S and I went to the Auto Show today. Even though I've lived here 25 years, I've never been, because cars just don't do it for me. But for the three years I've known S (we met in September 2001), he's been talking about going and I've been putting him off. This year, he finally convinced me that it'd be a good idea to go. Last night, when thinking about it, I realized that he was wrong, and it really wasn't that great of an idea, but by that time, the tickets were bought. Damn internet.
I did, however, convince him that we'd have the most pleasant experience we could have if we arrived right at 10 am. So we got out of bed early, drove down to the city, and joined the herds of people gawking at cars. I'm not altogether convinced it was a good experience for me, simply because it appears that I have caught a bit of the car lust that infects my father and S. I sat in a Mini Cooper and decided that I had to have it. I sat in a RAV-4 and decided I had to have it. I sat in a CRV and decided I had to have it. I don't need a new car. I really don't. But now I want one. I love my car, I do, but not as much as I'd love a new car.
As for the actual show, it's mind-numbingly large (by the time we got to Ferrari, I was brain-dead) and full of really, really stupid people. By and large, the people were rude and pushy, and simply unaccustomed to being in public. One old man practically mowed me down trying to get to the Maseratis. S got bumped hard by some big bubba shoving his way through the crowd, and everywhere, in the middle of walkways, people were stopping. Just stopping. If there is one thing that bothers me in a crowd situation, that is it. If you do need to stop, the Auto Show had plenty of space to stop in. The corners in that place....but honestly, do you need to stop in a main thoroughfare? I don't think so. So annoying.
In terms of the cars, besides what I liked, it appears that Ford was winning--the crowds were biggest on the Ford floorspace. It might be the new Mustang, or the fact that some of the most crazy-lookin' concept cars were Fords. Man, the only place that was more crowded was the test track in the Jeep section of the floor. And that test track looked fun, but the line was at least a couple of hours long. No thanks. Back to the Fords--the Fairlane is spectacular, I think, and also the new Shelby. The only other cars I was truly impressed with were the Caddys. But not because I thought they were better than the other cars there, but because the Caddy I remember is a land barge my Grandpa drove. The new Caddys look great, and were attracting quite a bit of attention.
Otherwise, I was bored. Thank god it's over.
Comments