Getting there

We survived week one! I had such a blast writing that I decided to actually continue with a creative endeavor. Also, thank you so much for 100+ subscribers! Triple digits by week two, baby! I sincerely appreciate all the feedback I’ve gotten and love hearing your suggestions. I’ve added a few more segments to the bottom of the newsletter that some ~fans~ suggested, so I hope you like them. I thought last week’s newsletter was long, but this one is a behemoth. Maybe this is a release from years of keeping copy concise and killing my darlings.

I finished my shift on Tuesday with the worst kind of restlessness: wanting to do something but feeling too lazy to follow through with any ideas. My gym routine is beginning to slip, and donning a sports bra was not enough to get me into an athletic state of mind; however, I knew that if I stayed in the house I would become a cranky queen. Meera was not finished working, so I committed to gracing the neighborhood but could not mentally settle on going to the gym.

Multiple hours later, I returned home rejuvenated with a shower and Wingstop in my future (separately). What was I doing? What any normal person would do — walk the length of Bushwick and back! I began without a real objective but found my way with the help of a Celsius, Ben (my brother) calling me to catch up, and gorgeous architecture I did not expect to see.

The best (and worst) part of living in New York (or any urban area) is getting around. It’s magical to hop on a train and end up in a completely different place, or walk endless blocks and remember something new every time. Not even a year ago in New Hampshire, however, I was living the car-centric life with a sexy Mazda (purchased by my Grandma — I have nothing to hide) that I passed over to Ben before coming here. Ever since my childhood fascination with Pittsburgh’s lame light rail system as an antidote to suburban monotony, I loved taking different forms of transit in the places I’ve lived.

I want to share my opinions on all ways to get around because they gift some of the best and worst experiences civilization has to offer. I am not sure if this listicle style will be as fun to read as last week’s more narrative installation, but I enjoyed writing it. Let me know if there’s a style you gravitate more towards.

Having a car expanded my world access but, oddly enough, made me feel like my world is much smaller than it is. The car-dependent times in my life have been in car-centric areas, which made me feel isolated and old. I’m not sure how much of the Mommy feeling comes from a person gaining new responsibilities or a town being hostile to public transit, but being a car owner ages you. Routines become easier to keep. Joys are found in more simple places. Some days in New Hampshire, the best part would be getting a drink from Dunkin’ (that cold brew special with cookie bits) and a food item from Starbucks (Roasted Red Pepper Sous Vide Omelette Bites). This ritual as a highlight was equal parts amazing and sad.

Bests: Cars are the best form of transit for long-distance travel, visibly dealing with emotions, and having meaningful conversations with the people in your life. Cars and walking are tied as the best modes of blasting music. Screaming to your favorite songs alone or with company with the windows down is oft depicted in media for good reason.

Worsts: Worrying about parking makes me feel like a troglodyte. Getting gas is annoying. Going to the mechanic is demoralizing. Figuring out driving if you want to go to a party is a hassle. We all know these necessary evils.

I grew up assuming that buses were dangerous, and I still know a lot of people who refuse to take the bus. I think this rejection is rooted in racism and classism. Do our parents and grandparents think only urban poors ride the bus? If you find yourself in the year 2023 shackled by a bus-less life, you are missing out.

Bests: The windows are large enough and the buses are slow enough to take in the world around you. I find the seats to be comfier than public rail transit.

Worsts: Gets so crowded so fast. Schedules are loose. Trains take you more places — faster.

My school district growing up did not have school buses, so my experiences with them are from city to city. I took charter buses often from New Hampshire because it was the easiest way to get to Boston (and the rest of the world from there). Recently, my friend Maddie showed me a bus that takes you straight to your Newark Airport Terminal so I can avoid the stress of MTA - NJ Transit - AirTrain to terminal. I’ve taken my fair share of Greyhounds and its competitors (RIP Bolt Bus) for farther journeys. This is my last resort if plane or train are too expensive.

Bests: Cheap!

Worsts: Oppressive temperatures. Loud babies and phone calls. There are TVs with a movie on but no volume or subtitles. Filthy, upholstered seats.

I love taking the train so much. This is one of my favorite parts of living in New York and makes me feel like I am in the right place at the right time. Every vacation I take, I try to take a train through the city I am in to feel more comfortable. I am usually the Transit Mommy of my friends and am happy to navigate.  

Bests: The protagonist feeling of listening to music with an attempt at a Resting Bitch Face for passengers adoring fans is unmatched. Knowing you can drink a lot and get home safely. Seeing the differences in stations within a city. Some favorite places: View of the Charles River on the Red Line (Boston), 96th Street Q Stop and its elevators (my old stop on the Upper East Side), Metro stop ceilings (Washington D.C.), Sloterdijk Station that’s pronounced like “Slaughter Dyke” (Amsterdam), Edgware Road platform (London, and the Tube is my favorite train system I’ve used).

Worsts: Strange characters are abundant. I still am bad at keeping my balance while standing. Dirtiest form of transit outside of Europe, with stations very much included.

American rail is obviously abysmal, but utilizing it feels like you are doing community service by keeping a system alive. I usually take these alone and relish the anticipation that builds before a voyage. I do enjoy taking the clunky Commuter Rail in and out of Boston. The New York ones…not so much. Amtrak is my preferred way to go between American cities (read: Boston, New York, D.C.), and the Acela train is massively underrated if you are willing to pay $100+ for a ticket. Going between Boston and New York is especially scenic, and I enjoy seeing all the sleepy New England towns along the way, even in Connecticut. Rail travel in Europe is much more fun, with my favorite being in Italy.

Bests: Wistfully looking out the window. Little tray and charger to get work done. I struggle to sleep outside of a bed, but Amtrak Acela train seats are the exception. Conductors and their outfits.

Worsts: Not fast and does not service many places (U.S. only). Tickets feel pricier than what they are worth. Wifi does not usually work.

Emotions are amplified on planes. If I arrive hopeful, I daydream for hours. If I arrive sad, I question my life. Oh, does anyone else have their deepest, most intense romantic fantasies on planes? Flight thoughts are almost in the same mental plane as drunk thoughts. Plane travel, in many ways, is the hardest travel process. I remember my first solo flight at 14 and printing out the map of the Chicago O’Hare airport so I could make my connection. Air travel develops your character and tests your strength.

Bests: Making up stories about everyone at your gate. Getting a treat. Obviously going to almost any destination in the world. Biscoff cookies with the Delta logo. The little wine bottles. Bonding with the person next to you. The views of 1. Pretty clouds beneath you 2. A city skyline 3. The moment you’re low enough to see individual cars.

Worsts: Expensive. Stress getting to your gate. Queasiest form of travel. Fear of impending doom. Middle seats. Babies everywhere. When the flight attendants turn the lights on near the end of a red-eye.

My boating experience exists in small forms. I hope to never be on a cruise unless I’m a gregarious senior citizen on a Viking River Cruise. The longest boat trip I’ve taken was an overnight ferry across the English Channel and got the worst sleep of my life as the boat rocked back and forth. I have taken a few ferries in my day and enjoy the ability to observe the world around me from the water, especially when I can muse on the deck outside. However, the best boats exist for leisure. If I could spend my days aboard a pontoon boat with loved ones, I would live a dream.

Bests: This is the perfect form of transit for having fun with friends as well as the best to be under the influence on (passenger). A good drink, silly conversation, wind in your hair, beauty around you, sea air…now that’s all five senses of perfect stimulation to experience at once!

Worsts: Finding a boat to even be on requires lots of money or a friend who has lots of money. Ferries are much easier to take but not as relaxing. Seasickness is rough on a sensitive stomach.

My 2024 New Year’s Resolution is to become a biker. I know there are still warm enough months left this year, but I have to say something out loud enough times before I truly commit. Logically, I have no choice but to wait until next year. I have kept my New Year’s Resolutions two years in a row (2022: go to the gym and dabble in Duolingo Spanish 2023: read books) and do not plan on breaking my streak. New York is full of bikers, but my experience on Pittsburgh riverside trails and the mean streets of coastal beach towns do not give me the strength to traverse traffic. I took two real bike rides in New York along rivers. I tried biking from my old apartment to Central Park and ended up walking the entire way.

Bests: Feeling accomplished when you are done because you both alive and got a workout. Faster than walking. “Free” if you already own one.

Worsts: Citibike here is expensive. Biking requires both physical strength and a mental commitment to not die. I cannot bike without a helmet because I know I’d be the person to get hit.  Why are so many bikers mustachioed Millennials?

These will never be for me. I’ve covered too many motorcycle death stories. Skateboarding is fun to try, but I will never be coordinated enough to be that brand of effortless. Razor scooters were a childhood favorite; Lime scooters are an adult fear; and Vespas are for yearning/taking pictures on the street.

Best: I would look sooo cool ;)

Worst: I am afraid.

I probably do not like it. Somehow is giving Napoleonic Complex. Why would someone need a weird, pick-me vehicle?  

Bests: The only other modes of transportation I love are for groups. These include above-ground gondolas, funiculars like a true Pittsburgher, and the monorail at Disney World; however, I dislike monorails connecting airport terminals. Unless it’s the Pittsburgh one because it only has one stop. I must also educate you on something all insufferable Capitol Hill staffers know and I just recently learned — the trams underneath the U.S. Capitol. I rode one and looked like :D the whole time. The only individual transit modes I’ll add here are wheelchairs and rollerblades.

Worsts: Those hoverboards that swept the nation — and I postulate somehow singled Trump winning the 2016 election — have thankfully been swept under culture’s rug. Segways are for tourists that do not fear getting hit by cars but do fear people that look different from them. My least favorite way to get around is those one-wheel things that early 30s dudes somehow already mid-life-crisising ride. Gentrifier Olympic Gold winners.

As much as I love other ways to get around, walking wins as the best way to get there. None of the previous modes of transportation were made by God, aside from motorcycles. There is so much to say that it honestly feels futile to try. What a blessing it is to leave the house and have most of my needs met within a 20-minute walk. How lucky are we to have the world at our feetgertips!

Best: Understanding and appreciating a neighborhood. Romanticizing your life. Fresh air. Staring at people. Crocs and socks! Playlist serving as your soundtrack. If you see me walking around Bushwick and performing a lip-sync, tip me!

Worst: Hardest form of transit while sad/sick/sleepy. Blisters. Rolling your ankle. Hiking. Recreational running.

loved the first newsletter! would be interested in ur thoughts or maybe like a list on good distractions/hobbies/solutions to living in a place you don’t necessarily love or vibe with

— a western pa hater at heart

Thanks for the love, and, on behalf of my home region, I am sorry you’re having trouble shining like the star you are in Western Pennsylvania. As a former teenage Pittsburgh hater and mid-pandemic New Hampshire resident, I very much understand how you feel. Reminding yourself of your superstar status in a place that does not provide the qualities you require for thriving is difficult.  

Hope those help. Once you accept how miserable you are, you can test fate and be as silly as possible.

Want advice from someone as unqualified but possibly more confident than you? Send in a question for Olympic Coaching.