arrival

I'm at the hotel in Charlotte. It was an easy drive, I didn't push it but the speed limits have gone up again -- 70 for part of the way! --and it took about 2 hours. Now I'm chilling for a few minutes before heading to the speedway. I got directions online, but they seem to conflict with the signage on the highway. I think I'm going to abandon Mapquest and follow the signs. After all, how lost can I get? (that's a joke, as you know if you've ever been in a car that I was driving.)

Once I get to the speedway I guess I'll park my car, set up the bubble machine, then cool my heels until the shuttle is ready to bring me back here. There are a bunch of hotels right by the speedway but they put me up in a Holiday Inn about 5 miles away. I wonder if it's hard to get a room right there during an event like this. Or maybe the room rates go up & it's more economical to have us a few miles away. Whatever! As long as I can walk to restaurants I don't care. There are two right beside the hotel but they look pretty blah -- a chain Japanese steak house and a chain New Orleans theme restaurant. I saw a big-ass strip mall as I was driving in, I bet there are lots of places there.