Hamburg.
It was like being at a party with strangers you’re not connecting with and then suddenly Wonderwall starts playing. It just translates.
on why my primary requirement for my future city of residence is viable mass transit
This afternoon, while driving to my home in the suburbs outside the illustrious metropolis of Richmond, at a stretch of highway that I absolutely loathe due to the numerous lane changes required to reach my exit, the car in front of me slammed its brakes. There was a car immediately behind me, and my subconcious seemed to think there was no one in the adjacent lane. Apparently, there was, and my side mirror went flying at a truly incredible trajectory. What really shook me, though, was not the loss of the side mirror. The girl whom I hit could really not have been more pleasant, considering the situation, and the police officer I called to report the accident was perfectly agreeable and very helpful. No one is at fault, and in reality, the worst of it was sitting on the side of the highway in the passenger seat of my car in 90 degree heat, waiting for the officer to arrive. What caused me to start shaking and crying and hiccuping and sobbing after the information had been taken, after the documents had been issued, and after the nice police officer had helped me reenter the highway without my rear-view mirror, was just how much worse it could have been. I was in the middle of a four lane highway, swerving to avoid being sandwiched between two vehicles moving at a rather high speed. It is absolute madness out there. I was thrown back to when I was sixteen years old, sliding into the person in front of me because I was 16, and because it was raining, and because I didn’t have antilock brakes, oh and also, I was 16.
This is why I did not miss having a car in Hamburg. This is why, even in the middle of February when I was wearing leggings under my pants and two layers of fleece under my coats, I would rather take the bus to train to the bus to get to work rather than drive there. This is why, my #1 requirement of the city in which I ultimately settle, I am required to drive as little as possible. This is why I signed a lease for an apartment within walking distance of law school.
