Crossing Connecticut after a while started to feel like some sort of surreal utopia, with prosperity, beauty and convenience all along the way. Half the way across the state the Traveler was walking on sidewalks.

Then there was Bridgeport, which was a rude awakening . It forced the Traveler to dig deeper and realize that, no, people aren't poor in America just because “they didn't try hard enough”. A system was kept in place for decades to insure certain people stayed poor. Meanwhile others became rich... not because they worked hard, but because they happened to be sitting on a piece of land that would go up astronomically in value.

Suddenly the “American Dream” of anyone-can-succeed-if-they-work-hard-enough doesn't look quite as clear and simple as it once did.

And next down the road is another section of America that is sure to pack a lot of unexpected discoveries: New York City.