GPS is usually very helpful. It gets me from A to B and back again, and is correct maybe 99% of the time. Yesterday I wanted to shoot it. We were invited to the wedding of the son of a close family friend in Lakewood, which in traffic is about a 2 hour drive.
For the last hour of the trip we were on the US Route 9. We stayed straight on this road until we were almost there. For some strange reason, after every 2-5 miles the GPS lady had to remind us to “keep left on US 9” and there was really no other place to be. She could have said keep left on US 9 for 40 miles. She could have. But she likes the sound of her own voice apparently, and had to nag us constantly to do her bidding.
We had a lovely time at the wedding, the couple tied the knot, there was dancing and happiness and merriment, and interesting dresses, and then it was time to come home.
We loaded up the car with our passengers, plugged Ms GPS in…..she was obviously still on her power trip, because all she could say for the first 45 minutes of the trip, every 5 minutes was “keep left on US 9”. I am sure if I turned her on now, she’d still be saying the same thing.
In the Pink 
I believe on some GPS systems they have a pre-installed british male voice or you can download it.
Love my GPS….its a great back up to my map.
Next time you go to Lakewood, skip US9. Take the Garden State Parkway instead, it’s much faster (I got this advice from a friend of mine who works in Lakewood & lives in Deal…
I think some people get crazy if the GPS is silent for too long.
She talks to reassure those drivers that she’s still “on the case” and she hasn’t fallen asleep or anything, and that they’re still doing fine.
OK I’ll explain. As a longtime former Lakewood resident, Shosh is right during the day at night Rt. 9 is cheaper and faster. It’s 10 miles shorter but has more daytime traffic and a lower speed limit than the GSP. At night it’ll be the same or better time and cheaper.
As far as staying left: the NJ road system is based on ‘jughandles’. You can never turn left on many roads including Rt 9 and all turns are executed from the right lane which will then take you around and across Rt. 9. The GPS views that ramp as a fork in the road and thus instructs you to keep left at each one of those.
How’s you like the Lakewood experience?
Rabbi Haber – i didnt experience much of lakewood itself. just the simcha hall. i was petrified of being dressed wrong, but i shouldn’t have worried, i fit right in. just was weird that the simcha hall didn’t have its own oven, that it had a warming truck outside…
Actually, for Lakewodd it would be keep to the “right” :-).
HSM – If it was right off of Rt 9 that makes sense, It really is a a school doubles as a wedding hall so they don’t always have full facilities.
It was in the other hall I see. No excuse for the truck then. 🙂