Return to the City

For the past 3 years, we have been living in a bus in different campgrounds in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Although living in a small space has its challenges, the benefits of living in a semi-rural setting abound.

Alameda is not a bustling city, but it is a different from what we have experience the past three years.  When we arrived in Oakland, CA, after a day of traveling from Baltimore, MD,  I immediately felt the differences between settings.

• The roads in Northern California are narrow compared to those in Florida, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).  What astounds me is that lane-splitting is allowed in this skinny environment.
• Vehicles are shorter in NorCal.  But that's because less people buy trucks and SUVs.  I don't know which came first, the narrow roads or the repulsion of large vehicles.
• Even small towns are too noisy.  But this might be because we had gotten used to the silence of campgrounds.  Vehicular traffic is scarce and is also slow paced.  There is not much rumbling in the evening nor in the day.  The air is punctuated more by frogs, cicadas, and birds.  After 3-1/2 weeks however, I have acclimated to the hum of passing cars and barely notice it.  
• The high density is almost claustrophobic.  I had forgotten how imposing 3'-0" wide setbacks felt.  Although I prefer the architecture on the West Coast, the proximity to neighbors is disconcerting.  
• The change in temperature during the day is drastic.  Even though the winters in the DMV could dip to bitter lows, you could dress for the day in one outfit and be prepared for the weather until sundown.  Here in NorCal, the must of layered clothing is no joke.  A T-shirt and shorts kind of morning can turn into a furry-hooded jacket and long johns kind of afternoon.

This last difference has nothing to do with environment, but it is a markedly stark difference between East and West Coast.  The music is of much higher quality in Northern California.  In the DMV, DJs just play one song after another.  In all of California, DJs must exercise their expertise in transitioning to the next song.  They do not just announce the title and singer of the upcoming title.  They must blend the tempo!  I love it!