take twice as much time as normal when you're driving in snow. Drive slow, turn slow, accelerate slow and stop slow. Never slam the brakes and never slam the accelerator. Patience and a level head are key. Brake on straight-aways - never going into turns. If your wheels lock up while braking, take your foot off the brake. If your wheels spin while accelerating, take your foot off the accelerator.

The bottom line is- go slow and don't be a shithead. Explaining how to drive in the snow turned out to be more difficult than I expected- either you get it or you don't. If you don't get it- just stay home- or let a guy drive.