Cincinnati, 2013 & beyond

“This is going to be the best day of my li-i-i-i-fe” blasted from my car speakers, as I maneuvered my new Mazda 6 around the hills of Clifton, Cincinnati. The year was 2013, and I had to pinch myself to believe that I was a car owner now. Not that buying a car was my lifelong goal, but in the context of the previous two years, it definitely was a relief. Oh, the struggles of not having a car in Midwest America! Anyway, here I was, driving to my first ever job, after haggling with shrewd dealers to secure this basic necessity of American life. Every drive in that fall was exciting. Finding new routes to work, exploring different corners of the rust belt, in the vast, open and intricate interstate network; testing the performance of that sedan, whilst also discovering new radio channels. I could go anywhere at any time. True freedom had finally been attained in the land of freedom.

Of course, that waned out with time. The same routes became boring. The hit songs on radio felt repetitive. Driving in the early morning traffic with my eyes half-closed, was unpleasant (and unsafe?). Driving back after work, late in the evening, fatigued after a long day wasn’t fun either. There came a point when my commutes became rather subconscious – I would end up at my destination without realizing when I crossed certain stretches. The same 184hp started feeling underpowered on the uphill drive to Clifton.  And then there were the snowy days which made driving even more challenging, not to mention all the scraping and brushing just to get going.

To make matters worse, my luck as a car owner was also somewhat jinxed. That random branch after a thunderstorm had to fall on my windshield out of all; or that drunk driver had to time his skid perfectly to hit my car; and that curb had to scrape my door-panel. Okay, that last one may have been my fault! But the point is that I was discovering all the unadvertised challenges of owning this depreciating asset and maintaining it. Even beyond commuting for work, driving in general started to feel a bit drab. Long distance driving required long hours of constant focus, which I struggled with (Do I have ADHD?). No social media for that long? Okay, there is no doubt that many scenic routes in the U.S. require no distractions, but most other routes are rather humdrum, with the same McDonald’s sign on all exits. And finally, there was the traffic! Endless lines of cars, trucks and trailers clogging the entire highway, leaving you feeling completely stranded and claustrophobic.

Boston, Present Day

Back here at my commute to work, I am having similar feelings of claustrophobia in that overcrowded red-line car. But thankfully it is short-lived. There is a mass exodus at the Kendall/MIT stop. Inspired looking MIT students head out to learn the skills needed to earn their seats in key leadership positions, thus leaving behind some empty seats in the train, for this average engineer. I quickly grab one. As the train chugs out of MIT, we gradually start an upslope climb and voila! – a streak of sunlight shines through the window and gradually grows into panoramic daylight. The loud echo-noise of the tunnel also fades out. We enter the brief, scenic-phase of the red-line route, crossing the Longfellow Bridge – A transportation microcosm where trains, cars, bikes and pedestrians coexist in harmony! The royal blue Charles River shimmers under the bright blue sky, as Boston’s skyline stands tall in the background. Despite having multiple pictures from this very location, I am still tempted to capture a video – maybe not a for a post but an Insta-story this time? It is a sight to behold after all!