via Brandon Wenerd
If you think about life like a video game, not all side quests are created equal.
There’s a sharp paradox with side quests. Some are pointless diversions – detours that distract and add nothing to our journey through time and space. They exist simple to spin our wheels while we mash the buttons, eating up our hours and minutes for no real reason.
But sometimes a proper side quest is deeply rewarding, enhancing the grand narrative of our existence.
I had such a side quest a couple weeks ago, on a beautiful Thursday afternoon in June – the kind of afternoon that just begs you to throw your Out Of Office on and play hooky for a couple of hours.
With nothing but an empty stomach and a craving for the perfect sandwich, I hit the PCH in a Polaris Slingshot for a cruise down the California coast.
It was a simple act, but it turned an ordinary day out of the office into a contemplative adventure.
The Polaris Slingshot: the ultimate fun machine for an afternoon side quest
Polaris Slingshots are pure thrill machines.
I picked out a Slingshot SL in neon lime with a manual transmission. All-in, Polaris makes five different models, ranging from the entry level Slingshot S ($21,499 MSRP) to the Slingshot Roush Edition ($37,349 MSRP), with high performance specs and a racetrack ROUSH vibe.
It’s been a minute since I’ve driven a manual. I love that feeling of maneuvering through the gears with a stick shift. Sure, I can turn the paddle shifters on in my Jeep Grand Cherokee daily driver anytime I’d like, but I just don’t get that sense of oneness with the road like I do with a stick shift.
I love that feeling as a driver.
Plus, Slingshots are engineered to be an escapism from the normal. They look like a vehicle in a sci-fi movie IRL, complete with two unique aluminum wheels and third in the back. Technically, they’re classified as a three-wheeled motorcycle, but on the road they command attention like any sports car would.
Heads turn will turn. Heck, around Newport Beach, one guy even pulled his phone out when I pulled up next to him at a traffic light on the PCH and took my picture.
@brobible Just had the perfect #california day – took a @Polaris Inc Slingshot for a sandwich run by the beach. Found an aamzing Italian deli in Seal Beach, that lunch sammie was delicious! #slingshot #cars
Driving a Slingshot gives you a low-rider view of the road; its wide openness allows you to feel every turn, along with the cooling gusts of the ocean breeze when driving along the coast.
It also comes stock with a 7″ display powered by Polaris’s RIDE COMMAND and a Rockford Fosgate 100W audio system, which sounded great when I threw on my favorite Sublime playlist to curate the ultimate California vibe.
The perfect side quest for a sandwich by the beach
I was pretty hungry when I rented my Slingshot from Motor United in the Bellflower part of Los Angeles, near Long Beach, and immediately remembered: there’s an exceptional Italian Deli at Seal Beach, right past Long Beach at Orange County’s northern tip.
I slowly cruised through sun-drenched neighborhoods en route to Seal Beach, ultimately ending up at the perfect spot for a prosciutto-packed sandwiches, loaded with long-hots.
My hunger satiated by Italian delicacies, it was time for another quintessential Californian experience – driving down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from Seal Beach through Huntington Beach, aka Surf City USA, and finally to the Newport Pier located at Balboa Peninsula – essentially soaking up that classic Cali car culture essence.
Right before I got to the beach was when I realized I made a rookie Slingshot mistake. See, sunscreen is crucial when riding open-top vehicles. I could already start to feel my farmers tan get a little crispy, so I made a quick pit stop at a CVS before heading to the beach to dip my feet in the water and take a little stroll, enjoying an offline, out of office afternoon.
Life’s a journey – remember to enjoy the ride
It’s summer. Life’s busy. Sometimes, too busy. Time’s fleeting and headspace is sacred.
As the TikTok gurus say, self care is not selfish. There’s no doubt that cruising around in an open-air Slingshot, getting windswept helmet hair on a sandwich run is infinitely more fun than responding to emails. It’s my kind of self care.
So remember – no matter how jammed up your life may seem with meetings, phone calls, emails, and an endless to-do list of frivolous tasks on a soul-sucking hamster wheel, find joy in the detours.
Enjoy the side quests and never underestimate the transformative power of a beautiful afternoon, a scenic drive, and the perfect sandwich.
Life is not a game to be won, but a journey to be savored – especially the side quests.