KDP & I had this great idea to head out to Tanger to get a jump start on the holiday shopping. We left my place at 11:00 pm and were making good time to Riverhead. Until we hit exit 70 on the LIE. As soon as we passed the ramp, the cars stopped. We had two exits to go and it was already midnight. But, as far as the eye could see were cars. Three lanes of them plus the losers in the shoulder lane who happened to be stopped, too.
We sat for an hour before reaching exit 71. I asked KDP what we should do. She said we should continue on since we had come all this way. Another hour later, and two crazy phone calls to Crak & Cowboy, we made it to exit 72. Where we drove past the main entrance and the hundreds of cars waiting to get into the lots. I headed for two other potential entrances but we were cut off by a State Trooper. Who pulled in front of one of the entrances and shooed a car trying to drive under the police tape. When that car moved, I pulled up and rolled down the window. KDP asked "How do we..." and he yelled "ITS CLOSED". So she said "Yes, but how can we..." and he yells again, "ITS CLOSED". She said "Then where is another entrance?" (we were thinking that they wanted to regulate entrances and certain ones were closed) to which he said "The whole place is CLOSED. SHUT DOWN. They are beyond capacity."
So we drove further east, hoping to find a place on the side of the road. Nope. We drove about a half of a mile and found cars everywhere. On the street. In parking lots. On the grass. In places that cars should not be parked.
So we turned around and drove home. I got in at 3:30. I had been driving for 4 & 1/2 hours. Without a single purhcase. Without even getting out of the car once!
How does one go from being on the cusp of glitterati status at LV last week to being a reject from Tanger Outlets this week? My life hits faster than a Page Six article!
