And before I know it, I'm there. Gain's Folly on TopOfTheTree3, the "portal system" people can visit (but not settle) via portal, as I had a few weeks ago before deciding on this adventure.
I wasn't sure if civilization would fade in gradually the way it does in a real-life road trip, with gas stations and suburbs slowly rising up into cityscape. But this is a universe of instantaneous warp travel, and grand structures appearing overnight.