Here's a not-so-shocking, not-so-secret secret: I am a horrible driver. I blame a complete and total lack of natural instinct for the task, plus, I learned to drive and have done most of my driving in Massachusetts. Which, if you're reading this from far-off wherever, please understand this just amplifies the problem. It is totally normal for me that other drivers wouldn't dream of letting me cut into a line of traffic or will cut me off all together, thereby forcing me to swerve into oncoming cars or a guardrail, or whatever. Par for the course.

That said, I took a jaunt up to the not-so-cold because summer decided to show up in March, not-so-great-white-North. Specifically, a friend borrowed a cabin in New Hampshire and I, being in need of vacation, drove up. At first I was ridiculously worried that I'd agreed to venture into the middle of nowhere, because that's where the GPS took me. Up and down a dark, foggy mountain, even though it turns out I could have just stayed on one road to get where I needed to be. Usual story: it was dark, there were no other cars on this road, I hate nature, etc.

So it was a relief to drive into the town I was staying and find not only civilization but outlet shopping! Yeah, lights, shoppers, discounted merchandise! I can handle anything if I can shop, even the country. So in my way I was then prepared for a weekend in a place not resembling anything like a city. But then it got very weird.

The other drivers on the road got out of my way. They let me out of parking spaces into long lines of traffic. They didn't ride my bumper going up the windy mountain roads. They gave the polite, friendly little wave after acts of driving kindness.

It was very strange. Nice, but strange. Needless to say I was totally out of my element, and I'm not totally convinced it wasn't just the Mass plates on my car that made the other cars keep their distance, although that's not my point. The point is that polite drivers plus shopping means New Hampshire has officially earned my Melanie Griffith in Working Girl seal of approval.