Where Did All of This Traffic Come From?

I had to chuckle on Friday. There was a Facebook comment from my cousin in New York about how she hated the traffic in NYC. I commented she would not like it here in Dallas, either. NYC has the famous bridges to negotiate; we have toll roads galore with a really weird pricing system, I still can't figure out.  If you travel this stretch of toll road, you pay seventy five cents, but if you travel it only this far you pay thirty cents. There are cameras that monitor you, but I find myself mentally calculating...how much do I owe now?

And don't get me started on the construction. The suburb I live in is north of Dallas; the two main arteries being I -35E or I 35W. Yup! Both are under construction and are a nightmare to negotiate. I don't have a toll tag, so I relegate my driving to the service roads which I hate to say, move faster than the toll roads.

Weekends? It's best to stay home. There is a bigger town to the north of us Denton. Denton hosts two major college campuses; TWU and UNT. It is truly a college town with lots of fun things to do. However, traffic there is a total nightmare because it has grown to big for its britches. There is an aging mall there that they are trying to revive and a lot of retail stores are closing their doors in Flower Mound and Lewisville and moving them to Denton.

Point one. I love Panera Bread. When I lived in Pennsylvania, there was a Panera Bread minutes from our house. Here in Texas, I couldn't find a Panera Bread nearby. There was one in Southlake which I didn't even bother to try. Southlake is a very expensive and prestigious place to live and once again, traffic is a nightmare. Then the two main arteries for them, 121 and 114 underwent MAJOR reconstruction for FIVE years and is now complete. Still, for a ten mile drive, it takes me forty-five minutes.

Then I looked and found one in Denton. Nine miles away. Fifty freaking minutes on a weekday and an hour on the weekend. Really?

Point two. Same with Sports Authority. There used to be one around us but lo and behold. It closed and now is in Denton. Right across the street from Panera Bread. Really? Someone is trying to make me crazy.

I guess that's God's way of telling me to stay home and write! No shopping or restaurants!!!