ICYMI: lots happening over here. What felt like an eternal move has finally come to a close, and to celebrate, the Relay boys and their significant others have officially signed up for The Great Saunter in NYC this May. The 2026 edition is a 32-mile walk circling Manhattan’s shoreline, held on the first Saturday in May. Last year we played support crew on the West Side Highway during a long run and have been counting down to registration ever since. No one has ever been more excited to walk 32 miles than us.
“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.”
- Bob Dylan
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”
- John Steinbeck
Top of Mind
90 Is Way Older Than 89, Lloyd Khan
There are a few advantages to old age. One is the perspective of having been alive for so long — a faculty that only old people have. And this is doubly useful when I can reminisce with people my age. To remember when milk was delivered to the doorstep, gas was 33 cents a gallon, before TV, playing in the streets before Little League, when annual tuition at Stanford was $660, when politicians were halfway decent, driving across America in the dead of winter in a 1960 VW bus with a 40 HP motor, the “English Invasion” of the ‘60s (Beatles, Stones), the Haight Ashbury before the Diggers and the “Summer of Love” — in fact, the ‘60s in general, including the Monterey Pop Festival.
To compare these memories with what’s happening now — wow!
Lloyd is a Relay favorite and reading his work always fills us with wonderful perspective.
The Great Saunter is a daylong hike that explores Manhattan’s 32-mile shoreline, visiting more than 20 parks and promenades of Manhattan.
The first Saturday in May is denoted, by the New York City Council, as “The Great Saunter Day”. And, as we’ve said, we will be participating this year. The Saunter launched in 1982 as a way to protect the Manhattan shoreline and has since been an exceedingly successful event (it sold out in a half day this year, we were lucky to get in).
20th century Containerization completely altered the shipping landscape in New York, favoring ports in New Jersey that were built with new container shipping in mind. The traditional breakbulk shipping ports in Manhattan and Brooklyn suffered as a result, which in turn caused the shoreline to suffer. When founder of Shorewalkers Inc, Cy A. Adler, began the walk in 1984, saunterers had to wrestle with a seriously dilapidated path, if there was a path at all. Today, the 32 miles of path are nearly completely connected. Numerous parks and green space areas have received improvements across the city because of the Saunter. We’re stoked to participate in a few months.
ICYMI: Happy Hour Edition
Riley Waltz is incredibly back with his data shenanigans!!!!!
Sci-fi worthy de-extinction efforts are still chugging along
Best of Substack this Week
“I tried flying the American flag in Beijing. I like putting myself in situations where I’m not totally sure how things will go. Stirring the pot. Before I even put the flag up I kinda knew there’d be a problem. Sure enough police stopped me w/i five minutes.”
This Week in Relay’s Shopping Cart
Mid Century Bookshelf, (Jack)
In the absolute throes of apartment furnishing and arranging this week and it’s been a real battle, dear readers. This bookshelf is the shining glimmer of light through it all. I love her.
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Photo Booth Frame, (James)
We’re closing in on two weeks in the new place and the walls are still completely bare. I should probably prioritize a larger piece than this photo strip frame to cover more than 12 inches of wall space.
It’s Not That Deep, Randy
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Bookshelf is giving college dorm