<p>I arrived a bit early -- a whole day before Orientation. The first thing that struck me of course, is that the sunlight was a lot more direct than in Maine.</p>
<p>But who says that it might really be hot this time of year? I love it. It's like Singapore's climate, only the "rainforests" are slightly more temperate. But it's hot and drier. Which is the best thing, because the heat is not repressive. It's invigorating. </p>
<p>Or maybe I'll be begging for those two heavy-duty fans during the week of Move-in Day? </p>
<p>But, what is it with Virginia's love of placing traffic lights at 60 mph roads?!! My mother didn't really get it.</p>
<p>The climate of Cville is hot and humid during the summer and will probably last through the end of September. So you will suffer if you live in a dorm that doesn’t have AC. Good luck!</p>
<p>The lights along US 29 are both dangerous and a long term topic of much debate in the region. Those outside C’Ville want to see a freeway bypass built around C’Ville for US 29. The state even funded it about 20 years ago but anti-growth people in C’Vill have stopped it with lawsuits and foot dragging. It’s ridiculous. Lynchburg to the south considers it C’Ville’s way of keeping Lynchburg down economically so companies will grow more in C’Ville.</p>
<p>The speed limit on Rt. 29 is 45 mph. It was lowered from 55 mph after a high school student, Sydney Aichs, was killed by a speeder who crashed into her as she was turning onto the road. The police vowed to strictly enforce the speed limit on Rt. 29 after that accident. The only place in Charlottesville where you can be legally going 60 mph is on I-64, which doesn’t have traffic lights. </p>
<p>If you go the speed limit on Rt. 29, the lights don’t “catch” you very often.</p>
<p>The rest of 29 (cville north to Gainesville) has occasional traffic lights on 60mph stretches. Though, they do require you to slow down to 45mph - this is really crucial because cops love to pull people speeding (70, 80) over in a now 45mph zone because of the light… Major ticket there. You see the attraction now?</p>
<p>God do cops love 29. I haven’t gotten a ticket yet, but I’ve come very close and seen 3 people around me get tickets, and know 3 friends who have gotten seriously busted. DO NOT speed along 29 between Gainesville and C’ville unless you’re simply moving with semi-heavy traffic. Lots of times I go down and it’s a steady stream of cars going 60mph, which means the cops can’t pull over everyone (unless it’s a certain someone going wayy over) and as long as you’re not first, you’re fine. But, if you’re alone, or with a few other cars, don’t do more than 5 over.</p>
<p>Also, the reason we have these roads is because VA has many, many towns, but only certain large cities. Rt 29 services a lot of smaller towns that shouldn’t have heavy traffic, but it runs between multiple large cities. That is the main source of traffic, and it would be stupid to make it a larger road with interchanges because the small towns are too many, too small, and too close together. Hence the need for traffic lights. Most are green all the time along 29 and only change when triggered by the intersecting road. Just be glad you don’t have to endure the same thing in NOVA where there’s traffic everywhere, all the time.</p>
<p>As for the climate: expect hot and humidity during the day, consistently, until end of Sept. Near mid-Sept, nights will become a bit chillier, as well as mornings, so you’ll hate having to take a coat to class then sweat in the afternoon. By October, things will generally be much cooler and drier, with warmer days mixed in. Nights/mornings can dip into the 40s on occasion. November brings colder (40s-50s) daily, frosts possibly at night. By December, it’s just cold, and wet. Jan-Feb is blistering cold, and not a lot of snow has happening recently. March warms up into the 50s, maybe even 60s somedays, but can still be bitter cold. April it starts raining, all the time, and is somewhat warmer. Somewhere between March and April all the flowers pop up and it’s so nice. By May, you don’t want to leave, or be inside studying.</p>
<p>By blistering cold, do you mean 30s, 20s, low teens, etc.? Coming from the Canadian prairies, -45 to -50 is blistering cold (although not terribly uncommon), but I think a few people may feel that blistering cold starts around 20 :D</p>
<p>galoisien, i was at the same orientation as you and was wondering if you could provide a brief description of yourself? (maybe ill be able to remember who you were in case i saw you). Being an asian myself, we prob. stood out so we’re more prone to recognize each other</p>
<p>back to kinda on topic: Has anyone tried radar dectecs. on rt 29? Im not sure if their legal in virginia…</p>
<p>Radar dectectors have long been illegal in VA.</p>
<p>As far as running across someone in orientation, it is not as likely as I thought. One of my best friends attended the same O as I did and we never crossed paths. I did see his parents though.</p>
<p>Blistering cold meaning it never made it out of the teens for a few patches of 2-3 days. I remember over J-term it was 30s for two days, then beautiful and 60s for 3 days, then went down to 20s for the rest of the time.
And, radar detectors are very illegal in VA. Don’t get busted with one, it’s a huge fine.</p>
<p>Haha, bespectacled, from Maine, nodded off at the Honor Code presentation not because I disagreed with the concept at hand but rather because I thought the presentation was way too cheesy. At the student panel discussion I was at (a smaller group), the first question that was asked concerned “the streaking tradition” (I didn’t know about that 'fore Orientation!). I was the only person from my state?</p>
<p>Actually that’s not very helpful. </p>
<p>At first looking the size of the session K CLAS students themselves, gathered in the Newcomb Ballroom (and trying to imagine how it would be if all the other sessions were present!) concerned me, but it was actually the intimacy of the small little presentations later on that made me feel really glad. It’s not size itself that concerns me, which is why I didn’t flinch at the school population numbers stated on Wikipedia when I applied, but as the year progresses, does the feeling of “getting lost in the crowd” eventually dissipate?</p>
<p>No it doesn’t. Think about this one for a second: speed limits are different in different places. Cars have an optimal run speed. If you’re speeding in one place and going thirty miles an hour, you could still not be at that optimal speed. Fifty is the general speed most cars are most efficient at, so you could be speeding or not at that speed. The only reason this would make sense is if you were constantly accelerating and slowing down because you’re speeding way over the limit. If you’re going that fast, you do deserve the ticket.</p>
<p>Galosien: it never really goes away. Sure, you pass people you know on the sidewalk a lot, or have classes together, or whatever, but eventually you find yourself with a solid net of friends and everyone else just “blends in” around you. It’s a big school, and feels that way a lot, especially in the intro classes. It’s made up for through the intimate times of small classes and groups of friends.</p>
<p>There’s a reason that, during the energy crisis of the '70s, the national speed limit was 55. Cars run most efficiently between fifty and fifty five MPH. Don’t think that if you’re doing 30 in a 45 zone, while everyone else is flipping you the bird, that you’re saving the planet. I’m pretty sure that for every 10 MPH over fifty you lose 10% on your gas mileage.</p>
<p>Canuck: well said. I saw a bumper sticker once saying “while you’re blowing past me, I’m saving gas and the planet”. The nut was doing exactly 45 on a 50mph road. Everyone was blowing pasy him, hpnking at him for clogging up the left lane I blew past him at 55 and honked at him for just being dumb.</p>
<p>Galosien: go find something better to do with your time. Cav302 would simply say: go drink a beer.</p>
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