Post-Isaac

That could have been a lot worse. Plenty of branches down, some trees, and eighty percent of the city has no power, but New Orleans appears to have come through the storm as well as could be hoped. The same can't be said for Plaquemines Parish or Slidell, and who knows where else, and I wish the best to everybody who has it much worse right now. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the power to come back on. (My office is back online, which is how I'm able to post this.) Godspeed, Entergy.

I will say this: being in New Orleans without electricity is still more enjoyable than some of the Greyhound rides I took.

Hunkered down

So far, so good. Spent a lazy day at a friend's place helping him board up and prepare, then reading and drinking. We spent part of the evening on the front porch smoking cigars and watching a tree sway in the gusts and catch fire against a power line. Still have electricity, but low on beer. Cautiously optimistic.

Life in New Orleans

I have been back home for twenty-seven days. I have started a great new job. I have eaten at some of my favorite restaurants, gone to the Red Dress Run, and watched amateur boxing, Mid-Summer Mardi Gras, and ostrich racing. I have seen old friends and made new ones. I am where I want to be. But one price of living here is hurricane season. It's easy for me to say it because I didn't lose anything or anyone in Katrina, but I'm willing to pay that price. I just hope everyone stays safe.

A month of tickets and receipts

I thought it would be more impressive, but bear in mind that the Smithsonian and (most of) the National Park Service sites don't have ticketing.  And some places (like the Mütter Museum) sell you a ticket and then immediately take it when they let you in.

One month of public transportation

New Orleans Jazzy Pass, Atlanta Breeze, DC Smartrip card, Boston CharlieCard, New York City MetroCard, AmTrak tickets between New York and DC, Philadelphia SEPTA stub and trolley token, Seattle Orca card, Spokane Transit Authority Day Pass, Portland streetcar stubs, San Francisco Clipper card.

Greyhound thoughts

1) My experience closely corresponds with this sociologist's two-year project riding the Greyhound documenting "social disengagement." I never received or deployed a "hate stare" but this is pretty accurate.

2) I saw the new Batman movie. SPOILER ALERT: a Greyhound bus saves the day.

3) People have been asking me if I will ride the Greyhound again. Probably not for a while. But for short to middle distances, I think it fills an important niche. And nobody made me take my shoes off.

Life is Good.

Some Trip Statistics

Days gone: 31
Cities visited: 17
States passed through: 26
Miles traveled by bus: 6100 (at least)
Longest trip leg: Chicago to Spokane, 38 hours
Blisters: 1
National Park Passport Stamps: 38
Pounds gained: several

Public transportation

On the trip I used a lot of public transportation. Buses, streetcars, trains, light rail, subways, and trams. About the only things I didn't use were gondolas or funiculars. Here are my two cents on the various municipal public transportation systems I tried:

Atlanta: Unexpectedly good. The trains were fast and easy to navigate, and the one bus I took was both accessible and on time.

Asheville: Didn't take anything other than a guided tour trolley. I walked past a public bus plaza that looked acceptable, though.

Charlottesville: Very nice. There seemed to be plenty of routes, and they run a free bus between the UVA campus and the downtown.

DC: Fine, but man is it expensive. Residents of DC, you are being royally ripped off.

New York City: Undisputably comprehensive, if somewhat grubby. The one major drawback is that it only takes you to places in New York City.

Boston: This one took me a little longer than normal to puzzle out; why they have four different versions of the green line is beyond me. But once I got the hang of it, it was very easy to use.

Philadelphia: A little weird, with overlapping trains and trolleys. The regional rail also had some issues with on-time arrival. Also, this was the only system I saw that still takes tokens. But it got me where I needed to go.

Chicago: There was an unmarked change in the pickup location for the bus going to the Museum of Science and Industry, so points off there. I spent very little time on the L this trip, so no real basis to judge (although based on prior visits, it is perfectly ok).

Spokane: Very nice bus plaza, reasonably prompt bus service. I have no complaints.

Seattle: This is the gold standard for a bus system. Two thumbs way up, Seattle, even if you are getting rid of the downtown ride free zone.

Portland: Cute little downtown streetcar. I did not try any of the other trains. Another downtown free ride zone, which I think is a smashing idea.

San Francisco: Not a fan of the Muni system. The buses are old and decrepit, and the stops are marked with non-obvious paint on streetlights or curbs. The light rail is all right.