Vacation - Monday's Car Troubles

After a bit of internet issues, I am ready to blog again. As I mentioned in my last vacation post, we had a bit of car problems. We had rented a Dodge Avenger from Enterprise so that we didn't have to put the wear and tear on our own vehicles. While the guys thought this was a great plan, I was hesitant. You never know who drove the car before you and you don't have any clue as to what condition the engine, battery, transmission, brakes, etc. are in. With your own car you know these things. Granted anything can happen but at least you have some control over maintenance before leaving on your trip.

Fast forward to Monday. We are getting ready to leave town but Dave wanted to stop one last time in Manhattan for last minute souveniers. We take the Battery Tunnel to Battery Park and notice the car doesn't sound right. The car barely made it outside the tunnel. We turned off onto a side street and the transmission made a horrific grinding and screeching sound. After that, the transmission was no more. We were stranded on a side street with no parking and no shoulder to pull over on. If that wasn't enough, the intersection immediately before where we were stuck goes from four lanes to two lanes, one of which we are completely blocking. Nerve wracking does not even beging to explain how I felt. On a positive note, there was a bicycle path to the right of the street that had a beautiful city garden bed along it. I was able to relax with my camera briefly.

Fortunately, there was an Enterprise about 15 minutes away. We ended up sitting in traffic for about and hour waiting for the tow truck. Then it was a cab ride to Enterprise, where they put us in a brand new Ford Fusion. It only had about 2500 miles on it. We made it home without any more problems. Here are some photos from Monday's highlights.

Remnants of the 1964 World's Fair as seen from the highway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_New_York_World's_Fair



The broke down Dodge Avenger.



The Ritz Carlton Hotel where they graciously allowed me to use the restrooms while stranded.



The city flower bed next to the bicycle path.















The Avenger and the tow truck. The driver was very nice and found it amusing that I wanted to photograph him.







One of the outdoor flowers stands found all over New York. This one is next to the Enterprise on Fulton St.



The new Ford Fusion ready to go. By the way, we want one. It was very comfy and roomy.



~Jessica~