Upstate NY

Last weekend I drove to Albany, the capital of the "Empire State". Albany is 300 odd miles from State College, and I knew that its going to be a really long and boring drive upstate NY. It took me a little more than 5 hours to be at my brothers home.

Most of my interstate driving in the past have been on the I-80 stretch of PA. Since these freeways are generally unpatrolled and wind through mountains, I have been accustomed to reckless driving on these roads. However this time around I was very cautious on the road, thanx to my ticket. With the cruise control set at 73 mph, and Max Cavelera and Jeff Anselmo screaming their lungs out, it was a pleasant drive. People in PA drive rash, especially on I-80. It was humiliating to see Mack Trucks overtake a Mustang at 73 mph. But caution had got better of me and hence I curbed my instincts to speed.

Things however changed in NY. Here at 73 mph I was practically overtaking all the traffic. I soon realised the reason - cops in NY sit in dark blue colored car, with their lights switched off, practically impossible to spot them at night (and there were plenty of them too !). Next time you are driving upstate NY - beware. Actually I saw a cop in Albany going around in a cool looking Camaro.

In NY, I happened to go to Howe Caverns - an underground formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Incidentally it is also the 2nd most visited natural attraction in NY - the first obviously is Niagara Falls. The tri-city area seemed to be nice and spreadout, but even the good weather wouldnt coax people to flock to the Hudson banks. RPI had a good campus set on steep slopes of Troy.

Enroute to Albany, one passes through Wilkes-Barre and Scranton on I-81. These town look really beautifully, situated well over 1000 feet above the sea level. The I-81 offers a really great view of the cities

I shall stop now, cause I need to concentrate at the movie that is running in the background - Stanley Kubrick's "Clockwise Orange".