Beautiful writing. And New York is the first city I fell in love with. Its energy and lights and spires caught my heart early on, and I still love it. If Adam wanted to, I would still probably move back, except another city has caught my heart too—Austin.
Thanks, Kim! New York was my first American love story, though it’s a difficult lover to be sure! Still, among the cities I’ve lived in, I echo the tagline from the movie “Carrington”: “she had many lovers, but only one true love.”
Buenos Aires. Maybe London or Cadiz, too. Coming back to Dallas from those places as a teenager always felt like such a letdown. Teenagers in vibrant urban places have such a fuller life. It's just Before Sunrise all the time.
I have a more complicated relationship with the country. After my initial romanticized visit to San Sebastián, about five years later I studied abroad in Madrid. I was there when the Atocha bombings happened, which added a surreal aspect to the experience, and I was also going through some stuff in my personal life; all of that added up to feeling somewhat alienated from Madrid. That wasn't really the city's fault, but just as the heady experience of visiting San Sebastián left a lasting impression, so did the strange headspace of my time in Madrid (there's a song by Joaquín Sabina, "Pongamos que hablo de Madrid," that captures my emotional register at the time).
The return visit I wrote about here (in 2023) also included Barcelona, which I had visited before, and Logroño, which I hadn't. I loved both cities—and of course two days exploring the vineyards of Rioja—but the overall experience only deepened my desire to return, without the nearly twenty-year gap. Meanwhile, I still have not been back to Madrid!
Public transportation works. Buses, light rail and high speed trains are ALL key parts of good public transportation but we need ADA compliant sidewalks so people can access public transportation safely. Public Transportation needs to run 24 / 7 / 365 every 9 to 30 minutes safely and reliably for no more than $1.
We have the resources. What is lacking is the resolve of leadership in Both parties.
Hear !! Hear !! well said. I favor a European style gasoline tax to pay for better public transportation. $1 / gallon keeps the math simple and people who choose to drive thirsty cars can pay more.
Beautiful writing. And New York is the first city I fell in love with. Its energy and lights and spires caught my heart early on, and I still love it. If Adam wanted to, I would still probably move back, except another city has caught my heart too—Austin.
Thanks, Kim! New York was my first American love story, though it’s a difficult lover to be sure! Still, among the cities I’ve lived in, I echo the tagline from the movie “Carrington”: “she had many lovers, but only one true love.”
Absolutely.
Buenos Aires. Maybe London or Cadiz, too. Coming back to Dallas from those places as a teenager always felt like such a letdown. Teenagers in vibrant urban places have such a fuller life. It's just Before Sunrise all the time.
I love Buenos Aires! I was lucky to spend two weeks there as an MBA student for school. And London always. But I haven't yet made it to Cadiz.
Spain has a way of capturing your heart. I first came to Barcelona in 2015 to visit a friend and fell in love, ended up moving here for good in 2019.
That move made me realize the importance of place and is a big part of the reason I started my Substack:
https://serendipitylab.substack.com/p/how-important-is-place
I have a more complicated relationship with the country. After my initial romanticized visit to San Sebastián, about five years later I studied abroad in Madrid. I was there when the Atocha bombings happened, which added a surreal aspect to the experience, and I was also going through some stuff in my personal life; all of that added up to feeling somewhat alienated from Madrid. That wasn't really the city's fault, but just as the heady experience of visiting San Sebastián left a lasting impression, so did the strange headspace of my time in Madrid (there's a song by Joaquín Sabina, "Pongamos que hablo de Madrid," that captures my emotional register at the time).
The return visit I wrote about here (in 2023) also included Barcelona, which I had visited before, and Logroño, which I hadn't. I loved both cities—and of course two days exploring the vineyards of Rioja—but the overall experience only deepened my desire to return, without the nearly twenty-year gap. Meanwhile, I still have not been back to Madrid!
Nice little tale! And hope San Sebastián doesn’t get like some of the other Spanish cities that are overrun with tourists and Airbnb people 🤨
Thank you! Don’t visit In August, when it’s overrun!
Beautifully written!
Thank you! 🥰
Gorgeous!
Thanks, Zak!
Attribution of the beautiful illustration?
I’ve been using Midjourney for cover images of late.
Public transportation works. Buses, light rail and high speed trains are ALL key parts of good public transportation but we need ADA compliant sidewalks so people can access public transportation safely. Public Transportation needs to run 24 / 7 / 365 every 9 to 30 minutes safely and reliably for no more than $1.
We have the resources. What is lacking is the resolve of leadership in Both parties.
And we need to stop prioritizing the car above all other forms.
Hear !! Hear !! well said. I favor a European style gasoline tax to pay for better public transportation. $1 / gallon keeps the math simple and people who choose to drive thirsty cars can pay more.