All Aboard: Driving the Chevy Traverse around New York

Does it seem odd to drive to a train show?

Holiday train show at the New York Botanical Garden

Well, the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden is a bit of a misnomer. The annual show, in residence for two months, has plenty of model trains. But it also has models of houses and structures around NYC.

We particularly liked the Coney Island section and the area devoted to Lower Manhattan. When you see the show with older kids, you examine the buildings more closely. We were saddened by how many of them had been knocked down.

The glorious Beaux Arts Penn Station was there, rendered in bark, leaves and twigs. At least the building's demise led to an outcry and to the formation of the NYC Landmarks Law.

Spreading out in the Chevy Traverse

Second row comfort, and light pouring in through oversized windows

I was surprised that the 3 row Traverse is considered a midsize SUV. We found it quite roomy, with captains seats in the second row and a full size third row. There was plenty of floor space for an overgrown dog as well.

Behind the third row there was a large cargo area. We drove to Thanksgiving in it, instead of squeezing into our small sedan, and had tons of room for the cakes, pies and sides I was supplying.

Button on lower right reveals a secret compartment

The Traverse gets only 18 mpg in the city, 27 o the highway. But considering that we drove our friends, who were going to take a second car, w saved a ton of gas. If you are just driving yourself around, this may not be the ideal vehicle.

We didn't get to put the AWD to the test. You switch into this as needed. But considering I had the SUV a week after a snowstorm paralyzed the New York region, with cars spinning off the road, this is an important feature.

Note: Chevrolet loaned me the Traverse. I was not otherwise compensated.

Driving Me Crazy: My Daughter's Song Choices

U2 on Sirius XM!

It's funny how quickly you get used to something that you never knew existed. WiFi in the car? Great when we drove a Chevy Silverado but then we missed it in the otherwise luxe Kia K900.

So we were shocked - shocked - when the tricked out Ford Expedition we took on a road trip didn't have Sirius XM. Oh, it had the preview stations, but I like to listen to my 70s & 80s Next Wave station. Elvis Costello, The Kinks, Joe Jackson...

We listened to a few radio stations, but the commercials are so annoying and the reception was spotty. Then we plugged my daughter's iPhone in and she controlled the tunes.

I don't know how it happened that we raised a kid in the city and she likes country music. Not exclusively - she also likes pop, Bruce Springsteen and U2. But she's on this country music kick right now.

I guess it's preferable to her addiction to Music Together as a toddler, or her obsession with Broadway show tunes, ages 3-11. And I like Broadway music, just not the pained moaning when my husband sings along.

This was one of our last trips with our teen daughter - we were returning to a college for admitted students day, and soon we will be driving an empty car to visit her. So I guess listening to country music for a few hours is a small price to pay.