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I have no particular issue with doing that, especially if some of the group was buying. However, there are the logistics-you have to get off the interstate, find the restaurant, get back on the interstate, etc.
And I have no issue with using a Rest Area. There just didn't happen to be one in the vicinity, which is why we had to get off the interstate in the first place.
Ohio used to have a large number of primitive rest stops. They had outhouses and pump wells. Perfectly adequate for a male, although females tended to disagree.
10% of the rest areas were upgraded; the other 90% were closed. Now rest areas are few and far between. I think the only ones left are on limited-access highways.
When I thought about it, I've rarely seen rest areas populated by anyone except people walking animals.
You've obviously never driven between Los Angeles and Las Vegas on a Friday or Sunday afternoon.
People generally make very quick stops at these places. The reason you're not seeing them is that they're not there long enough for you to ALSO be there to see them. Spend a weekend day at one of these and count, if you want. They're busier than you think.
^A few rest stops along I-75 in Ohio have walking trails along the back edges of the property; not long, but a welcome feature when you've been on the road awhile.
Yes, they're actually places to rest, stretch your legs, relax, have a picnic, let kids play and run before they're strapped into car seats for more hours.
They should have more of them, it's a lot cheaper to have a picnic meal at a rest stop than eat out in a restaurant.
I'm so grateful to see those rest stops myself. Especially when drinking coffee, iced tea or other beverages that I previously picked up at a Starbucks an hour before.
I've traveled extensively all across the country over the last decade and rest stops are a godsend. Not only for all of the reasons others have already mentioned, but because they are always easy off/easy on. You can make a pit stop and be back on the road in under 10 minutes. That's much harder to do that when you have to exit the highway and go in search of facilities.
Rest areas contribute to highway safety and such infrastructure is one of the few things that, as a Conservative, I approve of my taxes being used constructively for.
I love the rest areas, but I like the travel centers on toll roads even more. Maybe it's time to try and extend the concept to untolled roads as well using revenue from the leasing of commercial space to pay for the area. It wouldn't work everywhere, but where exits are fewer and farther between they would be a huge asset.
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