Back in 2009, I wrote a blog entry reflecting on the 10-year anniversary of the famed ’99 Women’s World Cup, and a large chunk of it was about that being my first trip to New York/New Jersey. And how I managed to spend two hours trying to find an exit that I’d been told was 2 minutes away. And how I finally played the pathetic “I’m from Kansas!” card to get someone to literally lead me to where I needed to go but couldn’t figure out.
Such things are only hysterically funny in retrospect … or when they happen to someone else. One of my all-time favorite comedy films is “The Out-of-Towners” (the original!) because it is the quintessential Midwesterers-traveling-to-New-York nightmare. And because I love the late actress Sandy Dennis (a Nebraska native, by the way, who eventually settled in New York in real life. I was sure in that way she could relate to her character, Gwen Kellerman of Twin Oaks, Ohio.)
Anyway, my buddy and the world’s best sports writer, former KC Star columnist Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated, had one of those, “This can’t be happening” trips going from Kansas City to NYC on Wednesday.
Joe being Joe, he could make it hilarious very quickly. But I happen to know this was one of his busiest weeks in a schedule that is ridiculous all the time. He was in St. Louis on Monday for a sports panel that included the likes of Bill James and Bob Costas. Then it was back to KC and off to NYC.
Except his route ended up including the Pennsylvania Turnpike. (Which I can assure you is generally not something you experience in flying from Missouri to New York.)
At any rate, if you’ve ever had one of “those” days traveling – even if you’re not a Midwesterner – you will appreciate this.
Makes me glad that all I have to do today is drive from St. Louis to Lincoln, Neb. And I know all the exits.
Oh god, that is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time.