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2021-07-01
Falling In Love With Chicago
As the world slowly emerged from the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, life began to regain a semblance of normalcy. With restrictions lifting and vaccinations becoming widely available, my family eagerly embraced the opportunity to reunite with loved ones and explore the world beyond the confines of our home. After our children became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, my husband and I decided to embark on a memorable journey to visit family in Chicago. The decision was influenced by the fact that Illinois had taken the pandemic seriously, and the situation seemed relatively stable. The excitement in the air was palpable as we packed our bags and set off on the adventure. The journey itself became a testament to newfound hope and optimism, a stark contrast to the anxiety-ridden days of lockdown. The rhythmic hum of the Amtrak train and the gentle swaying of the carriages created a soothing backdrop to our anticipation. After almost three days on the train, we finally reached our destination. As we settled into the rhythm of Chicago life, we found ourselves enchanted by the city's rich history and vibrant culture. The streets echoed with the footsteps of generations past, and the architecture told stories of resilience and progress. Our children's eyes widened with each new discovery, absorbing the lessons of the past and the beauty of the present. The museums became classrooms, and the parks transformed into playgrounds of learning and exploration. From the towering skyscrapers to the serene shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago opened its arms wide, inviting our family to immerse ourselves in its tapestry of experiences. Over the course of two weeks, we marveled at the diversity of the city, the pulsating energy of its neighborhoods, and the friendliness of its people. The world-class museums, the iconic Millennium Park, and the deep-dish pizzas became integral parts of our family's collective memory. The reluctance to leave grew with each passing day, as Chicago had become more than a destination; it had become a second home. The connections made, the lessons learned, and the memories forged painted a picture of a city that had welcomed our family with open arms. As we boarded the Amtrak train to return home, a mixture of gratitude and nostalgia-filled our hearts. Chicago had been a beacon of joy and discovery during a time when the world needed it most. The journey had not just been about a visit; it had been a transformative experience, a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there was always the possibility of finding beauty, connection, and a sense of belonging. The trip to Chicago amid the COVID-19 pandemic symbolizes a shift from a period of uncertainty and isolation to one of hope, reconnection, and exploration. That being said, the nervousness still set the undertone to the trip. The eligibility and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations mark a significant turning point in our family's ability to travel. It really shows the importance of vaccines as a tool for regaining a sense of freedom and the ability to engage in activities that were restricted during the height of the pandemic. The exploration of Chicago's history, culture, and landmarks communicates our desire for new experiences and rediscovery of the beauty in the world. The trip became almost like a metaphor for the broader human experience of seeking joy, adventure, and learning, even after enduring a period of hardship. As we chose to travel to a location where the pandemic was taken seriously, it is clear the new considerations the pandemic has led families to consider. This almost suggests that communities and regions that take the pandemic seriously create an environment that fosters a sense of safety and encourages responsible travel. We were so grateful to get to travel to Chicago, and it is undeniably one that we will remember forever. -
2022-06-12
Eurostar station in London, June 2022
During my honeymoon, my husband and I were in London, Summer of 2022. We had spent two weeks there and it was time to take the Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel to Amsterdam. What particularly struck me was how serious the ticket agents and French government officials (the train must enter through France) were about Covid-19 Vaccine Record Cards. If someone did not have their official government-issued Covid vaccine certificate, they were absolutely not permitted on the train. It was very serious and made me anxious, even though I held on to mine tightly, along with my passport. We waited in the entry line for 40 minuets to an hour to get to the check point, the guards were very intense and scrutinized every passenger, and we eventually entered the train on to our destination. This was the first trip we had taken since the pandemic began, and by this time Europe and parts of Asia were opening back up for tourism. Many people we saw in London and Amsterdam at this time were no longer wearing masks, and since my husband and I were vaccinated, neither did we. We had an amazing honeymoon and I am grateful that the pandemic was slowing down and the countries we visited were accepting tourists. -
2022-06-01
Covid Europe
My family and I really like to travel, like a lot. We usually do a big vacation every year, and Covid-19 really threw a wrench in our annual plans (as it did to every single person alive). March of 2020, my family and I had traveled to Washington D.C. When we got back home to Utah, not even 24 hours later, Washington D.C. had shut down entirely. We felt lucky we got to go, but hopeful this shut down would only be two weeks. Fast forward two years, and we (again, like the rest of the world) were unable to go anywhere. My sister and I had gotten Covid-19 in November of 2020, and then the vaccines started to roll out. We had heard that if you were fully vaccinated, places were starting to slowly open for those individuals. We thought since we already had Covid-19, why not get vaccinated so we could travel? So, my mom, myself, and my sister all got vaccinated. Solely to travel. We are by no means 'anti-vaccination' people, actually quite the opposite. But we did have the normal hesitations of getting this vaccine just to such little prior research. Regardless, we got the vaccine. We started looking at places where we could go, from cruises to domestic travel to international. And then, the booster comes out. The rules are now that you have to have all three shots. And then, I get Covid-19 again in November of 2021, after having been fully vaccinated. Finally, we start to plan a Europe trip for the summer of 2022. Every plane, train, and automobile that would take us to and around Europe required a valid Covid-19 vaccination card. There were so many Covid-19 tests we had to take prior to departure from the US, then when we got to Europe, and then when we were getting ready to return home to the US. We had to fill out numerous forms verifying that we were not sick and had not been sick in the previous 14 days. While we were in Europe, the mask mandate had lifted for everywhere but Austria, but we didn't know that. We went to board an Austrian airlines flight without a mask, and we were then told we could not fly without a mask. We had to beg the flight attendant to give us one, as we didn't know (they were not nice about it). Keeping up with everyone's different rules and regulations and testing and forms definitely made our trip more difficult than it would be now. -
2021-11
Strangers united in pettiness
Medical mask mandates on public transport had been in effect for a while now when this happened: There are always the inevitable idiots who refuse to wear their masks (or just wear them below their nose, which in addition to being stupid also looks stupid) and usually people will just roll their eyes but say nothing - that one morning went differently. The train was neither particularly crowded nor empty, for each 4-seater there'd be 2-3 seats occupied. We rolled into a station, people got on, among them a young woman who sat down on the first available seat. Directly behind her, some middle-aged guy, in possession of a mask but having it bunched up beneath his chin like a face-diaper. Upon seeing the woman sit down, he suddenly started ranting at her because apparently he'd wanted to sit in that seat (note that there were plenty of seats left), insulting her with a barrage of sexist and racist terms I don't care to repeat. She ignored him. Another passenger, however, didn't, and told the mask-less idiot to stop making an ass of himself and put on his mask before speaking and 'spreading his aerosols' indoors, which drew the idiot's ire on him. After realising that neither the woman nor the other passengers would offer their seat to him in response to his insults, the idiot moved on to the next 4-seater - only to find that the people there used their bags and jackets to occupy the empty seats there to prevent him from sitting down there, responding to his cussing by telling him to just put on his fucking mask again. He moved on, everyone on the next row of seats blocked him as well, again and again. One woman, lacking a bag, went as far as full-on man-spreading in the middle of two seats to occupy them both. In the end, the idiot had to move to a whole other train car to find a seat. The rest of us was left with smug smiles and a sense of petty satisfaction for the rest of the ride! -
2021-03-26
Mask trash #26
Black and white checker fabric face mask near Tempe Beach park. -
2020-09-06
Lonely Train Rides
In the city of Chicago on Monday morning I was used to the train being super packed. However on this Monday there was only one masked man on the whole train. So I sat and did a social distanced doodle to capture the moment. -
2020-12-06
The ways how Covid-19 is annoying and helping us [ANONYMOUS]
When I go to malls, I usually take buses and sky trains and I can see all the people in buses and trains are wearing their masks. Including children and seniors. When I get any malls, every single person is wearing a mask and getting social distancing. And if there are lots of people in a shop and there is a limitation of capacity of people, and the shop is full, then others who want to go in have to wait for it until the people in the store get out. This thing is one of stressful things for everybody. And when I go to the school, we only take 1 to 2 blocks for a day, and we have to clean our desks and chairs before the classes begin, or after the classes end. This one is really inconvenient. Of course all the students wear their masks for the whole time in the school. We have our cohort zone which makes me and my friends separate. And everyone cannot expect there will be the school next month because the school can be closed whenever if COVID spreads so quickly. Some restaurants take reservations, and some of them don’t. If I get in a restaurant, I have to write my first and last name, the number of people will join together, the time I came in, and the date on a paper. Also all the people (also me) in restaurants have to sanitize their hands before they sit. And people cannot sit before any table is sanitized. People can order by online by taking a code on desks, or order to waiters or waitresses. If I look at the online menu, that is the same as the offline menu. And when I finished to order, I can see what I ordered and the total amount to pay on the online menu. They also appear when I ordered foods offline. I can pay them online. When I park my car on the side of roads, I can pay the time for parking online, also I can add more time online whenever I want. I don’t need to go back to the spot where my car was parked when I need to add more time. Online payment is developed by COVID and it’s convenient! -
2020-10-28
混雑戻り感染懸念も・・・鉄道の換気を検証 結果は?(2020年10月28日) - Concerns about returning to crowded situation ... Verifying railway ventilation What are the results? (October 28, 2020)
Japan is the country that uses public transportation a lot compared to the United States. I personally also commuted to school with train for more than 10 years and it is normal to use public transport to commute and to get anywhere rather than your own car. Parking on streets is very hard to find and all parking lots are very expensive, especially in downtown areas. It is also just more convenient to use public transport because Japan is one of the countries that trains/bus are never late and come on time. This news is really important because infection can easily happen in trains if it is not ventilated properly and people are not taking distances. However, Japan is very rigid on rules about time and a lot of workers have to get to work on certain time, which causes crowds on trains/bus at certain time. 最近、また列車が混んできたなと感じることが増えてきました。気になるのは車両の中の換気です。ある研究データが出てきました。 シミュレーションの結果は意外なものでした。一時はガラガラだった列車も、いつの間にかコロナ前の混雑が戻りつつあります。気になるのは感染リスクです。混み具合によって車内の空気の流れはどのように変化するのか・・・。 鉄道総合技術研究所は、この「換気」の問題に焦点を絞り、シミュレーションを実施しました。例えば乗客ゼロの状態と、乗客が増えて立っている人ですべてのつり革が埋まっている乗車率100%の状態を比べると、換気の効率にどのような違いが出るのか・・・。 条件は6カ所の窓を10センチ程度開け、時速70キロで走行した場合です。結果、乗車率ゼロでも乗車率100%でも換気効率に大きな違いは出ませんでした。 これは乗客が増えると、その分、車内の空気の体積が減るため。乗客がいないと5.3分に1回のペースで車内の空気が入れ替わりますが、乗車率100%だと4.5分。むしろ早まることが分かりました。ちなみに山手線の混み具合はコロナの影響が出る直前の2月初旬を「100」とした場合、5月に38%まで落ち込んだものの、その後、徐々に回復し、先月は65%まで戻しています。 今回のシミュレーションでは乗客が増えても空気の流れ自体にはさほど悪い影響がないことが分かりました。ただし、乗客が増えることによって不特定多数と接近してしまうなどのリスクは今回の計算には含まれていません。 Recently, I feel that the trains are getting crowded again. What is concerning is the ventilation inside the vehicle. Some research data came out. The result of the simulation was surprising. The train, which was once rattled, is returning to congestion in front of Corona. What is concerning is the risk of infection. How does the air flow inside the car change depending on how crowded it is? The Railway Technical Research Institute focused on this "ventilation" problem and conducted a simulation. For example, if you compare the state of zero passengers with the state of 100% occupancy rate where all the holding straps are filled with people standing with more passengers, what kind of difference will there be in ventilation efficiency? The condition is when 6 windows are opened about 10 cm and the vehicle travels at 70 km / h. As a result, there was no big difference in ventilation efficiency between zero occupancy rate and 100% occupancy rate. This is because the volume of air inside the car decreases as the number of passengers increases. If there are no passengers, the air inside the car changes at a pace of once every 5.3 minutes, but if the occupancy rate is 100%, it takes 4.5 minutes. It turned out to be rather quick. By the way, if the congestion level of the Yamanote Line is set to "100" in early February just before the influence of the corona, it dropped to 38% in May, but then gradually recovered and returned to 65% last month. .. In this simulation, it was found that even if the number of passengers increased, the air flow itself was not so badly affected. However, the risk of approaching an unspecified number of passengers due to an increase in passengers is not included in this calculation. -
2020-10-01
The Train!
I've lived in my current residence for nearly a year and a half now. Since moving in, every night and sometimes throughout the day, I hear and feel the train moving past my house. The tracks are just behind the alley that backs up to my backyard. I spent a lot of time in my backyard, but until the pandemic took over I never actually saw the train. One night in October 2019, my friends and I sat in my backyard waiting for the train to come and it never did. I don't think I ever saw it because when it would come during the day I would be at either work or school and I would not spend too much time in my backyard at night. Now I see it all the time. I still remember seeing it pass for the first time and thinking "Wow! It's literally right there." Just another funny thing I would have never noticed.