I think it includes transfers and express lines. I noticed if I click on a local stop that meets an express line somewhere, the express line stops are still quite a bit darker than other stops.
That's likely why 18th and 14th street are so similar: It only takes a minute or two to get from 18th st -> 14th st.
For me, the nice part about Obsidian is that they're just markdown files. So even if something happens to Obsidian, the notes still exist and are still easily transferrable to something else.
I was part of Techstars Seattle in 2019, though we were mentored by Chris's counterpart at Founders' Co-op (Aviel). It was also a partnership with Amazon, and I really don't have enough good things to say about that experience even though our company ceased to exist less than a year later.
I'm only half-surprised.
I had a great experience, we learned a ton, and if anything was going to set us up for success it was our time there. Companies are mostly doomed to fail, but our time in Seattle was pretty transformative for me personally. It allowed us to refine our focus and dedicate ourselves wholly to building something people wanted (which, turns out, wasn't that many people obviously). The support and guidance we received from Aviel, our Amazon partners, and fellow cohort members were unparalleled. Say what you want about VCs or Amazon or startup founders (and yeah there are many things to be said), but I really have nothing but great things to say about all of the individuals from our time there. Admittedly, my opinion doesn't carry any particular importance.
On the other hand, I'm not surprised at all when I reflect on the actual Techstars program. Techstars, as an organization, seemed totally in the periphery for much of the program. The lion's share of valuable advice and resources came not from the organization itself, but from everyone else.
Echoing another's sentiments, the value of Techstars seems heavily influenced by location and the mentors involved. We were lucky to only be thinking about two great programs, Seattle and NYC. If we had ended up somewhere else maybe I'd be completely unsurprised.
It's hard to imagine a recent college graduate understanding the machinations of corporate entities enough to give meaningful advice about how to run more "efficiently". It's a bit like when a SV company is promising to revolutionize farm equipment and the founders have no background in agriculture - weirder things have happened, sure, but you can see why people are a bit skeptical.
Yes, it's obviously a bit unfair because sometimes untainted eyes can be the most beneficial, but hopefully you can also see why there's a bit of skepticism.
Definitely a valid question! I think it's hard to define what "worse off" means here, mostly because it's hard to put a number on the value of entertainment to people (other than the obvious ones: ticket prices, etc.).
I get what you're saying, though - cities often give up a lot (and probably too much) to keep franchises happy.
I'm mostly just pointing out the major power disparity between LA and other cities: Major sports teams want to be in LA far more than LA wants a major sports team. That's not true of, say, Seattle or St. Louis or San Diego.
That's likely why 18th and 14th street are so similar: It only takes a minute or two to get from 18th st -> 14th st.