Best cities for Roads Scholaring

[bandit957]

I wrote this article for The Last Word at the beginning of the month, and I think it's relevant here, even after the St. Louis roadmeet...

Roads Scholaring is a boring hobby that nobody wants to hear about...said no person, ever.

I used to think I invented Roads Scholaring–the pastime of visiting roads just because they're roads–but
the Internets sure has set me straight. Scholaring has been around since before I was even watching Barney &
Friends–which is a mighty long time, considering Barney & Friends didn't debut until I was 18.

With the St. Louis roadmeet looming this month, it's time to ask this important question: Do people pop?
Just joking! Actually, our question is this: What are the best cities for Scholaring? Welp, we've consulted the
nonexistent Last Word Book Of Records, which uses several criteria. We can base it on which cities have the
most elaborate road features, judged by how the roads interact with each other or with other features such as
buildings, rivers, and terrain. Cincinnati gets high marks, but most of the good stuff is confined to downtown or
the Mill Creek valley. By this measure, the best major American cities might be (in this order): New York,
Washington, Chicago, and Pittsburgh.

The Big Apple and the nation's capital qualify because they have so many of the goodies that big
Northeastern cities are known for. Chicago is listed because of its multilevel streets. Pittsburgh has its tunnels. On
the other hand, when I visited Milwaukee last year, I was surprised that city had as many interesting road features
as it did.

For large foreign cities, Tokyo may be the hands-down winner. Google Maps reveals–among other
things–a freeway directly over the path of a river.

You can also judge the best Scholaring cities by other methods. Detroit sounds appealing because of the
many blocks of abandoned lots, which the city is now turning into urban farmland. An interesting international
candidate is Venice. Does Venice have any roads at all? It has canals and alleys, but it doesn't seem to have roads.
It has small paved spaces that might be referred to as streets, but that's like how Sesame Street is called a street
even though nobody uses it for travel. LeftMaps would have a field day drawing all of Venice's densely packed
canals and footbridges.

Yep, I'm sure most tourists who visit Venice go there for the Roads Scholaring.

Google Street View is my main alternative to real Scholaring. I bet the tourism industry hates, hates,
hates Street View! Maybe someday there will be a device that lets people Scholar from home for real. People
could control a robot equipped with a video link. A right-wing businessman in Atlanta built a robot that waddles
up the street and harasses homeless people. If technology is advanced enough for ignoble passions such as that, it
should be advanced enough for more intelligent pursuits.

If only I was rich instead of cool.

Since I wrote that article, I've come to the conclusion that St. Louis has to be among America's best Scholaring cities.

[getemngo]

Detroit doesn't have much to offer for roadgeeks over another city of its size, unless you really like forgotten US 10 shields. It's the birthplace of the Michigan Left, but there's not much else besides the crossings into Canada, I-375, the I-96/I-696/I-275/M-5 interchange (which isn't impressive to drive through), and a whole lot of potholes. Yawn. If only the original Davison Freeway were still there.

[vdeane]

Scholaring?  Are you a Viatologist?

[Brandon]

Scholaring?  Are you a Viatologist?

It's a play on Rhodes Scholar -> Roads Scholar.

[getemngo]

I like Tim, and I understand that this article was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but it does sound a little Calrog...esque. Blame Poe's Law.

[Scott5114]

Still have yet to get out there, but I would imagine that Los Angeles would be pretty high on the list...lots of freeways, some with signage that might be old enough to start drawing Social Security benefits by now (though that's gradually going away).

[Laura]

Baltimore is a great city for this and is a fun place to treasure hunt. Lots of old signs, the Highway to Nowhere, unique interchanges, stubs, new construction.


iPhone

[AsphaltPlanet]

Still have yet to get out there, but I would imagine that Los Angeles would be pretty high on the list...lots of freeways, some with signage that might be old enough to start drawing Social Security benefits by now (though that's gradually going away).

agreed.  I don't know if there can be a "best of" list that doesn't include SoCal.

[brianreynolds]

Good article, Tim.  I'd have to agree that New York and Washington are probably the best.  It doesn't hurt that they also have dozens of non-road reasons to visit.

[Kacie Jane]

Obviously I'm a bit biased, but Seattle may be on the list. Lots of new construction going on right now, a prominent BGS downtown displaying a route that hasn't existed for 45 years, loads of other (mostly city erected) old-font signage...

[bandit957]

I'd guess that San Francisco would be more interesting than Los Angeles.

[bugo]

Pittsburgh.  No other place comes close.

[roadman65]

California with its many stacked interchanges.

[brianreynolds]

Detroit doesn't have much to offer for roadgeeks ... If only the original Davison Freeway were still there.

I'll second that motion.  The old Davison Expressway was the closest thing to time-travel I've ever experienced.  Like stepping back into the mid-1940s.  What a shame that some forward thinking roadgeek didn't have a dashcam to capture that for future generations.

[brianreynolds]

Baltimore is a great city for this and is a fun place to treasure hunt. Lots of old signs, the Highway to Nowhere, unique interchanges, stubs, new construction.

Yes.  The Baltimore meet was one of the best.

[brianreynolds]

I'd guess that San Francisco would be more interesting than Los Angeles.

Probably so.  Certanily so from a Total Transportation perspective.  The Bay Area has interesting bridges over water.  Impressive hills right in town.  Cable-cars.  Lots of interface between land and water. 

[brianreynolds]

Pittsburgh.  No other place comes close.

Yes. Pittsburgh would qualify for the bridges alone.  Add to that the tunnels, and the great hilltop overlooks.  The complete package.  Top tier for sure.

[english si]

Surely 'Roads Scholaring' is more than just driving roads?

I've had fun in Portsmouth looking at a half-built interchanges (since been redone) and standing in the middle of a motorway slip road
but equally I've had fun in Portsmouth at their City Records Office seeing their old motorway plans.

I've had road-related fun in other cities too, but Portsmouth is easier to link to other people's pictures.

And old maps, as well as old plans, are a delight.