In 2001, just a couple of days after September 11, we moved from Florida to Boston, Massachusetts. What's one of the first things one must do after a move? Get a new driver's license.
After reading the following story of my adventures in doing just that, my father—who had himself lived in the Boston area for a while—responded,
Back in 1932 there was a general rule that said: "Don't drive in Boston." It is interesting to note that there really are some things that don't change.
Today's Travels
Technically speaking, I have driven in Boston and lived to tell about it. Okay, it was not the downtown Boston of infamy, but it was quite enough for me.
The closest Department of Motor Vehicle office to our house is in Roslindale, they told me. They even provided clear directions. At least, the directions LOOKED clear. Next time I think I'll try for an office a little further away.
The driving wasn't so bad at first, though my heart did skip a beat when I saw the sign, "Welcome to Boston," and another as I crested a hill and saw the Boston skyline in front of me. Long before getting to that part of the city, however, I found the street I was looking for. I wanted the Municipal Building "across from Roslindale Square." When I'd read the directions, my suburbanite mind translated Roslindale Square as a shopping center or a park—at any rate, a place that would have parking. Wrong. I don't know what Roslindale Square IS, the only sign to that effect being at the post office parking lot, said parking lot being graced with a sign bearing the forbidding inscription, "Absolutely no parking at any time."
After some wandering around, made considerably more difficult by the presence of seemingly random one way streets, I found a parking place and was able to complete my business. The fact that the Municipal Building is labelled as a health center was only a minor hindrance.
In my meanderings, I had noticed that I would be unable to return home the way I'd come, as Washington Street had suddenly become one way at the point where I needed to turn left. Thanks to the help of the person ahead of me in line, I gained a general idea of what to do, and managed to get back onto Washington, going in the right direction, after not much more than a dozen twists, turns, reversals, and one-way streets.
City driving precludes the use of two of my most powerful navigating strategies: (1) When you realize you've gone the wrong way, turn around and go back to where you knew you were right. This works poorly when one-way streets are involved. (2) If you don't know what you're doing, pull off into a parking lot and study the map. This strategy requires the existence of a place to park.
I take great satisfaction in having succeeded in the adventure, and am grateful the trip was made in the rain rather than the snow.
