Things learned from this weekend's trip

and I decided that after our 10-hour hell-trip getting down to DC on Friday that it’d be better to skip on sightseeing and catching up with friends and drive back on Sunday instead of Monday. We got back in 7 hours, only hitting minimal traffic around NYC. Here’s a list of things I learned this trip:

• New Jersey Still Rocks! Much like Texas’ “Tolltag” system, NJ has EZ-Pass Express Lanes on the Turnpike that allows you to keep cruising at “55 mph” through the toll. This is something I always knew was technically possible with the system, but it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone use this capability for EZ-Pass.
• DC Taxis don’t use meters. You rely on the honesty of the driver to not pad how much you owe.
• DC Liquor Stores apparently close at 10pm on Saturday Night. And I thought Massachusetts was puritanical.
• The Hotel Helix bar closes at 11pm on Saturday night. What kind of alternate reality stone age is DC in?
• Entering our room at the Hotel Helix we were greeted by a cold Yoo-Hoo and a pack of Twinkies. This is how all Hotels should greet you.
• While you may think to yourself “I don’t think adding cooked corn kernels into pancake batter is a good idea”, you are wrong.
• You can kinda, sorta, almost pretend to slow dance with a broken leg.
• All hotels need to have free internet service. Learn your lesson, Hilton, and stop charging. Thank god Hotel Helix knows this information.
• Amenity does not mean complimentary
• Don’t keep the atlas in the trunk.