New York City

     As a boy my parents took me to New York City several times. I remember the World's Fair in 1965, and visiting the Museum of Natural History with genuine enjoyment. My more recent experiences have not been so favorable. Several years ago I traveled with a friend to scope out an employment opportunity in southern New Jersey. On our return we were caught at the entrance to the George Washington bridge, a major entry point by a huge traffic jam. When we finally inched to the bridge itself we discovered that two of three lanes were blocked by a fire truck and broken car.
    Yesterday was far worse. Friends and I were traveling from Canada to JFK airport so they could return to Brazil. Admittedly weather conditions were not ideal but problems began almost fifty miles away. We had two different GPS systems by two companies, and written out Internet directions. When we departed from Ottawa they gave an estimated arrival time of 4:45 PM, plenty of time to catch a 7 o'clock flight.
   We went through the worst traffic jam i have ever encountered in one million miles of driving. It took us well over an hour to go a couple of miles so we could enter the Lincoln Tunnel (2 lanes only) after paying the outrageous fee of $13. Coming out of the tunnel surrounded by busses we missed our turn and ended up in city streets in Manhattan, surely one of the most congested places in the country. We finally picked up the Queens MidTown Tunnel, paid $7.50 and continued our crawl to the airport. We arrived at 7:30. In freezing weather we bundled the luggage to the terminal.
   When i finally returned to the car and got into the line to pay for parking, insult was added to injury. Two cars ahead of me someone took nine minutes to pay their toll, a process which should take less than one. I paid $12 for an hour's time. Of course the GPS systems were unreliable, losing the satellites on a regular basis. Miraculously i went the correct way on the Van Wyck instead of the JFK and finally reached the 95 North Interstate to return to New England but not before paying another $7.50 to cross the Whitestone Bridge. If there is a toll i missed in NYC i don't know what it is.
   Paying another $1.75 to use the few miles of New York Thruway before entering Connecticut seemed like a pittance. In summary I will never willingly go to New York City again except for flying in or out of the airport.