Three years at Tulane without a car were perfectly manageable; I aligned errand runs with my daily walks. Audubon Park was always the perfect scenic stroll on the way to Whole Foods, a makeshift car made up of oak trees as the roof and turtle crossings as red lights. Coffee runs, yoga classes, and nail salons were all journeys I enjoyed lengthening on foot. However, as senior year rolled around, I knew it was time to replace the rickety sidewalks with potholes in the road.
When my mom and I initially decided to drive from Maryland to New Orleans, an easy 16-plus hours, we immediately changed our minds. Deeming the journey too long after a summer of road trips, we called a car service to haul my car down the country. Approximately a week before the first day of class, the car service fell through, and my mom and I found ourselves behind the wheel of my tiny, moon-colored Nissan Kicks, ready to take her home.
Our journey to the Big Easy consisted of two days, six states, one Alabama sorority rush sighting, dreamy mountains, and a questionable tiger off the twisting middle-of-nowhere roads. I would describe the trip as the epitome of what one wishes the drive to Massachusetts from Maryland to feel like, but never is: scenic, speedy and smooth. The drive lacked the classic New Jersey Turnpike traffic, each lane overflowing with honking commuters. There were no George Washington Bridge puzzles to navigate, an experience where the music must be turned down or else you will end up in the Bronx instead of the burbs. I love home up north dearly, but the south most definitely knows how to road trip.
The strikingly abundant Tennessee mountains paved the way for our smooth journey. With roads going 70 all the way to Mississippi, podcasts were listened to, music was sung, and mother-daughter bonding was, of course, a given. Before leaving, my mom and I anticipated we were going to want to drop each other off on the side of an Alabama backroad. Surprisingly, instead we ended up laughing, singing, and enjoying the adventure together before my last ride here at Tulane.
So, if you are an out-of-state student, as many of us are, and ready to trade your feet for the gas pedal, I highly recommend doing the road trip. Each year at college is filled with its own windy roads, abundant journeys of growth and self-discovery. The roads are long, and some less smooth than others, but all of them lead back to New Orleans.
About Aviva Blumenthal
Aviva is the Editor-in-Chief of The Crescent Magazine. She is currently a senior, double majoring in English and French, with a minor in Psychology on the pre-law track. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, reading, hot yoga, and spending time with friends exploring New Orleans.
Aviva is the Editor-in-Chief of The Crescent Magazine. She is currently a senior, double majoring in English and French, with a minor in Psychology on the pre-law track. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, reading, hot yoga, and spending time with friends exploring New Orleans.
