"Don't put all your eggs in one basket." In my case, I shouldn't have placed all my trust into my GPS.
As a last minute decision, I decided to take the family down for a road trip to Mystic, Connecticut. What's in Mystic? Well, there is a gorgeous aquarium filled with aquatic animals like beluga whales and sea lions, plenty of places to explore and learn more about aquatic animal life; perfect for the kids. But to be perfectly honest, this trip was designed for the sole purpose of visiting a double bass shop for myself. A little out of the ordinary? Absolutely. But, when you're considering to make a serious investment, you want to know in your gut that it was the right one. Sometimes, you need some concrete evidence rather than what you read on a web page.
Back to the GPS.
Call it what you may. Whether it be ignorance, gullibility, male bravado, or just plain laziness, I felt that the GPS would get us to Mystic, CT the fastest way possible without any problems. Well, the route that we took should have only taken us 10 hours, but thanks to the unfailing faith in this device, it took us about 13.5 hours to get down Mystic. Well, I should have figured out that things were a little fishy when we constantly kept seeing signs pointing us to New York City. This held especially true when hit New Jersey. Now, I was under the impression that New York City was easily avoidable, but when I saw signs welcoming us to Staten Island, I knew we were up for a bit of an adventure. We found ourselves weaving off and on NYCs many bridges late in the evening as well as trying to navigate through its busy Manhattan, Bronx, and Brooklyn streets. After an hour of getting discombobulated in this enourmous metro-maze, we found ourselves back on the interstate.
Now, you would also think that the GPS would help you avoid traffic. Again, such was not the case. From what I found out from the locals, anyone that's been on I-95 at any given day knows that that freeway is constantly under constrution. At 10:00pm on a Sunday night, there were a number of sections on I-95 straight into Connecticut where two lanes would be under repair forcing traffic to mergge into one lane. This slowed us down to a stop many times. If we were going any slower, we would be moving backwards. Pulling into the hotel was absolute bliss having been in the car for over 13 hours, especially knowing full well that I would have the chance to but my head down to rest.
Lesson learned: Bring a map.
After a long drive through the night, the next daywould have to include a place where the kids could walk around and explore was an absolute must. Enter Mystic's Aquarium. We all had the opportunity to learn about Beluga whales, sea lions, penguins and many different types of fish. Granted, the kids really just wanted the chance to run around and be kids. After lunch, we all headed in to Upton Bass in Stonington, a couple of miles east of Mystic.
I went in on my own into Upton while my wife stayed with the kids where they could just run around and play and to make sure that they would not disturb me and those working at Upton Bass.
When I first walked in I knew that I was going into a shop that I was not accustomed to. Most violin shops that I've gone to are filled with violins and cellos with a couple of double basses; here it was quite the opposite with just a few violins hanging high on the walls acting as crown moulding. The double bass was the focus of this shop and its passion. Many double basses lined the walls as well as those that stood center-stage on stands in the middle of the display room which grabbed my eye once I first walked through the door. I had the opportunity to just walk around and take the time and look at all the basses that they had on the display floor.
I had a chance to meet Jack who spent a great deal of time with me giving me a tour of Upton's workshop. I had a chance to see how their basses are created from start to finish as well as the basses that they were restoring. Jack has a wealth of knowledge about building and repairing and has a great passion for the double bass. Although, I do regret not having the opportunity to see him play.
I was also given the opportunity to play a bass that was under the property of Tony Falanga (bassist with Ornette Coleman). After playing my first note, I knew that this bass was special. It had a clarity and warmth that could cut through molasses with its brilliant attack. It was difficult to put this bass down and it just did not seem right to try to audition any other basses after this one. Playing arco on this bass was also a pleasure, but I felt self-conscious because my brain and hands have made the switch to playing in fifths. Furthermore, I tend to get a little insecure in my abilities when playing in front of other players (it's just in my nature to feel that way).
I had the chance to play Falanga's bass in the back room where basses were being worked on before they were shipped out as well as see an aluminum bass. It seems that there is a lot of work put in to every bass that they produce and there is much care into every little detail before a bass is shipped out. Having made the trek out has reassured me that this is where I would like to purchase my next bass.
The road trip back was so much easier since I spent the night writing down Google Map's directions home. Even with a long stop-over in Buffalo, we still made it home in less time than it took us getting down to Connecticut that Sunday night.
So, what did I take away from this trip? Well, I found out just how resiliant my family is with long road trips. What was already a long trip could have been made longer with loud, cranky kids yelling the whole trip. I also found that everything about Upton Bass is first-class. Lastly, a GPS's driver should be updated regularly and should not be your only option.
Now, to save up some money for a new bass.
