Living Around Livingston » car

An Exciting Commute on the NJ Turnpike

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:20:56 +0000

Fast and furious we were not on the NJ Turnpike…

Rather, there was a lot of braking and rubbernecking. But this time it was kind of understandable . . .

Instant Traffic Alerts via Phone, Text, Email or Twitter

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:23:51 +0000

When driving, traffic information isn’t more than a couple of minutes away:

1010am on the 1’s (01, 11, 21, 31, etc)
1030am on the 5’s (05, 15, 25, etc)
880 on the 8’s (08, 18, 28, etc)

XM radio has dedicated weather/traffic stations for most major cities that just go on infinite loops.

But these are all passive methods. You have to wait through commercials, or other content before you get the exact information you’re seeking.

Now, there’s another way (or two or three. . .).

511 info has set-up customized alerts which you can set-up online
I subscribe to the 511 New Jersey specific Twitter account Other accounts based on georgraphy are also available
DIAL 511 on your cell phone and you can go through the automated menus to get traffic or transit info the specific bridge, tunnel or highway you’re planning to use.
Sometimes it’s better to be in the know. Now it’s just fingertips away.

What do you use to get the scoop on traffic reports?

Best Place For Coffee In Madison, NJ (and its not Starbucks)

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:46:00 +0000

This morning, I had to get a ton of reading done and needed a place to just sit down and get it all done. There aren’t that many places around town to just plop down, enjoy some fresh brewed coffee and do some work…(free WiFi would be nice in this search too).

So while staring at my dashboard I noticed that I needed an oil change for my Honda Odyssey…DING! A light bulb went off in my head and I headed straight for the Madison Honda dealer.

Why? Talk about killing 2 birds with 1 stone:

My minivan will get the oil change it needs and the annoying “OIL LIFE” reminder will be wiped off my dash with the secret ninja button combinations that only Honda dealers know about (my local Firestone auto care center had no clue how to reset the oil change reminder on an Odyssey, so I had to bring it to the dealer last time just to wipe off that dash board notice! Ugh!. For $25, it’s a decent deal for an oil change with OEM filter and oil.
They have a free internet pc in the lounge as well as free WiFi for laptops. I can get work done here just as I can anywhere else.
Coffee. They have those nifty Flavia instant brew pod coffee makers which makes a decent cup of joe….free. Just saved myself from giving $4 (or more if go for another cup!) to Starbucks down the street.
And if I get bored, I can watch the plasma TV hanging on the wall.

What more could you ask for for a productive Tuesday morning?