Suppose you visit an American city that isn’t New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or another famous or notorious destination, and you come from South America. You don’t have a driving license (because you’ve never driven before). How do you get around the city? You can’t, it’s almost impossible to get around the city without a car. In the capital city of my country, Peru, that wouldn’t be a big deal. Living in Lima, I was used to walking to the bus stop and waiting a few minutes until some form of transportation (bus, combi, van, or, in the worst-case scenario, a taxi) would stop and pick me up.
But then I moved to the U.S., and I quickly understood this was a completely different scenario. The city I moved to was big, but not densely populated: El Paso, Texas. I had been accepted as a student at the city’s university, and I had the common sense to look for a place within walking distance of the campus, where I would spend most of my time. However, life demands you to run errands, buy groceries, file documents, attend events, etc. It took me a few weeks just to discover the bus system and a few more to figure out how it worked. It ran on a schedule, required coins for payment, and you had to learn to read the street map to know when the bus would arrive at your stop. The bus fare typically costs a dollar and fifty cents, and if you need a transfer (meaning taking another bus to get to your destination), add another fifty cents.
For a big-city girl, the fact that buses run only once an hour on average was extremely odd. If you needed to take two buses, you really had to plan it out. In my case, I looked for entertainment spots nearby (malls, stores, etc.) and kept an eye on my watch. I also had to keep track of the bus schedule because, in El Paso, buses only ran until sunset. Besides the bus, I relied on my friends for rides or, worst-case scenario, Uber. On top of that, in summer, El Paso often boils over 100°F (or 40°C), and you’ll want to take precautions before standing at a bus stop at noon.
I finished my degree and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, a few years later. Omaha is smaller but more populated than El Paso. If you thought this meant more buses, think again. Omaha’s transportation system is just as poor, and it takes just as long to get from one place to another. The only silver lining was that Ubers were never too expensive, given that it’s a smaller city. Omahans say everything is 30 minutes away, and they’re right. But — and this is a BIG but — Omaha is located way up north, in a vast region far from oceans and seas, called the Midwest, where the weather can be pretty extreme.
Boy, was I in for a surprise. I had never experienced a real winter — a Midwest winter ever before. I have to say, Omaha was kind to me during that first winter, and being a cold-weather creature, I mostly enjoyed it. I’d say the temperatures never dropped lower than 14°F (-10°C), and we didn’t have strong winds, so with the proper clothes, I was able to adjust. However, even if you love snow and cold like I do, you won’t enjoy standing at a bus stop, waiting for the bus, terrified of missing it. I believe those first couple of winters in Omaha were huge motivators for me to get my driver’s license.
Typical winters in Omaha mean that, for at least a couple of weeks each season, you can’t stay outdoors for long. When winter comes, not even my car and its heater make me want to go out, as the melted snow makes the streets slippery and dangerous. Black ice, a layer of invisible but extremely slippery ice on the streets, is a big deal, too; people may fall and suffer some kind of injury. If it’s a particularly cold day, say -20°F (-29°C) with raging winds, walking to the car feels like passing through the Ninth Circle of Hell. Your fingers hurt inside the winter gloves, your face feels like it’s freezing (because, well, it is), and your feet feel like being stabbed. You gasp for a couple of minutes after getting indoors as your body regains its warmth. Sometimes the cold and winds are so brutal that the city issues an Inclement Weather Warning, and you know you could be in serious trouble if you stay outdoors for more than ten minutes. You need to be careful.
In Lima, Peru, if I needed to go to work, that usually meant walking to the bus stop, waiting a few minutes, and then riding the bus (which was usually crowded) for about 25 minutes. After that, I’d get off at another bus stop, wait a few minutes, catch a second bus, and get off a couple of blocks away from my workplace. The whole trip would take about an hour and cost me around four soles (almost a dollar). If you wanted to get a cab, a 30-minute ride would cost about ten dollars. In summer, the warmest day would be about 30 °C (90°F), and the coldest around 15°C (about 60°F). You might hear people complaining about how cold it is, and you have my permission to laugh, discreetly. I used to complain about the weather when living in Lima, too, before I learned the true meaning of the words hot and cold.
If you’re in a big city like New York, you can always find a bus, a car, or the subway (which protects you from the elements). No need to worry — go enjoy it, you’ll be fine. Transportation is everywhere to save the day. But if you know the city you’re visiting is not as emblematic as Chicago or San Francisco, brace yourself. Literally.
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