"So," I said to the front desk clerk. "Do you have one of those collections of brochures of stuff to do around here?"
His face went blank for a second, then he slightly smiled. "Stuff to do? In Starkville?"
"Something you tell people, 'Well, while you're in Starkville, you must go see this!' Local sights?"
"Well, there's not much in the way of shopping... We have a movie theater..." he offered.
"A place to take a walk?"
Finally his face lit up. "There's a park just a few miles away with a lake and everything!"
"Great!"
"But it's fixin' to rain," he pointed out mournfully.
So I shuffled on back to my room. Maybe I'll check out the park tomorrow. It's purty country around here, as one person pointed out to me, and I have to agree. It is purty, with soft scenery and gently rolling green hills as far as the eye can see.
I'm unimpressed with the road system, however. I was told that the city architects had a French influence, which led to the roads curving every whichaway. I only have two comments. 1) Why do city streets suddenly spit you onto highways, with little warning? In most nice, sensible areas, Fairbanks and the Sili Valley included, you must make a deliberate choice to go on the highway. You aren't just poking along sightseeing and suddenly end up getting barfed onto a highway and having to step on the accelerator. 2) Why are highways long-term commitments? In most sensible places (like, ahem, Fairbanks and the Silly Valley), if you should accidentally end up on the highway (not that this often happens; see point #1), you can get off in half a mile and turn around. Not so in Starkville! You are stuck for 2-3 miles, while you fly past alarming signs that say, "You are now leaving Starkville." Geeze!
5 comments:
LOL I wonder what you'd make of the UK road system then. Roads that wiggle round all over the place for no reason at all, and motorways between towns (which I think are the same as your highways) where you might not get the chance to get off for 10 miles. Or sometimes even more. Oh, and lots of traffic jams. Do you get such things as zebra crossings and roundabouts?
That town is like mhouse, don't blink or you will miss it. Only hike during the day and watch your surroundings, did you bring a whistle? Don't drive without mapping it out first in a new place. Have a safe trip
Yes, we have zebra crossings and roundabouts. Is it true that you Brits pronounce zebra "Zebb-bra" instead of "Zee-bra"? Do you apply that pronunciation to the striped animal as well?
Stuck on a highway for 10 miles! I think I'd have a nervous breakdown! There's nothing I hate worse on a road than being stuck in what I know is the wrong direction--I absolutely clench and grind my teeth until I have an opportunity to turn around!
Yes, it's Zebra, to rhyme with Debra lol (and for the animal too)
Apparently you use the word potty differently to us too. According to my little neice who's moved to Idaho, it's hilarious that adults "go potty" (use the toilet) where in the UK only toddlers would do that, and then only in a plastic portable item, not in an actual toilet. Anyway...
Well, in the U.S., generally only toddlers *use the phrase* "go potty", although yes, adults do indeed do such! :)
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