Social Commentary: Allergic to the 'Hood

Many people don't know this but DC's city planners purposely designed Washington to be confusing. I was told this by a cab driver when I moved here over 10 years ago. My response: I guess? He said it's just in case terrorists ever decide invade the Nation's Capital and go kamikaze on our asses. I've heard similar versions of this story but I've just been too lazy to research it much. I do know that after 15 minutes of trying to navigate through this mess of a maze, any terrorist would fly into a rage, screaming, "lalalalalalalalala" and detonate on the spot! But I digress. Driving in DC is a game, much like dodge ball. To combat my road rage, my mom got me a navigation system for Christmas. Talk about a soothing solution. My road chick's voice calms my nerves something serious. There is one thing that I've noticed though. My navigational homie is allergic to the hood! Yes, my computer compadre is bougie. The other day I was trying to locate a club in a less desirable part of town. I knew a few short cuts but when I plugged in the address, the system steered me toward the highway, adding a good 15 minutes to my drive. Now, I know what you're thinking, there are alternate route requests on every navigational system: shortest and quickest. I tried both and they avoided the hood like a studio gangster. So what is this about? I think it's good to drive through different neighborhoods. It helps you gain perspective. You can either play "that's my house" in the affluent areas or "I'm glad that's not my house" in the 'hood. Sort of how you did with your siblings on a long drive when cars were all you wished for. So, I'm declaring this week,  "Nix the Navigation System and Drive Through The Hood" week. Take a detour, wave at your cousins but just make sure the windows are up and the doors are locked when you do!