Join me here if you think all this eclipse hype is overblown

[Catwoman]

Ok, I'm just going to say it.

I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE STUPID ECLIPSE.

I am, at this moment, in a place where there will be totality.

Do you know who cares about it? TOURISTS.

Do you know who is mostly really annoyed by the whole thing and all of the traffic and inconvenience that is expected as a result of all these tourists who are traveling ridiculous distances to see this thing? LOCALS.

And the police and the emergency service people who have been ramping up for potential problems don't seem all that thrilled about it, either. Street signs are up all over the place, marking roadways that are reserved for emergency response units only, in the hope that a bunch of idiots won't park on them and block access. We have been told that the smartest thing we can all do is stay home and off the roads. 

If you're one of the people who traveled far and wide to see this thing, I'm glad the weather is great and you'll get to see the event you're excited about. I really am happy for you. But seriously, am I the only one who just doesn't care? Am I the only one who won't even bother stepping outside my door to see this thing? 

Because I have read so much about people taking long trips for this, and people who reserved hotel rooms years in advance, and I am absolutely shocked by that. People who would balk at traveling to visit family or who would be aghast that a friend or relative is having a destination wedding, have reserved very overpriced hotel rooms in mostly boring places, months or years in advance so they could witness a 4-minute event and then turn around and drive hundreds of miles back home. I mean, ok, maybe it will be cool to look at it if you're interested in it, but people are treating it like the Second Coming, and that seems a little... extreme.

Sorry to be so cynical, and I really don't mean to insult anyone, but the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding this eclipse seems insane to me.

 

[alysee]

I agree. My husband and kids are so excited though so I will just pretend and stay in my house. 

[SKL]

Check back with me in an hour and I'll tell you my opinion.

[MEmama]

🙋‍♀️

I'm happy other people are enjoying it, but I couldn't care less and I'm tired of hearing how "phenomenal" and life changing it is. That's seriously awesome for someone to get so much out of a natural, regular and wholly foreseen event, but please stop telling me I have to feel the same!

I keep reading funny comments from Mainers complaining how the eclipse is ruining our perfect sunny day, probably the first one we've had in like a year. lol. I'm happy for the people who traveled all the way up here though.

[Pawz4me]

17 minutes ago, MEmama said:

🙋‍♀️

I'm happy other people are enjoying it, but I couldn't care less and I'm tired of hearing how "phenomenal" and life changing it is. That's seriously awesome for someone to get so much out of a natural, regular and wholly foreseen event, but please stop telling me I have to feel the same!

 

100 percent.

I'm happy for the people who are excited about it and enjoying it. But it's just not my thing to care much about, let alone get excited about.

I do enjoy reading about how ancient peoples and various religions have interpreted eclipses. To me that's way more interesting than the eclipse itself.

ETA: I'm not a very visual person. I wonder if that has a lot to do with my lack of interest?

Edited April 8 by Pawz4me

[ScoutTN]

I saw the totality from my front yard in 2017. Glad to have seen it, but would not be taking a trip to do so. 
 

Only 95% here, in 14 minutes. But it is overcast anyway. 
 

[prairiewindmomma]

🙋‍♀️ Like many sporting events, concerts, and other large gatherings…I am quite happy to watch online from the comfort of my home.

[Clemsondana]

It's not really my thing, but the last eclipse was right over us so we went to a party with other families to see it.  It was cooler than I thought it would be.  But, not so interesting that I'd fly somewhere to see another one.  I'd probably be game to drive an hour with friends or something, but not a big road trip with upcharged hotel rates.  

[Catwoman]

Am I the only person who is secretly wondering if, about 2 minutes into the totality, a lot of people will be rushing back to their cars to try to beat the traffic, like this is the work’s largest fireworks display and everybody is making a mad dash to get out of the parking lot before the other million cars create a massive traffic jam?

[Clemsondana]

2 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Am I the only person who is secretly wondering if, about 2 minutes into the totality, a lot of people will be rushing back to their cars to try to beat the traffic, like this is the work’s largest fireworks display and everybody is making a mad dash to get out of the parking lot before the other million cars create a massive traffic jam?

That was mostly not the case here last time.  While I wouldn't travel far to see one again, there were more things to see than I expected and it was surreal listening to nature get quiet as if it were night...definitely more than 2 minutes worth of stuff to observe, especially if you had to get kids situated.  

[HomeAgain]

We were lucky enough to be visiting family during the 2017 eclipse.  It was interesting, for about 5 minutes for the younger ones.

This time around we're only getting about 90%,   None of us care much about it.  DS14 is choosing to do chores, half the family works in buildings with no windows and won't step outside. I've seen a few and am fine missing the slight shade this time.  I did not want to travel at all, even though we could have only gone a few hours and gotten a spot.

Edited April 8 by HomeAgain

[Vintage81]

I think it's pretty cool, but I definitely wouldn't travel to see it since it only lasts for a few minutes. This time around we were actually in the path of totality, but it was so cloudy that we couldn't see a darn thing! It just got really dark. I do think it's kind of peaceful when it happens and everything gets kind of still and quiet just for a minute. It's like the whole world stops. 

[teachermom2834]

We had totality last time and while I wasn’t really into it, it was very cool and I’m glad we experienced it. I definitely underestimated it. Still wouldn’t spend time and money and deal with crowds but I understand.

This time we had 88% and schools dismissed early and cancelled after school activities and people had parties and everyplace was selling the glasses. It’s over now and we did walk outside and see it but I’m scratching my head. We wouldn’t have known it was happening if it hadn’t been publicized and I really don’t think schools needed to cancel. Maybe everyone was just remembering how crazy it was last time when we did have totality.

[mommyoffive]

6 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

We had totality last time and while I wasn’t really into it, it was very cool and I’m glad we experienced it. I definitely underestimated it. Still wouldn’t spend time and money and deal with crowds but I understand.

This time we had 88% and schools dismissed early and cancelled after school activities and people had parties and everyplace was selling the glasses. It’s over now and we did walk outside and see it but I’m scratching my head. We wouldn’t have known it was happening if it hadn’t been publicized and I really don’t think schools needed to cancel. Maybe everyone was just remembering how crazy it was last time when we did have totality.

SAME. I have no clue if schools cancelled.  But that  was extremely lack luster.  I did have the kids go out, but we wouldn't have thought a thing if we didn't know anything was happening.  It was not surreal or worth the hype at all!

[athena1277]

I didn’t drive the hour or so in 2017 and I’m definitely not driving 5+ hours to see it this time.  I got 2 pairs of eclipse glasses from Kroger and 7yo dd and I watched what we could between the clouds in our front yard.  Saw it (about 90%) for just a minute at the peak.  A little disappointed that we didn’t see the funny crescent shadows like the last time, but it’s a small price to pay to not be I. The horrible traffic I’ve seen pictures of online.  A couple families I know were driving to see it and coming back today.  You would have to pay me an awful lot of money to do that.  4 minutes is not worth it.

 

[Clarita]

I mean I went out to my backyard to see the partial eclipse DS7 was interested DD5 just wanted to ride her bike. Travel for it nope. Life changing also nope. It was nearly total near me some years back. Coworkers and I went out front to see it.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

I’ve sat in emergency management meetings at the county and state level for a year and a half for this—we were in totality or very close to it.

We didn’t get any crowds. The roads are clear of traffic. It doesn’t help that my whole region had really heavy cloud cover. This was totality here: 

Edited April 8 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[Clarita]

Also the NASA feed was pretty good. Much larger/zoomed in than real life and you can see some cool details. Plus someone to talk about all the exciting things to look for.

[alisoncooks]

We’re not big travelers, so meh. But I did make a box to see it through. The kids and I have been popping outside every 15 minutes or so to see it. (We’re not in totality. Just macaroni noodle shaped.)

Edited April 8 by alisoncooks

[SKL]

43 minutes ago, Clemsondana said:

It's not really my thing, but the last eclipse was right over us so we went to a party with other families to see it.  It was cooler than I thought it would be.  But, not so interesting that I'd fly somewhere to see another one.  I'd probably be game to drive an hour with friends or something, but not a big road trip with upcharged hotel rates.  

This is about where I am.

It's not my "thing," but it is pretty cool.  If one can be in it without too much fuss, then why not?  It's like a lot of other things we make time for even though it's not the most fabulous thing ever.  If I were the particular type of nerd who studies the heavenly bodies, I would probably value it more.  (There was a gathering of space geeks on one of our rooftops, so we had some excited people who did travel here for it.)

To be honest, I found it a little less impressive than I expected, but maybe it would have been better had it been a cloudless sky.  That said, it is true that what we saw was not like anything that can normally be seen day or night.

The water birds here were pretty confused.  That was probably the freakiest part of it here, for me.

[Indigo Blue]

Can I pop into the anti eclipse thread and give my opinion? It was FANTASTIC. My son drove out of the huge area of cloud cover and timed the 1.5 hour drive out perfectly to a clear pocket of blue sky. We found a small town with a beautiful athletic complex. There were few people there. We sat in stadium style fold up seats under a cover with a nice bathroom nearby. 
 

We got four minutes of totality. It got completely dark, and the corona was visible. There was a bluish purple glowy ring around the circumference of the moon. There were bright red solar flares coming off the sun that were completely accentuated against the dark outline. I have never seen anything like that. 
 

We brought water and eclipse snacks, lol. 
 

It was fabulous and there won’t be anything to eclipse that experience for quite awhile! 
 

I would post photos but it doesn’t do it justice. 

Edited April 8 by Indigo Blue

[SKL]

Traffic was not bad here.  I think the crowds were smaller than expected.

[marbel]

We had 90% totality. My husband popped in and out of the house to look at it. I remember doing this as a big homeschool thing in 2017 (not 100% then either) and it was kinda meh to me. I'm sure I would feel like it would be awesome to see 100%. I would not travel, but as time goes on, I'm less inclined to travel long distances where huge numbers of other people are likely to congregate.  

As someone upthread said, maybe I'd feel differently if I was a star/space geek. 

That said, I have a great appreciation for natural beauty and am awed by things like waterfalls and interesting geology. So it's not like I don't care about any natural phenomena. 

[SKL]

I will say there really is no comparison at all between totality and any % less than totality.  It's night and day.  😛

[Kuovonne]

We drove 4+ hours last night to get to friends in totality. Traffic was heavier than normal, but still moving at a reasonable pace. We’ll see what return traffic is like.

It was worth it for me. Not life changing (I didn't expect it to be), but amazingly beautiful. The few minutes of totality were completely different from experiencing the partial eclipse. 

We had cloud cover most of the day, but there were enough gaps in the clouds to get occasional glimpses of the partial and total eclipse. It did not get as dark as I expected, and changes in wildlife were fairly minor.

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, Clemsondana said:

  While I wouldn't travel far to see one again, there were more things to see than I expected and it was surreal listening to nature get quiet as if it were night...definitely more than 2 minutes worth of stuff to observe, especially if you had to get kids situated.  

I wouldn't travel to see it, but am really glad I had the opportunity to experience it right in my yard in perfect conditions.  We heard an owl and our spring peepers started going at totality and stopped when it ended.   I enjoyed it much more than expected.

 

25 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Can I pop into the anti eclipse thread and give my opinion? It was FANTASTIC. 

We got four minutes of totality. It got completely dark, and the corona was visible. There was a bluish purple glowy ring around the circumference of the moon. There were bright red solar flares coming off the sun that were completely accentuated against the dark outline. I have never seen anything like that. 

 

It was fabulous and there won’t be anything to eclipse that experience for quite awhile! 

I feel the same way.  I thought I'd be bored, but was really in awe of it all.  

[Corraleno]

1 minute ago, SKL said:

I will say there really is no comparison at all between totality and any % less than totality.  It's night and day.  😛

This. I think a lot of people don't understand the difference between totality and even a fractional % less than totality. Even when the sun is 99.9% covered by the moon, the remaining light is still bright enough to prevent you from seeing the corona. At true totality you can see the stars on a clear day and you can see the corona. In an area that gets 90-99%, watching the moon occlude the sun and seeing it get a little darker is fun, but it's a completely different experience from a total eclipse.

The kids and I were able to see the 2017 total eclipse on a totally clear day and we all thought it was really amazing. DS was able to see the one today by driving about 20 minutes, and said it wasn't quite as dramatic as 2017 due to a few more clouds, but it lasted longer and he was really glad he got to see it.

[GoVanGogh]

We were in area of totality. Millions were expected to come in to this region to view it. 
We went out to a park at the lake by our house. There were maybe 100 people in the area. Some cars had out of state plates. 
It was amazing. 
I don’t know that I would drive hours or fly to see it, but it was simply amazing. 
Trust me, I have been sick and tired of hearing about it the past few days and just looking forward to it being over with. But I loved it so much. I told my husband after that I really need to up my astronomy self learning. I don’t recall anything from my school days, studied geology in college and my only child has always been obsessed with science and way ahead of whatever I tried to teach him. He took an astronomy class at community college during high school. Maybe that is what I need to do. 

[historically accurate]

We were going to travel, but stuff came up and we had to cancel. Our area was at 91ish% totality.

My kids thought that 91% was pretty cool, so eclipse viewing was still a hit. My 80+yo next door neighbor thought it was awesome! He had the biggest smile on his face the whole time - that alone was worth it to me as his wife recently passed and he's been pretty depressed.

All of us were shocked how cold it got all of a sudden.

[BronzeTurtle]

I get being over the hype and apocalypse rapture predictions and all the commercialization. That part is annoying. Crowds of people are annoying.

I hope I'm never too jaded to see the wonder in this sort of natural phenomenon, though. The fact that we can predict it or know a lot about it is amazing. The fact that it happens at all for us to observe as tiny little specks in a giant universe? that things line up just so precisely and we can observe it? I just can't imagine being over it or thinking seeing it on a screen is the same as some kind of sporting event. You can watch the halftime show on a screen, not this. 

I couldn't travel to totality. I wish I could've. It's just everything I wanted to do when I was homeschooling...study astronomy for a few weeks and then go experience the wonder of it. Ah well!

[wintermom]

I have to say that there was more hype on this forum much further in advance to the eclipse than in my area where we had 99% totality. There was definitely some hype in the last few days, and far more hype in the nearby towns and cities with totality.

I'm happy about the forewarning here, as I bought my glasses well in advance, because otherwise I wouldn't have had time. 😉 Thanks!!

I did drive 60 min to be in the totality zone and it was worth it, but it's not something I'd travel far distances for in the future.

[Harriet Vane]

3 hours ago, SKL said:

I will say there really is no comparison at all between totality and any % less than totality.  It's night and day.  😛

This is true. I didn’t realize this until today. Up until actual totality it wasn’t obvious much was going on up there unless you specifically looked through your eclipse glasses to see. As long as any part of the sun can shine it just looks like the sun is shining. Totality was the game changer. I found it worthwhile. 

[Innisfree]

51 minutes ago, wintermom said:

 

I'm happy about the forewarning here, as I bought my glasses well in advance, because otherwise I wouldn't have had time. 😉 Thanks!!

 

Same. Without the heads up here, I wouldn’t have insisted that we spend the time and money to travel. We’re all glad we did.

[AmandaVT]

5 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Am I the only person who is secretly wondering if, about 2 minutes into the totality, a lot of people will be rushing back to their cars to try to beat the traffic, like this is the work’s largest fireworks display and everybody is making a mad dash to get out of the parking lot before the other million cars create a massive traffic jam?

That is exactly what happened here! 

I was able to watch it up at my mom's house - we live near each other - and it was really cool. Traffic cams show crazy traffic and according to one of our local papers, people started heading for their cars as soon as totality was over. 

Also, anyone driving a tesla in Vermont is having a bad day. I passed a charging station and there were over 60 teslas there waiting for 1 of 4 chargers. They will be there for HOURS.

 

[SanDiegoMom]

1 hour ago, AmandaVT said:

That is exactly what happened here! 

I was able to watch it up at my mom's house - we live near each other - and it was really cool. Traffic cams show crazy traffic and according to one of our local papers, people started heading for their cars as soon as totality was over. 

Also, anyone driving a tesla in Vermont is having a bad day. I passed a charging station and there were over 60 teslas there waiting for 1 of 4 chargers. They will be there for HOURS.

 

Something else to make Tesla's stock drop, lol.   I have a hybrid, and I would never get a fully EV unless I was just planning on using it for around town. Long trips seem like just setting yourself up for frustration! 

[Dmmetler]

I discovered that Eclipse glasses and my progressive, need them to see my hand in front of my face glasses are NOT compatible. Getting a major headache is not a life changing experience in a positive way :(. 

[J-rap]

I usually don't get into hype about anything, but I would absolutely love to see a total eclipse someday, even if I have to travel.  I understand thinking that all the hype and tourism that goes into this seems over the top, but I get it too.   It's such a magnificent phenomenon  -- daylight suddenly changing into darkness mid-day! and yet it's a totally explainable natural event.  It kind of blows my mind.  It reminds me of how great and mysterious the universe is and how small we are.  

[Heartstrings]

One thing that was for sure over hyped was the traffic. My state issued a state of emergency in advance and everything and traffic was virtually non existent.  I’m sure that it was because people heeded the warnings, which is a good thing overall, but I made costly plans to avoid being on the roads to avoid traffic that turned out not to exist. 🤦‍♀️  Not the biggest deal, but I’m annoyed about it.  

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Heartstrings said:

One thing that was for sure over hyped was the traffic. My state issued a state of emergency in advance and everything and traffic was virtually non existent.  I’m sure that it was because people heeded the warnings, which is a good thing overall, but I made costly plans to avoid being on the roads to avoid traffic that turned out not to exist. 🤦‍♀️  Not the biggest deal, but I’m annoyed about it.  

Oh man. We ran in to major traffic trying to get home to OK from AR. What normally takes 4 hours took us over 7 hours. There was a big traffic back up near Russellville AR so we got off the interstate and took some lovely backgrounds around that.  That was just wonderful and Dh and I enjoyed it.  Got into OK and sat on the interstate not moving more than 6-8 MPH for an hour and a half at least.  Craziest traffic I have ever experienced. 

[Kuovonne]

13 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

sat on the interstate not moving more than 6-8 MPH for an hour and a half at least.

Yikes! That is what I was worried about. But we were okay traffic wise. The blinding rain and hail at least held off until after the eclipse.

I think if there had been clear skies instead of all the cloud cover, traffic would have been much worse. On Sunday evening, some friends were undecided about driving to totality, but they ultimately decided to stay home due to the weather.

[frogger]

I will have to tell you how I feel in 2033 when we will be a bit closer to the path. 

[Happy2BaMom]

Our house had ~99% totality.

It was OK. I know 100% is supposed to be different, but, honestly, I kind of don't get it.

I spent the day planting, as I'm working on a couple big projects to restore biodiversity to our land & help pollinators/birds. And while I do my best to never judge other peoples' harmless interests or obsessions, it would be interesting to know what the carbon and trash footprint of this event totaled.

I'd love to have 1-2% of the time, money, effort, etc spent on this (& other similar, large-scale human-interest-only) events directed to land care in some form, and I wonder why it is that humans have so little interest in that, and so much in pretty much everything but that.

Edited April 9 by Happy2BaMom

[Ginevra]

Let me just offer another perspective on the Tourists vs. Locals argument: We crazy people who drove 6 hours to see the total eclipse brought an influx of revenue into, in some cases, small towns that *never, ever* serve this amount of business. My friends and I ate at a little family restaurant with super nice, presumably local operators who had their own child/grandchild in a high chair behind the register. They were friendly and lovely about the “eclipsers” who filled the restaurant. I tipped well the young server, who was new to the job and was probably sixteen years old. 
 

We stayed in a small hotel. Same thing here; I’m sure they get little traffic for most of the year. College events are probably the only draw that happens with some regularity. 
 

Gas stations, mini-marts: same. I think it’s great. It drives income into an area that doesn’t typically see that. And, totality was thrilling. And it was my birthday. Pretty much my most memorable birthday of all time. I’m so happy to live in a time where there is such a thing as technology to tell you with a high degree of certainty what you can expect and when, as well as the infrastructure to then enjoy that moment. The rarity of the experience is part of what makes it so absolutely fabulous to experience. 
 

[teachermom2834]

In 2017 our small city that sits on the I-75 was the closest point of totality for some large percentage of the country that I don’t remember now but for millions of people if they were going to drive to totality my town was the closest destination. My then high school senior was a server at Cracker Barrel and that will forever be the biggest tip day and busiest work day ever for him. 
 

I honestly don’t remember it being a huge problem for our town to welcome the tourists. Schools closed and people either went home or stayed out at their place of employment until they could travel. Only the interstates were backed up. By the time the crowds cleared from Cracker Barrel my ds was able to get home. It was a fun day as I remember it. Fun for the locals to experience from their backyards and fun to welcome visitors. 
 

Now, this time people having parties and canceling school for 88% and all the hoopla is annoying but everything is overhyped these days. But if you happen to live in the path of totality yeah that is cool and take the day and let it be special. I do think the rest of us could live our lives with just the passing knowledge that hey this is happening today if y’all are interested. 

[Kassia]

@GinevraHappy Belated Birthday!  What a memorable way to celebrate!  🙂

[Heartstrings]

54 minutes ago, Ginevra said:

Let me just offer another perspective on the Tourists vs. Locals argument: We crazy people who drove 6 hours to see the total eclipse brought an influx of revenue into, in some cases, small towns that *never, ever* serve this amount of business. My friends and I ate at a little family restaurant with super nice, presumably local operators who had their own child/grandchild in a high chair behind the register. They were friendly and lovely about the “eclipsers” who filled the restaurant. I tipped well the young server, who was new to the job and was probably sixteen years old. 
 

We stayed in a small hotel. Same thing here; I’m sure they get little traffic for most of the year. College events are probably the only draw that happens with some regularity. 
 

Gas stations, mini-marts: same. I think it’s great. It drives income into an area that doesn’t typically see that. And, totality was thrilling. And it was my birthday. Pretty much my most memorable birthday of all time. I’m so happy to live in a time where there is such a thing as technology to tell you with a high degree of certainty what you can expect and when, as well as the infrastructure to then enjoy that moment. The rarity of the experience is part of what makes it so absolutely fabulous to experience. 
 

My town had fun photo ops set up and apparently asked people where they were from.  We’re in nowheresville East Texas and had visitors from Italy, London, and Madrid.  I guarantee no one from Madrid has ever before considered our town a destination.  We had a big celebration down town, well publicized.  
 

Edited April 9 by Heartstrings

[maize]

1 hour ago, Happy2BaMom said:

Our house had ~99% totality.

It was OK. I know 100% is supposed to be different, but, honestly, I kind of don't get it.

99% to totality is the difference between viewing a trickling stream going over a 3 foot fall and viewing Niagara Falls. 

You have to experience it to understand. You might think "I've seen a waterfall, it's not all that exciting" after seeing the stream and wonder why people get so excited about Niagara Falls--but if you actually go to Niagara Falls you will realize that the two experiences are not at all the same.

My family drove 20 hours for this one after experiencing totality in 2017. My kids do not love car tripping,  but every one of them said it was worth it. 

I was not as personally affected this time; there was a transcendence to the 2017 experience for me that I have never in my life experienced before or since. It didn't get as dark for us this this time--maybe because we weren't as close to the center of totality, or maybe because of other factors related to the positioning of the earth and moon or to our positioning. But the sudden arrival of dusk and the blazing ring of fire with a black center--those are such incredible, unique experiences. There is no way to understand without experiencing it yourself.

Seeing Venus shine high in the afternoon sky was a neat thing for me this time; I saw this bright star and knew it had to be a planet, but when someone said it was Venus my mind just couldn't wrap around that at first--Venus is always near the horizon! Then reason clicked into place--we only see Venus near the horizon because it is always near the sun (I've always known this) and dusk and dawn are the only times it is dark enough for us to see it. Of course Venus is high in the sky when the sun is high in the sky!

The moment of transition from 99.99% of the sun being covered to the entirety of the solar disk being covered is quite astonishing as well. One moment there is the tiniest sliver of light from one edge of the sun and it still feels like daytime out, though a bit like an overcast day. A millisecond later that tiny sliver is gone and darkness has fallen. And you stand there awed by how much difference 0.01% of the sun's light makes.

[Pawz4me]

33 minutes ago, maize said:

99% to totality is the difference between viewing a trickling stream going over a 3 foot fall and viewing Niagara Falls. 

You have to experience it to understand. You might think "I've seen a waterfall, it's not all that exciting" after seeing the stream and wonder why people get so excited about Niagara Falls--but if you actually go to Niagara Falls you will realize that the two experiences are not at all the same.

 

This is a pretty good example of why it bugs me that people extrapolate their own experiences onto others, as if we all think and feel and respond to things the exact same way. I've seen many waterfalls, including Niagara. It's nowhere near the top of the list of the ones that inspired a feeling of excitement or awe in me.  

ETA: I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that if people would frame things based on what they experienced ("I" or "me") it would come across as much less arrogant, hubristic, and irritating than the "you" approach. And @maize--This entire post isn't aimed at you. Your post was just my jumping off point. The assumptions many are making have been bothering me since yesterday.

Edited April 9 by Pawz4me

[Carrie12345]

I think an eclipse is cool, but it’s not something I want to go out of my way for. I made sure to secure glasses well in advance and was glad for intermittent views on a beautiful day for our 93% spot. It was fun, and I cleaned out my car during cloud cover, so also productive, lol.

I do get that it’s more exciting for others. Like Disney World; cool, but not for me.

I find tourist crowds annoying, but I also live in a spot where our 7,000 population swells to over 100,000 for a long weekend each year. It used to be twice a year. Then it’s over and life goes on as usual.

[KSera]

11 hours ago, SanDiegoMom said:

Something else to make Tesla's stock drop, lol.   I have a hybrid, and I would never get a fully EV unless I was just planning on using it for around town. Long trips seem like just setting yourself up for frustration! 

We do lots of fully EV road trips and are super happy with the experience, fwiw. Would never again choose a vehicle with a gas burning engine. 

12 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

Also, anyone driving a tesla in Vermont is having a bad day. I passed a charging station and there were over 60 teslas there waiting for 1 of 4 chargers. They will be there for HOURS.

Sounds like a lot of people didn’t plan very well (a Tesla has way more than enough range that no one should have planned to arrive in need of a charge right when they left). You also have to admit it’s a pretty unusual situation to have huge numbers of people leaving on a road trip simultaneously. That’s not typical behavior. Gas stations sometimes get backed up for hours when there’s a panic event and everyone’s trying to gas us up for it all at once. That said, yeah, obviously the charging network needs to continue to be built out, as it is and will be.