All Entries Related to "Travels"

June 03, 2008

Vicariously

While I've been living the high life, making the circuit of hot spots such as Auburn and Westford, I have one friend in Japan, another leaving this week for Ireland, one going to Mexico soon, and a couple people who went to South America.

And then there are my two friends who just completed an incredible cross-country road trip. Laurie has pictures, and more pictures, and a detailed travelogue at her site, everything in blue. She also made good on her promises to (a)send me a stack of postcards and (b)have a slice of pie. Go check her site out right now.

Posted by Michael at 08:56 AM | Comments (1)

April 23, 2008

Nantucket

I finally went to Nantucket for the first time ever last week. It was a long, long day trip, but it was very cool and I heartily recommend it. Here are the pictures.

Posted by Michael at 09:50 AM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2007

Road Trip!

BINGHAMTON, NY - My buddy Josh and I are on a four-day baseball-themed swing through New York and Pennsylvania. Some pictures from Cooperstown are already online; more, and pictures from tonight's Trenton-Binghamton game are coming soon. Keep checking here.

Posted by Michael at 12:09 AM | Comments (2)

October 08, 2006

Topsfield Fair

Ferris WheelSooz pointed out that this was the last weekend of the Topsfield Fair, and since we missed the Big E, it might be a good idea to go. It was the perfect day: crisp, autumnal, sunny, perfect. It was much bigger, and much busier than I thought. But it was really cool - I'm a big livestock fan (I'm partial to pigs, and there were some really cute piglets). There was some great carnival food (including turkey legs). And interestingly, one of the many displays was the actual origin point of Bush foreign policy. Interesting.

We didn't go on any of the rides, but it was fun just to walk around the midway and people watch. Lots more cowboy hats than you usually see in Eastern Mass., and one breathtaking mullet. There was also a buzz in the air when everyone found out the Yankees got knocked out of the playoffs. Interestingly, the fair managed to get Alex Rodriguez to jet right out so we could all ask him about his playoff performance.

Here are all my pictures.

Posted by Michael at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2006

Everything's Slipperier in Texas

Today I saw not one, but two, people fall off curbs. And both incidents were hours before the SXSW afterparties got started.

Posted by Michael at 12:53 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2006

Austin

AUSTIN - I'm here at the Austin Convention Center! Look for updates here and on Bostonist over the next few days. I can already report that it's hot, I've met really interesting people, and the panels and events at the SXSW Interactive Festival look like they're going to be interesting and informative. Keep checking!

I'll keep throwing photos up as often as I can, too - here's the permalink to the collection on flickr.

Posted by Michael at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2006

Southbound

I'll be out of town for a few days. Sooz convinced me to finally head south and check out South by Southwest, the annual humungous interactive convention in Austin.

It gets even cooler; the good people at Bostonist have hooked me up with a press pass. So I'll be blogging there (and here) for the next few days: trying to meet cool people, hopefully trying out cool new gadgets and toys, and just immersing myself in the cutting edge of Internet coolness.

What's not (literally) cool: Austin is due to come in in the mid-to-high 80's this weekend. I've never been readier for warm weather.

Posted by Michael at 12:04 AM | Comments (2)

April 28, 2005

Home

So after dropping Sooz off at Dulles Airport at 6:15 yesterday (she's in LA) I debated whether to stop somewhere or just slog it home. I guess you can probably figure out which I did.

So I drove out of DC traffic, past Gettysburg (I didn't stop. There will be a future Civil War road trip.) and Harrisburg, to Jim Thorpe, a cool little town nestled in the mountains, and on through fog. Somewhere around Broadheadsville, I noticed a sign for Pierce's, which advertised "100,000 Used Books!" Needless to say, I did a 180 and took a picture of the sign to get their phone number if I couldn't find it. But I did find it and got a bunch of books. And if I hadn't taken 209, I never would have seen it.

Then just driving through familiar ground across North Jersey, the Tappan Zee Bridge and back into New England. Where it started to rain. And rain hard. Sign from above, anyone?

Today, I ain't gonna do a thing. I was worried that I might wake up and drive halfway to Maine before I realized what I was doing, but thankfully no.

Posted by Michael at 01:24 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2005

Another Update!

You know you're far away from home when Atlanta starts seeming like the North again. Here's what's been going on.

Posted by Michael at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)

April 23, 2005

The Trip Continues...

Latest update here! We saw a hippo!

Posted by Michael at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2005

Wildlife

Michael and LarryEgrets? We saw a few. But then again, too few to mention.

But you probably want less of crap like that, and more updates! Like I bet you'd like to know how I ended up holding Larry, here at left. Here's the story.


Posted by Michael at 12:05 AM | Comments (1)

April 21, 2005

Miami

MIAMI - We've been in South Florida for 24 hours, and so far I've resisted the impulse to suddenly blurt out "Say hello to my lil friend!" like Tony Montana in Scarface. Here's a writeup of what did happen (warning: contains partial nudity).

Pics when available.

Posted by Michael at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2005

I-95 Is A Long, Long Road

Read my entry about today's travels. Reading about driving down I-95 is a lot quicker than driving down I-95. Trust me.

Posted by Michael at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2005

Road Trip Day One

RED BANK, NJ - My summary of day one is done. It's warm, and that's the most important thing. And Sooz has set up our Flickr photo page. Now back to the Jersey Turnpike. Fun.

Posted by Michael at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2005

On the Road Again

In less than 36 hours, Sooz and I are headed south. I'll blog as much as I can on the road (her laptop will come in handy, except that I'm Mac-challenged) and post pictures when I'm able. Here's a site she set up to chart our planning and progress.

Off to the land of Waffle Houses and alligators!

Posted by Michael at 07:47 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2005

East Coast

Next month, I'll be hitting the road again for the Second Annual BunkoSquad Road Trip (Destination: Florida). Taking Sooz along for her first extended road trip, the plan is to pretty much head straight down I-95, see a few ballgames in Florida (1 Mets/Marlins, 2 Sox/Devil Rays) and come back on a slightly different route, time/finances permitting.

It's my first haul all the way down to the Sunshine State. Any readers out there have any suggestions of stuff to see/places to visit/roadside eateries to patronize? I've got a rough outline, but if anyone has any worldbeaters, I'm happy to work them in.

Posted by Michael at 11:54 AM | Comments (7)

July 07, 2004

Words of (pant pant) Wisdom

If you feel like maybe you're a little too out-of-shape to climb a mountain properly, guess what - you probably are.

I wanted to spend my day off doing something a little more unusual than laundry and not watching my next movie, so I floated this idea around work the other day. And I'd like to give thanks and props to my friend Stef, who was patient enough to let me take 1,000 rest breaks, endure my frantic "I'll never make it" bitching and moaning, and not let me plummet down a cliff to hasten the promised deep-fried refreshments waiting at the bottom.

The important thing is, we made it. All the way to the top, and (by God) all the way back down again. And I sure don't envy the Family Von Trapp, who set out to Climb Every Mountain.

Posted by Michael at 01:26 AM | Comments (1)

April 08, 2004

A Night With Pirates

PITTSBURGH - Maybe you don't think of Pittsburgh when you think of vacation destinations. And maybe you probably shouldn't. But for a quick trip or a road-trip stop, I heartily endorse it. There's more to do than in - let's say - Hartford, it's easier to walk around than D.C., cleaner than Philly, and the baseball park is everything it's cracked up to be.

Although it was a rainy pregame and an intimate (4-digit) crowd against the Phillies tonight, the Pirate fans are pretty cool. They were into the game, they mocked the few Phillie fans who made the trek, and they knew their stuff. And PNC Park is as good as they say. Right along the banks of the Allegheny River, the centerfield view opens up to a picturesque view of Pittsburgh's skyline, with the golden Clemente Bridge at the center of attention. Even from the cheap seats, you can still see every part of the field (I'm talking to you, Fenway), and if the game drags or is a blowout (now I'm talking to the Pirates, though you won handily tonight), you have something else to gaze at.

The thing that impressed me the most, though, besides the awe-inspiring Primanti Bros. sandwiches, was the scoreboard. What the Bucs save on player personnel, they've spent on cool CGI graphics. At the start of the game was a little movie where a fleet of ships sails up to the Confluence, each mast bearing the logo of a different NL team. Then the Pirate ship sailed in to defend the city, pelting the Reds ship and the Cubs ship with cannonfire. Then, of course, it turned all its guns on the S.S. Phillie, sending it to a watery demise. Very well done.

I saw other stuff in Pittsburgh, too -- the Monongahela Incline (I can spell that now without looking it up), the Andy Warhol Museum, and the bustling downtown area -- but more on that another time. I have to go walk off that sandwich.

Posted by Michael at 11:16 PM | Comments (2)

Through the Mountains

PITTSBURGH - The Internet may be everywhere, but that doesn't mean it's easy to find public access in the hills of western PA or WV. Anyway.

Yesterday I dropped my folks off at the airport (they made it back safely) and headed west into Maryland. I stopped for gas at the Burkittsville exit (location of The Blair Witch Project), then went to Harpers Ferry, the national park at the confluence of the Shendandoah and Potomac Rivers. Very picturesque. And like 70 degrees, did I mention that? I walked around the town with a dazed and stunned expression on my face.

Then it was into the mountains. If you've never driven I-68 west through Maryland, here's a little exercise to see what it's like. Go to a building with a tall stairwell (like a parking garage). Walk up two flights, then down six steps, then up two flights. Do this 11 times.

I was intending to stay the night at the Palace of Gold in West Virginia, but it was starting to get dark and I didn't know exactly where it was, and I didn't relish the idea of driving around twisty mountain roads in West Virginia in the dark. I've seen Deliverance, you know. So I gave up and went to a motel in Waynesburg, PA (a lot of trains go through Waynesburg all night!) and headed to the Palace in the morning. Not a soul was about. There was no distant sound of chanting, and it was an hour before scheduled opening time. So I took a few pics and headed downhill (straight downhill) to Moundsville and the West Virginia Penitentiary, which was the actual state pokey till 10 years ago or so, and is now offering very cool and comprehensive tours. It ain't tourist season yet, so I had a tour all to myself. If you're ever in Moundsville, take the tour and try to get Kathy as your guide. She handled the small group (me) with aplomb; she was cool, informative and thorough. I've decided to live a law-abiding life, at least in the Mountaineer State.

And now I'm in Pittsburgh, about to meet my (so far) Internet-only friend Andy and go to the Pirates-Phillies game. But I'm gonna wander around first.

Posted by Michael at 02:51 PM | Comments (1)

April 06, 2004

Showing the Colors

BALTIMORE - So this morning found me at BWI Airport, where my parents were flying down for a whirlwind 24 hours in Charm City, primarily to go to the Sox-Orioles game at Camden Yards this afternoon. As I waited by the entrance to the arrivals gate, the most amazing thing happened. Flights from Providence and Manchester must have been arriving simultaneously, and Red Sox fans were streaming out of the secure area and into the main terminal.

It's fun to be part of a visiting contingent in a hostile ballpark. It's fun when the "Let's Go Red Sox!....clap, clap, clap clap clap" chant goes for a while before the hometown fans work up enough numbers to drown it out with boos. It's fun to feel the unity and camaraderie with your fellow strangers in strange lands. Now I've seen the Sox on the road in several cities (Philly, Oakland, Comiskey) and never have I not sat with at least a few other members of the Nation.

In case any of the above makes Yankee fans think it's OK to come to Fenway, the answer is no. With you guys, it's not gentle gamesmanship. We truly and actively hate you.

PS - the Sox won 4-1. Schilling gets the win, Foulke gets the save, I get a BBQ pork sandwich at Boog Powell's restaurant. Good times all around.

Posted by Michael at 07:14 PM | Comments (4)

April 05, 2004

The Reflecting Pool

LAUREL, MARYLAND - I still don't know what we're fighting the Iraq war for. I don't especially know what we fought the Vietnam war for, either. But I have a hunch it wasn't so I could see the depressing display of humanity at the D.C. Vietnam Memorial wall today.

I know I was a tourist, too - I took pictures, and I am never sure if that's showing the proper amount of decorum and reverence. But at least I can take comfort in the undeniable fact that I was more respectful than:

So I sat on a bench betweeen the Wall and the also-packed Lincoln Memorial, and just reflected. On how the Vietnam Wall was designed as a stark, powerful monument to actual dead people who would still be alive today if the war never happened, and now it's just another item on a tour-group checklist. On how the "names of the dead" has become almost the minumum requirement for any memorial park, thus diluting its potency. On how the memorial to Bush's Iraq War will look thirty years from now, and how many names will end up being on it. And on all the majestic events that have happened in Washington, and how the current era isn't living up to history's promise (for example: read the words of Lincoln at the Memorial, and compare it to the crap that comes out of the mouth of our current pResident). And it's just sad.

Also gnawing at me is the fact that I forgot Kurt Cobain died ten years ago today. I was coming back from a CD store in Philly (ironically, buying a Pearl Jam disc) when the news came on the radio in 1994. I never fully bought into Kurt-as-icon-for-my-generation, but that hurt. A lot.

Posted by Michael at 08:38 PM | Comments (0)

Our Nation's Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC - You know, even for a wishy-washy pinko-liberal down-on-the-Government type like me, there's still a certain something that comes up in your heart when you crest a hill and see the U.S. Capitol building dead center in front of you.

But I'll get back to that...first things first. Let's start with this morning. I had to split Philly pretty early to avoid parking-meter-interruptus. Even though Pat's Steaks on Wharton Street is open 24 hours, I reisted the siren song of cheesesteak-for-breakfast. I wanted to spend the day sightseeing, not cursing the universe in a Maryland men's room. I did stock up on nature's perfect food, though, so that should keep me OK for a while.

I saw more of Delaware today then ever before (which, frankly, ain't sayin' much). The people at the State Museum Information Center in Dover were awfully nice, if a little surprised to see a windswept, teeth-chattering traveler first thing on a Monday morning. Did I mention the wind? I think I did, but then the computer I was typing on got flung into Delaware Bay.

Then a quick hop across MD, over the Bay Bridge, and into Washington. I did observe my personal Washington, DC, tradition, which is to somehow inexplicably find myself in Virginia (this was due to a misreading of a sign on the Metro platform), but made it back safely. I haven't really had the time or the inclination to stand in the amazingly long lines to clear Security at any of the museums or attractions, so I've just been bopping around the Mall taking pictures and downing Starbucks vanilla cremes (as I explained to my sister, YES, I am generally vehemently against big multinational corporations at the expense of locally-owned independent stores, but damn those vanilla cremes are GOOD).

And now, instead of waiting in line two hours to see a dinosaur or something, I'm biting the expensive-Internet-access bullet at a Kinko's behind the National Archives. All to bring this to you.

(Interesting note: as I type, there's a guy waiting for a computer who's clearly wheeling and dealing scalped baseball tickets. Pretty brazen.)

Posted by Michael at 03:39 PM | Comments (3)

April 04, 2004

South In Search of Spring

(The following is an attempted recreation of what I would have actually posted yesterday, if it hadn't been eaten by a dialup connection and my unfamiliarity with Macs, particularly the fact that Control-C isn't where you expect it to be and it's very easy to replace everything you've just typed with the letter 'c'. 'C' may be for cookie, but after 20 minutes of fruitless typing, that's just not good enough for me.)

PHILADELPHIA - The calendar says it's April, which is spring. The East Coast says it's still mid-February. Bah. I woke up to a steady rain, which broke by the time I made it over the GWB and into New Jersey. I had a couple stops to make in Monmouth County - more on that when I have corraborating photographs (let's just say I was supposed to be there today!)

Then I wanted to send my Mom a "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." postcard (she loves the Boss), but that didn't work out. I don't know what the story is -- if Asbury Park is just closed for the winter, or if the Army's been using it for shelling practice -- but I've never seen such a dismal, forlorn, gone-to-seed burg in a long long time. (I may update that when I get to Philly.) I skedaddled before I even made a token run at a gift shop.

Then torrential rain on I-195 as I crossed Central Jersey, which ended just before I hit the Ben Franklin Bridge into Philly. I did a quick pop-in at the Art Museum, bought a new memory card for my camera (at the Gallery Mall, of "Parents Just Don't Understand" fame), then met up with my college friends. They were buzzing about the Flyers and the Phillies; it may have been the tail end of the same conversation they were in when I last visited in 2000.

Philadelphia is pretty much just like I remember it. Seedy, scary, a little stinky - but exciting. You know you're in a real urban city immediately. The bad news, my friends inform me, is that BookTrader, the fabulous used book store on South Street, is no more. Rumor is that the owner plans to relocate and reopen, but there's still a twinge of anxiety. Even Boston (formerly the Athens of America) is down to just three really good secondhand bookstores...one more than Omaha. Tough times. I guess the fact that BookTrader's closed saved me some money, though.

Posted by Michael at 10:23 PM | Comments (1)

An Unqualified Restaurant Recommendation

The Bayou Restaurant, in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Unbelievable portions of Cajun and other Southern food (I had the Deep South chicken, which was drowned in amazing gravy), a hoppin' bar, a quirky clientele (loved the table of yuppies sitting next to the table of Hell's Angels) and a sassy attitude. My goodness.

Posted by Michael at 12:05 AM | Comments (4)

April 03, 2004

New York City

Last night with my sis and her friends was, indeed, interesting. I'll say no more.

Today we brunched at her campus brunchery, then took the train into Manhattan. What she and I usually do when we go to NYC together is this: we ask each other if there's anything specific we want to do/see, agree that there isn't, then walk around like crazy and see all kinds of things. So that's what we did today, although we wound up pretty comprehensively covering the southern third of Central Park. Lots of cute kids and cute dogs all over the place. We also managed to do pop-ins at Times Square, Rockefeller Center and a couple other places.

And, in a personal NYC first, we did it all without getting on the subway once. Which means my legs hurt again, but in a different way (you can see a leitmotif for this journey starting to develop).

Posted by Michael at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2004

Tales From the Road I

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - Day One's driving is over, and my legs are getting reacquainted with being in the car for hours and hours. Yikes. Anyway, the rain kept up (y'know, as opposed to coming down) so Day One was fairly uneventful. A few notes, though:

An accident stopped traffic for a few miles on I-84 at the MA/CT border; without knowing what was ahead, and curious that it happened right on the state line, my first thought was, "Great, Massachusetts is going to allow gay marriage -- now we'll have to go through security checkpoints at the border."

I had read that Holy Land, USA in Waterbury was closed. Sad, but I wouldn't have gone anyway. But the giant cross overlooking Waterbury is still there, lit up, so it's either still open, or someone still pays the electric bill, or some kind of miracle is underway. If I cared, I'd find out.

Now I'm going to spend the evening hanging out with my delightful sister and her college buddies. This could be interesting...

Posted by Michael at 08:52 PM | Comments (3)

Here Goes Nothin'

The laundry's in the dryer, the 10-year-old mix tapes are packed in my trusty old iCast lunchbox, and the rain has stopped for at least a few minutes. And so I'm nearly off to see the East Coast again. I'll blog from the road as much as I'm able.

Posted by Michael at 11:44 AM | Comments (1)