Hiway safety (or: lost in Watts)

[blackeagle603]

Just had an OMG moment with my wife on the phone.

She hauled a load of girls in our Excursion up the I-5 to Huntington Beach today. It was for a summer end beach party with a bunch church kids from the SoCal region who all go to the same summer Bible camp.

Well... My dear amazing wife gets more and more directionally challenged as the years go by. I got a call from her. She's stopped (STOPPED!!!) on the edge of freaking Watts in a parking lot -- lost and trying to figure out what to do. Went north on the 805 for 30+ minutes till she realized it and then pulled off and couldn't find southbound onramp. Oy vey... my blood pressure. throbbing in my temples. She's freaking out 'cause she's getting eyeballed/mad dogged by freaks in the area. She knows tough neighborhoods. She grew up on east Riverside gang banger hood and we lived in a gang 'hood during Navy years but it wasn't no Watts and she knows it.

I start working Mapquest immediately and tell her "DRIVE! Major street and KEEP MOVING! Call out cross streets."

Then her cell drops out and neither she nor my 2 daughters onboard will pickup on their cell... arrrhhhgggg. I always carry my 38 snub and 1911 when I'm in that 'hood for business. She's alone and unarmed.

Nevermind the multipel GPS units I've bought her. ARRRRHGGG.

Finally picks up and tells me she's on the 405 southbound. Crisis over. I'm rev'ing like crazy though. I NEED some range time.

[arctictom]

A high blood pressure moment, glad you and they recovered, (my wife and daughter always carry, I insist).

[blackeagle603]

I'm going to have to insist my wife get to the range with me. Hasn't been willing since last time in about '86.

[randy]

CINCHOUSE used to have the habit of taking kids from her class home if they missed the bus and/or their crackhead moms wouldn't pick them up or come in for a conference.

Between her father harping on her about liability and professionalism issues, and my harping on the need to keep bail money ready if I had to come extract her we finally got her to give up that little practice.

Then there was the night that she came home late one night with our then 6 month old or so baby girl because she stopped to pick up a hitchhiker and give her a ride to a local fleabag.

Fortunately she seems to have outgrown her naive helpful stage.

I feel for you brother, I really do.

[Aglifter]

FYI, Ranch Hand makes some good replacement bumper grill guards for Excursions...

[workinwifdakids]

We were separated at birth, blackeagle. Domestic 6 did the same blessed thing years and years ago. This was waaaayyyy before cell phones and GPS, so she was calling from a pay phone. My little red-headed, pasty wife calling from a pay phone. "Honey, where are you? I can't help you if I don't know where you are." "I dunno, babe. It's the middle of the night and I'm tired." "OK, love, look up until you see green street signs. Two crossed ones would be good." Long pause... finally, she says something like Manchester and Crenshaw. I said, "Babe, listen to me. Hang up the phone and run. Run as fast as you can and lock the door, and drive. I don't care where, just drive in one direction as long as you can until you run out of gas or you see a cop."


I'll be damned, she eventually found her bearings and got home, but INGLEWATTS for crying out loud? Jeez. I'm glad yours is safe, buddy.

[rightisright]

I feel your pain.

Friend/GF/WhateverWeAreClassifiedAsOfToday recently had a similar outing in Newark, NJ. At 12 pm. On Martin Luther King Blvd.

Thankfully, I talked her out of it, too.

"PAUSE and look both ways at red lights. DO NOT stop and wait for green!"

[Kommander]

I accidentally drove through Watts once. I got on a road that started in Orange County and wanted to see where it went. I knew one end terminated into the side of a hill not far from my house, but I didn't know where the other side ended. I ended up going through the Watts/Compton area and ending up at LAX. I then took the PCH followed by the 55 fwy home. Note that this was at night too. It is one of the very few young and stupid moments I have had.

I have to admit that I really think that the danger is a bit overblown. While these areas certainly are not pleasant it's not like your driving in Fallujah circa 2004.

[Combat Controller]

LOL, I have a warehouse and manufacturing plant in Gardena two blocks from Compden blvd on Main...

[Netpackrat]

I accidentally drove through Watts once. I got on a road that started in Orange County and wanted to see where it went. I knew one end terminated into the side of a hill not far from my house, but I didn't know where the other side ended. I ended up going through the Watts/Compton area and ending up at LAX. I then took the PCH followed by the 55 fwy home. Note that this was at night too. It is one of the very few young and stupid moments I have had.

That sounds like the road my father in law and his brothers refer to as the "trans-jive" expressway.