Caputo's Corner on the Move...Again?

Yes, folks, it seems like I've never been here at all this summer.  I feel like I've toured the East Coast this year.  West Milford, NJ; Durham, NC; Philadelphia, PA; Ocean City, MD; and now Carmel, NY.  You might be wondering to yourself, "Where is Carmel, NY and what is there?"  Good question.  This weekend is my grandmother's 90th birthday party.  Carmel is about 1 hour north of New York City.  You see, the Caputo's are originally from New York.  My Dad's side of the family lived in Brooklyn for several years in a Brownstone they shared with another family.  There's a whole story behind it, and Dad has told it to me several times, but out of fear for divulging potentially false information, I will hold off for now.  My grandfather owned the house in Carmel for several years as a retreat home.  Early in the 1970s, the family moved out of Brooklyn and into the house in Carmel permanently, and they have been there ever since.  My grandmother's actual birthday was back in June, but in an effort to maximize turnout at the party, my aunt (who is putting it together) decided to have the party this weekend.  Don't worry, blogosphere.  I'll be back on Sunday. 

There is an old story in Caputo family lore about me being able to give accurate directions from our house in Gaithersburg (we lived there until I was 5) to Grandma's house in New York.  I used to amuse all of the family members because I didn't know any better.  They would ask me for directions to Grandma's hosue, and I'd just give it to them.  Guess I had my seeds of road-geekdom planted very early. 



NJ Turnpike at Exit 15E in Newark.  The Bridge is the Pulaski
Skyway, carrying Routes 1 and 9 towards NY

 This weekend will mark the second time I will have traveled the New Jersey Turnpike this year, speaking of road-geekdom.  The New Jersey and Pennsylvania Turnpikes are very fascinating roads in that their engineering and development served as the basis for design of the Interstate System, which did not come into being until 1956.  The PA Turnpike opened in 1940 and the NJ Turnpike opened in 1951.  The idea was that for a small fee (i.e. a toll), you can drive long distances at high speed and get to where you're going in a short amount of time.  After World War II, and using Dwight Eisenhower's observations of how the German Autobahn facilitated quick movements throughout that country, the Federal Government decided that a similar system (i.e. the Interstate System) was necessary.  The Turnpikes provided the design standards that would become the basis for the modern Interstate.  There was one big difference, however.  Interstates as we know them are FREE!  Yes, there are some parts that are tolled, but most of them are in the Northeast, and many are toll roads that were grandfathered into the system (both the PA and NJ Turnpikes...at least most of the NJ Turnpike anyway...are in the Interstate System). 

The NJ Turnpike itself is a boring road...but that is kind of the idea.  The PA Turnpike is more fun to drive, especially out west because of the mountain scenery, but still is pretty boring when you're not in the mountains.  The idea is that you are not distracted by things to look at while driving.  You drive fast (but safe), and get to where you're going.  This weekend, the intention is to make the 90 miles or so between the Delaware Memorial Bridge and Exit 11 for the Garden State Parkway (another blog topic in and of itself) disappear in an hour and a half or less.