Golf day

Went golfing for the first time on Thursday. My team at work took the client to a golf club in Westchester County. It was a perfect day for golf - well, I think it was, but didn't have any prior experience to base this assumption on. Regardless, it was a beautiful day.

It was actually quite a day of firsts . . .

*Rented a car in NYC, a Ford Expedition

*Drove through a couple NYC neighborhoods (Financial District, East Village, Union Square and Murray Hill) to pick up all the guys. I was the designated driver for the day but had four backseat drivers the whole way to Carmel, where the course was located. Refer to the map below to see the route I took - I started right about where you see the words "New York City" and ended at the star*Drove a golf cart . . . had one all to myself as we had an odd number of participants and I wasn't actually a golfer. Now I understand why Dad always enjoyed those golf outings :)*Putted - as I wasn't technically playing, just took a couple op's to try my hand *Tee'd off - once again, had to at least give it a try (I did quite well, aka didn't lose the golf ball)* 18 holes! Good job boys
*Fueled up in NYC - quite a challenge with these one way streets. Was headed west on Houston, took a U-turn (didn't even bother to look to see if it was prohibited), headed east on Houston, realized there wasn't an entrance on Houston, drove until reaching a street I could take south and circled around to Crosby (street with a very narrow entrance to the gas station) - but I was able to get fuel so it was all good
*Parked in a parking garage (though the attendant wasn't very happy with the size of the Expedition)
*Drove down Broadway!
Those were just a few highlights - hopefully you can imagine the adventure I had!

Here are some snapshots of the golfers:

Here are some scenery shots:

So maybe got a bit carried away with the picture-taking :) I was just mesmerized by the golf skills and changing leaves (I have been surrounded by tall buildings and concrete and didn't realize that Fall was creeping in!) Everything was so beautiful out there - definitely enjoyed my time away from Manhattan - and was quite glad to safely return!

What I learned on this adventure:
1. Be aggressive when driving in this city - get your vehicle where it needs to be, everyone else is doing the same
2. Maybe traffic signs are more of suggestions than regulations?
3. Everything I now know about golfing (no quizzes please!)
4. Expeditions just might be too big for city driving
5. City driving is actually relatively fun