@“Youdon’tsay” I live in a state where testing has always been readily available and easy to get, without sitting in long lines. However, that ended last week and now some places around me are seeing long lines and long waits. The reason? Because people are refusing to give up on the idea of going to Thanksgiving gatherings and unfortunately, wrongly assume that if they had a negative test last week, they are safe to see friends/family on Thanksgiving. As a result, my local health dept, which never required appointments but did offer them, was overwhelmed, with people waiting in lines of cars for two hours. They now require an appointment but apparently those are now booked solid. Additionally, though the positivity rate was down around 3% and we were one of few states doing well, that changed a few weeks ago. With cases surging, more people needing tests combined with those trying to get tested for the holidays, has resulted in long lines in our metropolitan area.
There certainly are lesser known places around here that don’t have lines but the most convenient places are the most popular.
In September they closed several of the big testing sites because there wasn’t much demand. Huge spike in Oct/Nov, we’re now in level RED and huge long lines at the testing centers that are open, mostly so people can travel for Thanksgiving.
Only lines that were longer were at the new In-N-Out burgers. 14 hour wait! Can you imagine waiting in line for 14 hours for a burger? Yesterday it was down to only 8 hours. You could fly to California, drive to an In-N-Out, and get back in less than 14 hours.
They should have set up covid, flu shots and other stations along the lines.
I’ve never been to an In and Out. Are they that good or have some people just devolved into that level of thinking?
I recall being at Disney and one of the new rides had a 4 hour line. To me no ride is worth a 4 hour wait - absolutely none. I’d say the same for a restaurant. An hour wait will have us contemplating going elsewhere for both rides and restaurants.
In and Out is definitely not worth a 14 hour wait. I don’t think it’s worth an hour wait. I put it in the category of best option when you’re driving on a road trip.
I’m a real hamburger person and have tried all the “top” favorites. Of course, as a Texan I’m partial to Whataburger. I’ve been to In and Out quite a few times, and rate it as OK, but not a “go out of the way” place. My top favorite is Smashburger.
The lines were just as long when In n Out came to Texas. I waited several months to try it. It was very meh to me. And the fries are horrible.
I have not seen an increase in wait times for tests here. There actually seems to be more testing spots coming online. I’ll have my DD make an appointment anyway.
DH and I both think In-and-Out burgers are tasteless and the fries are just pathetic. Once was enough for us. I wouldn’t wait in line more than an hour at any restaurant though and never for fast food.
ETA: Sorry, I don’t like to jump in just to be negative, but In-and-Out is the biggest head-scratcher to me. Just don’t get it when there are so many (IMO better) choices out there.
I like In N out, but won’t wait more than 30 minutes. They’ll taste just as good next week when the lines will be 30 minutes.
Part of it may have been that Denver went to Level Red on Friday, so a lot of people had nothing to do all day. I also don’t know if anyone really waited 14 hours. Was the person who got the last burger at 1 am really in line at 11 am?
There is, of course, a luck factor involved. Each action could have some number of COVID-19 lottery tickets (varying by the type of action). One person may risk lots of lottery tickets, but none of them result in getting a prize (infection). Another may risk few lottery tickets, but one of them gives a prize. But also, what prize one may get can be a matter of luck. A small prize (mild infection with no post-recovery after-effects) or a big prize (death or severe disability after recovery)?
Yes, if someone has a very short remaining life expectancy, so that they feel that they have little remaining life to lose if COVID-19 kills them, that can make them and their relatives more willing to accept COVID-19 lottery tickets to have people visit them. But if someone is at higher risk due to age, but has many years of remaining life expectancy, they and their relatives may not want to risk killing them now with COVID-19, especially with a vaccine seemingly just around the corner.
Our son likes In N Out and has his own favorite special way to get it when he visits, but I am not a fan. There are so many great places to choose from in Southern California. One of my criteria is being able to get a chocolate malt with my burger and fries.
We moved here over five years ago from Chicagoland and I haven’t been to McDonald’s since we arrived. I like Smashburger, Five Guys, Hodads, Red Robin, and Burger Lounge. Haven’t tried Shake Shack.
Back in Illinois, I liked Culvers, Fuddruckers, and even Steak and Shake. But we were more interested in the best hot dog places.
Cook Out fills this role for me. We’ve tried them three different times getting different foods, and one of those times was with a fan who said what we had was normal (taste/texture). Suffice it to say we will never pick them on our own and when they’ve been suggested by others we try to swing the decision elsewhere. We don’t get the allure.
Our favorite fast food burger is Hardee’s Mushroom and Swiss. If it’s a more normal burger (not mushroom and swiss), Burger King’s whopper actually has moved up in our rankings after Tim Horton bought them out. I think they improved their food.
Popeye’s, Chick Fil A, Subway, and Arby’s finish out our list of optional typical fast food places around us we’ll eat at if we want fast food. Can’t recall the last time we ate at a McD’s.
We don’t count Steak and Shake as fast food - love them too, but they’re sit down and order vs order from up front. Their milk shakes are the best. It’s probably good we don’t have one around us.
Simply don’t have a dog in this anymore, ucb. People are going to do what they will, while being sanctimoniously sure those who do it differently are too simple minded to be let out to play on their own.
Me, I’m pretty sure that even if I live to a ripe old age I’ll see people wearing masks. They’ll have to, since your lottery ticket analogy works perfectly for the seasonal flu, too. (There have always been those one respiratory illness away from the grave and a covid vaccine isn’t going to change that.) Free country… they’re welcome to… but my suspicion is they’ll eventually want me to put one on, too, every year when the weather turns cold.
However, “jackpots” are not as common with the seasonal flu than for COVID-19.
quote=“catahoula;c-22973141” Free country… they’re welcome to… but my suspicion is they’ll eventually want me to put one on, too, every year when the weather turns cold.
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The problem that societies have to grapple with is externalities (costs imposed on others by one’s actions), which is why societies have rules (simple examples include not murdering and not stealing). Contagious diseases are great for triggering fights about what rules there should be in this respect. Masks’ tendency to protect others better than the wearer accentuates these fights.
I have followed this thread from the beginning and agonized a bit over what to do about Thanksgiving. D & SIL are a 2 hour drive from me and I was invited to their house. They are both WFH and compliant with social distancing. The only risk from them was GD going to daycare. We all limited out contacts the two weeks before Thanksgiving, as in only grocery pickup or drive through food with masks worn by both parties. SIL got tested just as a precaution. GD’s daycare shut down last Monday for a positive case connected with another room, but she had no exposure. Still, as a precaution, I wore a mask while in their house except for eating. I ate about 12 feet from them at far end of kitchen island from their table. Otherwise, only took the mask off for sleeping and when we were 6+ feet away on their deck (great weather on Thursday & Friday).
We played a Thanksgiving trivia game on Zoom Friday night with S & DIL, who live in FL. After we had been on for 90 minutes, I wished them all a good night and headed to bed. I crawled into bed hearing the 4 “kids” talking and laughing, almost as if all together at my house. It made me both happy & sad at the same time. I saw lots of friends spending time together on FB with masks on. I hope all our precautions worked. I also have a new respect for people who wear a mask all day long. My previous experiences with a mask on have been limited to 90 minutes or less and I now know how spoiled I have been.
I spent Thanksgiving with my mom. I did my best to make a nice meal for her. We had a good time hanging out - eating and watching Chinese soap opera on Youtube. We did Zoom with my extend family and did black Friday shopping online. I then spent Saturday with my girls and their SOs on Saturday. D2 and her BF took a Covid test few days before because D1 is pregnant. We cooked up a storm and had a lot of fun.
