Road Trips Without a Car

I have always been the adventurous type, plunging headfirst into new places and experiences without much planning or preparation. For example, I love road trips!! At the drop of a hat, I will go for a long drive, having no particular destination in mind, just for the sake of seeing something new. Recently, Richard and I have taken a couple of road trips. We often went on road trips when we lived in other places, but we always had a car (or two) of our own, so it was an easy thing to do. Since having sold our cars before our move to NYC, road trips now require more planning. First, we have to arrange for a rental car. Next, we have to walk to the rental car company to pick up the car. Third, we have to decide on a destination.

Living in NYC without a car means that we only know the city from a pedestrian's point of view. We don't know which routes have the least traffic. We don't know which areas are the most scenic from a car window. Our current version on the city is the dog-eat-dog, pushing, fighting for space, dodging cars that have no concern for pedestrians vantage point. When you're in a car, you see the city from a detached viewpoint. You are cocooned in your own space, surrounded by your music, your smells-- not being accosted by harried city dwellers. I can only partly experience the city this way, as an observer, while riding the bus. From my seat on the bus, I can watch the comings and goings without so much of the tactile experiences. Even so, you hear other people's music (which is turned up way too loud and is coming from their headphones OR they choose not to use headphones); you are sharing physical space with many strangers, some of whom have strange odors and whose bodies may encroach upon your designated space.

It's hard not to take it personally when you don't get to experience the city in your own way. There's just not enough physical space to do so! This is proven by every tourist who stops in their tracks to take a photo of one of the famous landmarks. When they do, it is inevitable that someone runs smack into them! I would like to stop and look up at a building that I find beautiful from time to time, but I know better than to do so! It was only recently, while going out for coffee on a weekend morning, that I noticed that there is a 30-story apartment complex above our favorite coffee shop! We spend so much of our walking time looking down, to escape the glances of strangers, or to dodge potholes, uneven pavement, dog feces and/or urine, trash, etc., that we haven't even noticed a huge building that's right before our eyes every day!

It was time for an escape from the city. We picked up our rental car, which we would have for the next 24 hours, and decided to drive to Burlington, Vermont. We left around 11 am, since this was spontaneous and not a planned trip. The drive took about 6 hours. Richard had been to Burlington several years ago when he was Director of Safety and Systems for Big Sky Airlines. The airline was in the process of establishing a hub in the area, so Richard flew there to set up their computer systems. Richard knew that I would like the area, and wanted to share its beauty with me now. The closer we got to Burlington, the more we liked the terrain and environment. Richard and I find ourselves longing for wide open spaces, like we enjoyed in Montana. We saw many farms that made us long for a quieter, simpler way of life, one that involves being around fewer people. We arrived in Burlington as it was beginning to get dark. We parked the car and went into a big LL Bean store. We enjoyed looking at the type of clothing we used to wear when we spent more time outdoors, but didn't buy anything now. We walked around a very pretty, outdoor shopping area and ate dinner at a pizza restaurant.

We did not stay in Burlington for the night. Instead, we turned around and drove back to NYC. The point of the trip was to enjoy being in our own, isolated space -- not the destination itself. On the long drive home, we found an '80s station on the radio and sang along to old favorites by the Eagles, Styx, REO Speedwagon, etc. It was magical! We haven't felt that relaxed and free in many months. We arrived back in the city very late. Since we don't know any of the parking laws (alternate side parking??), we thought it safest to park in the garage at our apartment complex until the next morning when we could return the car. I almost cried when we returned it...