Trip 16: From Pach

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Entry posted by TekindusT · August 28, 2009

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Comment Replies
Wow, lots of comments in the last entry...
gotsomemilk: Thanks for your comment! You can find that sub-surface metro station here, in the STEX. I can't remember its exact name, but just search for "London" and it will appear.
earwax_man: Thank you for your comment and keep with your impressive cities!
carlux_24: Thanks for your comment! You can find the Staples Center in www.davidluart.com. He's an excellent BATter but some of his creations are too large for the STEX so he has got his own webpage where you can download them all.
k50dude: Thanks for your regular comments and visits! The train you see in the pic is regular rail but on raised tracks.
Retep Molinari: Thank you for your comment, too! Have you been in London lately? BTW, can't wait to see more of your Central Syldav...
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More than 4000 views, 49 comments, who's going to be the 50th? Thank you all very much! When I began this CJ I never thought that it was going to be so successful (or at least, successful under my point of view...)

Carrer dels Stukkas (Stukkas Street), 5:02 a.m.

Friday night. It was a good night to be working. I like driving the taxi during nights and I had scheduled to go out today. I was driving around Districte de l'Aeròdrom (Aerodrome District) and had carried very different people that night, but always returning to that point of the city. It was the most trendy place these days, the place where the best nightclubs were placed and where the best parties were hold. The most party-lovers enter in this district at 1-2 a.m. and go out at 6-7 a.m. in a very Spanish-like way of partying.

I was driving along Stukkas Street, in front of Pachá Club Alarconia, when I saw two people making me signs to stop, which I did where I could. The club seems little seen from the outside, but the visible part is only the lounge and reception, the club itself is made underground with a great capacity.

Three people entered into the car, two boys and one girl and they all sat in the backseats. I calculated they were on their early twenties and they seemed very well dressed. The two boys wore a suit but one wore a tie and the other not. The girl wasn't wearing "haute-côuture" but she was fancy enough to be able to enter in every nightclub in the nation.

"Good night..." I said.
"Good night." said in English the boy in the tie. "Can you take us to 16th Street in Americana, please?"
"Of course..."

I started the engine and headed to the Aerodrome. I realized that one of the boys didn't look very well...

"Is everything allright?"
"Not much... He's a little ill and this is because we're going back home..." said the girl, who sat in the middle of the boys.
"Do you know what illness has he?"
"We have touched his forehead and seems a little bit of fever, but we don't know if it's flu or a simple cold..."

I observed through the mirror that the boy was sweating like a pig and had unbottoned all the buttons of his polo shirt, while we were now in Ronda de l'Aeròdrom (Aerodrome Beltway).

The Aerodrome was the former Alarconia Airport, the first one in the country until it was replaced by the modern Daniel J. Alarcón International Airport. It was built because Alarconia City needed real international airports and it had grown so much that nearby buildings were dangerous for big aircrafts. When it was built, the Airport became Aerodrome and, along with Americana Aerodrome, holds civil aviation and cargo flights.
I continued towards Carretera de l'Aeròdrom (Aerodrome Road) and took the Autopista (The Motorway).

"Can we open the windows?" asked the boy in the tie.
"Of course. Let your friend take fresh air..." I said, a little worried. The girl was drying his neck with a kleenex.

I took the Autopista and then, the Interchange to A2 Motorway, the one that leaded to Americana. I drove slowlier than the usual to make the air entering into the car the least annoying as possible.

"Before your friend got ill, have you had a good night?" I asked, to give a little of conversation.
"Yes, it has been great... We were celebrating a birthay so we've gone dinner in Downtown Americana and then we've taken some taxis to get to Pachá." said the boy in the tie. "We always go by car and people who have to drive stay away from alcohol that night. But we didn't wanted to ruin the party to anybody so we've taken a taxi..."
"Well done."
"What? The thing of the non-alcoholic driver or taking a taxi?"
"Both." I smiled.

I did a pause.

"Does Americana have it's own Downtown?" I asked. The girl answered.
"Well... everybody calls it in that way... We know it's a small city but the place where the ballpark [she meant e2i Field] and the tall buildings deserves to be called "Downtown"."
"Sometimes I forget how American-like is Americana."

We were passing besides lightened up office buildings. Municipal regulations only obligated buildings taller than 30 stories to switch off all their lights, but the ones shorter than 30 had no regulation about it.

The boy with fever seemed a little better now that he had taken some fresh air. But now he was clearly dizzy and I feared for the taxi upholstery and for the fancy clothes they all were wearing.

We were passing now between the two Alarconia City Gate Towers and I saw how the UrbanRail was running now. Its service begins everyday at 5:30 in the morning.

"The place are you going is East or West Americana?"
"East Americana."
"So I go through Atlantic Tech?"
"Yes. It's shorter than taking Atlantic Avenue." replied the boy in the tie.
"I don't know the city very well so it will be better if you guided me..."
"Don't worry, it's easy."

As we had to go to Avinguda dels Enginyers (Engineers Avenue) I had to take take to the right Engineers Interchange.

We entered in Universitat Politècnica de l'Atlàntic (Atlantic Technological University), popularly known as Atlantic Tech. As described some entries ago, it is the most prestigious and well-known university in Alarconia, taking its name from the Atlantic Ocean where Alarconia is placed. Now, we had at our right hand the Atlantic Tech Indoor Arena and the ugly elevated Metro rails had become a nice ground light rail network, making that campus look even better.

"Ouch, it remembers me that this Monday I have to go back..." said the boy in the polo shirt, a little better now.
"What degree are you studying?"
"Civil engineering..."
"Tough degree..."
"The toughest I can say."

We took now Avinguda d'Americana (Americana Avenue) and I knew we were arriving. Were passing besides the Industrial Engineering School.

"Do you all study here?"
"No, he studies here but we both study Law at American College..." said the girl, pointing to the fever boy. I described Alarconia American College in Trip 2.
"Is it hard?"
"To be sincere, absolutely not..." she said. The boy didn't seem to be agree with her.

Some meters later, we were entering in Americana and the ground light rail became elevated Metro again.

Americana is the most American-native populated city in Alarconia; with a proportion of 80% American-native, 12% Catalan-native and 8% of inmigration. It wasn't the place where North American community arrived first, but is the place where the majority settled, with their own lifestyle and architecture. In fact, all the northern part of Illa de Nova Catalunya (New Catalonia Island) has American-native majority population. It is impossible to count how many American flags stood in front of houses throughout the city.

The guys guided me, told me to take the fourth street to the left and so I did, feeling I was inside a Hollywood movie. There were pick-ups parked in front of the houses, signs pointing to the place where live the players of Americana High School american footbal team...

They made me stop in front of a huge manor, huge in comparison of the other houses surrounding it. The girl paid the amount the taximeter said, 50.35 AL$ and they all got off the taxi, saying goodbye. She gave me 52 AL$ and told me to keep the change, as usual, American-native are more generous with tips than Catalan-native.

I started the engine when I saw that all three headed to the main door of the manor, when I saw how the boy in the polo bended down. OK, he was puking... I've been lucky!

This was the last trip of today, I headed home.