I grew up in the suburbs of London, England and learnt to drive in London traffic, many times making it round Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly Circus without incident. English drivers are aggressive, they get on with it, but they also know that most times it is easier to let everyone merge and the traffic will move more quickly. London streets are rarely straight, or wide so you get used to parking in small spots and driving down narrow streets.
So, yesterday, I am meeting with a new client in Philadelphia, a referral from The Somers Team, who wants to move out to Lower Merion and they have three very young children. I like to meet with potential clients before we start working together to see if we hit it off, and also to find out what their expectations are, the best way to communicate with them and what is most important for them as well. I also like to let them know how I work and what I do and the best way to communicate with me. As they had such young children I said I could meet them at their home in Northern Liberties to make life easier.
So I have plugged their address into my GPS and have no problem finding their street, but as I am driving down it I realize that the road ahead is blocked by some saw horses across the street with PWG markers, I can see a dumpster and that the road has been dug up and presume that I can go no further, so make a detour and find a parking spot on an adjacent street. As I am walking back a UPS truck comes down the street and has the same problem, but drives right up to the saw horses, parks, the driver gets out, moves the horses, stamps in the trench across the street, I guess to see if it was going to hold his truck, jumps back in drives over the trench, stops and replaces the saw horses and carries on. It made me laugh at myself and realize in the old days I would have done that, but I guess I have just become to obedient to signs and detours in life. But then again as I said above I ain't no city boy.
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