On Tourism and Traffic

If traffic is any indication, tourism is back in Central Florida. I've had to use every one of my alternate-route plans in the past 3 days to get around the gridlock, at virtually unpredictable times of day. I haven't seen traffic this bad in over a year, in fact, so this would presume the "pre-you-know-what-date" levels of travel are back, for at least this weekend.

I was reminded on Saturday that I should be glad of this; after all, people travelling = continued employment for those of us in the tourism industry. And, okay, I admit smiling a bit to see "NO Vacancy" signs lit up along US 192 again. But please allow me a bit of a scowl as I waste my newly-$1.40-a-gallon tank of gasoline inching down the road. It's easy to miss 98-cent gasoline and zero traffic.

Vaguely related: a recent survey (which I even referenced at work!) talked about how some greater-than-half of respondents to an online survey of gays & lesbians hadn't altered their travel plans since you-know-when. Of course, the question they failed to ask, in my opinion: Did you have any travel plans? I know I didn't, but would have had to answer I hadn't changed them, either.

Even less related: Why do I find it amusing that, in downtown Orlando, South Street runs west, and sits north of the East-West Expressway (aka "the 408")? Until Bj moved to the area, in fact, I always refered to South Street and "the other one on the other side" (instead of Anderson).