| Author | Message | ||
| Faisal Khan (Tvrfreak)
Junior Member Username: Tvrfreak Post Number: 202 Registered: 3-2003 |
The performance is more scooter-like than sportbike stuff. I agree it's perfect for city streets, but I wouldn't want to try acclerating from 75 to overtake a big rig. I saw one parked at San Francisco airport a few months ago. It had Belgian plates. Magazine article? Car smuggler? New marketing campaign? Whatever it was, the setting was hysterical. A suitcase on wheels, hard-shelled and packed well, fighting for space amongst much larger American models. Captain Morgan, reporting for duty.  | ||
| Dale W Spradling (Drtax)
New member Username: Drtax Post Number: 45 Registered: 4-2003 |
Kid, you're right on that point. Didn't see any Smart roadsters while I was there, but I have read about them. Sounds like a blast. Kinda like a sport bike, but with 4 wheels. Come on MB, bring em on in! | ||
| Me Myself (Kid_enzoz)
New member Username: Kid_enzoz Post Number: 31 Registered: 4-2003 |
Sounds like you had a blast Dale. As far as gellato bars go, I jsut wish I could find on here... I'm a gellatoholic... I like how you described the traffic. I wish people would be as curtious here... And Smarts, well, they rock!! I wish I could get my hands on a Smart Roadster. hehe Cheers. | ||
| Dale W Spradling (Drtax)
New member Username: Drtax Post Number: 41 Registered: 4-2003 |
For those interested, I thought I�d give a report on my recent trip to Rome. Stayed at the Hotel Nazionale, which was nice and quiet because it fronts the Parliament building, which has been blocked off and is heavily guarded. I highly recommend eating dinner at the Mirabelle restaurant, which is on the top of the Hotel Splendide. Great food and a view to die for. Tried to make it to Samocar to see the Austrian GP, but they were closed on Sunday. (Only one 456 in the window, they sell various brands.) Apparently, sports bars haven�t caught on in Italy because I had a tough time finding a place to watch the race. Ended up in a gellato bar with only a small crowd. On Italian TV, the race looked like a cake walk. Didn�t know about the drama until reading about the race the next day in the Herald. But got a lot of cheers walking around later in my Ferrari shirt (authorized of course). Traffic in Rome is a gas to watch. Looks chaotic. But if you listen carefully, you will hear a symphony. The buses are the bass line. The taxies provide the rhythm, and the scooters are the rock guitar gods! It works like a race course. Everybody has to trust that everybody else will not do something stupid. Plus, everybody respects everybody else. I even saw taxi drivers let scooters back in line. Imagine seeing that in NYC! Crossing a large street gives the best example. Picture a 4-lane road feeding into a 4-lane rotary. Now imagine yourself crossing the street by looking straight ahead and walking in a straight line. So long as you don�t stop, slow down, or speed up, everybody will miss you. Maybe just by inches, but they will miss. The key is a consistent speed. Only saw two F Cars, a 355 and a 360. Ferraris are way too big for Roman streets. The MB Smart cars are the local equivalent of an SUV. And BTW, I want one. Those Smart cars are cool. Two bad, they don�t sell them here. May is a great time to be in Rome. I imagine that the Summer months must be a sweat bath. Everybody was very friendly. They didn�t even mind my redneck version of Italian (just add a vowel to every word). City feels very safe. (Didn�t see any Gypsies, maybe too early.) Next time, gonna head North to the lakes and Nirvana! Dale |