(no subject)
Stuff You Probably Didn't Know About Moving To Delaware
When you change over your driver's license to a Delaware one, they don't actually give you a signed letter of welcome from Joe Biden. But they probably should.
Maybe it will come in the mail later.
However, the Delaware DMV? They really do a terrific job. I waited in line at the NYDMV twice on Monday, so I have some recent background for this. (My younger memories of the DMV involve it being a nightmare, and this was in central NJ. And the lines for inspection!)
So we showed up and got the car inspected. This is the same kind of inspection they do in NJ -- they check your lights, your brakes, emissions, VIN, stuff like that. I could tell from the signage that they sometimes have a backup for this, but they also have about 6 different lanes, so my childhood memories of spending a few hours in July sweltering in a minivan seem unlikely to be repeated. Also they have moved things so that inspections expire throughout the month, so the 29th/30th/31st aren't the days when the entire freaking state shows up and the rest of the month it's very very quiet. Matthew had never experienced this style of inspection before, so he was glad I was along. (Illinois apparently doesn't care, and New York just sends you to a licensed repair shop where you pay $10 for someone to do it.)
Then we went into the building and Matthew changed over his license. We showed up, they have the check-in station, and they assign you a number, deli-style, coded with a letter for whatever you're there for. (D = driver's license, V = vehicle registration, R = routine updates (like change of address), I = insurance stuff, E = driver improvement education, M = something to do with trucks, and probably a few other things.) If you're there for a license, they then send you to another desk where they check to make sure that you have the paperwork and proof of identity and residence that you need. The wait for Matthew's license wasn't bad at all, and they are... very efficient. (Also, if you're just renewing a license, you can go to a self-serve kiosk. How cool is that?)
Then we went to register and re-title the car. This involved a trip back to the apartment because Matthew had left the title in a suitcase. And then it involved me spending an extended period of time whining because a) I was very cold, and b) I wanted a grilled cheese, and c) Matthew would not grill me a cheese until we were done at the DMV. This time the wait was a bit longer (lunch hour crowd), but they still do a really great job of updating you on how long you'll be waiting, including a sign board at the entrance. Also there is adequate seating and they have vending machines. Also you can go to their website and see video of the waiting room to see if it's crowded.
When we registered the car, we talked to the DMV employee for a while, and mentioned how efficient and well-thought-out their system seems. She commented that people who move to Delaware talk about how great the DMV is, while people who are native Delawareans talk about how awful it is. I observed that the DMV is kind of like broccoli: we have this cultural narrative that says "don't like this" even when it's good. Now Matthew's car has a Delaware plate. Matthew can even get a novelty plate for the front of the car if he wants to. This is so exciting.
And then we went across the street to Dunkin's and I got a grilled cheese.
(Then I came back to the apartment, and spent three hours napping and trying to get warm, before going out to do some errands. Including acquiring quite a bit of cheese at Trader Joe's. Now I can grill my own cheese.)
When you change over your driver's license to a Delaware one, they don't actually give you a signed letter of welcome from Joe Biden. But they probably should.
Maybe it will come in the mail later.
However, the Delaware DMV? They really do a terrific job. I waited in line at the NYDMV twice on Monday, so I have some recent background for this. (My younger memories of the DMV involve it being a nightmare, and this was in central NJ. And the lines for inspection!)
So we showed up and got the car inspected. This is the same kind of inspection they do in NJ -- they check your lights, your brakes, emissions, VIN, stuff like that. I could tell from the signage that they sometimes have a backup for this, but they also have about 6 different lanes, so my childhood memories of spending a few hours in July sweltering in a minivan seem unlikely to be repeated. Also they have moved things so that inspections expire throughout the month, so the 29th/30th/31st aren't the days when the entire freaking state shows up and the rest of the month it's very very quiet. Matthew had never experienced this style of inspection before, so he was glad I was along. (Illinois apparently doesn't care, and New York just sends you to a licensed repair shop where you pay $10 for someone to do it.)
Then we went into the building and Matthew changed over his license. We showed up, they have the check-in station, and they assign you a number, deli-style, coded with a letter for whatever you're there for. (D = driver's license, V = vehicle registration, R = routine updates (like change of address), I = insurance stuff, E = driver improvement education, M = something to do with trucks, and probably a few other things.) If you're there for a license, they then send you to another desk where they check to make sure that you have the paperwork and proof of identity and residence that you need. The wait for Matthew's license wasn't bad at all, and they are... very efficient. (Also, if you're just renewing a license, you can go to a self-serve kiosk. How cool is that?)
Then we went to register and re-title the car. This involved a trip back to the apartment because Matthew had left the title in a suitcase. And then it involved me spending an extended period of time whining because a) I was very cold, and b) I wanted a grilled cheese, and c) Matthew would not grill me a cheese until we were done at the DMV. This time the wait was a bit longer (lunch hour crowd), but they still do a really great job of updating you on how long you'll be waiting, including a sign board at the entrance. Also there is adequate seating and they have vending machines. Also you can go to their website and see video of the waiting room to see if it's crowded.
When we registered the car, we talked to the DMV employee for a while, and mentioned how efficient and well-thought-out their system seems. She commented that people who move to Delaware talk about how great the DMV is, while people who are native Delawareans talk about how awful it is. I observed that the DMV is kind of like broccoli: we have this cultural narrative that says "don't like this" even when it's good. Now Matthew's car has a Delaware plate. Matthew can even get a novelty plate for the front of the car if he wants to. This is so exciting.
And then we went across the street to Dunkin's and I got a grilled cheese.
(Then I came back to the apartment, and spent three hours napping and trying to get warm, before going out to do some errands. Including acquiring quite a bit of cheese at Trader Joe's. Now I can grill my own cheese.)