Carbonated Joy

We left this morning for Saratoga Springs, New York (north of Albany). We drove through beautiful landscapes, had breakfast at a roadside diner in New Jersey, slept some, laughed some, and had semi-intellectual conversations in the car. Actually, we had a long conversation about justice and race and poverty and privilege, etc., and by the end both the ladies had fallen asleep- I guess we men aren't as interesting and fun as we'd like to think.


Saratoga Springs is beautiful and the place we are staying is in the woods and amazing. Our hosts, Rick and Julie, are very welcoming! And except for the married couple and one pair of ladies, we each have our own room and our own bed!

But do you know what has made me smile the absolute most so far today? It was a 99-cent Pepsi from the fountain at a convenience store near Albany. Really, I was filled with glee when I found this. This past week I have been craving cheap fountain drinks and this just made my day! (I bought a fountain drink the other day at a pizza place, but it was small and I'm sure it was over-priced... I didn't ask how much, I just ordered it).

It's interesting that not having access to cheap fountain drinks is a part of NYC culture shock for me, but I suppose culture shock can manifest itself in unpredictable ways. Before moving, I hadn't even been drinking a lot of pop. Regardless, I had a BIG smile on my face as I prepared the Pepsi today and I loved every minute of consuming it. Delicious!


While the price of the drink was wonderful, the cost of fuel was a bit shocking. I know most of you deal with this on a regular basis, but I have not had to fill up a car for four months. Wow! The cost of the fuel (about $60) was three-fourths of the price of a one-month MetroCard (currently $81), which allows me to ride unlimited around the City on subways and buses. It's nice to know something is cheap in New York.

I'll be sending out more updates about the weekend getaway. In the meantime...

Happy Independence Day!