

Venture far enough, and you’ll touch on patches of land that have gone almost unchanged by human hands - pockets nearly as untouched as some in the still-wild West or distant Alaska. Head north, and the dense core of Manhattan turns to row houses and dense suburbs and relaxed exurbs, then rolling farmland and finally remote forest. New York may be synonymous with bustling metropolis and urban fervor, but it’s much more than just the city. My weekend trips - to hike, to walk around without wearing a mask, to buy groceries in supermarkets large enough to allow at least six feet of distance between my lungs and the nasal passages of strangers - became a lifeline to normalcy.Īnd - importantly, during those early days of the pandemic, when it seemed as though states might slam their borders shut any day - all that space and tranquility could be found within the lines of the Empire State.
#GTS RACE GEAR MOVIE#
Moving out of urban zones for the roomer suburbs and rural areas became a trope of 2020, but even for those of us who didn’t change our home addresses, the country took on new appeal when the bars and movie theaters and museums were closed in those apocalyptic early days, escaping New York City for the day became one of the only respites. You’re not just passing everything by in a tiny room, isolated and removed from your surroundings you’re a part of it again, dunked in sights and sounds and sensations.īy the time the warm months of 2021 rolled around the Acela Corridor, the initial threat of COVID-19 had passed, but the appeal of leaving Manhattan for greener pastures hadn’t.

It’s like riding a motorcycle, only without the 1-in-50 chance of dying doing it during your lifetime. With the top down, you’re thrown back into the world in a visceral, emotive way that’s unlike any other form of driving.
#GTS RACE GEAR WINDOWS#
They’re so aerodynamically optimized, even rolling the windows down barely results in any breeze tickling your face.Ĭonvertibles, though, are the last vestige of immersive motoring. Today’s vehicles are starships compared to the rides of yore, sealed airtight pods that let barely any sound or vibration inside. And sure, any car, truck, SUV or van can spark that feeling - but these days, it’s rarely as visceral as it used to be. The emotional appeal of the automobile, at its core, is about the sensation of speed – the thrill of the world racing by, the danger and joy of turning potential energy into the kinetic. Of all the types of car in the world, none are quite as magical as the convertible.
