Back in Bean Town! Today I arrived in Boston for a two week stay in one of my favorite cities. I left West Palm this morning around 7:30 am for a non-stop flight north, not too shabby. Unless you take into the account that I think the person behind me must have been getting their kick boxing workout in because I swear they rammed my seat at least every 10 minutes. Considering the fact that there was tons of room in front of the seats, even for me with my long legs, I don't know what the fuck they were dping back there aside from pissing me off. It made it nearly impossible to squeeze in a little nap before landing at 10:30. Oh well, I could deal with the jolt from time to time but I never quite adjusted to the smelly old man who was sitting next to me. Nothing against the elderly, but when in life does it become ok to go out in public smelling unclean and just overall unkept? Mom and Dad, if you ever get to this point I'm going to be giving you laundry detergent and soap on every occasion I can think of. Either that or I'll just get someone to hose you off from time to time. Just kidding!
But seriously, the guy was hogging the arm rest and was giving off a foul odor. Not one that mde you want to vomit on the spot and not even one that lingered on, but the kind of odor that you get in whiffs. Like a combination of clothes that need to be laundered, ear wax and natural oils from sweat that has dried. You all know what I mean right? Well, at least he didn't smell like stale urine, that was a plus. So, I turned the air vent more in his direction to help blow his scent back near him, turned my head toward the window and on occasion stuck my nose into my sweatshirt.
I was met at the arrival pick-up area by my cousin and her boyfriend, loaded my stuff into his car and was dropped off downtown to attend the Earthfest with Cake as the headlining band. Not too shabby. the concert was awesome and I got to get a lot of people watching in, and by people watching I mean being hypercritical of those around me. LOL. Not to mention that people were toking up like it was a reggae festival, the air was pungent with reefer.
My favorite was when I found two Trojan Shared Sensation condoms near our blanket and dared my cousin to give them to a teenage couple who was "grinding" to most of the songs throughout the afternoon. I wouldn't have thought you could grind to a Cake song, but what the hell do I know? Anyway, she pussed out and I got her to toss them near his feet instead where he picked it up and did the whole "whose is this thing" with his friends and pocketed the condom for later use. It was awesome how it played out just as I suspected it would. He was excited because he just scored a free rubber (that he found on the ground amongst a crowd of thousands of people mind you) and his girlfriend did the teenage giggle of a girl whose been giving it up for awhile now but still trying to play the innocent card. How easily manipulated today's youth are. LOL.
After the concert we yelled at people to pick up their trash instead of being dirty pigs, summoning out best mommy voices. It was an event celebrating our Earth and recycling and such, the lazy bastards could at least throw their shit into the trash bags and recycle bins instead of leaving it all over the place. From there I got to got to the rooftop deck of someone's house and see the Boston skyline as dusk was setting in. GORGEOUS! We ended the night with drinks and appetizers at a local Tapas bar and then we were off to Weymouth for a good night's sleep. Not too shabby for the first day back in Bean Town.
Tomorrow I'm playing in a softball game and apparently the guys are already calling dibs on me because I'm a girl who can actually play. Should be lots of fun and the trash talking has already begun. I can't wait to show these boys what I've got, should be pretty awesome.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Life happens
Alright all, I super suck at keeping this thing current lately. The last week or two of my last road trip never made it on the blog. I wrote everything down, but haven't found the time to type them all and post. I've been crazy with freelance work and trying to plan the next few trips, so those entries may never find their way up here, you'll just have to wait for the book and check it out there. So instead, I'll just write a little synopsis for you.
I'll start with Washington state and go from there....
Washington was one badass state and I had a freaking blast there. I met really great people everywhere I went. The folks in Leavenworth were just really good people, they even paid my hotel bill one night just as a nice thing to do. I didn't know people like that still existed. My 2-3 days there were awesome and I hope to see them again the next time I'm in the area. Then I headed over to Seattle where I made friends with a whole group of new guy friends...and they were rooting for my beloved Red Sox so they were A-okay in my book! It was awesome, especially since it was World Series time. Watching the games with them over a few nights and checking out some live music in Capitol Hill was one of the highlights. After a few days of staying in my hotel downtown, I met up with my good friend Everette over in Bremerton.
It had been a long time since I had seen him and it was a nice reunion. And, he let me crash at his place so I could save a little cash and we could hang out. In all, I spent about a week in Seattle and it was great. Spending time with Ev and exploring the city that I had fallen in love with a few years earlier was pretty kick ass. It's an awesome place and there are a lot of great people there. I met a lot more random people there in passing and got to see and do a ton of great stuff around the city. It was hard to leave Seattle, but the journey was pressing on.
So off I went and headed south to Portland. Portland was a pretty cool place, but it didn't hold a torch to Seattle. I spent a day walking around the city and it was a nice place. My favorite part was talking to the kids on the street. Ev had warned me about them saying that they'll beg you for money and won't leave you alone, but I had a great conversation with one of them about what else....the Boston Red Sox baby!!! That's right, love of the Sox uniting people across the nation. Then it came time to leave Portland and head down to California. The entire state of Oregon was covered in fog during the drive, so that really sucked. I couldn't go t Mt Rainier because it was snowed in and then I couldn't see Mt St Helens because of the fog...not cool.
Something cool happened while I was staying in Oregon though. I was going to head down to San Francisco to visit my buddy Dan when he asked me if I knew a girl we went to college with. Turns out that not only did I know her, but she had been one of my suite mates in the dorm. So he gave me her number and I told her to hop a plane and meet me in San Fran...and she did!!!! We made plans to met up and even got a hotel together, it was called "The Diva" which is totally appropriate for Jen! So plans were made and I headed south, stopping outside Napa for a good night's sleep and an oil change.
On my way west to San Fran, I made a pivotal stop at Mac Headquarters in Cupertino to pick up some trinkets. Several t-shirts and knick knacks later, I collected my Apple bags and went to meet my crew in the city. I only passed the hotel about five times before I made Jen come outside and wave me down. Haha, you would've missed it too!!! Several days of debauchery ensued, especially when we convinced Dan to stay in the hotel with us. I'm pretty sure he regretted that a few times because when he fell asleep we put temporary tattoos on him that said "Diva" compliments of the hotel. I love Jen, and it was awesome to reconnect with her. We did all kinds of silly tourist things like a trolley tour, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, shopping in Chinatown, and even a cab ride to see the "Painted Ladies" aka the Victorian houses from the opening of Full House. Good times. Dan was fun too, but I think he had a hard time keeping up with us. Haha, we love you Dan!
San Fran was my last planned stop on the big road trip. I had just done the southern states with Sara a few months earlier and I promised I'd be home by Thanksgiving so off I went. I started to really enjoy the drive and checked out some fun little hole in the wall places along Route 66 for good measure. I clocked like an eleven hour driving day and ended up just sleeping in my car with my sleeping bag at a rest stop. I even took my toiletry bag and a towel into the bathroom with me...probably looked liked I lived there or something. Haha, but I didn't give a shit. In the mornings I would just get myself together and drive and drive....and drive. I grew really fond of driving at night because I could see the stars. It's one of my favorite things.
Before I knew it I was almost back to Florida. A couple nights of sleeping in rest stops and I was back in Jax for some quality time with my Jax crew. It was great to be back with all my friends. After a week in Jax, I headed south to West Palm.
I've been back to Jax a few times since then an I still can't help but to miss my friends. Thank you to everyone who made my trip awesome and for my great family friends who supported me the whole way. I can't wait to do it all again this summer. Watch out world, here I come!!!! :)
I'll start with Washington state and go from there....
Washington was one badass state and I had a freaking blast there. I met really great people everywhere I went. The folks in Leavenworth were just really good people, they even paid my hotel bill one night just as a nice thing to do. I didn't know people like that still existed. My 2-3 days there were awesome and I hope to see them again the next time I'm in the area. Then I headed over to Seattle where I made friends with a whole group of new guy friends...and they were rooting for my beloved Red Sox so they were A-okay in my book! It was awesome, especially since it was World Series time. Watching the games with them over a few nights and checking out some live music in Capitol Hill was one of the highlights. After a few days of staying in my hotel downtown, I met up with my good friend Everette over in Bremerton.
It had been a long time since I had seen him and it was a nice reunion. And, he let me crash at his place so I could save a little cash and we could hang out. In all, I spent about a week in Seattle and it was great. Spending time with Ev and exploring the city that I had fallen in love with a few years earlier was pretty kick ass. It's an awesome place and there are a lot of great people there. I met a lot more random people there in passing and got to see and do a ton of great stuff around the city. It was hard to leave Seattle, but the journey was pressing on.
So off I went and headed south to Portland. Portland was a pretty cool place, but it didn't hold a torch to Seattle. I spent a day walking around the city and it was a nice place. My favorite part was talking to the kids on the street. Ev had warned me about them saying that they'll beg you for money and won't leave you alone, but I had a great conversation with one of them about what else....the Boston Red Sox baby!!! That's right, love of the Sox uniting people across the nation. Then it came time to leave Portland and head down to California. The entire state of Oregon was covered in fog during the drive, so that really sucked. I couldn't go t Mt Rainier because it was snowed in and then I couldn't see Mt St Helens because of the fog...not cool.
Something cool happened while I was staying in Oregon though. I was going to head down to San Francisco to visit my buddy Dan when he asked me if I knew a girl we went to college with. Turns out that not only did I know her, but she had been one of my suite mates in the dorm. So he gave me her number and I told her to hop a plane and meet me in San Fran...and she did!!!! We made plans to met up and even got a hotel together, it was called "The Diva" which is totally appropriate for Jen! So plans were made and I headed south, stopping outside Napa for a good night's sleep and an oil change.
On my way west to San Fran, I made a pivotal stop at Mac Headquarters in Cupertino to pick up some trinkets. Several t-shirts and knick knacks later, I collected my Apple bags and went to meet my crew in the city. I only passed the hotel about five times before I made Jen come outside and wave me down. Haha, you would've missed it too!!! Several days of debauchery ensued, especially when we convinced Dan to stay in the hotel with us. I'm pretty sure he regretted that a few times because when he fell asleep we put temporary tattoos on him that said "Diva" compliments of the hotel. I love Jen, and it was awesome to reconnect with her. We did all kinds of silly tourist things like a trolley tour, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, shopping in Chinatown, and even a cab ride to see the "Painted Ladies" aka the Victorian houses from the opening of Full House. Good times. Dan was fun too, but I think he had a hard time keeping up with us. Haha, we love you Dan!
San Fran was my last planned stop on the big road trip. I had just done the southern states with Sara a few months earlier and I promised I'd be home by Thanksgiving so off I went. I started to really enjoy the drive and checked out some fun little hole in the wall places along Route 66 for good measure. I clocked like an eleven hour driving day and ended up just sleeping in my car with my sleeping bag at a rest stop. I even took my toiletry bag and a towel into the bathroom with me...probably looked liked I lived there or something. Haha, but I didn't give a shit. In the mornings I would just get myself together and drive and drive....and drive. I grew really fond of driving at night because I could see the stars. It's one of my favorite things.
Before I knew it I was almost back to Florida. A couple nights of sleeping in rest stops and I was back in Jax for some quality time with my Jax crew. It was great to be back with all my friends. After a week in Jax, I headed south to West Palm.
I've been back to Jax a few times since then an I still can't help but to miss my friends. Thank you to everyone who made my trip awesome and for my great family friends who supported me the whole way. I can't wait to do it all again this summer. Watch out world, here I come!!!! :)
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Running way behind...
Okay, I know, I'm way behind on the blog entries. It's been like a month now, but I've been super busy. Traveling is hard work and now I'm back in South Florida trudging through freelance work up to my ears. But, I promise I will post some of the entries from Seattle onward back home to Florida soon. Seriously, I promise, cross my heart. I kept track of everything so there's plenty to put up here.
Oh, and I'm planning the next few trips as well. It's exciting. I'm already stir crazy from being in one place and am ready to get back out there...but it needs to be spring so I'm not in my tent when it's freezing and snowing again. I'm open to any ideas and if anyone wants to do a mini trip with me then let me know and let's get it into the works.
Alright, back to work I go (another deadline is looming). Until next time, bye guys!!!
Oh, and I'm planning the next few trips as well. It's exciting. I'm already stir crazy from being in one place and am ready to get back out there...but it needs to be spring so I'm not in my tent when it's freezing and snowing again. I'm open to any ideas and if anyone wants to do a mini trip with me then let me know and let's get it into the works.
Alright, back to work I go (another deadline is looming). Until next time, bye guys!!!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Wa-Wa Washington
I just spent a whole week in Seattle and I had a freaking blast. I love it there and there was so much awesome stuff to do and I only did a little of it. It was great, can't say enough great things about this city.
I'm in Portland, Oregon, right now and I'm headed down to Cally tomorrow. Most of my parks are closed due to early snow, so I'm ion cheap hotels and making plans to head back east soon. I'll have to plan another trip in the spring or fall to hit all the parks I missed.
I'd write more, but I'm freaking exhausted and need to get some sleep. I'll add more detailed posts about Seattle later. Just wanted to check in with everyone! :)
I'm in Portland, Oregon, right now and I'm headed down to Cally tomorrow. Most of my parks are closed due to early snow, so I'm ion cheap hotels and making plans to head back east soon. I'll have to plan another trip in the spring or fall to hit all the parks I missed.
I'd write more, but I'm freaking exhausted and need to get some sleep. I'll add more detailed posts about Seattle later. Just wanted to check in with everyone! :)
Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 29: Bremerton Baby
I walked all around Seattle again today and got to check out the Seattle Museum of Art Sculpture Park, which is located right by the water. It was pretty cool and some of the installations were freaking enormous. Most notably is Calder's "Eagle," which is a popular photo representing Seattle. It's a pretty cool place, especially if you like installations (which I do).
Walking along the water was awesome too. It's so pretty here, I could stay here forever! I had some time to kill, so I started checking out all the awesome stuff to do in Seattle before heading west. I got tons of ideas and realized pretty quickly that there was no way I was going to fit it all in, but I'm certainly going to try.
Then, it was time to make my way over to Bremerton. It was only about an hour ferry ride, but I decided to take the hour drive that looped around south and then back north. I figured why not, check out Tacoma and some of the other places around. So off I went and thanks to Stella (the GPS unit) I arrived in one piece. It's a good thing I had her too because it had been quite some time since I had been there and there was construction awaiting me. All kinds of detours to keep me on my toes!
Once I got my bearings, I headed over to Boston Pizza and struck up a conversation with the owner, Don. He was a hoot, and a transplant from Bean Town to boot. I had an awesome time. Don and his wife were really great people and he made me get a calzone while I was there...it should be called "the heart attack waiting to happen." That thing had all kinds of meat in it and was loaded with cheese. Wowsa, I couldn't even eat half of it!
So after a few hours of conversation I went in search of WiFi, which I couldn't find...because apparently the coffee shops in Bremerton close at 5pm. What the hell is all that about? Anywho, I couldn't find one and ended up just walking around and returning calls to friends and family. A little later, with a pumpkin latte in hand, I met up with my good friend Everette. It was great to see him again, and even greater to have him let me crash at his place while I was in Seattle!
The weather has been nice since my arrival, blue skies and cool air, and I can't wait to start checking out all that Seattle has to offer tomorrow.
Walking along the water was awesome too. It's so pretty here, I could stay here forever! I had some time to kill, so I started checking out all the awesome stuff to do in Seattle before heading west. I got tons of ideas and realized pretty quickly that there was no way I was going to fit it all in, but I'm certainly going to try.
Then, it was time to make my way over to Bremerton. It was only about an hour ferry ride, but I decided to take the hour drive that looped around south and then back north. I figured why not, check out Tacoma and some of the other places around. So off I went and thanks to Stella (the GPS unit) I arrived in one piece. It's a good thing I had her too because it had been quite some time since I had been there and there was construction awaiting me. All kinds of detours to keep me on my toes!
Once I got my bearings, I headed over to Boston Pizza and struck up a conversation with the owner, Don. He was a hoot, and a transplant from Bean Town to boot. I had an awesome time. Don and his wife were really great people and he made me get a calzone while I was there...it should be called "the heart attack waiting to happen." That thing had all kinds of meat in it and was loaded with cheese. Wowsa, I couldn't even eat half of it!
So after a few hours of conversation I went in search of WiFi, which I couldn't find...because apparently the coffee shops in Bremerton close at 5pm. What the hell is all that about? Anywho, I couldn't find one and ended up just walking around and returning calls to friends and family. A little later, with a pumpkin latte in hand, I met up with my good friend Everette. It was great to see him again, and even greater to have him let me crash at his place while I was in Seattle!
The weather has been nice since my arrival, blue skies and cool air, and I can't wait to start checking out all that Seattle has to offer tomorrow.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27:Downtown Seattle
I saw so many awesome places to go kayaking as I was driving west to Seattle. I love this area with the mountains and the streams. I was excited as I drove through downtown to my hotel. I decided to stay in a hotel downtown for a couple of nights since the Majority of Mt Ranier National Park is closed due to snow. So, I checked in, dropped off my stuff and headed to Pike's Market for some fresh locally grown fruit. Yummy!
I love this city and had a great time just walking around and exploring everything. I can't believe it's been over a year since I was here last. I love it here and seriously think that I'm going to move here when all of the traveling is said and done. I got back to my room with just enough time to grab a jacket and head to Fox Sports Bar a few blocks away to catch game 3 of the world series.
I grabbed a seat near the bar in back of two other Sox fans and ordered a drink. At one point, I struck up a conversation with the older gentleman about our mutual love for the Sox and they soon asked me to join them to watch the game. Barry was in town from Boston visiting his son Jeff, the other guy at the table. We were soon joined by two more guys, Bob and Chuck, and proceeded to cheer our Sox to their third victory.
The game ended and we headed to Capitol Hill for some live music. It was a great night with my new Seattle friends.
I love this city and had a great time just walking around and exploring everything. I can't believe it's been over a year since I was here last. I love it here and seriously think that I'm going to move here when all of the traveling is said and done. I got back to my room with just enough time to grab a jacket and head to Fox Sports Bar a few blocks away to catch game 3 of the world series.
I grabbed a seat near the bar in back of two other Sox fans and ordered a drink. At one point, I struck up a conversation with the older gentleman about our mutual love for the Sox and they soon asked me to join them to watch the game. Barry was in town from Boston visiting his son Jeff, the other guy at the table. We were soon joined by two more guys, Bob and Chuck, and proceeded to cheer our Sox to their third victory.
The game ended and we headed to Capitol Hill for some live music. It was a great night with my new Seattle friends.
Friday, October 26: More Leavenworth
After hanging with all the locals last night, I had decided to stick around Leavenworth for another day. So, I explored the town, shopped at some fresh fruit markets (lots and lots of apples)and had a great time all on my own. There were all kinds of cute little boutique shops and little restaurants to check out.
Later that night, I went back down to Ducks and Drakes Bar and met up with Michael, his friend and his mother for dinner. Lois is this cute little 84 year old lady, she was so sweet. She even gave me her phone number and told her that the next time I was in town that I should stay in her extra room instead of spending money on a hotel. People are genuinely so nice out here, especially in these small towns.
After dinner, we returned to the bar and I spent the evening hanging with the locals again and challenging the bartender to foosball and air hockey matches. I got my ass handed to me a few times in foosball, I should've known better. Air hockey was a whole different story and I went undefeated all night.
It was good times in Leavenworth.
Later that night, I went back down to Ducks and Drakes Bar and met up with Michael, his friend and his mother for dinner. Lois is this cute little 84 year old lady, she was so sweet. She even gave me her phone number and told her that the next time I was in town that I should stay in her extra room instead of spending money on a hotel. People are genuinely so nice out here, especially in these small towns.
After dinner, we returned to the bar and I spent the evening hanging with the locals again and challenging the bartender to foosball and air hockey matches. I got my ass handed to me a few times in foosball, I should've known better. Air hockey was a whole different story and I went undefeated all night.
It was good times in Leavenworth.
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