Day 01 - New York City (NY) to Virginia Beach (VA)

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9am: We were supposed to see a bit of the city before we leave in the afternoon. But Sanak woke up only at 10am. Hmm, not a good sign for the trip given that we plan to wake up early and do most of the driving during the day to avoid driving at night. Dhiraj called to warn us about the huge snowstorm headed our way. We are gonna be driving right into it. Definitely not the best start to the trip!



1pm: Alright, so finally made it out of the house and decided to show Sanak a bit of New York.. which basically meant making a few rounds of Times Square and keeping him happy with a couple of trips to the M&M and Hersheys store.



5pm: Bags - check. Soda - check. Chips - check. License - check. All set to go!!

Dhiraj has charted out a new route so that we will just swing around the edge of the snow storm and avoid the worst of it. First pit stop has now changed from Richmond to Virginia Beach, VA. We manage to keep Neha occupied for a while by pointing out aircrafts landing and taking off from Newark airport



8pm: Dhiraj doesnt have too much confident in the driving skills of the rest. Seems all set on doing the full 7 hour drive all by himself. Which is fine by both me and Akshay as we decide to just sit back and relax in the backseat. Neha is still awed by the number of planes she saw today



10pm: Neha decides to finally stop the aircraft count and show that she has a superior collection and knowledge of music, so comes up with a game that involves everyone else trying to recognize which song is being played in the car. Dhiraj is still going strong after 5 hours of driving, especially in the dark



12am: We pass by a beautiful stretch of road/ bridge flanked by water on both sides and seems to stretch on forever. Neha is happy to see the water. Dhiraj is looking out for citylights in the distance. Akshay doesnt care.



2am: We finally arrive at our first stop on the trip - the Extended Stay America Hampton hotel. Time to switch off the lights and turn in for the night.



370 miles for the day. Not bad, Dhiraj.

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