It occurred to me today that it could be tremendously beautiful just to drive straight in one direction from the center of the city into the country, going from the extremes of urban order and chaos into the calm autumn void of the most remote countryside. There is such a vast contrast between those two, and something about that contrast is strikingly beautiful.

The opposite—going into the city from the country, and watching as the lights and structures gradually, gradually, and then exponentially accumulate as the hours pass—I used to enjoy when I took the bus home for breaks during my college years.

What is it that is so exquisite about these massive transitions?