Long Walks On Leafy Streets

12/8/2014 Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC
I am writing this from Montreal, Canada. I am here to attend a conference in number theory at the Universite de Montreal. It is quite cold here, between 20 and 30 degrees (Fahrenheit) most of the time. I just walked home from the campus. The mathematics building is 2.75 miles from the YWCA hotel where I am staying this week.
I have decided to walk to and from campus every day this week. I enjoy walking and it is not too far and it would give me good exercise, compensating for not running. As much as I love running, it is a bit of a hassle to pack running clothes and shoes especially for this bitterly cold weather. Moreover it would be difficult to finish running before heading to the campus in the morning and in the evening it gets dark quite early here, around 4 pm.
This morning I started a bit late, around 8.40. The first lecture was at 9.30. So I started walking fast.
The cold air hit the face like a pack of ice. It was difficult for the first half a mile or so. But because I was walking fast the body warmed up very quickly. In fact I started sweating and had to periodically wipe my head in order to keep the hat from getting wet. The campus is on the other side of the mountain Mont Real (Mount Royal) that gives this city its name. You have to walk on the beautifully named Cote des Neiges road. It goes around the mountain park and then a large cemetery behind it. It is quite a beautiful walk but I would have enjoyed it more had I been walking at a more leisurely pace. Everything was covered in snow – the park area, the cemetery, people’s lawns and roadsides. Luckily almost all the sidewalks had been swept clean of snow so it was not difficult to walk. I arrived just in time to get my registration packet and attend the first lecture.
Winter is somehow easier to deal with here than in Washington, DC. The air stays cold throughout without fluctuating too much day-to-day or even within the same day as it does in Washington. Once you get used to it, which doesn’t take long, it becomes normal and you don’t even think about it. They are also used to the snow here, so roads and sidewalks don’t get messy like they do in Washington. The first semester that I spent in DC was quite miserable because everything was new. I was used to the climate and culture of southern India and California. The Eastern US is quite the opposite of that. But during that winter I spent a few weeks in Montreal working with a Professor who was also in number theory. Although it was colder here, it was much easier to get used to. Montreal is also a very nice city and so I really enjoyed my stay here. When I went back to DC I was refreshed and the weather there was much warmer. After that I never had any trouble dealing with the Washington winters.
This is my third or fourth trip coming here. They tend to have conferences in my area of interest. This time I took the train. Although I had to catch a 3.15 am train from Washington I am really glad I took the train. At first it felt a little inconvenient to walk in the cold, dark night to the station. But soon I started enjoying it. Everything was so quiet. Takoma metro station, Union station, the trains – all of them. There were no crowds and although there were a fair number of people on the train there was plenty of space to stretch out and relax. There was also Wi-Fi available in the dining car so I spent some time sitting there working. I have posted some videos from the train on my Facebook page. I think traveling by train is the best way to go. So next time you venture on a long distance journey, please leave your car at home and avoid the bus and the planes. You will be happy you did.

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