Monthly Archives: August 2022

Podcasts for the Road

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Leaders of the radical Weather Underground accompanied us during our recent road trip to Chicago. We drove home with the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.

We also spent time with an Indianapolis radio reporter involved in a hostage crisis. He sounded just like the actor Jon Hamm. In fact, he was Jon Hamm, playing the lead role in an 8-episode podcast drama, American Hostage. 

The Weather Underground was the focus of a 10-episode podcast series, Mother Country Radicals, narrated byZayd Dohrn, the son of celebrated radicals Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers. He described what it was like to grow up underground and on the run with parents wanted by the FBI. Project Unabomb considered whether Ted Kaczynski was just a madman who murdered people or a troubled prophet who foresaw how technology can harm us.

These and other long-form podcasts have made the hours fly by when Champa and I have traveled. Sweet Bobby was a 6-part series about a woman who fell in love with someone who appeared to be a handsome cardiologist but was actually a cruel scammer. Passenger List featured a woman seeking the truth about an airplane that disappeared with her brother and others on board. S-Town made me care about a strange man who despised his Alabama town and decided to do something about it.

With their dramatic stories, talented casts and compelling audio, podcasts like these grab my attention more than most audiobooks with a single narrator reading text. However, I have enjoyed audiobooks such as Michelle Obama’s Becoming and Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, and old favorites like Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck.

I prefer these multi-episode podcast series when we travel but not when I’m home. For my daily morning walks, I usually listen to the latest episodes of shows ranging from the news (The Daily) to current affairs (Fresh Air), sports (Pardon the Interruption), technology (Pivot), travel (Rick Steves), foreign affairs (Pod Save the World) and business (Planet Money). 

I’ve also enjoyed several humor and entertainment podcasts — such as from Marc Maron and Conan O’Brien — but usually listen in spurts and then take a break. Similarly, I’ve sampled podcasts on particular topics, such as Ear Hustle on prison life, but decide “that’s enough” after a few episodes.

I download podcasts for free onto my iPhone and listen with earbuds or, when we’re traveling, through our car’s audio system. If you’re unfamiliar with how to do this yourself, it’s easy, and I encourage you to give it a try. Here are instructions.

I’m always on the lookout for something new, so please share your own podcast suggestions with a comment. Heard anything good lately?

Our Chicago Loop

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Chicago. Columbus. Cincinnati. Charleston.

There were lots of “C”s when we drove recently from Durham to Chicago, and back — plus an unexpected “C” that sent us racing home earlier than expected, a loop of more than 1,700 miles.

We came down with Covid as we were leaving the Chicago suburb we were visiting. We arrived back home more than a week ago and are only now feeling better.

Still, we’re very glad we went.

In Charleston, W.V., we toured a State Capitol building whose dome is taller than the U.S. Capitol. A heroic coal miner outside embodied the state’s heritage and energy politics.

In Columbus, Ohio, we visited the Ohio State University campus, saw lovely Victorian homes and ate German food. At the North Market, we found this momo shop.

Aviation was the theme in Dayton, Ohio. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force was spectacular (and free). A smaller but compelling museum across town honored the Wright Brothers, the local legends who made possible our North Carolina “First in Flight” license plate.

On Day Four, we spent most of our time at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Our behind-the-scenes tour included the winner’s circle, the press room and a great display of winning cars. We also saw the city’s giant Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Finally we arrived in Aurora, near Chicago, where we enjoyed catching up with some of our Nepali family and friends.

We’d hoped to spend afternoons in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Huntington, W.V., during our return trip, but instead drove straight home, isolating in a motel for one night en route.

Covid wiped us out for several days. We can only imagine how sick we might have gotten if we weren’t vaccinated and boosted. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet yourself, please take Covid seriously. It can throw you for a lot more than a loop.