Lee on the Tracks Stop #10: Oakland
So so good to catch up with @tinybusted (and Ryder of course) and see them on their home turf! Oakland is very cool and has so many restaurants of different cuisines - I’ll have to return to try them all.
Final tallies and public transit reviews coming in a substack essay that I’ll write probably months from now. For now, time to snooze 😴
Lee on the Tracks Stop #9: Los Angeles
Everyone repeat after me: “Lee does not have to move to LA to find Japanese community.” And that’s all be saying about that. Shoutout to @maxwellsdeamonstuff for the comfy futon, the tropical fruit, and the cool dog!
I can’t pretend to be able to rate a public transit system for a city this spread out. I got where I needed to go, and the fare capping was cool. I think it would be really frustrating to not have a car if you worked here.
Lee on the Tracks Stop #8: Tucson
Have you guys heard of the sun? Have you guys heard of hosts as kind as Andy and @sara.rabbes who took in a virtual stranger for 4 days? Have you guys heard of watching the sunset on a mountain covered in centuries old cacti while eating a hotdog? If not, I highly suggest you look into it.
Public Transit: 5/10
I mean, you can’t argue with free. But I have my notes. I’ll keep them to myself though, because of the free thing.
Lee on the Tracks Stop #7: El Paso
Originally when I was planning this trip I wasn’t planning on stopping in El Paso, but I’m so glad I did! It’s been one of my favorite stops. And I can finally give another public transit rating. Drumroll please…
TROLLEY/10
Did you know that El Paso has a FREE streetcar trolley? Did you know that this automatically makes me like their public transit system even though their transit app doesn’t work and Google Maps would sometimes make up bus stops that didn’t exist? FREE! STREETCAR! TROLLEY!
Lee on the Tracks Stop #6: San Antonio
Don’t worry guys, I am remembering the Alamo enough for more than one person. I’d say at least 5 of you can go ahead and forget about it.
San Antonio is a wonderful tourist city! They’ve really got it figured out with the whole riverwalk thing. I mostly stayed downtown and walked everywhere this stop, so no transit review this time.
Lee in the Tracks Stop #5: Austin
In 2026 we are NOT letting perfect be the enemy of good. Sure! Maybe I got a ride from the train station because I got in late. Maybe I had a cold and didn’t see much of Austin before it froze. Maybe everything froze and all the trains and buses were cancelled and now I’m being driven to my next city. That’s okay! I’ll be back on my transit shenanigans 🔜
Plus, not seeing much gives me an excuse to visit again to see my wonderful host and tour guide @texasmountainlaurel ! And I did use the bus four times, and let me tell you walking around in Austin feels somehow illegal.
Lee on the Tracks Stop #4: Little Rock
I LOVE MY FRIENDS! I will forever be grateful that the universe plopped me and @kennedy.http together as roommates. They’re not only the best person period, they also have introduced me to other incredible people. Thank you to them, @ratboy.incorporated and @savii444 for being my tour guides and giving me a true southern experience (including my first trip to Waffle House). I will miss you and everyone else I met, and I will be back!
I only used one bus on this leg of the journey because I was too busy hanging out with the homies. Sue me. So while I can’t rate Little Rock’s public transit system (though my guess is the rating would’ve been low) I CAN explain the rules of my trip a bit more. I am tasked with reaching all my destinations using only public transit. If public transit is not available, I must walk. I am allowed to accept car rides if at least one other person in the car is going to the same destination as I am (including the driver - these are marked as “carpools” in my tally). Over the course of my trip I am allowed three lifelines where I can accept a drop-off/pick-up or use a ride share app.
Trip Totals:
Amtrak Legs: 4
Walks: 25
Buses: 26
Local Trains: 8
Carpools: 24
Lee on the Tracks Stop #3: St. Louis
Guys, is Missouri The South? Because I thought it was and was gearing up to eat nothing but barbecue for the next two weeks of my life but I’ve been informed that it’s Not The South and now I’ve had 0 barbecue. Anyway Forest Park has some truly spectacular views and I’m sure I’d get the Arch if I read anything about it at the museum but I’m really museum-ed out for the time being.
That was fine/10
Nothing to write home about public transit wise here, mostly because my wonderful host @lilibeth_mck1 lives in a prime location so I didn’t have to use much. Pretty decent coverage for a city of this size, and I like how there’s a train stop connected to the Amtrak station. Makes me wish Rochester had a local train, I think having the combo really benefits cities.
Trip Totals:
Amtrak Legs: 3
Walks: 16
Buses: 21
Local Trains: 6
Lee on the Tracks Stop #2: Chicago
Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW what a city. Great food, great stranger interactions, great hosts in the form of @ctrl_alt_delilah and her roommates, and great public transit! My rating for which is…
We are so back/10!
My first trip here I had a disastrous time with the public transit, but that was mostly user error. I am older and wiser now (and the buses accept tap to pay now) and this time it was a breeze. I love when I don’t have to worry about missing a bus because they come so frequently. I love making transfers above ground so I can actually find my way. I love a city where you don’t need a car.
Trip Totals:
Amtrak Legs: 2
Walks: 12
Buses: 13
Local Trains: 5
Lee on the Tracks Stop #1: Cleveland
Ohio? More like おはよう because the Amtraks only arrive in the wee hours of the morning here. But it’s worth it because for those of you who don’t know, Cleveland rules. Especially when you have a host as great as @tshlonsky22 !!
And now for my official review of the Cleveland public transit system. My rating is…
Pleasantly Surprised/10!
There’s both buses and trains, and the trains run pretty regularly. There’s limited buses at night but at least they run. We didn’t start off strong when my first bus didn’t even come, but it was smooth sailing after that (albeit I did a lot of walking).
Totals for how I’ve gotten to my destinations:
Amtraks: 1
Walks: 8
Buses: 3
Local Trains: 2
