Roadtrip! Part 1 of 2 - Barry: Fully Loaded (a dangerous suggestion with a Beretta)

On the first leg of the YuhChic & J-Cap 4th of July Weekend tour, we were transported to the magical Jersey shore by Barry the Beretta (thanks to Julie for the name). Barry is my sweet car...and by "sweet" I mean "crappy, but loveable." Is it the weird sideways car handles? The lack of A/C? The hood that doesn't quite open? The poor shocks? The fact that the car is named after a gun? Barry's charms are endless!

We got to NJ without much incident (or A/C). Good job, Barry! The trip from Chicago to Toms River is about 900 miles, or 15 hours of driving. That's a lot of bugs splattered across the windshield (an unpleasant and nasty experience). We stayed at a super skeevy Super 8 in Youngstown, Ohio, and ate some exceptionally crappy road food along the way. Highlights included a weirdly salty Hardee's chicken sandwich and a "BBQ" "pork" "sandwich" (yes, there are reasons for the quotation marks).

In ranking the quality of highway rest stops along I-80, Ohio definitely comes out on top. The Buckeye State provides exceptional facilities for families and truckers alike, and all the stops were equipped with a Souvenir Penny machine -- you know, pay 51 cents to smash a penny. For those not aware, it is also worth noting that the automated paper towel dispenser is very popular once you reach Ohio. When encountering one of these dispensers for the first time, calmly wave your hands in front of the little spot that says "Automated" and don't just stand while frantically waving your hands under the machine (like you would do with the much more common automated hand dryer). Trust me on this one.

Pennsylvania (a.k.a. the "We Are Too Wide and Need to Be Split Into Two States" state) deserves an honorable mention for the cute park-like rest areas with picnic tables that make up for the poorly stocked vending machines.

One of the purposes of my trip was to re-register my Beretta in NJ and swap cars with my parents. Now I have a nifty Chevy Malibu that is actually fully loaded! The ride back to Chicago was much more comfortable (sweet, sweet A/C), and the Malibu (which shall remain unnamed) is much roomier so that I can pack it full of my material possessions when I move back home. But it's just not as cool as Barry (with the exception of the A/C part). I loves ya, Barry! I'll be back!! Let's hope you don't break down before grad school starts!!!