In which we discuss:

• Masks, and lack of masks.
• Public restrooms, and other travel dilemmas. 
• Outdoor tips for beginners.

 

Since our last mini episode, time has flown by…or has it stood still? In this episode, we’re still Going Nowhere, so we talk about what we’re seeing around the state in July 2020 as far as mask-wearing and space-creating goes. The pandemic has caused or amplified some issues with even local travel. (Who could have predicted rest stop bathrooms would become so terrifying?) We have advice for managing that. Many people have picked up new hobbies during the shutdown, including spending time outdoors. We have tips for newbies who might still have the “aah outdoors is scary!” mentality. 

Please excuse the uneven audio quality in this episode; we promise Johnna is not recording from inside a running faucet, it’s just Zoom.

Links:

Example of a water company map. 

Example of a GIS map.

Kerri’s visit to the place that required bushwacking.

CT State Parks & Forests. 

Land trusts in Connecticut.

Connecticut Coastal Access Guide. 

Connecticut Greenways. 

CT Audubon.

Johnna’s visit to the Florence Griswold Museum grounds.

 

 
Music: “Below the Waves” by Keshco

Welcome to a special, Zoom-enabled, preparation-free mini-episode of Going/Steady. We’re going nowhere right now, just staying home, staying safe, and keeping six feet away from other people. Oh, and getting ready for the first night of Passover!

We apologize for any audio issues (including the fact that half of New London decided to turn on their drills and leaf blowers in Johnna’s neighborhood during this recording) and for the fact that our usual intro, outro, and music was saved on Kerri’s other computer.

We hope you enjoy this hastily assembled episode, and most of all we hope you’re doing well in these crazy times.

In which we discuss:

• How our lives have changed, or not, due to Covid-19 
• The confusion of “stay at home” and what we can do now, travel-wise
• What we’re dreaming of doing when this is all over

 

Links:

Governor Lamont’s 54-page Covid-19 FAQ.

DEEP Guidelines on using Connecticut’s State Parks and Forests for “solitary outdoor enjoyment.”

How to be responsible during a Viral Emergency, from Real Hartford. 

15 Outdoor Spaces for Social Distancing in Connecticut, from The Size of Connecticut. 

Road trip inspiration for the future:

A Northwest Connecticut Road Trip

A Connecticut River Valley Road Trip

A Revolutionary Road Trip: Rochambeau in Connecticut

3 Northern Connecticut Fall Foliage Drives

Going/Steady’s crossover episode with the podcast Grating the Nutmeg, Fort Trumbull and New London History.

 

Music: “Below the Waves” by Keshco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In which we discuss:

• Various Connecticut-related topics that have been on our minds lately
• Our top 5 New England-related books
• Travel in the time of COVID-19

Summary

Same car, same iPhone, different month, different city: February’s episode of Going/Steady was recorded in New Haven, and in it, Kerri and Johnna get into budget cuts, George Washington’s sleeping habits, and anti-vaxxers. Then we list some of our fave New England books, from fiction to travel, from semi-high-brow to Barnes & Noble bestseller table. We also discuss the new coronavirus that’s freaking everyone out (including us) and how it, or other fears, might impact our travel plans. On a positive note, we have some healthy travel tips!

Links

In this episode, we mention Episode 12, in which we discuss our top 5 travel books.

Johnna’s New England book picks:

1. Old Seaport Towns of New England by Hildegarde Hawthorne
2. Connecticut: A Guide to its Roads, Lore, & People by Federal Writers’ Project
3. Colonial American Travel Narratives
4. Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer
5. The Life of John Ledyard, the American Traveller, by Jared Sparks

Kerri’s New England book picks:

1. The novels of Stephen King
2. The Outermost House by Henry Beston
3. The works of Jhumpa Lahiri
4. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
5. The poetry of Donald Hall

 

Note: This podcast may contain occasional curse-words. Use the earbuds at work or around the kiddos.

Music: “Below the Waves” by Keshco

In which we discuss:

• Winter activities, and lists thereof
• New England seasonal travel habits, Instagram vs. Reality
• Learning languages, and a bunch of Jewish stuff
• The NYT’s new 52 Places list, and more Jewish stuff

 Summary

In our first episode of 2020, we talk about what to do in winter in New England, and how the local winter reality does not always square with the popular romantic image of snow-covered mountains and cozy inns. We also discuss cultural differences: how they make New England great and how they can make daily life awkward on occasion. We also talk about learning languages. Then we get into the new New York Times 52 Places to Go in 2020 list: do we want to visit these trendy spots? Why or why not? Plus, bonus ramble on current events and traveling while Jewish.

This is a somewhat strange episode; we wander off-topic whenever possible, and, oh yeah, we recorded it in a car. Also, Johnna says “like” approximately eleventy-billion times, and Kerri asks that important Hartford question, “Is the incinerator running?”

Links

In this episode, we mention:

CT Visit’s list of winter attractions.

The Size of Connecticut posts about what to do in winter in CT, where to shop for home goods, and visiting Philadelphia.

Real Hartford posts about First Day Hikes and alternatives.

Johnna on what to do in winter with kids on Star 99.9.

The Connecticut origins of Lender’s Bagels.

The NYT’s 52 Places to Go in 2020.

 

Note: This podcast may contain occasional curse-words. Use the earbuds at work or around the kiddos.

Music: “Below the Waves” by Keshco