Next should come the actual "business" part of our day: The 5th Annual DC/Maryland/Virginia CIS Alumni Reception! A little confused over where our starting destination was, it seemed smart to use the GPS on my phone to get us to the reception venue, Clyde's of Tyson's Corner. After some fiddling around and waiting for accurate triangulation, we were on our way on a < 3 mile trip that was predicted to take over 12 minutes. Eh?
The roads and turns we were taking seemed screwy, but Google is never wrong! so we followed. At exactly 1:59 PM, we arrived with perfect timing at the venue. But... where was it? There was nothing to be seen but a leafy thicket. The Google Maps on my phone was even kind enough to switch to a street-view of what was supposed to be Clyde's - but it literally gave me a STREET VIEW. Of CARS. Ooookay.... So we pull over. At this point referencing Joe's printed out map, I typed the exact address of Clyde's into my phone, which then tells us to go in the opposite direction for 3 miles - another 12 (or more) minutes. And why was this different?
After waiting through what seemed like every one of roughly 239507 traffic lights, Google tells us we're there - but we see nothing but SAIC and some retail stores. After a few minutes of ruthless mocking of my navigation skills (which I would like to go on the record as saying are normally very on point), the decision was made to follow Joe's map, instituting a "like we should have in the first place" attitude. Off we go again in the opposite direction when we realize: Joe's map is just a print out of Google Maps, so it's taking us to the same place the GPS in my phone did the first time around. So we end up up by Wolf Trap again, and I reference the Directions tab on Clyde's website; which in its infinite wisdom says the following:
"Construction of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project has made accessibility to Clyde's of Tysons Corner challenging... Please call us for the directions of the day, and we'll also tell you the soup of the day!"
Wait, seriously...? So Nadya calls and gets more directions, this time taking note of significant visual landmarks ("Behind the Men's Wearhouse", for example). Another 12+ minutes in the opposite direction (and a top notch joke that a car rough roading it in the wrong direction within the adjacent construction site was being driven by one of our fellow RIT'ers who was also lost), and we're there. Well, we're behind the Men's Wearhouse, still trying to find our way. But eventually, the Benny Hill music ends and we finally make it - all in all, 45 minutes late to our own party. Oh, brother.
Here's a fun experiment to try when you're bored sometime: In Google Maps, type in "Clyde's of Tyson's Corner" and take note of the location it shows. Now try clicking "Get Directions" and put in a starting address of, for example, Anita's Mexican Food in Vienna. Now take note of where it actually directs you to go.... See, we're not that stupid, after all. Google CAN actually be wrong, sometimes.
Coming up next - Part V: Let's Party!
The roads and turns we were taking seemed screwy, but Google is never wrong! so we followed. At exactly 1:59 PM, we arrived with perfect timing at the venue. But... where was it? There was nothing to be seen but a leafy thicket. The Google Maps on my phone was even kind enough to switch to a street-view of what was supposed to be Clyde's - but it literally gave me a STREET VIEW. Of CARS. Ooookay.... So we pull over. At this point referencing Joe's printed out map, I typed the exact address of Clyde's into my phone, which then tells us to go in the opposite direction for 3 miles - another 12 (or more) minutes. And why was this different?
After waiting through what seemed like every one of roughly 239507 traffic lights, Google tells us we're there - but we see nothing but SAIC and some retail stores. After a few minutes of ruthless mocking of my navigation skills (which I would like to go on the record as saying are normally very on point), the decision was made to follow Joe's map, instituting a "like we should have in the first place" attitude. Off we go again in the opposite direction when we realize: Joe's map is just a print out of Google Maps, so it's taking us to the same place the GPS in my phone did the first time around. So we end up up by Wolf Trap again, and I reference the Directions tab on Clyde's website; which in its infinite wisdom says the following:
"Construction of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project has made accessibility to Clyde's of Tysons Corner challenging... Please call us for the directions of the day, and we'll also tell you the soup of the day!"
Wait, seriously...? So Nadya calls and gets more directions, this time taking note of significant visual landmarks ("Behind the Men's Wearhouse", for example). Another 12+ minutes in the opposite direction (and a top notch joke that a car rough roading it in the wrong direction within the adjacent construction site was being driven by one of our fellow RIT'ers who was also lost), and we're there. Well, we're behind the Men's Wearhouse, still trying to find our way. But eventually, the Benny Hill music ends and we finally make it - all in all, 45 minutes late to our own party. Oh, brother.
Here's a fun experiment to try when you're bored sometime: In Google Maps, type in "Clyde's of Tyson's Corner" and take note of the location it shows. Now try clicking "Get Directions" and put in a starting address of, for example, Anita's Mexican Food in Vienna. Now take note of where it actually directs you to go.... See, we're not that stupid, after all. Google CAN actually be wrong, sometimes.
Coming up next - Part V: Let's Party!
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