Observations of a midwesterner on the east coast

1.) Massachusetts.... what is your fascination with Dunkin Donuts? EVERY exit has at least one. Seriously.... they're not that good.

2.) NH... why so many cops? 121 driven miles in your state and 19 cop cars spotted. Seriously... with a state motto of "Live Free or Die" I don't get it.

3.) New Jersey... toll roads. Really? You can't even get into the damn state without paying a toll.... I should have taken the hint. Your roads suck AND I have to pay to drive on them.

4.) NYC... interesting place to visit, but soooooooo many berkeleying people. How do you not go insane? Crosswalk signs are merely a suggestion as most ignore them completely.... I be the city could save millions right there alone if they eliminated them!

5.) Maine... how do you keep it so clean? Seriously.... I've now been in all 50 US states, and this is the CLEANEST state I have ever visited. Kudos to you.

6.) Pennsylvania... berkeley you and your $24 in tolls to cross the state. Seriously? $24? How about I give you the finger, and you say thankyou.....

Wife and I had a really good time. I got to knock out the last 3 states in the US I had yet to visit, spent some time in NYC and seeing the major landmarks etc. But we both realized it is just as expensive to visit the east coast as it is to visit Hawaii..... and with the tolls we could almost pay for the airfare.

I did notice an ES MX-5 in Jersey.... I believe it was #91 if my memory serves me, near Wall, NJ. nice car and it was nice to see another SCCA'er in that god-forsaken area....

Because Dunkin' Donuts is DELICIOUS.

Did you see any Tim Horton's? I miss Tim Horton's's.

Tim Horton's and Friendly's. Wife missed Friendly's and the lack of ANY bakeries in Indiana.

'The Midwest: Nice and boring, just the way we like it.'

Krispy Kream is way better than Dunkin.

SillyImportRacer wrote: Krispy Kream is way better than Dunkin.

Is that why they are all out of business? They weren't bad donuts at all, but definitely not worth waiting in line for.

Swear-ta-god I could open Tim Horton's in GA and be a millionaire. Doesn't even matter that they don't know hockey.

Bobzilla wrote: 6.) Pennsylvania... berkeley you and your $24 in tolls to cross the state. Seriously? $24? How about I give you the finger, and you say thankyou.....

Pennsylvanians don't pay that toll because we realize there is more than one road the traverses the state. You realize most commercial GPS systems or Google Maps allows you to avoid tolls...but I agree New Jersey is a terrible place...

THE fastest/easiest route is the toll road. Sadly. We were knocking out the 12hour drive in one stint.... not worth taking a 3 hour detour.

flountown wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: 6.) Pennsylvania... berkeley you and your $24 in tolls to cross the state. Seriously? $24? How about I give you the finger, and you say thankyou.....

Pennsylvanians don't pay that toll because we realize there is more than one road the traverses the state. You realize most commercial GPS systems or Google Maps allows you to avoid tolls...but I agree New Jersey is a terrible place...

NJ is like a miniature version of CA: the North and South are extremely different. Different temperament to the people. Very different; like CA neither is right or wrong.

SSoooo, no comments about CT!! I agree.

flountown wrote: ...but I agree New Jersey is a terrible place...

It is not a terrible place - it is like a girl with a huge tramp stamp. It is good for certain things.

Having been through all those states before, I agree 100%.

Timmy Hortons and DD both suck for attempting to make a cup of coffee.

In reply to Duke:

The one nearest to Mr is still open. But, no, its just a donuts & not with waiting in line for.

Duke wrote:

SillyImportRacer wrote: Krispy Kream is way better than Dunkin.

Is that why they are all out of business? They weren't bad donuts at all, but *definitely* not worth waiting in line for.

Not out of business.

Ranger50 wrote: Having been through all those states before, I agree 100%. Timmy Hortons and DD both suck for attempting to make a cup of coffee.

McD's sells Green Mountain, large for $1.06 and they can hand it out the window as well as anybody.

The first Duncan Donuts was opened in Quincy MA. This is probably why there are so many up there. First Howard Johnson's too.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

Duke wrote:

SillyImportRacer wrote: Krispy Kream is way better than Dunkin.

Is that why they are all out of business? They weren't bad donuts at all, but *definitely* not worth waiting in line for.

Not out of business.

All the ones I know of in the Midatlantic region have all been gone for several years. For a while people would line up for an hour to get fresh Krispy Kremes... but only for a while. A year after the hype wore off a bunch of the stores around here closed. A couple years after that, and they were all gone.

Our local grocery store used to get its donuts from Krispy Kreme. They were indeed tasty but they sure would not have been worth an hour of my time just so I could wave the bag around and yammer about how I got some fresh donuts from a trendy store.

triumph5 wrote: SSoooo, no comments about CT!! I agree.

CT is like Zombieland. All those unfriendly people with cold, dead eyes wandering about... never making eye contact or engaging anyone in conversation. I think that, maybe, when you apply for a resident permit you have to renounce your personality or something.

thought this was the first howard johnsons

Much of the flavor of a DD coffee is dependent on the help. Local one has igniroigds behind the counter. Another one, a bit further, has people who dump the last 1/6th of a pot, and if the pot if more than 3 hours old, dumps it, and makes new. Like any business, the owner can make or break a place with his hiring. Guess which one is always busy. They are about 3/4 a mile apart. Different owners.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

triumph5 wrote: SSoooo, no comments about CT!! I agree.

CT is like Zombieland. All those unfriendly people with cold, dead eyes wandering about... never making eye contact or engaging anyone in conversation. I think that, maybe, when you apply for a resident permit you have to renounce your personality or something.

So, I'm the first Certified Zombie on this site!
IMHO, Ct is Maine meets Manhattan. So much depends on where you are in the state.

Duke wrote:

DILYSI Dave wrote:

Duke wrote:

SillyImportRacer wrote: Krispy Kream is way better than Dunkin.

Is that why they are all out of business? They weren't bad donuts at all, but *definitely* not worth waiting in line for.

Not out of business.

All the ones I know of in the Midatlantic region have all been gone for several years. For a while people would line up for an hour to get fresh Krispy Kremes... but only for a while. A year after the hype wore off a bunch of the stores around here closed. A couple years after that, and they were all gone. Our local grocery store used to get its donuts from Krispy Kreme. They were indeed tasty but they sure would not have been worth an hour of my time just so I could wave the bag around and yammer about how I got some fresh donuts from a trendy store.

The couple that popped up in the Appleton/Green Bay area closed after the honeymoon period was done. Hell, the Sonics didn't last much more than a year either.

CT was so memorable I already forgot about it. No..... really.

I have lived in MA my whole life. I don't drink coffee,but do go to DD for a donut or six on occasion. I really don't get the whole DD store on every street corner either. I live ina really small town,and I think we have at a minimum of 3 DD's in town. This is in the country by the way. We are the cranberry capital of MA so lots of farming. Very blue collar,but we have to have the Dunkies.

My sister in law is a feind when it comes to her beloved DD. Once while on vacation camping in VA she drove about an hour and a half one way to find the closest DD just to get her fix. I didn't understand it then,and I still don't.

Bobzilla wrote: CT was so memorable I already forgot about it. No..... really.

Even CT has some things worth checking out but it can take some time and effort; just like anything else.

Still trying to figure out your choice to subject yourself to the tolls and delays by traversing southern PA and northern NJ. Some places are worth avoiding; now you know why.