Our Friends in the City

This one took me longer than I'd like to admit — almost four months, on and off, mostly during a very long, very indirect move across the country that involved two flat tires, one canceled flight, and a truly cursed U-Haul. The theme answers trace that route, more or less. It felt right to make the grid a little oversized to match how long the whole ordeal took. Thanks to my partner for surviving the drive with me, and to Alina, Cale, and my mom (always my mom) for test solving. If you find any errors, please be gentle, I have been through a lot.