After more than three years of working in Manhattan and almost that much time spent living in Brooklyn I had my fill, it was time to move on. On Friday Sept. 17th I left my job at InterWorld, moved my apartment into storage the following week, and put together a rough plan for this trip. Then at 6:30am I left my parent's home on Long Island bound for the Pacific Ocean, California, a new home, a new job, new dreams, and new adventures. New York City sent me off in grand fashion, with the worst traffic jam I've ever experienced. A complete standstill on the Cross Bronx Expressway while a nasty accident was cleaned up. I said goodbye to New York City for a while as I crossed the George Washington Bridge onto I-80 through the swamps of New Jersey, and out onto the open roads of America. Through the Delaware Water Gap, into Pennsylvania, over the rolling mountains and across the open farmland all the way to Toledo, Ohio. This would be the first of three marathon-driving days. Not that I enjoy spending 12 hours behind the wheel, but more distance covered in the early days equals more time exploring the west. A more than fair tradeoff in my book. “It is an art form to hate New York City properly. So far I have always been a featherweight debunker of New York; it takes too much energy and endurance to record the infinite number of ways the city offends me. Were I to list them all, I would fill up a book the size of the Manhattan yellow pages, and that would merely be the prologue.” -- Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides

Mileage Start: 0.0 End: 620.0 Day 1: 620.0 States New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio