From: Philip St. George, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — A North Bay couple have vowed “never to use a GPS again” after their device guided them to Main St. East.
“We are friends with another couple that just moved to Main St. West,” says Mary Rakes. “So last night we packed up a few bottles of wine, a copy of ‘Cards Against Humanity,’ and a housewarming gift.”
“My boyfriend put their address in, and the GPS told us it would take five minutes to get there.”
But instead of guiding the couple to the relative safety of Main St. West, it took them on a “seemingly never-ending” tour of downtown North Bay.
“It was horrible,” says boyfriend Jason Batts. “There were closed up shops, drug dealers, and lots and lots of people just sort of… shuffling about.”
“I saw two people sleeping in front lobbies, and there was this one man down by the spa that just kept screaming and screaming.”
From Bad to Worse
Things only got worse when the couple was forced to pull over because of a flat.
“I don’t know what caused it,” says Batts. “But if I’d have to guess I’d say it was probably from a needle. God knows we saw enough of those.”
Both Mary and Jason say the trip has really opened their eyes.
“I’m just glad we made it out,” says Mary. “I’m pretty sure I heard a stabbing. Not saw – heard. It was like listening to someone plunge a metal straw into a watermelon and swish it about.”
In unrelated news, Invest North Bay continues its Toronto campaign aimed at swaying businesses to move into North Bay.