Oh NJ/DE, Why You Do Us Like You Do?

Last straw, people! The LAST STRAW!!

We set off for Maryland ready for a great two days. A few hours drive, then a nice, restful night in our Motel 6, dinner at one of Leigh's favorite Maryland haunts, the Dogfish Head Alehouse, a good show in Rockville, a smooth return and the end of hell week. Easy, right?

Yeah right!

When we arrived at our Gaithersburg Motel 6, we should have known we were in for something. All three of our reserved rooms were, um, problematic. One was covered in trash, the other smelled of many different kinds of smoke (use your imaginations, people!) and the third seemed OK, until a large unflushed mass was discovered in the toilet. After a phone call to Theatreworks and some very forceful words with management, we netted a refund and a cheaper reservation at a clean Red Roof Inn that was 20 minutes closer to our venue. We certainly earned our trip to Dogfish Head Alehouse.

Our evening was delightful. A few beers, some serious laughs (the kind of bonding this cast really needed), and clean, comfortable rooms. Leigh and I were roommates and turned in just before 8:30pm. Ten hours later, we awoke, rested and ready for a great show. Which we had, at a decked-out theater in Rockville with a star drop, projections, a super-cool crew and a packed house that laughed at everything. We played, packed, picked at our food at a diner, and then set off for the wilds of New York City. When we hit the apocalypse.

Just as we approached the Delaware border, we hit traffic. In an hour and a half, we moved a quarter of a mile. And we were showered with sideways rain and hail. To our horror, we discovered that the cause of the delay was a 28+ car pileup in front of us, including at least three semi trucks. Everyone drove a lot slower for the rest of the trip.

Shaken, but OK (and a little hungry), we stopped at a rest stop in NJ. All was fine (our Uno game was kickin') until the power went out. We decided that this was a sign that we were to leave, so off we went in our sprinters. Only to find ourselves in four miles of traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike. The reason? A downed power line from the storm we had just waited through shut down the roadway in both directions, and traffic was being diverted. After a police escort around the live wires, we were on the way back to New York, where we arrived at 10:30pm. Three hours later than expected.

Oh NJ/DE, why you do us like you do?

Kid quote of the day: When Max dove for, and missed, the mallet during "Happily Ever," crashing to the floor, a little boy called out, "Max, are you OK?"

Call tomorrow: 9am, Manhattan garage near Columbia. Erie, PA or Bust!!