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Monday, May 19, 2014

Part 2: S Gets Real in Chicago

Last time I wrote of first discovering that the Model S actually existed, but was it a "REAL" car?  I was about to find out.
Our vacation road trip to Chicago was awesome. The kids enjoyed the sights and sounds a big city and we stayed right in the downtown area so we did a lot of walking to restaurants and such. On the second night we were there, I found my "Moby Dick"...
I saw this white Tesla on the street.  Definitely the "catch of the day"!
I knew what it was... but seeing it on a car carrier didn't really give a sense of scale or presence-- THIS was right in front of me and it looked gorgeous. Fascinated, my eyes were scanning the streets everywhere we went and my brain was on red alert.  The "sights" of Chicago had just taken a backseat...
The next night we went out for pizza. Walking to the restaurant we happened upon a parked black MS. It was super clean and reflected the lights of the city back at up from all over. I didn't get close enough to see inside but I remember being struck by how curvaceous the MS is, accentuated by the pinpricks of reflected building lights all over the car's flanks. Those were the only two Teslas I REMEMBERED seeing. When I got home and started to sort through all the pictures, I found the one you see below. I never saw that car while we were there.... probably because I didn't hear it!
The fish hook was firmly set in my mouth by the time we returned to Pittsburgh. These cars had been out long enough that I knew SOMEWHERE on the vast confines of the internet, surely, there was a forum where owner's and enthusiasts had gathered. I quickly found Tesla Motors Club - Enthusiasts & Owners Forum and consumed information and anecdotes like the Donner party rolling up on a Cracker Barrel. I wasn't caught yet, but I was doing a lot of intense web searching and was utterly crestfallen to see that there was no Tesla presence anywhere near me. It wasn't surprising, but I resigned myself that despite all the incredible information I was reading, Tesla was still too exotic and rare to be on the near-term radar of a Pittsburgher.

July brought about the usual Summer travel and road trips. One of these was to the Washington, DC area where my cousin was getting married. We had a whirlwind weekend planned full of family get-togethers, wedding festivities, and a couple museum visits thrown in for good measure. While researching the best route for our drive down and programming our GPS for the various wedding venues and such (I was extremely proud of myself for setting that all up in advance!) I found myself, once again, scrolling through Tesla forums and newly posted reviews. On a fluke, I checked the Tesla map... and found that we would be within striking distance of a Gallery. I scribbled the address on a piece of paper and self-consciously packed it for the trip. I didn't even mention it to my wife because it seemed so silly. Who drives that far to go to a car dealer for a car they can't buy??

To be continued...    Click HERE for Part 3.   Or go back to Part 1.

Thanks for visiting us here, CLICK to read more at www.TeslaPittsburgh.com and check out the videos on our YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/NZCUTR.


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