Home Sweet Home ?

So I got back from the road trip in early August. I flew back home from wonderful San Francisco and haven’t really looked back too much because I thought it would make me upset.  If I had the money or the resources, I would constantly travel.  Actually, I think my quintessential dream is to be able to go wherever I want whenever and be able to take my time, explore, discover, new experiences, fresh blood.

The point is, I haven’t written down my last three week California filled adventure because now I am back at home with my parents looking for a job, trying to make it on my own, etc. and it could possibly make one sad.  But enough time has past yada yada and I feel like I should have some memories somewhere because I like keeping track of things I have done or else I forget or eventually question if it was all a dream.

From Arizona, we went into California where we stopped in Joshua Tree for a night and then headed to San Diego.

We spent a week in San Diego but apparently I did not take many photos which is pretty sad. We stayed with one of Christina’s friends for a few days but he had 4 cats and I am extremely allergic and one night my asthma acted up I could barely breathe so we stayed with a very nice Couchsurfer who was conveniently cat-less for a couple days.  San Diego was my first visit to the Pacific Ocean, the west coast. Our first sunset there, Chris and I walked down to the ocean and watched the sun go down silently and then we turned to each other and embraced. We had made it! It was a wonderful moment.

I never knew how cold it would be on the west coast. I’m used to summer being summer: tank tops humidity sweat. On the west coast I was wearing pants during the day and a jacket at night. I only swam in the cold Pacific once I believe! We spent our days on the beach and our nights hanging with people.

Christina would have stayed forever but I wanted to keep moving so eventually we left San Diego and drove up the coast to Santa Barbara where a Couchsurfer responded to us last minute. The drive up the California coast is my favorite drive. Driving along the ocean is pretty amazing.

In Santa Barbara we were driving up in the mountains and we came across this tiny one car steep windy road that we went on. It was pretty frightening because one slip up from Christina on the driving and would have drove off the mountain but we got to the very top eventually and had a spectacular view of the sunset.

From Santa Barbara we went back down the coast to LA.  In LA we went to the observatory which was amazing and the view overlooking the whole city is pretty wild.  Then we spent a couple nights in Santa Monica at a Couchsurfer’s place who actually had a couple cats but was nice enough to keep them away at night. Even though my breathing was still not normal, it is a free place to crash! In Santa Monica we spent the day at the pier and the next day we went to Venice Beach which is where all the “weirdos and burnouts” are. I loved it of course.

We went inland to Yosemite for a couple days and then we finally made it to San Francisco. Frisco consisted of lots of walking up hills, drinking, seeing Murder By Death, painting on walls, sushi wraps, and a band of pirates.  I spent a week in San Francisco and it is my favorite place in the US next to New York. It stole my heart.

salty water desert

Stayed in Santa Fe for a night with friends of Doyle’s. Christina forgot her skateboard in a Walmart parking lot which sucks. Saw the town plaza for a bit but it didn’t really seem like there was much going on there. There was a nice rainbow and the sky was pink like it was colored with pastels or something.

On the way to Arizona, we went off roading in the desert off the highway in New Mexico. It was awesome there was no one else around for miles just desert and mountains. Christina let me drive here because ‘you can’t hit anything!’ We drove quite a bit and found an oasis and we saw a little house but didn’t go near it because we have seen too many horror movies. Tried to find an exit but ended up having to drive all the way back from where we entered because everywhere else was blocked.

Got into Flagstaff around 10 pm and went into this bar that was pretty hopping. Had a crazy ridiculous Flagstaff experience and drove to the Grand Canyon for sunrise. It was really cloudy out so it was not that great of a sunrise but oh well. The Grand Canyon is quite a wonder. Drove to Sedona where we were just in this mountain which was incredible, sort of like a mini Blue Ridge Parkway but different. Ate dinner in Sedona with a beautiful view of some mountains and then made our way to Surprise Arizona where Chris has family. It has been 108 degrees here but Chris’ family has a beautiful pool out back that has been a saving grace. There is a water slide that I went down quite a few times yesterday that needs to be a little more slippery because now I have serious slide burn on my ass that hurts quite a bit.

Pretty wonderful staying at her aunt’s house. Sleeping in til late afternoon going swimming whenever you want having a full fridge at your disposal and having my own room and my own queen size bed to sleep in is such a luxury!

Tomorrow we head to the west coast.

Watch out for that cactus!

In Nashville, we met these two very nice young men from Holland at the hostel who were on their own cross country trip. Christina offered them a ride with us west and they accepted even though they were not planning on stopping in New Orleans like we were.

We left Nashville and swung through Memphis so Chris could see Graceland. Admission fee was $30 though so me and the Dutch boys went to this little spot called Big Al’s and got some grub. You could tell not a lot of people came through here. It was shabby with most of the blinds drawn, and the menu was written in chicken scratch on two dry erase boards. But our burgers were good and the guy working there was very attentive.

Left Memphis with the intention of making it to New Orleans at the end of the night, but it was already 9:30 pm when we got to Jackson, Mississippi and we decided to stay the night there. Jackson was eerie. We were trying to find some place to eat and following the suggestion of people on the street we tried going to a place called Peaches. We passed totally abandoned streets with old dilapidated houses everywhere and not a soul in sight. Peaches ended up being closed and so we just went to this wings place we had passed coming into town where I waited 30 minutes for my order! I guess that’s what you get when there is only one food place open late.

The next day driving into New Orleans we were greeted with torrential downpour which was terrifying for a bit. When we got to the city it had stopped and we brown bagged some 22s and walked around the Garden District looking at some beautiful houses. That night we experienced the wild see-it-to-believe-it Bourbon street. The next night we went to Frenchman street where wonderful live jazz is bountiful.

We stopped in Houston for dinner on our way to Austin. Stayed a couple nights in a spacious $50 a night hotel room complete with a balcony. Walked around Austin played some darts saw some live music at Hole in the Wall and then bought a $1 pack of Camels at the 7/11 because a rep was randomly there.

Drove 8 and a half hours to Amarillo to see Cadillac Ranch. Got there just as the sun was beginning to set. Went 30 miles west to tiny no where Vega Texas and ate at the only saloon in town with a huge buffalo head on the wall. I got their signature burger which was huge and pretty damn good. I had gotten a burger earlier on the drive from DQ so all I ate that day was burger. I need to eat more salads.

An old man at the next table over asked me where we were all from and I told him yada yada. I asked him how he knew we weren’t from around here and he took off his cowboy hat looked at me and said “That’s how.” I didn’t get it. Checked into the motel down the street tried to buy beer from the gas station but found out we were in dry county. Damn.

Drove to Albuquerque the next day which is where we parted ways with the Dutch guys. They went off to the Grand Canyon and we were going to stay the night in Albuquerque.

Chris and I went into Buffalo Exchange talked to the guy at the fitting room and he invited us out to a party that he was going to later. We have been very fortunate with the kindness of strangers here in Albuquerque, been having a wonderful time and this is our 4th day here.

Yesterday we went swimming in this lake in the mountains. It was a much needed refresher from the sweltering desert sun. I am a huge fan of Albuquerque.

Tomorrow we go to Santa Fe.

Inland

Just got to the hostel in Nashville. I think I was the dirtiest I have ever been for a couple days – my bangs looked like hair plugs and I just had a dirt film covering my whole body. I just took a shower and I feel refreshed and clean it feels so nice.

We couch surfed in Asheville for a couple days. Stayed with Kyle and his two roommates who were all very nice. They apparently have couch surfers all the time so they weren’t too surprised when they found me sleeping on their couch when they came downstairs at 9 in the morning.

His roommate Jamie invited us to go on his raft with him and his buddies. So I rode in the back of someone’s pick up truck which was pretty fun on down to the river. All nine of us floated down the French Broad River in a huge inflatable raft drinking beers and singing America songs – it was the 4th of July after all. The raft had a little hole in it and someone had the bright idea of sticking Scott’s gum that he was chewing in it. It actually held up and kept us afloat.

Then there was this huge BBQ cookout at their house. Later we walked downtown to see the fireworks.

This morning left Asheville pretty early and drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway which was absolutely beautiful. We stopped at outlook points every few minutes because it was so breath taking.

And she says to me

“We’re falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean, Elise.”

Trippin Along

I have been on the road for a little over a week now. It’s still such a funny idea to me that I don’t have any obligations or set plans to follow. It’s awesome just being able to do whatever the hell I want in exciting new places. Traveling is just meeting new people, eating at new places, seeing new things. Pretty wonderful life.

We have made our way down the coast because I needed some much needed beach time because I have lived 21 years in the concrete jungle that is New York City. Stayed with some friend in Washington DC, stayed in Herndon Virginia, camped in the Outer Banks, stayed in wonderful Ocracoke for a couple nights, then on to Wilmington for Friday night, then stayed in Charleston for a couple nights with a day trip to Savannah yesterday.

Wonderful things wonderful people wonderful fate.

We are off to Asheville today!

I need to take more photos.

Travel by Train

The Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest continuous rail line in the world, seems like an epic journey that I have to experience. The railway goes across the vast expanse of Russia! There is also the Trans-Mongolian Railway that goes through Mongolia and into China.  You can customize your trip depending on how much time and money you have to spend on this remarkable journey.  The train makes stops several times a day, ranging from just a few moments to a half hour, where passengers have a chance to buy food from locals and other necessities.

I had no idea about this giant railway until Raul, a guy who traveled from Brussels to Paris with us, brought it to my attention and now I am mercilessly fascinated.

I once traveled by train from New York to Chicago with my mother – who does not fly on airplanes – and all I remember from that experience was that I never wanted to travel by train again.  The trip from New York to Chicago is a little under 20 hours, while the shortest nonstop Trans-Siberian journey is 7 days (stops galore can take as long as 4 weeks).  I figure I’m not in high school anymore, my mother won’t be my travel companion (how could she get to Russia, she hates flying!), and there are multiple stops along the route to stretch my restless body.  I traveled much of my mini Euro trip by train, and although they were relatively short rides (1 to 3 hours long), I found it quite relaxing and scenic.

Now, I will not be able to embark on this journey in the near or foreseeable future. BUT it is in my mind and it shall happen. It will be one of my many adventures of a lifetime.

I should probably start practicing long train journey abilities now…

Long Weekend in the Bubble

So I just returned from my old stomping grounds of New Paltz (and surrounding areas). I arrived Friday evening and was (loosely) planning on leaving Sunday, but the country, friends, and not being scheduled to work led me returning home today which is Tuesday.

New Paltz is a nice small beautiful bubble.  I think of it as a bubble because when I am there, I am out of the hustle and crowded bustle of the city which I equate to ‘reality’ (trying to find a job/CAREER?, having no money, living with the parents).  New Paltz is a small town with a beautiful proximity to the Shawangunk mountains and where smart phones are still obsolete.  Where people wear flannels and bandanas around their necks and know nothing of fashion.  Where 30 racks of cheap beer are drunk day and night and copious amounts of marijuana is smoked.  For me, New Paltz is an alternative care free way of life where it is always nice to retreat to for a bit of fresh air.  It’s a place to rendezvous with wonderfully eccentric characters and have spontaneous adventures.

Flashes of this weekend:  drinking/shotgunning beers on Omar’s porch, driving to random locations and everyone jumping out of Flam’s car to dance to the song on the radio, searching New Paltz’s music stores for a Cher CD to dance to, waking up Omar to have a Cher dance party in his room, visiting Charlotte at Whitecliff winery, watching some guy dirty dance on his porch at the house across the street, eating delicious vegetable-filled food, exploring an abandoned house, going bowling for Charlotte’s birthday…

I went to college in New Paltz for four years (actually lived there year round for two years) and I don’t know if I actually ever appreciated it. When I was there I was always wishing I was somewhere else, like perhaps the city.  Now that I am back here in the city, I find myself thinking about the seemingly simpler bubble of New Paltz.  It’s funny how that happens, isn’t it? 

A Traveling Way

My first foray into travel was wonderful.  In the span of a month and a couple days I traversed Israel, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Florence and Bologna.

Most of the mini Eurotrip was spontaneous; the only parts that were planned out were the arrival and departure flights (arrived in Amsterdam, left from Milan), a few nights in a hostel in Amsterdam, a cheap flight from Paris to Rome, and one night in a hostel in Rome.  Everything else was booked a couple nights in advance, the night before, or the day of.  While it was stressing (‘Where are we going to stay tonight?!’), not having anything booked allowed us to be flexible and we were able to come and go as we wanted.

In Europe, I was transfixed with all the beautiful doors I saw.  Starting in Amsterdam and ending in Italy, the doors began tiny and seemed to grow exponentially throughout my journey.

   I have never seen so many different  intricate – ENORMOUS – doors in my life.  These doors might be normal and run of the mill for Europeans, but for a New York City girl like me I  literally stopped in my tracks in awe.

Something New

So I am in Israel! I got my first passport stamp yesterday after a grueling 10 hour flight, where the food kind of resembled food and the tea smelled like coffee. I only could sleep for an hour or so perhaps. The movies that were shown on the flight was a crock because every couple minutes the scene would end abruptly and there would be a five second pause of darkness cutting to a different scene. I wonder if that’s normal for in flight entertainment.

I did finally get to see most of Water for Elephants, which I wanted to see because the book was so good. Eh, I think the film could have been way better and I think a lot of the problem had to do with casting. August was definitely not cast correctly. While reading the book, I always imagined him to be along the lines of Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York. In the film, August was short and not as evil or villain-like as he should have been.

Anyway, we stayed in a kibbutz last night and it was so nice to actually lie down and sleep even though it’s 7am and I am wide awake. Last night after dinner, we took a walk around the grounds and got up close with massive cows with bulging utters. I am in love with all these different beautiful trees here. Then a bunch of us played Mafia for a while which was really fun.

I can’t believe I am here. Aye!