Genie's nomadic adventures

The beginning of the end

2011-06-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

In a few hours, I head to Rome's Cimpriano airport to fly to London. I have a day in London and am going to see the show War Horse on the West End, wander around, and sleep. Then, tomorrow, I fly back to Boston and California.

I am sad for the adventure to come to an end. However, I am kind of in that weird middle state. I am sad to leave, but I am excited to sleep in a comfortable bed without six plus strangers in the room. I am looking forward to air conditioning, not carrying a backpack everywhere, access to toiletries and laundry, and a long break from sandwiches.

Rome is hard to get a pulse on. I will have to come back one day and form more coherent thoughts then. Rome is vast and there are a million things going on. I only have piecemeal observations like:

-There are cats everywhere. I've seen several around, including 3 at prominent tourist attractions. Wonder what the story is there.

-I am not a bus person, and thus I feel that public transportation kind of sucks. The Metro only runs to a few places, and while it could be worse, it could be a lot better. They also decided to construction on the main line, so the Metro closes at 9pm for the night. I found that out on day 2. They have a replacement bus, but you know how I feel about those...they are great if you know where you are going. I had no clue, and thus am lucky that I made it back unscathed yesterday. Maybe when Metro line C, the newest line, is up and running, I will feel differently.

-Traffic is insane. People never really stop all the way. The best you can do is to make eye contact with the drivers and make sure they see you, and then walk steadily across the street. The drivers may not stop, but they will swerve around you.

-If you want a quick "to go" food, it's going to be pizza. There aren't many sandwich options, and places really are much more sit down. Even coffee---most of it you order, and then drink at a bar in the shop. It's not the grab and go style of the US.

-If the gelato price isn't readily advertised, it's probably higher than what you think. And if you don't specify small, they will scoop you one of the larger sizes.

-There is a lot of poverty in Rome. I've seen a lot of people begging, especially outside of churches. Perhaps moreso than other countries.

-Every building has at one point or another been used for something by the Catholic church.

-There is water everywhere, which I love. There are fountains. There are drinking faucets. Sometimes, the drinking nozzles are part of fountains. It is wonderous. Rome understands that it is hot and people are thirsty. It is great to not have to fill a water bottle in the bathroom.

-Speaking of which...there are no bathrooms everywhere, except in museums that you pay for, which I hate. Is problematic with aforementioned faucet quota.

The list goes on. Overall, I think the city is great. It is exhausting---you are constantly moving, dodging traffic, dodging tourists, fighting the heat, scrambling to the next site. You have to walk everywhere, which I wouldn't mind but I also have a half an hour to an hour between my hostel and the metro. Which means it is a LOT of walking on top of a day of walking. I've realized my happiness in any one spot is directly correlated with how easy my hostel is to get too--if it is walkable or right next to a Metro. This one...not so much.

Anyway, I've seen a lot in Rome and am glad to be here. I'll be glad to come back, hopefully in off season.

Now, off to finish packing and to figure out how to get to this airport!

Roma!

2011-06-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

I remember getting to Mexico City last summer and it was cool to see the layers of history. There was the Aztec history and archeological sites, the Spanish conquistadors and their history, and more recent history like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky. It was like an onion...everywhere we went, we'd peel back another layer and learn about another part of history.

Well, Rome REALLY is like an onion. Except instead of a few layers, there are like a million. Roman antiquity with the Colosseum and Pantheon. The beginnings of Christianity with Constantine. The subsequent growth and development of the church a la the Vatican. The Renissance. The unification of Rome into one country versus separate city-states. The rise and fall of families like the Borghese and Medici. The history of Facisim and Mussolini in World War II. Modern day.

So, needless to say, I'm feeling like it won't all quite "click" in the three days that I am here. Though I will do my best to dent it.

Today I crept out of my hostel at 7am and headed to the nearest Metro station. I had a 9am reservation, which is a must do if you actually want to get in, for the Borghese Gallery. The gallery is an art museum...orginally a cardinal's mansion in Rome's "Central Park," the private art collection is now on display for public viewing. I must say it is probably one of the BEST sculpture collections that I have ever seen in my life, in the beautiful backdrop of a gallery that was made for that specific purpose. The reservation system, though kind of annoying, is actually a blessing. They only let a certain number of people in the museum at any one time, so it's not that crowded and you have time to look at the art and enjoy it. Really, I kind of wish all museums were more diligent about creating such quality experiences for customers (I'm looking at you, Louvre).

The annoying part was that it actually took me most of the two hours to get there. My hostel is about a half an hour walk from the Metro station, which isn't super far but is far enough to be obnoxious. Since I can't "dart home" to change or whatever, I felt like I had to leave with everything I would need for the day on me at 7am. And then later today, at like 6:30pm when I started to feel the burn out of a busy day, it was less of an option to go back for a quick refresher and then head out again. I ended up just deciding to come back and call it an earlier night. Then between walking there, stopping to get food, wandering through the park to get to the gallery, waiting for the Metros and changing lines...yup, like an hour and a half. And the thing about the Rome Metro is that it is available and a good resource, but there are a LOT of places the Metro doesn't go in the city or isn't convenient to that make it more of a pain to use.

So the gallery is amazing and I recommend it. Great collection in like 12 rooms: lots to see, but manageable. I then walked around for a while and saw the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Piazza Navona. I tried to visit the Mausoleum of Augustus, but I couldn't actually find a way INSIDE the building and gave up. Weird, non?

Then...the Pantheon! It's free to enter and no one monitors anything, which is weird because the other churches were quite strict. I guess the fact that the Pantheon was a "pagan temple" before the Catholics got ahold of it makes it more of a gray area when it comes to women coming inside in tube tops. Nonetheless, it was cool to see. So many churches and buildings have been modeled after the Pantheon, and it's so impressive to realize the ancient Romans had such complex techniques and abilities to create things that continue to last so solidly.

Wander, wander, wander. Gelato. Souveniers. Leisurely lunch. Relatively little getting lost (aren't you proud?). Finally: the Colosseum.

The site is massive and surreal, and overall very cool. You can go inside and walk around the building on both the levels, but they don't let you in the middle where the reconstructed stage is and the exposed "basement" where different rooms and paths were. In spite of being raided many times by other buildings as a source of materials, it remains quite cohesive overall.

So, here's a question: the Colosseum is clearly a historical site with much background and significance. And certain it's presence plays a part of our contemporary awareness of the world. I'd bet most Americans could recognize the Colisseum and know what it was, if nothing else than due to fourth grade history lessons and the movie Gladiator. However, it is also a site of death and human barbarism. RIGHT??? I mean, the entertainment inside the venue was humans killing animals, animals killing animals, or humans killing humans. Yeah, later it was taken over by the Christian Romans and used for something, maybe services, I forget now [and really, where DIDN'T Christians conduct service?] But that's not why people go there. They go there for the ancient Rome piece of history, the violent history that demonstrates human cruelty and casual disregard of human life.

So...as tourists, what duty do people have to acknowledge that piece of history? I say this because everyone who went was taking smiley pictures of themselves kissing or giving thumbs up or jumping in the air. And while I get it, I do wonder: do those people stop to think about it? Really think? About what that place means?

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Start side rant:

This plays into a larger ideological conversation I've been having with myself this whole trip. When I was doing the six hour walking tour of Berlin, one of my travel friends, Sam, mentioned the same thing about Checkpoint Charlie. It was a gap in the Berlin Wall where people would cross between East and West, usually used by Americans crossing back into West Berlin. Now it's a photo op with a reconstructed little military truck and people posing in military attire that you can pay to take pictures with. And it's all good fun, but do those people who are taking pictures understand what that place meant? How many families were ripped apart when the wall went up so abruptly or how many people risked their lives trying to cross?

If you take a picture with the Berlin Wall, yes I understand that it is a fun photo op and has some great history. When the wall came down in 1989, Berliners and the world celebrated. Some of the art on the wall is still amazing and displayed in galleries. But again: do people taking their cute pose in front of the wall also think about the history behind it? The death, the destruction, the oppression?

And at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, people don't get it at all. It's a really moving tribute to the six million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust. The memorial is tons of blocks, ranging from a few feet tall to like 8 feet tall, all the size of coffins spread out over this vast plot of land. And you walk through the blocks and each block varies in size and the land tilts...and you find a spot where you are alone and surrounded and you think. It's powerful and important, and I saw people climbing on top of the blocks or, if you can believe it, even making BUNNY EARS. Like it's some fun photo op. And the bunny ears people were on the walking tour with me and they were from Indonesia and maybe they didn't really get it.

But you know...SOMETIMES IT JUST MAKES ME SO EFFING ANGRY. Sometimes I just hate people.

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Alright, rant over...

Two questions, soliciting audience participation:

Last night I went to bed around 10:30pm, as did my bunkmate. One of our hostel roommates came back and turned on the light to get ready for whatever on two separate occasions. Normally I would say this was outright rude, as two of us were obviously trying to sleep. On the same token, there wasn't a smaller lamp in the room. She could have left the door open and used the hallway light, and my other hostel roommates did, but I also appreciate it wasn't like she had multiple options and could turn on her own personal light or something. What do you think? Rude or clueless?

Do you count the Vatican as its own country? This may decide whether or not I am able to brag about being in seven or eight countries this summer, so choose carefully...

Roman Holiday!

2011-06-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blog. I've been through Florence, spent today in Pisa, and arrived today in Rome by train. Florence was a trip: great art, lots of gelate, lots of climbing (the Campanile, Duomo, and the Piazze Michelangelo...one of the best parts of Florence is the view), and lots of tourists. Apparently cruise lines stop around this part of Italy because everywhere there were obnoxious groups of people with one guide talking into a headset microphone with a group trailing behind him or her with the headsets in and nodding. EVERYWHERE. Like, what happened to people looking at things and figuring it out for themselves? Can we not experience art or architecture or anything alone? And do you have to stand in front of everything and block everyone else's change to look at things or actually experience things? Sodding crowds.

Pisa: climbing the Leaning Tower was awesome. It is surreal to see in real life. It's not as big as you think it would be, the staircase is a crooked walk that is really hard to climb in some spots and kind of easy in the downward slant parts, and it's just a fun structure. The tower is part of a bigger complex with a church, a separate smaller church devoted to baptisms called the Baptistry, a cemetery, and two museums. I spent most of my time there, and then wandered through Pisa for the rest of my time. I thought I wasn't going to get to climb the tower because everything said you had to reserve in advance and by the time I looked online my date wasn't available, but there were lots of tickets available when I got there. Thankfully, I went early too so I got to climb up with a smaller group and have some silence. The complex was cool. The rest of Pisa is kind of quiet and worn down---apparently still feeling the downturn from the centuries when Florence conquered it and became the primary hotspot of Tuscany.

On the train to Rome, I sat next to an older Italian woman from Milan. I really should carry around guidebooks all the time...everytime people see me on transportation with a guidebook and a map, they seem to clue into the fact that something exciting is happening and ask me about my travels. The Italian woman knew some English from when she was in school at age 12 (see how amazing the rest of the world is? see how sad it is that Americans don't speak anything other than English?) and I communicated with some of my Spanish, and we got along famously. We talked about Rome, where to get the best gelato, where I should go on my next Italian trip (her vote was for Sardinia and Sicily, and the "heel and toes" areas of the two Italian feet...if you look at a map of the country, you will totally see it), and what my family thinks of my adventures (I told her that I think my dad is just grateful that I eventually come back). She was wonderful and I wished I had more words to say so. Sufficive to say, it was really sweet when she said goodbye and wished me the best of happiness and experiences in my life.

At the train station, I caved and got in a taxi. It's the first one I've used this trip...I always walk or take a Metro. However, the hostel directions said to board a bus from the train station and I just didn't have it in me to board a bus with my giant backpack after another long day. Plus, boarding buses when you don't know where you are going is the WORST. You never know what your stop is, and it's very anxiety-ridden. No.

So I took a taxi. I got in line at the kiosk and some fast-talking illegitimate driver starts talking to me. It was a moment of weakness. I knew he wasn't a certified driver...he was not in the official taxi lane and he wasn't standing with the correct drivers. But I was travel flustered and thought maybe he was okay? I don't know. He tried to charge me 30 Euros, which I told him was crap since my hostel directions said it was 10 minutes away. We haggled down to 20. Then he started to walk towards his taxi, which was an unmarked vehicle parked across the street from the station away from the legitimate taxi booth. And I kept going and going, hoping that this would appear to be okay (I did ask him for his identification and he showed it to me). Finally, it just felt too sketch. I told him that I was sorry but that I felt like this was a bad idea and started to walk back to the station. To his credit, he let me go pretty easily and just warned me that the official taxis were more expensive.

My legitimate taxi was actually cheaper. The driver spoke Italian, English, and Spanish, and kind of mocked me when I tried to use my Spanish at first (to be fair, he knew what I was talking about and they are really similar...). He was kind of a whackadoodle. The first thing he asked me was: "are you a lesbian?" Apparently, there is a Lady Gaga concert tonight and some pride events in the city. It was very strange. Then he told me that he was a gay man, and then he laughed and said that he loved the ladies and was just joking. This was later reaffirmed when he told me that he had dated a "chocolate woman" for 10 years and had moved to Columbia for his now ex-wife. I really wanted to have some educational conversations with him, but I also didn't want to be removed from the taxi and stranded on the side of the room. He, however, seemed quite overjoyed with himself and his apparent zest for life. He also kept calling me "my darling." In typing all of this, doesn't it sound extra sad that he was the less sketchy of my two potential cab drivers? Nonetheless, he only charged me 10 Euros for the trip which was WAY less then sketchy man haggled down too. I had that awkward moment where I only had 1 or 5 Euros in small bills to tip. I gave him the 5. I'm pretty sure cabby 1 was going to drive in circles or find traffic and claim it was Lady Gaga related (we hit NO traffic with my actual cab), so he deserved it. He then exclaimed "ooooh, this is why I love you Americans!"

My hostel is kind of on the edge of Rome, but is still really close (20 minute walk from the Colosseum...my CSSA friends, think like Beaverton and Portland and how they are kind of different but really kind of the same). I am going to try to get up early and wander before the museums open and my day really begins.

Ciao!

Vienna is Love

2011-06-08T08:30:00.001-07:00

Two glorious days in Vienna. Great museums, beautiful music, yummy pastry...why did I choose to spend three dazs in Prague and only two days here? Oh well. I guess that just means I must come back.

At some point, I am going to do a composite post of my Eurail experiences. I feel like they are very important and colorful moments, and I really want to do them justice. This last trip, I did not have the option when I booked online of booking a sleeping car. Instead, I had to book a seat. The fun part? The seat did not recline, did not have any leg room, and faced the seat across the way. Six awkward seats in a train car for a 7 hour train ride after the brush with death that was the Prague Holesovice (spelling check?) late at night.

When I got to Vienna, I was a bit grumpy to say the least. I also could not find a good map anywhere...I ended up ripping out a map from my guidebook and that worked until I lost it today. The hostel gave me a map that looked like it listed every street in Vienna in .025 font size. Finally I threw it away and tried the guide book maps, which was better than nothing.

So aside from a few setbacks, Vienna is a great city. Really, so much to do and see here. I went to a bunch of museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Natural History Museum, and the Albertina (which was originally the state rooms for Marie Antoinette's sister until a couple donated their private art collection to become a modern art museum). I toured the Opera House, and saw part of Eugin Onegin last night for a standing room ticket that cost onlz three euros. I also toured part of the Hofburg Palace, mainly the state rooms, and saw the horses for the famous Spanish Riding School.

I also ate a bunch of pastry, because Vienna is like the pastry capital of the world. Seriously, it is everywhere. I did try the famous Sacher Torte, a chocolate cake with apricot jam in the middle and a dollop of whipped cream, at his home of the Hotel Sacher. To be honest, I thought it was a bit bland. However, I am loving some of the other strudels and tarts that I have tried. Good thing I also visited St. Stephan's Cathedral and climbed the 342 steps to the top of the tower.

So it is with sad faces that I leave Vienna, but I am now bound for Florence and Italy! I am excited for gelato and art and the opportunity to use my Spanish and pretend it is Italian. Also, having learned from the crappy train experience, I upgraded to a sleeping car once again...it is a four person car, so I think it might be first class! High rolling! For those of you keeping track, I am going Florence, Pisa, Rome, and then back to London to fly home!

Ciao, bellos! See you in Italy!

2011-06-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have an overnight train to Vienna in three hours. Since the train station is only like 30 minutes away and the train stations don't tend to be super fun places to wait by yourself, I'm going to update you all instead!

Today, my feet became international celebrities.

I have a confession: originally I wanted to get out of Prague today after having kind of a shiteous day yesterday. However, the nearby castle turned out to be closed so I ended up in the city for day 3. You know what I decided? If I have to be here, I'm going to do whatever the heck I want to do.

That started with this Thai spa place I had seen on the Prague/Las Vegas strip that had the little fishies that eat the dead skin off your feet (sorry if that is too much information...it sounds really gross, but it really isn't). Well, I decided I wanted to do that. For only $30-ish dollars, I had a "fish massage" (the woman was very specific that this was NOT a pedicure). However, since a couple was in the fish tank in the salon, I sat on a chair and dipped my feet in the fish tank that was in the front window (they have a little chair set up). You are literally sitting in a display window while fishies swarm your feet and tourists literally stop by to stare at you and take pictures. Thus, if you see pictures anywhere of a woman in olive green and purple getting a fish massage in the Czech Republic dated today...yeah, that is me.

Then, Prague hailed.

Apparently Prague likes to change from warm sun to overcast to torrential hail i na matter of minutes. I was going to take a boat tour, but the weather abruptly changed. I sought refuge in this small cafe/ice cream shop/store/deli run by a vigorous older Czech woman. I was the only person in her cafe and she kept assuming that I spoke Czech, so I would smile and nod when she said something. Apparently I blend in well in Prague, or I just keep interacting with people who don't know English. Either way, I'm getting quite good at deciphering things through non-verbal cues. "Do you have smaller bills?" "Would you like a bag?" "Man, it's a busy storm outside!" Check, check, check!

When the hail subsided, I put the fun in funicular and climbed 400 stairs to the top of Petrin tower.

Just wait until I have my computer again and can upload all the pictures. Great view. Kate Normandin knows that I love a good funicular ride too, which made it easier to focus on climbing the 400 steps of the tower and not the giant hill that the tower is on.

Ended the day by shopping, strolling, and eating one of the top 5 Italian dishes I have ever had in my life...this perfectly creamy pasta al pollo.

And now, to end on an anecdote:

One of my newest roommates in the hostel is from Korea, but she studies currently in Georgia. She mentioned that in Korea it is common for women to travel by themselves, but she noticed it was far more rare in the United States. I agreed and told her that people gave me incredulous looks when I told them I was going alone. She then looked at me and said..."I think it is because of the movie Taken. In that movie, an American woman is traveling alone and she is kidnapped. I think people saw that movie and are afraid." What?

Black Light Theatre

2011-06-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, going with the theme of my day, I missed the National Theatre performance of the opera that I was going to see. I went to the theater where I had bought the ticket, but it was at a different venue across town and I didn't want to go super late. Especially because I was already right on the dot as it was.

When I was walking out, I spotted a sign proclaiming Black Light Theatre nearby. I had read about these in Rick Steeves and seen a few theaters around Prauge---apparently, they are pretty common. The stage is, you guessed it, black lit. Characters wear white or other clothing that pops out, and all of the props are doused in Day Glo paint. There are actors who dress in all black and maneuver the props around so things seem to be flying or magically appear or whatnot.

I saw a reproduction of Faust, which apparently is about a man who realizes that earthly possessions are limited and goes on a journey that reminds him what really matters. According to this production, that journey included dancing cats, an Arabian tales type of adventure with a belly dancer and camels, some fish, a few crocodiles, and more. His guide is a guy dressed in red that looked like an evil Robin Hood. At the end, the guy was chained and whipped by Satan until an angel rescued him.

It was very weird. There was also some sexual innuendos---lots of crotch grabbing and winks. I was in row 3, so I could occasionally glimpse some movement from the actors moving the props. Also, they used a plethora of fog machines that managed to make me watery eyed and have to sneeze every five minutes. On the whole, I felt like I probably should have been drunk or something before going.

It cost me 490 Czech Kroner to attend (approximately 25 US dollars) and lasted an hour. Not the best deal. At least I went and got the experience!

You had a bad day

2011-06-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in a laundromat in Prague that just happened to have computers and free internet too! Yay for multi-tasking. Now I am just hoping that I will be able to finish these loads of laundry and book it over to the National Theater in time for the opera I have tickets for tonight.

The title of my post kind of sums it up. I had my bad day today...the kind that make you frustrated and frowny and wonder why you did not vacation by sitting at home and watching TV. It was not really that bad, but I think I needed the space to be frustrated for a second after such a busy couple of weeks.

It started out this morning when all of my roommates woke up to the alarm I set in order to wake up early. There are five of us sharing a room with one bathroom, so my hope was that I could wake up and get ready before they were up. Three of them stayed in bed, but one immediately hopped in the bathroom for half an hour before I could, um, sit up. That is definitely a long time when you are sharing a room with č other people who need to get ready. I kind of lost my shit when I heard her blow drying her hair, which she could have easily done in the hallway or unoccupied kitchen RIGHT NEXT DOOR. Not to mention that this same roommate was the one who spent half an hour in the bathroom last night when the other four of us were trying to get ready for bed.

I was pretty much awake at this point, but two of my other roommates were definitely trying to sleep. Nonetheless, my third roommate decides to make a phone call and then speak loudly into her phone. I felt bad and angry, and finally tapped her on the shoulder and said that I thought the other two were trying to sleep. She proceeded to lower her voice minutely, but still. Who does not go outside?

Eventually I got the hell out of the room and headed out for the city. My hostel is not a far walk, but the quicked route is through what I will dub the Las Vegas Strip of Prague. There are several casinos and cabaret shows and lots of drunk bachelor parties (at least, that is what I am assuming the large groups of drunk men were). It is not unsafe, but it is still a bit seedy for walking home after a long day. Unfortunately, the metro is not convenient to take from the places I want to go, so walking it is.

Today I went to the Prague Castle, which was pretty cool. Some of the exhibits were a bit ho hum, but I liked the museum that traced the history of the castle. The cathedral was closed in the morning for service, but I managed to catch it before I left. Apparently, both because it was closed and it is generally a tourist hotspot (not to mention the only free entry point in the castle, so it is where everyone goes for a free photo op), it was crammed to the brim. You have heard me rant about tourist claustrophobia and how it is really hard to enjoy things when you are being shoved about and trying to dodge five million photos from other tourists. Ah.

Then I went to the Jewish Museum, a collection of a few Jewish historical sites around the former Jewish ghetto and neighborhood in Prague. The neighborhood was at one point demolished and rebuilt, so the structures are actually gorgeous and French even though it does have a history of being a ghetto and the only area in Prague where the first Jews could live. I enjoyed the first exhibit a lot...it was an old synogogue (the word, I learned, means gather in Greek) that talked about Jewish history. On the third floor there was a museum that had Jewish children´s artwork from the holocaust. Basically, the children had been deported to a different ghetto before they were sent to concentration camps and a smart teacher had managed to create art classes to allow the children with a form of expression. Most of the children later died. It was a very moving museum.

I did not realize that I was supposed to exit someway through this museum to get to the Jewish cemetary. Because the land in the ghetto was restricted and the Jewish residents only had so much land to bury their dead (requests for more land was ignored), they ended up bringing in soil from the countryside and burying the dead on top of one another. The top level, 12 feet or so above ground level, is dotted with headstones from the multiple lazers.

Anyway, since I did not realize about the exit, I did not get to go in. I tried to reswipe my ticket and explain to the ticket man, but he was kind of an ass. He just kept repeating that I had already been there and I kept trying to explain that I did not know (it was not super clearly labeled...besides, my ticket was dated and timed from when I bought it. He could tell that it had not been very long). I thought about buying another ticket, but they were pricey and I was just a bit over that man.

Luckily, some of the other sites had some cool views so I could peer out nearby windows. I didn´t take any pictures, but it was a very moving and through provoking site.

Oh, and the ticket woman at the Jewish museum? She told me that I should take better care of my money because I handed her some crumpled bills on entry. Really, lady? She literally wiped them off and straightened them out when I handed them to her.

So yeah, I like Prague (and had fun yesterday wandering around, taking a 3 hour walking tour in the baking sun with a tour guide who never let us stand in the shade when he talked about things, and stumbling across a concert in a random park that was apparently part of Free Fest. The name did not lie-it was free, and I heard the set list for some band called Mako! Mako. From them, I learned that you can still be the lead singer of a band and jump around vigorously while like 8 months pregnant. I also learned that you can beatbox as a full time talent in a band. Not like once in a while---you can beatbox every song. Still, the exceeded my expectations. I am basically on the fence after I had to listen to a song called I Love to Love at the grocery store). But I don´t know if I LOVE Prague. Maybe that is more due to circumstance than the city itself. I will keep trying!

Tonight I am going to see Kátá Kabanová at the National Theater. It is an opera. I do not know what it is about and I am doubting that there will be English subtitles, but it will be an experience nonetheless.

ADDENDUM:

That laundromat turned part of my white jacket slightly orange and did not effectively dry anything. Ugh. At least I got a free book to read and some internet time. And at least my hair looks good for the first time this trip---I found some creme that makes it curl and not just poof into a wavy. Small victories.

2011-06-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

So I have like 8 minutes to post otherwise I exceed my 15 minute introductory rate. This internet cafe is a bit of a robbery.

Anyway, I left Munich yesterday morning, spent the day in Nurenberg, and then came to Prague in the evening. I had to change trains anyway in Nurnberg, so I figured I might as well spend some time there.

Except that Nurenberg isn't really that cool... First of all, I couldn't find a map anywhere at the main station so I just set out walking. Thankfully, it is pretty small and navigable, but I didn't actually find a map of anything until I had been walking around for a few hours and stumbled across one of those maps on the sidewalk to help tourists.

Secondly, all the things you think of when you hear Nurenberg: war trials, Third Reich Rally, chocolate, toys...most of them, you can't actually do a lot with. It turns out that Courtroom 600, the room where the Nurenberg trials took place after World War II, is only available by tour on Saturdays and Sundays (and I was there on a Friday). I couldn't even find a map that would tell me where the courtroom is. The Third Reich Rally grounds only have one building that was ever constructed on them, they are out in the suburbs of Nurenberg, and there isn't really a lot to see (especially since I would want a tour or some information, not to just see the space). And I didn't really see much in the way of authentic toy stores or cool chocolate shops...though there were a surprising amount of Haribo gummy bears.

So I walked. I found a castle (I will have to look up the name later) and saw some old German armor and swords in its museum. Unfortunately, that was the only exhibit and everything was labeled in German. The ticket attendant did warn me that I might not have a lot to do since I didn't know German, but only after he had collected my 7 Euros for the castle. I did get to climb up this tower and take some pictures of Nurenberg:

(Will put pictures here later. Promise. Sorry this is a bit obnoxious).

I took the evening trip to Prague, which turned out to be a bus and NOT a train. I guess it wouldn't be a Genie trip with out a bus ride. The scenery in Germany and the Czech Republic, at least in the Bavaria region, is so gorgeous. Green, lush trees, rolling hills, grass and small rivers everywhere.

I got to Prague around 9:30pm, and then got a bit lost on the way to my hostel (some things never change). I stopped to ask a woman who worked at a bar for directions to the street (the bar was pretty empty, so I figured she had time). She didn't know, but her supervisor came out and then told me he would look online. Not only did he go, find out the information, and then explain it to me, but he even printed out a map! So nice!

Alright, time is up. Off to explore!

Munich!

2011-06-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

In Munich!

Yesterday, I went to the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was a tough and thought-provoking experience, but I was glad that I went.

Afterwards, I came back to the city center. There was a random tower that proclaimed to onlz be a euro to climb, so I went for it. Little did I know that it was 300 steps! Nonetheless, here was the view of gorgeous Bavarian Munich at the end:

Afterwards, I went to the Hofbrahaus, the most famous beer garden in Munich. I was going to hang out by myself and read a book, but another tourist spotted me and I made a new friend! Her name is Kristin Stewart (not that one) and she was just visiting a friend in Germany after doing a trip to Greece. Her friend could not come to Munich, so she was solo too. We are doing different day things today, but we are supposed to meet up later and try another beer garden. Yay, travel friends!

Off to do a walking tour...

A Day in Potsdam

2011-05-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

So according to Arthur Frommer (my travel companion this trip, as you can print out tips from his website for free. I also brought hard copy volumes of Rick Steeves and Europe by Eurail along with me for on-the-spot information...I know that is a lot), Potsdam was the day trip that I had to do if I had three days in Berlin.

Today I went and it was...eh. Let me be honest, this opinion is entirely influenced by the fact that it was at least 95 degrees outside and a terrible day to be walking around all day in any circumstance. And I had no desire to pay the 18 Euro cost for the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour of Potsdam so that the company could shuffle me off to the main attractions and give me some cheap headphones to plug into an audio spot for a basic overview. What happened to me? I used to be such a fan of the Hop Ons, Hop Off back in 2005. But now I just think they are so expensive and I might as well find my own way using my legs, which are free.

So I walked. There was a bit of nothing, before I stumbled upon the Sanssouci Park. The park is the former grounds and gardens of the palaces of Fredreich the Great (must spell check this later) and is strewn about with multiple palaces and buildings. It kind of reminded me of an adult playground, with all of these buildings spread through that you could explore and (pay to) climb up. The playground idea was diminished by the distance between the structures and the fact that you did have to pay to see each one...which added up pretty quickly.

Nonetheless, I toured the Sanssoci Palace, the small but ornate vacation home. The New Palace, which was much larger and more stately was closed. However I got to see the outside. From eavesdropping on a passing English tour, I learned that this is where World War I was declared.

(Pictures to go here)

I also got to climb this giant windmill, which had no real function for me other than giving me a better view of the trees and some random bragging rights.

Historic inner city Potsdam is very cute and was my stop after the park and palace wanderings. I managed to find a deli that sold tomato and mozarella sandwiches, so I ate one and tried to rehydrate. I would have found the ambiance more compelling and historical if most of the architecture had not now been used to house stores like H&M.

And then, as I walked back to the train station, it started to rain. I wish it had rained two hours earlier, when I felt like I was wandering through the desert looking for 2 Euro water at crappy tourist kiosks. But what can you do?

So, I am done with Berlin! Tonight I take a night train (hopefully I can be a bit more of a veteran for this one) to Munich! I am having a bit of trouble figuring out what to see in Munich...I want to see the city and take day trips and I only have two days. I guess we will see.

Ich bin in Berlin!

2011-05-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

Sorry for my shoddy updating. I may have to do massive updates when I get back and go back and add pictures to all of these posts! I have not had the best of luck with computers lately, and I am out and about most of the time trying to cram in all the sites.

Ich bin in Berlin! Of all the cities on my trip, I think I knew least of what to expect when coming to Berlin. I did not have a good map, I did not have a small list of "must sees," and I did not have a great sense for what Berlin would be like. Now, after two days, I feel like I am starting to get my bearings and that the city is becoming more familiar. It is a nice feeling.

Yesterday, I arrived in Berlin around 9am from my very first Eurail ride! My pass is officially valid and everything. I will write a follow up pass about the trip itself, as I have a funny and terribly embarassing anecdote to share and lots of information for future travelers. But for now, let's chat Berlin.

I got to my hostel, a place called East Seven Berlin, which is in the upper section of East Berlin and about a twenty minute walk from all of the main attractions (or a five minute underground ride, but I like the walk). The metro station is a block away, as is a grocery store. The grocery stores have been my salvation on this trip---in London, they are everywhere. There are small version everywhere aimed at busy workers grabbing a fresh sandwich or microwaveable dinner or a bit of quick shopping. The food is super fresh and you know it is legitimate (versus when the Walgreens in New York or somewhere try to sell sandwiches or parfaits for those on the go and you always feel they are a bit sketch...). They are perfect and so inexpensive. I ate sandwiches for most of the London trip, spending only a few pounds for each meal. It was super affordable, though I did get a bit tired of bread and cheese (which tended to be the one pound options, along with prawns and mayo or egg salad. Sometimes I would be a big spender and go for the turkey, which cost like two and a half). Then in Paris, there is a grocery store right next to the park that runs adjacent to the Eiffel Tower. I was able to get a picnic meal a few times with bread, water, tomato spread, and more! And now in Germany! I have not found a grocery store here yet with the same easy selection, but I did enjoy the chance to pick up a yogurt today and some snacks for my overnight train to Munich tomorrow. Now if only any place would have a WATER FOUNTAIN, I would be set (I have not seen one yet...and though I try not to be obnoxious about filling one up at a bathroom sink, there are times when that is just too weird).

Anyway, the hostel graciously let me drop off my luggage early and I headed out to explore! I decided to do a walking tour for day 2 (today), since I had heard great things and a lot of the sites close on Mondays anyway. So that meant I had to try to cram in some museums on Sunday and start to get my bearings. So, I walked:

First up, the TV tower. I was not particularly planning on this site, but it was the first one and I thought the view might help me get oriented. I had a thirty minute wait before I could enter the tower after I bought the ticket. Since it was times, I used the occasion to grab lunch at a cafe across the street. I went with a schnitzel because it was something I could pronounce, forgetting that schnitzel is essentially meat that is breaded and fried. Less delicious than expected.

The views from the TV tower were pretty cool (pictures to be inserted here). I learned on my tour today that the tower was essentially communist propaganda so that the West Berliners would look over, see the tower on the east side, and think that it was such a cool place to be. However, the irony is that when the sun shines on the essentially giant disco ball, it makes a huge cross. The communists were against religion, so people deemed it "the Pope's revenge." The architect was eventually jailed.

From the TV tower, I mapped out my plan of attack. I headed to the Berliner Dom, a giant cathedral. It was 270 steps to the top of the Dom, another epic view of the city, but worth it. (Insert pictures here). My tour guide later told us he thought it was kitschy with its over decoration, which is true, but it is kind of pretty too.

In my Genie walking tour, I walked down past Museum Island where all of the main museums are. If I had more time, I would have liked to go to the Pergamon Museum for its collection of Turkish artifacts. Alas, since I did not, I wanted to try to hit the sites with the most understanding of those things uniquely Berlin.

I walked by the Bradenburg Gate:

And over to the Reichstag, the German parliament. There was a fire that broke out here in the 1930s, now attributed to the Nazi party. The fire caused enough disruption that the Nazi party was able to declare a state of emergency and basically act on its own will. The building:

Then, to Checkpoint Charlie. This is a museum dedicated to the Berlin Wall and its story. There are some fake soldiers outside that you can take pictures with, and this replica of the real sign that was at the spot:

Checkpoint Charlie was the point of entry from East Berlin to West. The museum itself is pretty interesting...a kind of piecemeal look at different pieces of the wall and its history. I liked the stories of the people that climbed the wall, both suceeded and those that did not. However, the exhibition itself was a bit of piecemeal work and went off on a lot of tangents (there was a section about Ronald Reagan and his discussion to bring down the wall; Ghandhi and how his approach to non-violence influenced wall protesters; and even Picasso's Guernica and how it represented his commentary on politics and his refusal to bring the painting to Spain until Facism was gone and civil rights were restored). Apparently the museum's founder was a bit of a loony too and left the museum to his 30 year old mistress rather than Berlin on his death...

Alright, more to write, but running out of time! Let's chat soon!

Good morning from Paris

2011-05-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ugh. I just spent a chunk of time typing on this terrible keyboard and the computer DELETED THE POST. I feel grumpy.

Okay, take 2. The highlights:

-Went to Versailles yesterday. The palace is massive and gorgeous, but so touristy that it is almost not worth it. After being pushed through the Louis VIX state rooms with the other tourist masses, I escaped to the grounds. They are beautiful and massive, and you can find serene and thoughtful spots in all sorts of nooks. It was the highlight of the trip. I also saw the smaller "informal" palace of Louis XIV tucked in the gardens. It became Marie Antoinette's home and was light and airy...peaceful even.

-Arch de Triomphe was closed as was the top of the Eiffel Tower. Come on, Paris! I did managed to find a grocery store and bought a picnic for the park next to the Eiffel Tower before ascending to the second level. Managed to finish One Day, which has had me laughing and crying maniacally all over Paris for the past two days.

-Spent two to three hours on the Eiffel Tower so that I could see day, sunset, and night. Massive amount of time, but worth it.

Alright, I am out. Notre Dame, maybe?

2011-05-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

I may have to play catch up on the rest of London sometime later for a few reasons. Primarily, that: (1) I am on the laptop in my Paris hostel and this keyboard is screwy, so it takes much longer to type everything: Please excuse my typos; (2) I am feeling the tired after leaving my London hostel at 5:30am this morning to catch the Eurostar to Paris. One of my hostelmates graciously left her text message volume on, so the two times her phone beeped I also awoke thinking it was my alarm. I would start to get ready and then realize the truth; and (3) I am deeply engrossed in the novel One Day by David Nicholls and may finish it today regardless of what I wrote in (2) and the fact that I bought it getting on to the Eurostar this morning. You should read it. If you want to fly to Paris tomorrow, I will give you my copy!

So Eurostar is pretty rad. Aside from the fact that I had to go through an unanticipated security checkpoint, which made me think that I needed to toss the coffee I just bought (did I actually need to toss it? No clue. But I did and then regretted it all train ride). Did you know the trip is only like 2 hours and fifteen minutes between the cities? I read a bit of One Day and suddenly we were in France!

I found my hostel after a minor getting lost: thankfully, it was truly minor. I was a block or so off and asked a nearby park custodian. He showed me on a nearby muni map and we both pointed vigorously for a bit (he told me several things in French that I just nodded about agreeably), and then I used my fancy "merci!" He made it sound like it was far, but it was only a block or so. Thankfully-I think my backpack is good quality and I packed light but it is still so BLOODY heavy always (like my British vocabulary there? I cannot lie-I really wished I was Bridget Jones during most of my time there. Though, to be fair, I always would enjoy being Bridget Jones. Sodding hilarious). My poor shoulders.

After dropping off my stuff, I went museum hopping! The Musee de Louvre, Musee de l'Orangerie; and Musee d'Orsay. The last one was my favorite...lots to see but small enough to be navigable, great Impressionist collection. I don't think I really like the Louvre. It was roasting and there were a million people there (even on a Thursday that isn't fully in peak season yet...can't imagine a Saturday in October). It felt like the Disneyland of museums. There was like a mini-mall on the first floor with shops and a Starbucks. So much for the French hating us, eh? I just don't know that I will ever feel like the art is worth the experience, which is sad when there is so much great art. But nothing was labeled in a language beside French (I know I'm in France, but still. Though, to be fair, nothing at the Musee de l'Orangerie was labeled at all. Thankfully I recognized Monet, but that one wins the "worst value" award). So yeah...the Louvre kind of blows. I did have to take a picture, not of the Mona Lisa, but of the multiple barriers preventing tourists from even mildly approaching the Mona Lisa. In 2005, you could still get kind of close even though there was some thick glass shielding her. Now there are multiple barricades. Wonder what happened in the past six years?

Alright, it took me like an hour to type that paragraph, so I'm signing off for now. Happy reading!

London Love

2011-05-24T02:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Facebook hates me...I've entered 6 different word codes and it still seems to think I'm a spammer. Oh well.

Anyway, hello from London! I will have to do a real blog post soon, but I wanted to let you know that I have landed. The downside of a shorter flight was that I only had like 2 hours of sleep on the flight over (and it was an overnight flight), so I ended up taking a nap in the grassy park outside the Tate Britain later yesterday. The Tate Britain, by the way, ended up being a bit of a lackluster museum to visit. However, I did enjoy the opportunity to have a real British pot of team and scone with clotted cream and jam (joy! I even got my own little jam jar, which is probably environmentally unsustainable, but SO CUTE. I tried to recycle it after, I swear) for only 3.25 (in pounds). A steal, really.

I visited the Imperial War Museum, which has all sorts of real wartime equipment like World War II tanks and a copy of the Little Boy atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. It is really interesting to be able to see it all up from and even touch some of the stuff (I found myself a little intrigued with the tires on tanks. How do they work? Which pattern is best?). Then I ended the afternoon with a trip to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum, which was one of my favorite trips in 2005 and is still one of my top 5 museums of all time. You can actually go into the bunkers that Churchill and his cabinet used in World War II to plan war strategy and broadcast to the nation during the war and the Battle of Britain. So great!

I ended the night with a ticket to Much Ado About Nothing, my favorite Shakespeare play, in the reconstructed Globe Theater! The female doctor on Nurse Jackie was playing Beatrice, so I got a bit of my pop culture celebrity on. It was a great show, perhaps enhanced by the fact that I stood in the floor for the show (versus the seat I had last time) and the actors really interact with that space. They walk through it, they address the crowd, they mark their comments towards individuals. My legs ached by the end, but so fun and so worth it!

Today: seeing Love Never Dies, the infamous Phantom of the Opera sequel that will either be terrible or lovely. I'm in row 5, which the ticket clerk at the TKTS booth told me was prime viewing. And a trip to Hampton Court Palace, a London side trip I've never done before, to see the palace on Henry VIII.

Cheers!

Summer Love

2011-04-18T20:44:00.001-07:00

The countdown is on!

In THIRTY TWO days, I will be en route to London for 24ish days of backpacking adventures! I am seizing the perks of the new job and my 43 week contract, and heading to Eurrail around the continent while I still qualify for the 25 and under youth discount. The goal: to cram as much history, adventure, and culture into 3 plus weeks as possible.

The itinerary:
London-->Paris--->Berlin-->Munich-->Prague-->Vienna-->Florence-->Rome-->London

I have around 3 days in each city. Not enough, of course, but a start. I'm hoping to capitalize on night trains to maximize the time I have in each city. I'm also hoping to do some day trips to places like Versailles, Pisa, and Dachau.

But wait, there's more...

I come back from Europe and fly home to my beloved California for some family time. After a week or so, my dad and I are flying to Oahu! Basically, it's my attempt to be the best daughter ever and buy his love after moving across the nation. No, actually, it's more a gesture of thanks for all of the help my dad gave (and continues to give) me and a chance for us to have some new memories and quality time after a particularly tumultuous year. Hopefully, neither of us gets too cranky and snippy.

And then...

The great American road trip!

It's time to be reunited with Corolla! I'm driving from the Bay Area to Amherst, MA via the southern route. I have none of it planned aside from buying a GPS, but I feel pretty good about "winging" this one. I'm hoping to make stops at the Grand Canyon, Little Rock, Memphis (and Graceland!), Gettysburg, and more!

So, yes. One month until epic summer begins, one summer until all of my savings go to shit, one month until wandergenie explodes with new blog posts and adventures! Can't wait!

Brooklyn Academy of Music...A new love affair

2011-01-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Forget Broadway. One of New York's best theaters is the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I told you geographical snobbery would not pay off, Manhattanites.

Currently playing--Alan Rickman plays the eponymous lead in Borkman, a play about the aftermath of a financial embezzler, his family, and the woman he once loves. I happened to be in NYC and see an ad for the play on the subway, at which point I promptly dropped all other plans and dismissed the exceedingly high balance currently on my credit card (the result of moving across the country) to finagle a ticke

I think most people would agree with me that when Alan Rickman is involved, you do not hesitate. The man is Severus Snape, after all! He's a living legend, in the cinema world and theater world (if you don't care about Harry Potter, you may love him from Love Actually or Sense and Sensibility. Or his other theater performances, two of which have resulted in Tony nominations).

The play co-stars Fiona Shaw and Lindsay Duncan, two theatrical legends in their own right. The former is also Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter series, making it an extra boost for those hard core Harry Potter fans.

I lived like seven blocks away from BAM in the summer of 2009 and had NO IDEA that this venue was so amazing. Frankly, I'm angry at myself. Other upcoming events? A celebration of the career of Susan Sarandon with movie showings and Q&As with the actress herself. There is also an author series with international bestsellers, including Chimamanda Adichie (whose video on the Ted Talks website basically changed my life). And most exciting of all? The next play to start is "The Diary of a Mad Man" starring GEOFFREY RUSH, another amazing actor considered a lock for a support actor Oscar nomination due to his work in "The King's Speech." I basically drooled on myself seeing the advertisement with Rush in full costume.

It looks like from now on I will be scheduling my NYC visits around a new calendar...

Ponder of the day: Airport wifi

2010-10-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder how airports decide whether or not to offer free internet connections? Having been in lots of different airports lately, I do sincerely wonder about this decision. PDX, SFO and Denver offer free internet connections. However, LAX, JFK, and Chicago Midway don't. I would say that people have to fly through the latter set more as a justification for why they can nickel and dime customers, but Denver is a huge pub for connecting flights. And you can't tell me that SFO doesn't get substantial traffic either. So friends...what gives?

Highway 1

2010-09-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was reading People today in Barnes and Nobles, and they talked about how one of the real American experiences is the road trip. They recommended Highway 1 as one of the premiere routes to go and explore. It hugs the California coastline and is home to some stunning oceanside views.

As luck would have it, I recently drove up Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Monterey in California. I was driving up from southern California and thought I would stop at Hearst Castle, a massive personal estate (yup, some rich guy built his own castle) turned state park. I had heard about it originally from my real estate teacher during a class that I took at San Francisco City College in spring 2008. I thought I would seize the opportunity to go as I haven't had too many.

The crazy thing is that in spite of the fact that Hearst Castle is basically in the middle of nowhere (it's 250 miles from both San Francisco and Los Angeles), it's one of the most popular tourist attractions in California. I even heard it was THE most popular, but I'm dubious. I mean, California has the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood, Disneyland...really, a fake castle in the middle of nowhere is #1? But I stupidly went on a Wednesday in July and the place was crammed. I could not get a ticket, which means that I only got a faint glimpse of Hearst Castle from it's perch on the mountains (the Visitor's Center is a good few miles downhill).

Of course, Hearst Castle is also a good distance away from the main thoroughfares of California and is only reached by, you guessed it, Highway 1. Once you're out there, you can either backtrack to San Luis Obispo and catch the 101 or you can stay on the 1. I choose to stay on the 1, having no idea that it would take so much longer as the road was literally hugging the ocean and coastal mountains. The result is that the view is stunning-hours of gorgeous ocean views, cliffs, even cute little oceanside towns. The downside is that the twisting roads slows travel down immensely (the time to reach destination moved so slowly on my GPS that I thought it was broken) and makes even the most stalwart travelers a bit motionsick (me).

I was going to put a photo montage here, but blogger seems to be at odds with me today so I will leave it your imagination. I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway...the pictures don't really do it justice.

Alright, People magazine- I agree.

Billy Elliot in NYC

2010-09-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

I finally saw Billy Elliot last week on Broadway. It was the one show that kept evading me during all of my past visits, in part due to the fact that it was selling so well that there were no half price or rush tickets available during any of the times I was in the city. I love theater, but let's be honest-full price tickets just don't work for me, especially when there are so many other options that usually have better seats !

Anyway, I was in Times Square last Friday and saw the show up on the TKTS window. I was in the city for a job interview that I realized relatively early in the on-campus process was a terrible fit, and needed some pick me up to salvage the trip and unwind. I ended up in the back of the Orchestra for $60--not ideal, but also not too bad since I bought the tickets last minute on a Friday night.

I liked the show. It was clever and well executed. The lead part is a child (from my playbill, it is shared by three different individuals who swap from night to night). For demanding that much skill and talent, from acting to singing to dancing, the actors were phenomenal. Those 12 year olds have a tremendous career ahead of them.

Even though I enjoyed it (somewhat less so because the woman in the row ahead of me decided to text sporadically through the show, causing her screen to provide an obnoxious glare), I can't really believe that it won over Next to Normal for the 2009 Tony. As much as Billy Elliot had a well developed plot, great actors, and historical accuracies, I just don't think it compares to the sheer emotion and vibrancy of Next to Normal. That said, it's still a quality show. The current grandmother is also played by Carole Shelley, who was the original Madame Morrible in Wicked, and I got a kick out of seeing her live after hearing her on my Ipod.

No pictures because I left my camera at home in an attempt to pack light. Something about appearing more poised for the interview process. Crazy rainstorms and humidity in NYC derailed this attempt, of course, causing me to arrive waterlogged and frizzy. It probably was an omen.

Genie's Top Ten Moments of Mexico (The Finale)

2010-07-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

Whew, done! There you have it, folks: two weeks of Mexico. :) Just for a fun recap I thought I would end my section on Mexico with...

Genie’s Top Ten Moments of Mexico:

10. Witnessing the mesmerizing nature of the ruins of Palenque against the vivid green of the surrounding jungle.

9. Sticking my face in the Caribbean Sea for the first time while snorkeling to see the fish and water below us.

8. Seeing Las dos Fridas at the Museo de Arte Moderno.

7. Having our tour guide explain Diego Rivera’s mural to us in the Palacio Nacional and having everything we’d heard up until that point suddenly make sense.

6. Sinking into my warm bed in San Cristobal after a long and chaotic day.

5. Sitting in the main square of Guanajuato and watching multiple worlds collide between minstrels, a car show, general meetings, etc.

4. Swimming in the refreshingly cool water of Agua Azul with the main waterfalls rushing above us.

3. Looking at the view of the Oaxaca valley from the ruins of Monte Alban in the crisp morning air.

2. Riding a moped along the coast at Cozumel.

1. Sitting on top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Guanajuato: A great end to a great trip

2010-07-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Rather than recounting our last three days in Guanjuato day-by-day, I’m going to make one comprehensive post about the city as a whole. It seems like that might fit better since it was a city where we spent more time just being rather than hitting a specific “to do” list (although there were lots of things that I was able to see and explore).

Overall, Guanajuato is quite a charming place. I think it is best described by the view-it is exactly what it seems. Quaint, colorful, close-knit, cute, lots of little stores and cafes. Everyone we met was just lovely. Affectionate families, adorable children, couples enamored with one another, dear friends—that is what I think of when I think of our last few days in Guanajuato. There is a university in the city, and I think it must be so cool for the students who get to study there and live in the city!

Of course, there were some sites to see as well. I hit up:

1. Teatro Juarez: a beautifully restored Neo-Classical theater. There weren’t any shows when we were there, but it was well worth the admission price to just gaze on the splendid interior.

2. Museo del Pueblo: museum with some art pieces ranging from pre-Spanish civilizations to modern times. Particularly heavy on the religious miniatures.

3. Museo Iconografico del Quijote: Guanajuato loves Cervantez and there is a whole museum of various representations of Don Quixote.

A sculpture from around town:

4. Museo de las Momias: not for the faint hearted, this museum consists of a bunch of local bodies that were disinterred from a nearby cemetery. The mummification occurs naturally. Thanks to this museum, I now have a much different picture in my head of what dead people look like.

5. Casa Diego Rivera: being obsessed as I am, I could not resist seeing the house where he was born. It is now a museum of his art as well. There were some neat pieces.

Other experiences:

1. Ride the funicular up the mountain. For only a few US dollars, ride in this rail system which must have originally been used during the silver mining period. It’s a short ride, but a fun way to see the city unfurl below. And then enjoy the view:

2. Shopping! I didn’t do too much shopping during the trip (it isn’t really my style), but in Guanajuato I started to pick up a few things for family and for myself. I found a liquor store that sold tequila from the region, and brought back a few. I also found a few really great local craft stores. I bought my sister-in-law a mug at one store and bought a vase for myself, and ended up getting to meet the artist! I told him how beautiful his work was, and he ended up showing me the project that he was working on and how it would be transformed into the end product.

3. The minstrels. Apparently this is a modern day tourist scam based on some sort of Guanajuato tradition. Kate and I kind of stumbled into the parade and then kept going. It cost 90 pesos, and we joined families and other tourists in wandering the streets of Guanajuato singing. There was a woman with her friend in front of us when we first decided to tag along, and Kate and I had to detour to buy tickets. When we caught up, I ended up behind the same woman and she exclaimed excitedly “you made it!”

We made a few stops, and then the minstrels told us to pull out these little flute things that we received with our ticket. Of course, Kate and I hadn’t gotten ours. One of the minstrels pointed us to another minstrel, who then opened his violin case to reveal a stash of white flutes. At first I thought that they must be for alcohol, but it was a family tour so they filled all of them with orange juice. We drank out of them, but clearly didn’t really get it:

Then the minstrels separated the men and the women and had the men serenade all of us women. There were a few women who were celebrating their birthdays, so we all sang to them afterwards. One was a teenage girl whose boyfriend proceeded to stick his tongue down her throat at the end of the song for a good five minutes. Romantic.

It was a quirky tour and fun at the end.

4. Finally, like I mentioned before, people watching. There was just so much going on that it was enjoyable to just watch the scene. At one point, Kate and I were in the Jardin de la Union, the main city square, and we were watching a car show proceeding through the street, a post-graduation picture session, the minstrels beginning on their acts, couples enjoying a late dinner, street vendors, and more. Lots to see.

Climbing the Pyramid of the Sun

2010-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Our hostel offered several other tours that you could book, and for the sake of convenience we decided to book a tour that would cover a few of the harder to access sites. This tour covered La Plaza de las Tres Culturas, La Basilica de Guadalupe, and Tenochtitlan. For $30 apiece, we were picked up at the hostel with 2 Columbian businessmen, a youngish couple from London, and a woman our age from Israel and provided with admission and a tour guide to the sites.

First off, La Plaza de las Tres Culturas:

The three cultures are composed of the Aztec ruins from the marketplace, the church that was built out of some of the bricks from the pyramids (again, Cortez ravaging the Aztec capital to create his Spanish capital), and then modern Mexico. The plaza was also the site of a massacre in 1968. Mexican students were protesting against the government right before Mexico hosted the Olympics. The government sent soldiers to the protests and assassinated hundreds, maybe thousands, of students and teachers and then covered the whole thing up. It wasn’t until more recently that they admitted what happened.

La Basilica de Guadalupe had been on my “to see” list after I had read that it was a site where the Virgin Mary had appeared to Juan Diego, a local farmer, in1531. I grew up hearing about these types of apparitions, particularly as the site of Fatima in Portugal is well known to my family and my aunt once made a pilgrimage there herself. The story is that a dark skinned Mary appeared to Juan Diego and told him to spread the word to build a church with the Catholic leaders in the area. When he tried, they wanted proof of her appearance. He went back to the hill and Mary told him to collect flowers in his cloak to take back to the leadership. He did as she said, and when he presented his flowers to the leaders an image of Mary appeared on the cloak. This cloak, actually:

The site is quite massive. There are the original cathedrals that were built to house the shrine, which are clearly sinking like other parts of the city. The new shrine, built to accommodate large mass services, is next door. It is, frankly, an eyesore. The 1970s construction methods make it look quite tacky, but it’s inside this facility that you must go see the cloak (there are little moving walkways in front of them so you are shuffled back and forth).

Then, if you climb up the hill you can see the small church that was first built on the hill. The hill is where the Virgin Mary appeared, and it has this astounding view of Mexico City in the background.

Finally, Teotihuacan. This is probably one of the most famous, if not THE most famous, site in Mexico. I was super excited to go. We learned that the ruins were built before the Aztecs came to the region, but the Aztecs treated the sight with reverence and gave it the name Teotihuacan. They thought the gods built the site.

First, we climbed up the Pyramid of the Moon (although you can’t climb all the way to the top of it).

Then, our tour guide had us all meet up to give us a lay of the land before cutting us loose. We thought it was funny when he answered his cell phone in the middle of talking to us. Weird culture clash.

The greater feat was climbing to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, the world’s second largest pyramid after the great pyramid at Giza. We had time, so we strolled our way up and then sat on top with the view around us.

Afterwards, the bus took us back to the hostel and we agreed to meet up with our tour mates for drinks later. We ended up hitting a bar/restaurant in the zocalo region, which was fine but so loud that it ended up kind of killing conversation. Sigh.

A day with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

2010-07-23T11:39:00.001-07:00

Another confession: prior to this trip, I was not a fan of Frida Kahlo’s artwork. With so many great artists in the world, I just couldn’t get into her self-portraits with the awkward unibrow.

It was not until I started doing research for this trip and trying to figure out what I wanted to see that I discovered her interesting story. As a child, polio weakened her limbs and made her legs develop at a smaller size. In her teens, she was in an accident in which a bus and cable car collided and a metal rod pierced through her body. Bedridden during the recovery, she began to paint. Her mother put a mirror on the ceiling of her bed so that she could at least paint her own reflection. Later, she would continue this theme of painting her reflection and depicting a lot of her own heartache on the canvas-her miscarriages, illness, and the promiscuous nature of her husband Diego. It was only natural after learning all of this that I would attempt to see the residences of Frida and Diego in Mexico City.

First stop was the Museo Estudio Diego Rivera. This house was built for the couple by the architect Juan O’Gorman. The white side was Diego’s house and the smaller, blue side was Frida’s.

I loved the cactus fence:

The bridge connected the two houses, providing the walkway through which Frida would often bring Diego lunch. I was sad that we were not allowed to walk over the bridge ourselves. However, the blue house was particularly neat as it had Diego’s studio in full replica and some of his own personal art collection. His studio:

Frida’s side was less exciting as her things were moved to our next museum stop, Museo de Frida Kahlo at the couple’s blue house. However, I thought her bathroom was interesting:

Our next stop, the blue house:

This house was not only Frida’s childhood home, but it was a home that she later moved back to and died in. We were able to see her bedroom and studio as well as several of her works.

The blue house is interested because the couple also hosted Leon Trotsky. Trotsky had ran against Stalin for power of the Soviet Union, and had to flee the country when Stalin came to power. Diego and Frida were both avid socialists. When Trotsky needed to find asylum away from his then home (I believe Sweden), it was Diego who convinced the president of Mexico to invite him to the country. Trotsky and his wife stayed with the couple for a while, before eventually moving a few blocks away. Trotsky and Frida also had an affair at one point.

I found Trotsky’s story to be fascinating, and attempted to drag good-natured Kate with me to the Museo de Leon Trotsky to see this second house. It was not well marked, but we finally figured out that this barricaded house (we missed the bullet holes) was his:

The disappointing thing was that the museum was closed so we could see it all. Apparently, Trotsky fortified his house to withstand several assassination attempts, explaining the bullet holes that still decorate the house walls. However, it was one clever assassin who built a relationship with Trotsky and eventually stabbed him in the head one day with an ice pick that caused the death.

These two houses are a bit of a trek, and it might have been easier to take a tour bus that somehow might have dropped us off directly rather than leaving me to attempt to find them with my low-quality guidebook map. However, we did get to see the neighborhoods of San Angel and Coyoacan, which are nicer residential areas in the city.

Afterwards, we took the metro back and went to the Museo Nacional de Arte. The museum was great, and the building that houses the works is also worthy of admiration.

The best walking tour of my life

2010-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Our hostel offered free walking tours every day at 10am, so Kate and I decided to sign up for the tour that covered the zocalo. I’ve been on a few walking tours at different hostels, and in the US that usually is code for someone who knows a few facts about the area to regurgitate said information. They are usually pretty basic and last an hour or so.

Imagine our surprise, then, that a certified tour guide who was licensed through an educational program led this walking tour. It was a young woman around our age, and it ended up just being the three of us. It also lasted for…THREE AND A HALF HOURS. We talked about the major sites around the zocalo-Templo Mayor, Palacio Nacional, Catedral Metropolitan. We also walked into downtown and into several smaller churches, Samborn’s (the famous drug store/restaurant chain), the “House of Tiles,” and eventually ended at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. She was super knowledgeable, and that tour shed a lot of light on some of the other history and sites that we had seen earlier in the trip.

The Catedral Metropolitana:

At the Palacio Nacional, we saw the murals by Diego Rivera. She explained the History of Mexico mural in its entirety to us and it was just like a giant lightbulb went off in my head. Rivera covers everything from Cortez to modern Socialism:

It was also more fun because it was just the three of us, so we felt more like we were hanging out with a friend. Kate asked about the outbreak of swine flu last year and what that was like in Mexico City, and we learned that the whole city basically shut down and downtown was deserted. We learned that Mexico City, built primarily over a lake that once surrounded the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, is now sinking. I don't have a picture that shows this well, but you can see it in the way the streets tilt around the city.

It was great. We tried to tip her well, and in retrospect we should have invited her to come to lunch with us so that we could be real friends.

After that tour, we didn’t know where to start. We ended up going to Templo Mayor and touring the ruins of the great temples from Tenochtitclan. It’s kind of a crazy story—the ruins were buried beneath a parking lot until some construction in the 1980s uncovered the remains of temples. They uncovered this great complex of ruins. Can you imagine living nearby and suddenly seeing these pyramids emerge from a parking lot? It’s crazy. It’s also typical of Mexico City, since Cortes decided to build his Spanish capital on top of the Aztec civilization to show his power and effectively wipe out any remaining adversaries.

We ended the day with the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. The metro was more cooperative this time, though we still made it just in time. In fact, because we entered just as the show was about to start the ushers ignored our tickets and sat us in an empty pair of seats in the front row! The show was a ballet with different dance styles and costumes through out Mexico history. There was also a live band that stood on the side of the stage and changed costume through out the event. There was one act where one of the lead male dancers was a deer being hunted, and he did all sorts of gymnastics and fantastic falls as he was eventually shot and killed. Another act had a guy who lassoed. He lassoed a giant loop around himself and a woman and they danced/embraced in the circle while other dancers moved around them. The fact that he was able to keep the rope moving for 15 minutes around both of them boggled me.

The woman next to me kept taking pictures with flash, which is apparently permitted there. My favorite was when she made her 12 year-old daughter get out of her seat and crouch in front of the stage so that she could get a picture of her and the dancers in the background. Yes, while the show was going on. Weirdo.

Mexico City, day 1!

2010-07-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like waking up at 6am because a group of young men are repeatedly shouting “responsibilidades!” and your whole hostel is arranged around a central, indoor courtyard where the sound echoes upwards. We would find that Hostel Mundo, while well located and fun, was not particularly conducive to sleeping.

Mexico and Uruguay were playing each other in the World Cup on our first full day in Mexico City, and it was our luck that the zocalo had been transformed into a FIFA viewing station. Just outside our doorstop! At first we thought we’d check out the action and then find a spot to sit and watch the game, but once we were standing in the zocalo surrounding by all the action it was so exciting that we had to stay. There were large screen monitors set up everywhere, and tons of police and soldiers around to keep people in line. Actually, that part was a little scary. To see lines of police behind giant plastic shields with bats and guns was a little daunting. I was very glad that things ended up being quite mellow anyway.

The zocalo:

So yeah, anytime during the game that showed the Mexico City viewing station—that was us! For having such a big crowd, it actually didn’t feel too chaotic. We weren’t pushed or shoved. On the negative side, people didn’t seem as pumped up either. There were jerseys everywhere, but Mexico wasn’t playing particularly well (the game ended 0-1, with Uruguay winning) so we didn’t get to experience the thrill of crazy cheering or a win.

Afterwards, we started to explore the sites of the city. We decided to save the sites around the zocalo for one of our subsequent days, instead starting with the Museo de Arte Moderno and Museo Nacional de Antropologia. We headed through the bustling streets of downtown, unique in the sheer volume of stores that sold perfume and tacky jewelry. The area beyond that was Alameda Central, where we were able to look at the ornately decorated post office, passed the Museo Nacional de Arte, and then stumbled across this building:

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is a beautiful theater. My guidebook said that there were some murals inside the building, but we didn’t realize there was a full museum set up. There were murals by Rivera and Orozco, among others, decorating the lobby. There was also an exhibit of works by Rene Magritte, the surrealist painter best known for his work The Son of Man (the man with an apple over his face). In fact, that work was on display. So our brief peek in ended up being a good two hours of wandering and exploring. We also were tipped off about the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, a production being co-sponsored by the Palacio and Museo Nacional de Antropologia that we decided to go see the following day.

We had lunch is the bustling park of Alameda Central, where we picked up the Paseo de la Reforma.

One important note about Mexico City: don’t underestimate how massive the city is and how long it takes to visit different sites. I have visited many spread out cities, but Mexico City topped it. Even with the metro, everything was a fair walk away once we left the immediate city square. On the map it looked like we could walk from our hostel to the Bosque de Chapultepec, where the museums were located, within half an hour. It ended up being actually an hour and a half to get there.

We all know that Mexico was colonized by Spain, so it’s unsurprising that Mexico City would feel like a European city. However, did you know that during the War of the Reform in the 1858-1861 the conservatives decided that Mexico would only be stable if ruled by a European again? They asked Napolean to recommend someone and he recommend Maximilian of Hapsburg, his cousin. Supported by Napolean’s troops, Maximilian became ruler until he was eventually captured and executed. However, during that time he brought a lot of Europe to Mexico, including the architecture.

Another European feature is the Paseo de la Reforma, intended to be a grand avenue with elegant estates lining it. Now, the tall office buildings of downtown line the avenue. There are several monuments and statues along the way. While walking down it to get to the park and museums, it felt like an attempt at the Champs de Elysees and was certainly a neat walk. Some of the sculptures:

However, the reality is that so many forks in the road, inconsistent crosswalks, and uneven sidewalks made this street, though okay, infinitely less walkable and more frustrating. In other words, it is no Champs de Elysees.

Anyway…we eventually got there and saw the museums. The Museo de Arte Moderno was great, particularly for three reasons. 1. It houses Las dos Fridas, arguably one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings. The painting shows her dual love and anguish for her promiscuous husband, Diego Rivera. 2. There was an exhibit of comic strip artwork circling the rotunda on the 2nd floor. The comics were clever and fun, able to effortlessly transcend the cultural and language divide. 3. There was this ridiculously awesome video playing in one of the exhibits that was clearly from the 70s about a robot that the human characters were trying to “pleasure”. At first a man tries unsuccessfully, to which the robot retorts “my chauffeur is not a good lover.” Luckily the model nearby is able to take off her clothes and massaged a giant rod that she stuck in the robot. That worked much better. The whole thing was HILARIOUS, and I promptly dragged Kate over to watch the video while I erupted into giggles. I have not been able to find it anywhere (the gift shop of the museum, YouTube, Google) for your viewing enjoyment. Sorry.

The Museo Nacional de Antropologia was epic. In a different life, we would have had hours, even days, to explore. However, we only had 2 hours. It was enough to stroll through the half of the exhibit hall at a steady pace. We heard that it was one of the top museums of its kind in the world, and that was definitely true. There were exhibits on all of the indigenous cultures in Mexico including full-scale models of lodging, ceremonies, and religious sites. It was neat because it put together a lot of the pieces from the trip that we saw, as well as adding some insight into the northern regions that we hadn’t visited. An example of the model:

On the way back, we decided to take the Metro. Easy right? Erm, no. We were supposed to get on the Metro and then change to the line that would take us to the zocalo. The first line was bumpy and took a significant amount of time (like 30 minutes to travel 3 stops in a car crammed with people). Then, the second line was really not working and we spent 40 minutes standing on a crowded car not moving at all. Finally I decided that I was going to pass out if we stayed on the car so we exited. Thankfully, two locals that we had met and been chatting with also decided to exit and they directed us to an alternative route to get back. What should have been a twenty-minute trip turned into two hours. By the time we got back, we both decided to call it a night.

Mexico City: The Arrival

2010-07-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

We took a late afternoon bus from Oaxaca, so we got into Mexico City around 9pm. The ride into the city was uneventful, in spite of everything we had heard. At one point we were stopped by soldiers and had to get out of the bus and identify our bags so that they could search them. Funny story, actually….

I had gone to the health clinic before I left OSU so that they could do a travel consultation with me and update any vaccines that I might need. In addition to an updated tetanus shot and some typhoid pills, I was given a prescription for traveler’s diarrhea medicine. Apparently, this is a commonplace issue in Mexico. One of our tour guides would later explain that eating out, particularly street food, is like a game of Russian Roulette. You never know what will get you—you can be fine or you can be in the bathroom puking 5 minutes later. Anyway, the travel clinic was very adamant about me getting the prescription just in case (the nurse didn’t even ask me if I wanted it…she literally just sent it to the pharmacy and told me to go pick it up. The typhoid vaccine, however, was optional).

The prescription ended up being a relatively comprehensive type of kit. There were pills to take if we should get diarrhea, antibiotics, and rehydration packets that we could mix with water. Clearly, they were not messing around.

Well, when we were being searched by the Mexican soldiers, guess what mine pulled out? Yes, the traveler’s diarrhea package. He’s squinting at it and trying to figure out what it is for. Meanwhile, I’m breaking out into serious suppressed giggles trying to figure out how I explain the concept of traveler’s diarrhea in Spanish if he asks me what it is. My whole body was shaking and Kate, who is standing next to me, is also trying her best not to laugh. Thankfully, he finally just put it back in the pocket of my backpack, no questions asked.

[Side note: you should be happy to know that Kate and I did not have to use said package during the trip. But, I would highly recommend it to fellow travelers. It would have been terrible to have needed it and been without!]

Anyway, back to the bus.

It was weird coming in to Mexico City because we had heard so much and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’ve been around my share of cities, even my share of the rough parts of cities, but everything advised particular vigilance in Mexico City. We were supposed to take out cash from ATMs only inside of secure venues, not hail taxis from the street, and assume that we would be easy targets for pickpockets/thiefs/scammers/etc.

We were able to figure out where the secure taxi station was in the bus station and hire one to drive us to our hostel. We decided on Hostel Mundo, which our tourist friends on the Palenque bus had recommended. To reach Hostel Mundo from the Terminal Norte bus station, you have to drive through some of the rougher neighborhoods in Mexico City. So we’re in our taxi driving through these and suddenly our driver gestures to one road and tells us that our hostel is down the road. In the middle of what is a relatively empty, run down, dark area of town. Umm, okay. We tell him we want to go to the hostel. He drives to the zocalo, city square, and suddenly we see the giant Catedral Metropolitana looming above us. The square is relatively empty aside from tons of police offers and a few people strolling. We can’t see our hostel anywhere, and up until this point we only know that we’ve seen some rough neighborhoods. The taxi driver keeps insisting the road is closed for construction so he can’t drive us there. It’s only a short walk, though. He even asks a police officer, who agrees, as if to reassure us.

Let’s just say it was a big leap of faith for Kate and I to agree to get out of the cab. However, there were police around and guards at the church if we encountered anything too dangerous. We put on our backpacks and started walking. We had to cross the zocalo, turn the corner on the cathedral, and walk up the street.

The hostel was there, after all. It turned out, like is relatively common in cities, that we were fine walking every direction away from the hostel other than the one that we had driven to get there. It reminded me a bit of living on Sutter Street in San Francisco-you were fine walking into Chinatown, Embarcadero, Powell, Nob Hill…just not the Tenderloin. Same thing. It also turned out that our driver was full of crap and was just being lazy/fare hungry by dropping us off where he did instead of making the effort to go around the construction. He could have dropped us off across the street and saved us a bit of scare there.

Some shots of the zocalo, from the roof of our hostel:

Monte Alban

2010-07-18T14:38:00.001-07:00

At 8:30am we boarded a bus to head to nearby Monte Alban, a Zapotec city on the outskirts of Oaxaca. Kate noted that we did have a habit for going with whichever vendor yelled at us first. Later we saw that the other bus company running groups to the ruins drove a Mercedes bus, which was definitely an upgrade from ours. We made it anyway, but for some reason all important sites in Mexico seem to be best reached via rickety bus that hugs narrow, windy mountain roads.

On the way over, a lot of Mexican men were riding in the bus with us as individuals. It took me a minute to figure out that these men would unpack carved figures, masks, and other crafts and walk around Monte Alban to sell their whares. Many approached us telling us that this was their livelihood and asking us to buy their handmade crafts (which, judging from the fact that most of the things looked the same and we later saw the same masks at two other ruins sites, I’m pretty sure was a crock of poo). Still, it was hard to say no.

Monte Alban was amazing. The ruins were well-preserved, and most of the site was level. In fact, there were only a few platforms that we were able to climb up on. There were also a few tombs where we could enter and actually walk through the remains of what would have been different room chambers.

Most spectacular was the view of the Oaxaca valley around us:

When we first perched up at Monte Alban with the ruins around us, the sweeping views of the valley below us, and surrounded by the crisp morning area…well, it was one of my favorite moments of the trip.

Towards the latter half of our exploration, we ran into an elderly Mexican man. He pointed out his village below us in the valley. Kate was the first to really start to listen to him, but I’m glad she did because he began to open up more. He told us about his work as a farmer and how difficult it was to do in the dry, arid climate. He shared his multiple trips to the United States to work. Eventually, he took out some stone figures that he told us was one of his livelihoods now. Kate decided to purchase one, and I followed suit. It was more than buying the figure—it was also validating his time with us and what he taught us. Though I think my jaguar is pretty cute:

At the end of our talk, we asked him to take a picture for us. He had trouble seeing the picture screen in the sunlight, so understandably he cut off my head in the first take. I still love it:

On the bus back:

We left Monte Alban in a rush to check out of our hotel before our check out time. We had about three hours between the bus to Mexico City and when we arrived, so we dropped off our luggage at the bus station and did some more wandering. And by wandering, I mean shopping. Oaxaca has some really neat artisan stores and open markets, so we wandered through. I ended up buying this little green bowl due to it’s signature green glaze (a trademark of Oaxaca). I also got an owl for a friend of mine, and an owl buddy for myself too.

Oaxaca

2010-07-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

The landscape changed quite drastically from San Cristobal de las Casas to Oaxaca. The scenery looked much more like what I had envisioned from Mexico-dry, hills and mountains, light shrubbery and greenery.

Our arrival in Oaxaca was relatively smooth sailing, although I was not-so delighted to find that my ankles decided to swell significantly as a result of sitting all night on the crowded bus. Oh, traveling. After finding the cheapest hotel in the downtown area that we could, I headed off to see the sites. On route, I had to walk by a construction site and a very persistent man decided that I was the new object of his affection. He started talking to me, moving back and forth between Spanish and English, trying to get my attention and persuade me to stop walking and come talk to him. It was actually a little scary for a second because he was so persistent (though I didn’t have to resort to the tactics recommended in my guidebook by shouting “dejame en paz” or “leave me in peace;” they also recommended that I look for help from other men nearby, counting on their machismo to encourage them to come to my aid). Thankfully, I was able to duck into a church and get away from crazy-pants.

My first stop was Casa Juarez, where Benito Juarez lived for ten years of his life and is now set up as a mini-museum dedicated to him. Juarez was president during the period of reform in mid-1800s, and is a name that would come up through out our trip. Unfortunately, the museum was somewhat poorly labeled and I read the English sheets in every room but didn’t leave with a significantly stronger understanding then when we’d started. The house:

My next stop was El Centro Cultural Santo Domingo. Maybe it is my Catholic upbringing or appreciation of architecture instilled from AP Art History during junior year of high school, but I really like popping into different churches. This one was no exception, being very gorgeous (I was even able to sit in on mass for a while). The greater complex is a former monastery, which now contains a museum, library, botanical garden, and store. I bought a ticket to the museum expecting it would be an hour or so extravaganza. Instead, it was massive and I walked through wing after wing that traversed the whole history of the Oaxaca region. I sprung for the English audio guide, which made it much easier to understand the significance of everything. There were pieces from Monte Alban, which we would go to see the next day. There were also beautiful views from the balconies and windows onto the city:

El Centro:

Afterwards, I tried to go to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, but it was under construction. Instead, I had lots of wandering time to peruse the streets. I found a small store that sold phone cards and was able to buy one to call my dad back home and wish him a happy Father’s Day. I also stumbled across another church complex/square that was being set up for a concert that night, but had to duck under some shelter because of the rain and decided not to stay.

I met Kate at the Plaza de Armas, the zocalo or city square, the evening. There is a beautiful cathedral that marks the square. En route, I found a lot of hastily erected campsites on some of the streets. It was confusing at first—did Oaxaca have a really bad homeless population? Why were they allowed to hang tarps? It later emerged that it was a teacher’s protest, and that supporters were camping on the streets for a week to draw attention to their cause.

On the route to dinner, Kate and I found a parade. One of the acts stopped and gave us a shot of tequila.

Still exhausted from traveling the night before, it was a pretty calm night with some good food and nice conversation before bedtime!

Overnight buses: My awkward obsession

2010-07-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

If you follow this blog, or perhaps have listened to me rant in person, you know that I’m a pretty big fan of overnight buses.

At first, I was drawn to the idea of an overnight bus for logistical reasons. Most importantly, they were a cheap way to get around, cheaper than train or plane tickets, and you save the money of a place to stay because you sleep on the bus. When I first decided to backpack around the US last summer, I realized that Greyhound buses would make my dollar go a lot further. Not to mention that bus stations are usually in the middle of a city, while trains or planes leave you on the outskirts, making it easier to walk from the bus to the downtown or a hostel.

The crazy thing is that the more that I have done them, the more that I really like them. They are not for the weary hearted or high maintenance. If you need a solid 8 hours in a quiet and comfy bed in order to function, do not take the bus. However, if you really want an experience, they are somewhat unbeatable. You are able to see so much scenery, stuff that you never see on a plane ride. And you become part of this strange bus family during the duration of the trip where you end up having conversations with all types of people in this community where you’re all trying to achieve the same thing during the same duration of time. It’s personal, it’s gritty, it’s real—that’s why I like it so much.

So imagine my excitement when I heard that Mexico uses buses as a primary form of transportation within the country and that overnight buses would be our best and most affordable way to travel between cities during out trip. We had three overnight buses (Playa del Carmen to Palenque, San Cristobal to Oaxaca, Guanajuato to Mexico City) and countless day buses as well. Not only that, but Mexico was supposed to have much NICER buses than most places (if you’ve been on a real Greyhound, not the sleek ones with wifi, you know that isn’t hard to do). For an affordable price, we could book first class or executive buses that were supposed to be the safest for travel between cities. In my pre-trip research, I read about movies and snacks and reclining seats. I even read about a “flight attendant” on the bus.

In reality, the buses were okay, but they did not live up to the hype. We took the ADO line around southern Mexico. For our top-class “executive” tickets, we received a bottle of water/can of soda and the ability to watch movies on the bus (a collection of US blockbusters, dubbed in Spanish, from three years ago-Appaloosa, The Hulk, etc.). Our reclining seats did go back substantially farther than other lines-maybe a 145 degree angle. However, the recline meant that the person in front of you would recline into your space bubble so that their head was almost in your lap (forcing you to recline to avoid the awkward nature staring down at them for the trip). The recliners also didn’t have a footrest or a good angle for your legs, so they ended up basically forcing you to keep your legs in one slightly uncomfortable position. However, I will say that at some of the stations ADO had it’s own lounge for executive class passenger with a free bathroom—that alone is a huge perk (the normal bathroom would cost 3 pesos).

In the northern half of Mexico, we were able to take Primera Plus buses. This line was better equipped. We received “goody bags” of snacks (including these weird packages sandwiches that Kate and I promptly threw away) and drinks. The movies were more up to date, so we were able to watch Wolverine and Gran Torino. Most importantly, the chairs had footrests that extended all the way up to the knee area. So, even if the person in front of you was reclining into your breathing zone, your legs got a break. Their buses also had doors at the front and back of the cabin, so our driver was sealed off from us as were the bathrooms.

In all, a bus is a bus and I don’t think the difference was as big as I expected. The reclining feature was not as cool as I thought it would be, and the northeastern US probably has equally nice buses with outlets and wifi. However, it was an experience. It was certainly neat to see the different scenery and landscapes unfold as we traveled from place to place. And, with the exceptions of Guanajuato and Mexico City, the bus station was easy to get to and from by just walking a few blocks from our hotel/hostel.

Picture from our over bus trip to Mexico City from Oaxaca. Note the person ahead reclined into my space bubble:

Genie’s Survival Pack for Overnight Buses

Travel neck pillow (preferably inflatable)
Throw blanket (night buses are cold!)
Comfy outfit for sleeping
Eye mask
Over-the-counter sleeping pills to make sure you actually sleep
Water (enough to avoid dehydration, but not so much as to prompt the use of the bathroom on board)
Hand sanitizer (avoid the bus bathroom at all costs, but if you must use it then make sure to disinfect everything you can afterwards)
Snack (bus station food is a gamble sometimes and you can’t be guaranteed there will be stops)
A book for reading

San Cristobal de las Casas

2010-07-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

My guidebook (a 2003 DK Eyewitness Travel Guide) describes San Cristobal as a city of “sleepy colonial charm” with a “refreshingly cool climate.” We found these both to be true during our day in the city.

After awaking in our hotel room, still grateful after our adventures the day before, we headed out to explore the city. After the tourist craziness meshed with extreme rural and poverty that marked the first three days of our trip, San Cristobal was much more familiar. It was a city without the craziness of a big city. The weather was also significantly cooler, something about the city being shielded from the extreme heat by its elevation, and it felt nice not to immediately sweat copiously upon stepping outside.

We certainly saw specific sites in San Cristobal such as the numerous churches that were trademark of all Mexican cities: the cathedral, Templo de Santo Domingo, and la Iglesia de San Cristobal and Iglesia de Guadalupe that perched over the city. However, most of the day was about strolling. Eating lunch in the park. Finding a drug store to buy some disgusting smelling, but very effective and necessary, mosquito repellent (and first aid supplies-those first days wiped out our store). Perusing a bookstore and finding a fun English chick-lit read to absorb some of my attention. Stumbling across an internet café, where I posted my earlier greetings.

Photos from our wanderings:

Towards the evening, we were climbing up one of the hills at the edge of the city to get the nighttime view and happened upon three men who were roughly the same age as us. I had a ridiculous bandage on my foot from the scuba trip, and one of them heard us talking in English so he asked me what had happened. Turns out two of them were from Portland and one, thought a Mexico native, studied abroad in high school with them in Oregon. Small world! My favorite part of meeting them was that the two Oregonians had clearly shed their “American” garb for traditional, embroidered, mono-color Mexican garb, but they were so tall and clearly American (one guy had long blonde hair) that they just looked silly. It was one of those “clearly awkward, but cute for trying” moments.

At the end of our day, we stumbled across a free concert in the city’s main square, Plaza 31 de Marzo. There was a local teenager/young adult who was playing the guitar and singing. He was joined by some other local youths for part of the concert. They were mediocre, but he was really good and I had fun being his groupie for a while. Afterwards, Kate and I found a cute coffee shop and ordered fondue, chatted, read, and people-watched while waiting until it was time to hop on our night bus for Oaxaca.

The walk back to the bus station may have been the most tumultuous part of the day. First, we got lost and ended up making a big circle before we got back on track. Second, it started to rain. The sidewalks are uneven and slick anyway, but the rain added degree of slippery that made it supremely difficult to walk in flip flops (which I stupidly wore). Third, an old man grabbed my ass while walking by one of the street corners, but so quickly that he disappeared a second later while I was trying to grasp what happened (erm, gross). Fourth, the icing on the cake: my blue scarf, that I bought from a woman in the street to try to stay warm in the cooling night temperature, began to bleed. Of course, I didn’t notice this fact until I happened to glance down at my fingers under the light of a street lamp, after I had been wearing the scarf for about thirty minutes in the rain, and saw a new blue hue in my skin. In the end, we got a good laugh about those 20 minutes of chaos, and I’m grateful that we’d had a day of being well fed and rested that allowed us to take it all in stride.

San Cristobal stands out as one of my favorite destinations from the trip. I don’t know how much of that was due to the relief that the stop brought and how much was the genuine charm of the city-I have a feeling it was a bit of both. It is one of those cities that I would run away to and hang out for a few months to take a break from the world.

Into the jungle: Palenque, Misol-Ha, and Agua Azul

2010-07-09T16:18:00.001-07:00

We awoke from our first overnight bus in Palenque. Our goal was to see the large Mayan ruins buried in the jungle, stay the night (possibly in a hotel with monkeys!), see the waterfalls of Agua Azul the next day, and then head to nearby San Cristobal de las Casas for a mellow day of strolling. However, we quickly found that a tour package leaving within the hour would take us to the Palenque ruins, Agua Azul, another waterfall titled Misol-Ha, and then drop us off in San Cristobal for the night. Perfect!

And, at first, it was. The bus that drove us to Palenque ended up being a quaint private shuttle for Kate and I. The driver promised to have our bags when he picked us up in 3 hours to drive us to Misol-Ha.

Palenque was gorgeous. Huge Mayan ruins that are amazingly well preserved, surrounded by the lush green setting of the jungle. We could hear monkeys and animals calling in the distance (though the only cool ones we saw up close were lizards).

Palenque:

However, Palenque was also hot. Really hot. Possibly the hottest I have ever been in my life. It was not as humid as it was in Playa del Carmen, but the direct sunlight burned. We tried to walk around in it and I could just feel my skin, in spite of the suncreen, singe. We climbed a few of the big ruins, and then we opted to spend more time exploring the smaller structures that were more buried in the jungle (and, thus, the shade).

In retrospect, I think Palenque was one of the best-preserved and most impressive structures of the several sites that we saw. It was very open to the public, with relatively few structures that we weren’t allowed to climb and wander around. The ones that were out of bounds where just roped off, a simple tactic that Kate astutely noted would not have been nearly as respected in the USA. However, Palenque was also probably the least tourist friendly in my opinion with the heat, steep staircases, and lack of handrails (I know, it is important to keep the ruins authentic, but I have grown to realize that toppling off a pyramid is one of my irrational life fears. It's up there with being eaten by bears). I’m glad we went, but it was a labor of love.

When we returned to the bus stop, our little car was gone. Instead, a little van appeared with our bags strapped to the luggage rack on top. At first, we boarded with other tourist pairs and a family of four. We thought our bus was full, so we were amazed when it stopped at a second nearby stop and picked up another group of four. Amazingly, each row of seats had another fold down seat. The bus had sixteen people in it! It was an quirky and kind of charming to be chugging along with all of us through these winding mountain rounds.

Misol-Ha waterfall (a half-an-hour stop in our day):

For the second half of the trip, we began to speak more with the other tourists . It turns out that the last group was a group of fellow backpackers who had made at local nearby hostels. There was a German, Argentinian, Swiss, Australian, and Mexican (from northern Mexico). They were really fun to talk to, particularly the German and Argentinian who sat closest to us and filled us in on their adventures and gave us a good hostel tip for Mexico City.

We got to Agua Azul, and Kate and I took our leave to grab lunch before walking up the falls. The waterfall was actually a series of waterfalls that kept going and going-we walked up for at least a mile and couldn’t find the top. By that point, it was starting to approach the time when we might need to leave so I suggested we go swimming (parts of the falls were open to the public to swim) closer to the entrance of the park. It was a lucky coincidence, because it ended up that we were able to swim at the base of the main waterfall with this breathtaking view above us:

And, the water felt so cool after a day of baking in the jungle sun. Another favorite moment in the trip.

The luck ended there, however. Instead of our beloved little van, we had to board a new van that was half full. The driver went so fast that we were slamming into each other and one of the other passengers, who wasn’t feeling well to begin with, began to suffer from motion sickness. Apparently our driver was trying to beat another driver and arrive at the “meeting place” to exchange a passenger first. He drove slightly slower, though not particularly better, to the second stop where he told us that we were changing buses. It was just us and an Italian couple (with said motion-sick man). Thankfully the driver waited until the other bus came, but it was actually a terrible stop. We were in the middle of nowhere, had no idea what was going on, and we were dropped at this family convenience store/residence that had a small refrigerator with water and a few other shelves of dusty goods. The children of the family were tasked with selling fruit to passerbys, so they immediately accosted us when the van stopped trying to sell us plantains. They were very persistent, and the driver even told us we should buy things or those children might not eat that day. We’d had vendors approach us all day, and it was hard to continually say no. Of course, they made money in other ways—Kate bought a bottle of water and several of us paid 5 pesos to use their vomit-smelling bathroom.

The other driver finally came, this time a real bus. Kate and I couldn’t sit together because the bus was full, but we luckily found seats not too far apart. This time, however, the bus was freezing. I was still wet from swimming, and was half frozen during the trip. We’d also been told that we would be in San Cristobal by 8pm. However, we were on the bus until 10:30pm. The driver didn’t announce any of the stops and it started to get dark around 8:30pm or so, so I spend most of the trip living in fear as the driver would pull into these dark small towns surrounded by jungle that we’d be asked to get off without a clue (or, inversely, miss our stop). Kate’s seatmate gave us some pointers, and we were lucky to finally get out at San Cristobal. We had the name of a hostel, but we decided to just try to walk to the hotels neighboring the bus station and see if we could get a fair rate (brilliancy points to K). It worked out splendidly, and we soon were in a hotel room that only cost $14 or so a night. I’ve never been so glad to have a warm place to rest my head!

Our sanctuary, San Cristobal de las Casas:

Tulum, Playa Maya, and the snorkeling trip that almost killed me

2010-07-09T16:04:00.001-07:00

Kate and I dropped our stuff off at the bus station in the morning, and then took a bus to nearby Tulum. Kate discovered Tulum in her research, a Mayan site directly on the coast. Clearly it was gorgeous:

The most frustrating part of visiting the site (and this was consistent through out the trip) was that things were not always labeled very well and, particularly, in English. I wasn’t expecting a ton, but it would have been nice to have self guided maps at the ticket booth or even an audio guide. Without that information, I sometimes felt like things did not make as much sense. A number of locals mill around the entrance and several offered to be our guide for a fee, but I was dubious. It is hard to tell their validity, and it’s an easy scam to make stuff up to tell tourists who don’t know better (later, in Mexico City, tour guides had to go through training and be certified. They ended up being super knowledgeable, and the tours we had there helped us connect some of the pieces of the puzzle).

Anyway, Kate and I also got confused when we went up to an “information booth” that ended up being guys selling trip packages for Tulum. I thought it was the official entry ticket booth at first, but it was not. Nonetheless, after the day before’s adventures, we decided to tour the ruins and then snorkel from a nearby beach titled Playa Maya. There was supposedly more coral to snorkel in this site, not to mention see turtles.

So first, we toured beautiful Tulum:

Then, headed to Playa Maya. This time, our tour group consisted of us and a family of three brothers and sisters (approximately a 16 year old, 12 year old, and 9 year old), along with another guide and boat driver. Thank goodness we had done the tour the day before, since this tour was much less articulate. We rode a really choppy sailboat to the reef before the guide jumped overboard and beckoned for us to follow. Worried, I turned to Kate and I asked her to make sure that I did not die in the sea. Being the good friend that she is, she readily agreed.

Well, we saw the reef and that was really cool. I think the funny thing about snorkeling is that you can feel like you are flailing above water and then you stick your mask in the water and suddenly all of that disappears. It’s just you and this gorgeous nature. However, the rest of the trip was less smooth. The guide, though attentive, was not as experienced as the one we'd had the day before and spent most of the time just beckoning us to follow. The water was really choppy, causing us to flail around a lot more. My mask didn’t quite fit right, so I ended up swallowing MORE salt water than the day before. This, of course, made me want to puke and led to me cutting our second dive a bit short to get back on the boat. Not to mention that the other family couldn’t quite keep their location in harmony with the two of us, so someone was always either kicking or getting kicked in the face. I also enjoyed that the 9 year old decided to dive at one point so I was swimming along and suddenly found him right beneath me in the water. Good times. I added to my injury list by scraping my foot while boarding the boat, in the most inopportune of places (half bottofor the future hikes and walks we would encounter.

No, we didn't see sea turtles.

Land was a welcome respite. There was one restaurant/resort on Playa Maya, so Kate and I ate lunch and then opted out of renting a chair/towel/bed and hung out on the sand. I promptly fell asleep (seriously, it was so hot that I was like half asleep for a good portion of our trip) and got sand everywhere, including inside my ears. It was worth it though:

That night we took our first night bus, to Pelenque. We cut our boarding time dangerously close as we struggled to find the station (which was several blocks from the one we’d boarded earlier). We also stopped to buy sandwiches for the trip as dinner, a lost cause as mine was basically bread with some mayonnaise and gross green spread (that was NOT avacado). Sigh.

Overall: I think the beach with the Carribean Sea is gorgeous and I am so glad that I was able to see the Yucatan peninsula. It has such cool culture (did you know that Cortez landed at Cozumel on his trip to conquer Mexico?) and natural beauty. The coral reef was beautiful. However, the tourist vibe of the place really got to me after a while. Everyone talked to us in English, every place took American dollars, and everywhere we looked were tourists in beach clothes. If I could go back, I would try to find a smaller town or a place where I could rent a beach cabin and try to get away from the commercialism. Also, the heat on the Yucatan was pretty bad. It was super-humid, and by the time we reached Palenque Kate had some pretty crazy blisters from sun exposure on her leg. Bug bites were prevalent also (in spite of my OSU travel clinic consultation before the trip, I learned that land travel to Playa del Carmen does indeed have a malaria risk. In fact, I am now ineligible to donate blood for a year through the Red Cross because of it).

Cozumel: My favorite part of the Yucatan

2010-07-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Our first full day in Mexico!

After enjoying a delicious hostel breakfast of toast and cereal (do you ever stay in hostels? Notice how breakfast is ALWAYS those two things?), Kate and I took the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel, Mexico’s largest island and a popular hub for snorkeling. On the way to the ferry, we got our first glimpse of the beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise waters of Playa del Carmen. Of course, as we headed to buy our tickets we were approached by five million tour companies telling us that we had to book whatever we wanted to do at that exact moment. After a few bewildering moments, we bought tickets to snorkel from a company there.

The ferry was filled with a lot of other tourists. I always wonder about the local people when I'm traveling. Do they take the ferry? Do they hate the summer when 5 million tourists take countless pictures off the side? Anyway, I digress. Our ferry:

After a choppy ferry ride in which we tried to maintain our cool while avoiding a number of fellow passengers who were becoming motion sick, we landed in Cozumel. We should have known the snorkel trip would have some kinks from the tour company’s name: “Mr. Bagoda’s Fun Tour.” This was our glass bottom boat, the whole small rectangle box of it in the middle of the boat:

Our boat:

According to the sign on the boat, there was a ten-person limit to the boat. We, of course, had 13. It was fun to see our little boat work so hard to transport all of us, while other more modern boats sailed by us. However, it was a pretty smooth trip overall. The snorkel guide gave us a brief, but thorough orientation before we got in the water. Some of the guys in our tour group couldn’t swim too well, so one held onto a floatation tube and the tour guide pulled him around. The water wasn’t too choppy and our group was pretty fun. I, not surprisingly, had not been snorkeling before and it took a few minutes to get used to shoving my face in the water and breathing through the mouth tube. I may have swallowed some salt water (and by some I probably mean about a gallon), but I also got to see a lot of really cool sea life and their underwater homes. Plus, on the ride back, the boat captain handed us all some Coronas and we toasted to a good trip.

Snorkeling: first try, great!

We wandered around Cozumel looking for lunch, and stumbled across a cute restaurant that wasn’t too touristy. Our waiter was a very shorter and petite older man who was so sweet, and I had an amazing shrimp quesedilla. We also got our first taste of the World Cup, as a few snippets were playing in the background.

We finished around the late afternoon and realized we missed the next ferry back by around an hour and a half. To look at the schedules, we had to walk by some of the vendors and a sign about mopeds caught our eye. We went back to talk to the guy and found that the mopeds only cost around $25 to rent for the rest of the day. So…why not? The vendor escorted us to the main shop and we set up our account.

It was all going really well until the man giving us the mopeds attempted to sow the seeds of self doubt in our heads. When we told him we had not driven mopeds before, he emphasized that it was ENTIRELY different than driving a car and that hundred of tourists got into terrible accidents driving mopeds each summer. He made it sound like the engine would shoot forward when we hit the gas, and that at any given time we might die on the Cozumel pavement. I started to wonder what I was getting into, and it was hard because Kate and I didn’t have a moment to process or chat separately. Plus, we’d already paid. Finally, since the man was showing me the first bike while he said all of this, I told him that I wanted to try. So I got on the bike, drove around the block, and realized that it was going to be fine. Kate did the same after her tutorial, and we set off.

Ironically, the man was so busy warning us that he forgot to do a thorough bike inspection and gave me one where my left rearview mirror did not work. Thankfully, I made due with my right. We were also vacationing before most of the peak tourist traffic, so the roads were relatively calm. Once I figured out how to restart my bike (it idled and shut off in an intersection as we were leaving city center), it was relatively smooth going. Cars passed us when they wanted, and Kate and I took turns leading as we drove around the island.

First stop: Mayan ruin.

Yup, this was it. It took us a while to find it because we actually walked by it at first, as it was so inconspicuous. I like that someone shoved some Mayan artwork in front of the entrance so that people could figure out that this was indeed, the ruin. It didn't help that it was in the middle of a park with a church right next to it.

The best part of this stop was that I overestimated the weight of my moped. I was having trouble kicking the stand after parking, so I thought I would dismount, hold the bike, walk around, and kick the stand from another angle. Instead, I got off and the bike toppled on me. A man from a nearby store/coconut stand rushed over to help me get up. Of course, I scraped my knee up a bit. Typical. (Kate and I bought water from the stand as part thank you, part humidity).

Seriously, though, in spite of the few scrapes and scares, I think riding the mopeds was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip. Once we got to the other side of the island, we drove along the coast for miles and it was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever had. Endless stretches of beaches, sprinkled with a few restaurants and hotels that seemed actually relaxing and quite compared to the crazy tourist traps we faced earlier. This was a Rastafarian restaurant surrounded by beach where we stopped for a walk:

I love that picture. I want the restaurant to be a house where I can live and drive a moped for the rest of my days.

Some of Kate's pictures from the same coast:

Overall, Cozumel was definitely great and I recommend it. Especially if you can just get to the real, quieter beach away from the tourist areas.

Let the back-blogging begin: Mexico!

2010-07-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm finally starting to catch up on life post-graduation and post-Mexico. That means updating the blog on all of our trip from Playa del Carmen up to Guanajuato. It will likely take me a while to find all the time to write/fact check/post, but here goes:

Day 1: Arriving in Playa del Carmen

We arrived in Mexico at night on Tuesday, June 15^th after flying from Portland to Houston to Mexico City to Cancun. Yup, three flight segments. My favorite part was when we had to move between terminals on the air train in Mexico City. In other airports this usually entails a couple of minutes around the building. In Mexico City, it entailed a twenty-minute ride through part of the city. Luckily, some nice oil drilling Southern men were gracious enough to give up their seats for Kate and I so we could enjoy the "scenery" through the windows.

Once we got to the Cancun airport sometime around 9pm or so. In part of the spirit of “making things up as we go along,” we had done some light research around how to get from the airport to Playa del Carmen. However, it turns out that we didn’t realize the normal shuttle between the two stops at 8:15pm. We also didn’t anticipate that we would be immediately bombarded by people who wanted to “help” us figure out our options—and by “help,” I mean sell us stuff. It was really overwhelming at first. I’m so used to the USA where there are cheerfully manned information desks that are relatively non-agenda pushing. Not to mention the fact that we’d heard so much about not falling victim to a scam in Mexico, that it was hard to be in a situation where I didn’t have a clear grasp of what was valid or not. I kept scrutinizing the guy who was talking to us (he wore a badge from the transportation administration and I was trying to figure out if it was valid). Finally, we agreed to go in the “private shuttle” for our “discounted” price (only after I scrutinized the vehicle, which had a government license plate. I almost made Kate take a picture of it with her iPhone and pretend to send it off to someone just in case). What can I say? I don't take people at face value, especially not when I'm trying to get the lay of the land.

It ended up being fine, if a somewhat anxious beginning to our trip. The van did try to scam us at first—the guy was driving SUPER slowly in a circle back to the airport. I, being my cynical self, promptly asked him if there was a problem in Spanish. To which the driver replied that he thought he was picking up more people before taking us (which was crap—the guys at the airport told us another plane wasn’t coming in until 11pm and that was the reason why our shuttle was such a “deal” because we would get the same price but not have to wait and hope for other passengers). He radio-ed his people to clarify (whatever), and then cleared with them to go directly to our hostel. After that, the ride was relatively smooth and direct.

The hostel was less than a block from the beach. It was a bare room, with concrete walls, two beds and a fan. The bathroom was a few stalls and showers in a room at the end of the hall. The hostel was structured around a courtyard in the middle, where there was also breakfast of cereal and toast each morning. It felt a bit like camping, but the location was unbeatable and it reminded Kate and I that we were, indeed, in Mexico.

I mean, less than a block from this? Unbeatable.

We were also less than a block away from Quinta Avenida, the main street at Playa del Carmen. After dropping our stuff off and paying for our room (about $15 a night for each of us), we headed to Quinta Avenida for a drink. We found a cute bar with swings around the bar, and enjoyed our first margaritas of the trip while we tried to shift gears to our new Mexico adventure and catch up on the whirlwind of the past few days.

Mexico City

2010-06-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

I´m sure that once I´m home and jobless I will go back through our various destinations and blog properly about our trip. But since I had a minute, hello from Mexcio City!

For all of the hype we heard around Mexico City prior to our arrival, I have to say that I have been really pleasantly surprised. Aside from being abruptly dropped off by our cab from the bus station in what appeared to be a deserted Cathedral square (our hostel was around the corner and it was fine in the end) our first night, I haven´t felt unsafe or concerned. Of course, I like to think that I have some general street smarts from my urban dwelling and wandering experience. Thankfully, things have been rather uneventful in that regard and we have found the vast majority of people to be very nice and helpful.

So far we´ve been to the Museum of Modern Art, National Museum of Art, Museum of Frida Kahlo, Studio Museum of Diego Rivera, Museum of Anthropology, Templo Mayor, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and more! Last night, we went to watch the national ballet´s production titled Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. Very cool. This city has a million things to do, and I wish I could be here for a much longer period of time to really hit all of the museums, historical sites, and cultural wonders. However, I am so excited by all of the things that I have been able to see and do here and we still have one more day tomorrow!

You know what the craziest part is? It was only $400 to fly roundtrip from Portland to Mexico City. And the flight was shorter than flying from PDX to New York. And the exchange rate of dollar to peso is fantastic. Do some research on the city and see for yourself--Mexico City is a cool, really accessible place that most people completely don´t even think about visiting. But they should!

Of course, there are cons. The subway is super crowded all the time. While we have had good luck on our trip, there are certainly parts of the city that I wouldn´t want to go and wouldn´t feel safe in. There are a lot of people. And pollution. Kate has a bit of a sore throat and I got a cough when we were walking by some construction sites today (all in all, mild symptoms but still there and possibly amplified for people with asthma or allergies). But overall, I have really enjoyed our time so far.

Tomorrow: Teotihuacan and Basilica de Guadalupe!!!

Greetings from San Cristobal de las Casas!

2010-06-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

A brief post to say hi to all out there on the blogging world! My friend Kate and I are hanging out at an internet cafe for a little bit while waiting for our overnight bus to Oaxaca.

San Cristobal has been quite peaceful and a welcome respite from a crazy first three days. I will update later (probably from the states) in more detail, but let´s just say that Playa del Carmen was a tourist haven and Pelenque was a crazy tour trip that we booked and both were as hot as I have eve been. Literally, I have never sweated so much in my life. But gorgeous and very exciting-we hiked around Mayan ruins, slept on the beach, went snorkeling, rode mopeds around Cozumel, and even swam in the waterfalls of Agua Azul. Sometimes I cannot believe that this is my life.

Up next: Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Guanajuato! :)

Pacific Northwest love

2010-06-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've been such a bad travel blogger as of late. I've had some great weekends trips up to Portland, Gig Harbor/Seattle, and Black Butte and have slacked on updating the blog with those trips. Moreover, since the move to the Pacific Northwest was indeed the first "wander" that led to the rest of this blog, I wanted to spread the love on how much I truly enjoy it up here.

Why?

1. Delicious coffee. In Corvallis, Dutch Brothers and Allan Brothers (aka The Beanery) basically saved my graduate school life and kept me awake. In Seattle, the original Starbucks and Tully's. Even Sister's Coffee Company near Bend and Black Butte.

2. Great bookstores. You've heard me rant about my love of the mystery bookstore in Seattle (I just finished two staff picks from my last trip there...both were phenomenal!). I also love Portland's Powells Books. Anywhere that is filled with great books, great deals, and people who love to read is my scene. I recently read an article about how San Francisco doesn't really have these great niche bookstores, and it's so sad but so true!

3. Natural beauty. I love the views of mountains, the rushing water, the waterways. I've decided the Puget Sound is one of my favorite things ever and in a future stage of life I need to live in the Seattle area and commute via ferry to work. Just like Kate and I did on our adventure!

4. Cities. I love Portland and Seattle. Clean, friendly, very liveable.

Portland:

Seattle (on the UW campus with my friend Karen):

5. Recycling. Love it!

6. And, of course, all of my beautiful friends up here. Here's Karen trying to hit me with her car so that Edward Cullen could save me (a Twilight re-enactment on movie location at Kalama High School):

Aren't they lovely?

Mexico!

2010-05-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have a few posts to work on about Pacific Northwest adventures. :)

In the meantime, some exciting news...I'll be backpacking through Mexico for two weeks at the end of June with my friend Kate!!! I have the time open and was talking one day about what to do, using Kate as a sounding board on what seemed like a million possibilities. She suggested that we do Mexico. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a great idea. Affordable, lots of culture, museums, amazing historical sites, natural wonders, good company, and more.

We're still working on itinerary, but will be flying in and out of Mexico City and will likely stick to central and southern Mexico (the border town are more known for crime, plus we're hoping to avoid the super touristy scene). I know there has been some crime down there, but I've been doing my homework and am confident that if we are careful and don't play the role of "stupid tourists," we'll be fine.

There is so much to do before then!

Hello Seattle

2010-04-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking for a while that I needed to go to Seattle. The last time I went was April 2008, long before I moved to Corvallis. It is only about four hours away and the clock is starting to tick until it might be time to leave the Pacific Northwest and I won’t have the same opportunity. So…I went. I woke up on Saturday and drove up to Seattle. I know that is somewhat strange, though I doubt that anyone reading this would be surprised knowing me and my penchant for wandering.

Spent the day rummaging through some of my favorite Seattle sights. I started with Pike’s Place Market and a cup of coffee at the original Starbucks. I think in another life I must have been a Seattle resident who rode the ferry, spent summers in Lake Union, and shopped for fresh food and flowers at Pike’s Place Market. I bought this cute card, a Van Gogh take on the Seattle skyline. I wish they had a larger version, because I would have gotten it in a second.

Then I walked down to Seattle’s Mystery Bookstore, a small independent shop in Pioneer Square that is run by people who really, truly love to read. Their shelves are filled with staff recommendations and autographed copies, and there is a small bookshelf at the front of the store with unpublished advanced copies that you are welcome to take for free. It’s a gem, and I picked up a few new reads for the next rainy days.

I made a wrong turn across the Magnolia Bridge, which gave me this view of the city:

However, I figured it out. I got back on track and drove to the Space Needle. Even though I’m sure it’s a cheesy tourist trap and I have ridden to the top before, I still went back. I couldn’t help myself. It's such a neat piece of Seattle history.

And then there's the view...

Karen, I’m sure I should have called you, so forgive me for being such a bad friend. I did, out of curiousity, wander around your old stomping grounds at the University of Washington. What a gorgeous campus. I liked that the campus integrated nature, so there were lots of cool, outdoorsy places even in the heart of campus. It reminded me a little of the Arboretum at UC Davis. I may have had a scary moment when I realized that I was somewhat lost, but I got back on track eventually. Anyway, see for yourself:

I wrapped up with dinner and coffee in the U District before the drive back home. This place lived up the the cozy Northwest coffee shop standard:

My family does not drive in cities, but since I refuse to be similarly limited, I was pretty proud of myself for managing the whole drive, city and all, in the crazy rain. I don't actually think city driving is that bad, aside from parking. At least, in the Northwest anyway...

Montreal foodie

2010-03-19T16:20:00.001-07:00

My last entry from Montreal, which I couldn't post earlier due to a really slow internet connection...

The shiteous hostel-mates stumbled in at 2:30am, drunk and talking loudly in bad French to one another (they were Americans, just trying to prove that they could). When I asked them to move into the hallway or downstairs lounge if they were going to keep talking, the stupid blonde one whispered in her loud drunk whisper that I could buy ear plugs and that it was a hostel. I'm also pretty sure that one of them proceeded to lightly tap on the metal bed frame with something to piss me off (which mainly made me laugh because it was so ridiculously cowardly and passive aggressive). It dawned on me as I was scowling about it today that they are EXACTLY the same as the Sussex University douche bags of 2005-trashy, shallow, self-centered American brats who go to English countries in the first world to party and enable each other to be disrespectful and pathetic. Now if only I had ex-lax and cookie dough...

I will admit that I slammed the door when I checked out this morning. I'm counting on karma to do the rest.

Anyway, clearly I didn't go to Quebec City. I didn't wake up until 10:00am and the bus ticket was just too pricey for such a short trip. That meant that I had $40 the day, since I refused to take out more money and pay the $6 international fee (thanks, Chase) for a sum smaller than $100. $40 doesn't sound too low, but keep in mind that it costs $2.70 for one way on the Metro and $2.99 for a bag of generic cough drops. Canada is not cheap.

I decided that I would make it a food day. For the past two days, I haven't really been in the "great eats" part of Montreal, so I've been subsiding primarily off of chicken pitas from Middle Eastern fast food restaurants and granola bars. This was in part due to the fact that the prices in the tourist areas of town are ridiculous, and I hate the thought of sitting down at a restaurant by myself. So armed with some internet research, I went on a quest to hit some Montreal favorites and redeem the city.

I started off with a sandwich at Schwartz, the Jewish deli of much fame. After some prompting from the waiter, I got their smoked meat sandwich. Literally, bread, smoked beef, and mustard. Sounds gross, but so good!

I wandered around town for a bit, then hit destination number two. Every guide book in the world says you need to eat poutine in Canada, the notorious snack dish of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. If I was going to try it, I was going to do it well. I heard about this place Patati Patata, where a small plate was just $4. I have to say, it was good. Kind of an acquired taste, but much more tasty than I anticipated.

Then, I decided that I would undertake the 3 mile walk to the Jean Talon Market (remember, $40!). Plus, I love all of the stuff that you see when you go on a walk. I have to say, the walk there was amazing too. Rue St. Laurent is just blocks of cool, trendy, fun restaurants and stores without ONCE being kitchsy or too corporate (though if I had walked the opposite direction, I would have hit a bunch of sex shops and strip clubs). I walked through the Latin Quarter, Little Italy, and more...there was even a Portuguese section with this cute little park dedicated to my peeps!

At Jean Talon Market, I found this cute little bakery. I love the big open markets, a hook that began with Pike's Place Market in Seattle. They're just so great. I mean, how good does this look?

I took the Metro back downtown to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was a little overrated since there were only four rooms and like 50 pieces of art. I have to say that the Museum of Fine Arts is a much better bang for your buck.

Then I strolled through Chinatown, which was gorgeous and really cool. I found a grocery on Rue St. Laurent on my way back home that sold me a Greek salad and Diet Coke for dinner for only $3! Who cares if the salad was a day old? I came in underbudget, so I had time to buy a coffee and read some articles in preparation of ACPA tomorrow. Chinatown snapshot:

Well, it worked. Today, I became a Montreal believer. This place is great-not to be missed.

Next up, 11pm bus to Boston for ACPA!

Oh Canada...

2010-03-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sitting in my hostel in Montreal, debating whether to try to go to Quebec City tomorrow (which could be fun, but is pricey and like 5 hours on a bus in total in addition to my overnight bus ride to Boston). Maybe I'll just wake up early and see!

I was kind of on the fence about Montreal, but I am starting to feel very pro-city right now. It doesn't hurt that I'm sitting in the main lounge of my hostel listening to a cute Brazilian Portuguese man sing covers of John Mayer and The Calling. Exactly what I needed right now--WIN.

I got in mid-day on Wednesday. I went to the Museum of Fine Arts, which had a really large range including an exhibit on Tiffany glass (the son of Tiffany & Co. jeweler). Tiffany glass is super trendy in the realm of art history right now...I just saw and exhibit on it in New York this summer as well.

I spent the rest of my day wandering around, including visiting Old Montreal. It's supposed to make you feel like you're in Europe, though I'm not entirely convinced. I am, however, beginning to think it's time to back to Paris, STAT.

Today, I ventured into the Metro (the subway). My friend Lauren, a Montreal native, told me that I had to see St. Joseph's Oratory. Luckily, the dome was visible once I got off the train, as you know how I am with directions. It's pretty colossal:

The first thing I thought was "how am I going to get all the way up there?" Stairs, at first. Once you are in the church, surprisingly, there are escalators. I've never seen a church with escalators, and I've been to some of the "greats". I also LOVED that they had an exhibit on the holy family, with paintings and depictions from all over the world. It was so cool to see baby Jesus depicted by Japan, Lesotho, Canada, Guatemala, etc. In every depiction, Jesus looked like that culture. I thought it was just so fitting, because that's what Jesus is supposed to be...all of us. It was a very proud Catholic moment for me.

I wandered back to Old Montreal to see Basilique Notre Dame. It was gorgeous! Even more impressive inside than outside, though my pictures of the interior don't do it justice (so I won't waste your eyes watching them).

I went to Chateau Ramezay, which was the original governor's mansion and is now a hodgepodge museum of Quebec history.

Then I went to Ile Ste-Helene, which was the site of the bicentennial Montreal celebration in 1967 (I think). I originally intended to see the Biosphere, which really isn't as cool as it looked from a distance. It's basically just a giant geodesic dome with stuff inside.

Since I went to the island, I decided to walk around, since it was nice weather, sunlight, and had some nice nature without too many people. That is when I lucked out and stumbled across this tremendous view of Montreal:

My final act was to go to the site of the Montreal Olympics (according to Wikipedia-Summer 1976). Cool buildings, kind of space-esque:

I was so excited, that I snuck inside to the swimming building (which I think is a country club or city facility now). I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't know if it was okay. So, I took this one from my pocket!

I hate my hostel roommates (a drunk, obnoxious group of 5 undergrads, 1 kid who I'm pretty sure has malaria, and 1 other poor sap who shares my misery) and I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my right leg, which makes me limp. And I speak no French, which I'll post about some other time. Other than that, things are starting to look up.

I'll close with a random anecdote from today:

I was finishing my dinner near the Biosphere on a park bench (it was a pita Chicken sandwich) when this squirrel starts approaching me. Usually squirrels run away at some point, but this guy just kept getting closer and closer. Finally, he's like a foot away and I yell, hoping to scare him. He's starting to spook me that he's going to freak out and jump on me. He keeps approaching. I freak out and throw my bag of trash. He takes that bait and runs to the bag, sniffing and starting to dig through the wrappers for food. I run back, but I feel TERRIBLE. One, I just littered in Canada in this gorgeous park that is clean and well-kept. Two, this squirrel is either going to eat a chicken crumb in my wrapper and turn cannibal or eat my wrapper and die. Dang.

I remember that I have a small package of maple sugar candy that I got as gift to take home. Desperate times, desperate measures. I rip open the package and throw a maple candy (which, with my awesome throwing arm, lands like 5 feet away). The squirrel pounces. While he's distracted, I run over and pick up my trash. He's going crazy over the candy. His little tongue flicks like 5,000 times like a junkie getting a fix. Still nervous, I throw one more, a little farther, in case he's greedy and might decide to chase me as I back away. He doesn't move. I scurry away to find a trash can. The rest of the time on Ile Ste.-Helene, I have the bag of candy in my pocket so that I can throw them if any other wildlife gets too friendly.

I ate one later that day. It was delicious and pure sugar. I may have killed that squirrel.

Spring Break: The countdown begins!

2010-03-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

You know what I LOVE about being a student? School breaks. Seriously, words cannot describe how much the thought of no longer having regularly scheduled vacation periods breaks my heart. All the more reason, I guess, to dream of a Ph.D. one day...

Anyway, I decided to go out with a bang and add to my growing fascination with our neighbors to the north and go to Canada! I already have a conference in Boston during half of the actual Spring Break, so it made sense to add one more stop since I already had to buy the plane ticket east and could squeeze a few days off of finals week to extend my break. After debating timing and destinations, I decided that Montreal will be my city of choice for three sweet days before taking an overnight Greyhound bus (you know how I love them) to Boston.

I am pretty excited about the well balanced nature of this break. I will get my adventure fix in Montreal (as well as somewhat in Boston, though I'm hoping to be really involved in the conference, learn a lot, and meet people). I will get my professional development and future planning fix in Boston. And then, after Boston, I fly to California for three days of family and sunshine. My brother and his family just bought their first house, so I'm excited to help them move and hang out with my dad before heading back up to Corvallis for the last term of my MS degree (sad tear).

Now to get through everything before March 16th!

Frequent flier? Frantic flier?

2010-01-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

My friend Stacey suggested that I update the blog with my anecdote about how I left NYC.

On my last day, I went to visit my summer internship site at the Pratt Institute. I should have taken my bags with me to Pratt, as I flew out of JFK and it would have been a short ride from Clinton Hill. Instead, I left my bags in Harlem, which is across Manhattan, and left Pratt to go pick them up and then go the airport. It was poor judgement, I know. That took significantly longer than I anticipated. My flight was at 4:55pm, and I was still in Manhattan at 2:30pm trying to get onto the right subway line to take me to the bus to the airport.

The subway was delayed, so I freaked out and decided to pay the fare for a taxi. Apparently, taxi cabs don't like to drive to the airport, especially at 3pm when it is a Wall Street rush hour for people leaving work. I spent a lot of time trying to hail a taxi in vain. The first one that pulled over sped by me when I told him I needed to go to the airport. So when the next one pulled over, I spouted out: "JFK, please, please. I'll give you a big tip!!!" He was nodding for me to get in the cab even before the sentence about the tip, so I just looked kind of desperate and nerdy.

That drive usually takes 40 minutes. Due to the traffic, it took me an hour and a half. I was in pain. Whoever made the airport stupidly did not make a direct freeway there from NYC. Instead, you have to drive through about 100 traffic lights and merging lanes all over Queens to get there. Either that, or that taxi driver was sadistic and only took my fare to antagonize me.

I got to the airport at 4:15pm for my 4:55pm flight. I ran to the self check-in kiosk because I desperately need to pick up my boarding pass before running through security to make my flight. It was cutting it really close, but I thought that I could make it. Until the kiosk tells me that I can't check in: it's less than an hour before my flight. Cue hyperventilating. I click the "rebook flight" button. It's says there are no options available for other flights. It is December 21st. I know that I have to get on this plane or there is a real chance I might not be home in time for Christmas. If I can't rebook for later that same day, it's only going to be more difficult as Christmas gets closer.

My only hope is that the kiosk is saying that I cannot CHECK IN to my flight less than an hour prior to boarding. However, I already CHECKED IN online the night before. Here, all I need to do is to print a boarding pass. It is the loophole that I cling to with the hope that somehow I can get on this flight.

JFK is already a mess. The line to drop off luggage for checking is at least 50 people long, and I hear complaints that some people waited for over an hour and a half. The line to talk to someone at the check in desk in equally long. I frantically search for someone and find one guy wandering the lines. I plead with him for help. He immediately brushes me off and tells me that I'm out of luck. For a good two minutes, I just stand there and contemplate where would be the best place to cry for a little bit before I make my next step.

Then, as I'm searching for the end of a line to stand in to talk to the counter staff, I spot another employee. It's worth one more shot, right? I mean, I am checked in--they think I'm going to be on the flight, so they can't even put someone else in my spot. I tell him my conundrum, and he is significantly more sympathetic. He tells me that I need to talk to the desk people, but he guides me to some renegade straggler line for the people who don't have their shit together and need immediate help. I am hopeful that he will stay with me as an ally when I talk to the women at the counter, but he has to leave to quell other fires.

This desk is a mess. A teenager ahead of me starts to scream and swear at the desk women that he needs to get on his flight, until they briskly tell him to leave. One female employee is rebooking a flight for someone, and the second is talking to some guy from france who has been waiting to drop off his luggage for so long that he is about to miss his flight to France. They brush off French guy, which gives me an opening to talk to the second employee.

I am sure that my face oozed desperation at that point, but I explained my situation and asked about the boarding pass. I don't know why, but somehow my dilemma was navigable. They ended up calling the gate to check with the staff there, and by some miracle, overrode the system to print my pass. It was 4:35pm. I was told to run.

Now, I assumed that "run" applied to the security line. I went straight up the side and flagged down the staff there to see if they would let me cut in. I basically stuck with the mantra "the desk staff told me to." One employee flagged down another employee, who flagged down the supervisor, so I begged three of them to let me through. After grumbling, they agreed. I passed security. Then I ran through the JFK Delta terminal, which is designed so that my gate was at the furthest possible point behind about 30 stores and restaurants.

BUT I MADE IT!!!!

Surprisingly, I wasn't even the last person on the plane either. My seat neighbor said that she had to run too, and it was another 15-20 minutes before we boarded everyone.

So that was my Christmas miracle. Don't judge me. If the situations were reversed I would be angry if I had been some of those people who I jumped ahead of in line. It was a terrible experience to be so frantic, and I am sorry for any negative impact that it caused with anyone else. I promise that usually I am a great flier. I get to the airport early, I take off my shoes in line to speed up the security check, and I never hog the space in the overhead bins.

Safe travels to everyone returning back from their breaks and holidays!

Walking in a winter wonderland (erm, slush fest)

2009-12-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

When I left the hostel today, it was a winter wonderland of snow outside! It must have snowed like 7 inches at least, because there was a thick blanket everywhere. It was fun to walk through the streets of Harlem to the subway station and see the neighborhood out shoveling snow. That is the thing I love about New York, especially once you get out of the tourist areas-there is such a sense of community in the neighborhoods.

However, as the snow melted, it turned to a different story. In the areas where I actually had to work, the snow melted and either froze to form icy patches or created giant puddles of slush. Of course, I brought sneakers to accommodate all of the walking without thinking too much about the waterproofing aspect. Within the first half hour, my feet were soaked through and I started worrying about frostbite and losing limbs and terrible things (one of my New England friends warned me that these things actually happen, and the idea choose today to stick in my head). Thankfully, I did think to bring extra socks so that I could change. As of last count, still 10 toes!

The streets of SoHo, where I got soaked:

Amazingly, by the end of the day I had figured out how to walk and avoid the giant puddles, thus staying drier. Now, if only I'd brought my boots.

Today was a Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) kind of day. I loved seeing their new exhibits (including one on Tim Burton, with his drawings and pieces from his films). Plus, their permanent collection is amazing. I will never grow tired of staring at Starry Night or looking at the texture in Jackson Pollock's paint splatters. Now if only people wouldn't continually stand in the middle of my line of view to take pictures with the artworks, it would have been perfect. It always kills me how some people spend more time taking pictures of themselves with paintings than actually LOOKING at the paintings, but that is a rant for another day.

I love the views of NYC from the MOMA windows...

Katz's Deli, from When Harry Met Sally. Home of the famous "I'll have what she's having" scene...

Tonight I saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The jury is still out. It was very visually appealing with lots of effects, and I think that everyone should have the chance to experience the greatness that is Radio City Music Hall. The Rockettes were great. However, it felt a little gimmicky or commercial for me. I recommend the experience, but I don't think I will be running back to make it a tradition.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit my former stomping grounds, the Pratt Institute, and then head back to California. I'm sad my journeys are almost over (for this round, anyway), but I'm excited to see the family and dry out!

Broadway kind of day

2009-12-19T21:24:00.001-08:00

It started to snow today, which made New York City even more beautiful than normal.

However, it was also wet and cold so I opted to stay inside for most of the day. I saw Bye Bye Birdie and Memphis, musicals that opened this season. Both were student rush/general rush tickets, so I paid $26.50 for each show. Bye Bye Birdie was a matinee with John Stamos (sigh) and I had a seat in the box. Memphis was an evening show and I sat front row, center!

Quote me: Memphis is so good, it will win the Tony award this year for best musical. If you are in NYC, see it.

I was going to take the subway back to my hostel, but I didn't realize that the 1 train separated from the 2 and 3 and took me to the other end of Manhattan for the 125th street stop. Thought about walking it, but got about 1 block before I decided to hail a taxi. That story about walking uphill in the snow really does have a point. The cabbie was surprised when I told him my intersection as apparently I was walking the wrong way, which is typical for me but he found hilarious. He even called dispatch to tell them. FML.

Stay warm, friends!

DC: My almost life

2009-12-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

I am on Megabus (the US version is WAY better than the UK version) heading from DC to New York City. I am so excited to visit to my east coast "home," though I wish I had more time in DC too. There is so much to see here, I barely scratched the surface.

This was my first time in DC since I came here two and a half years ago to move here for Teach for America. It was really interesting to be back, especially at places like the Washington Monument and American University where I spent time during that visit. I almost was a student at AU! In some ways, it is surreal to imagine that this was almost my life.

I don't regret not moving here in 2007. I was talking with a friend recently about what happened that summer, and I think the reality was that the program just wasn't a good fit for me at 21. I came with the full intention of being here for two years and helping to close the education gap by working with high school students, but I think I ended up learning way more about myself and redirecting my energy. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to explain that decision when I was wandering around the monuments on Monday night, and I think the decision was based on a few key factors.

1. It was a lot of pressure to take on so many new responsibilities in a place where I had no established support network, either friends or family. Not only was I adapting to this really intense new career and program, but I also was trying to grow up very quickly after a relatively sheltered life. New career, new job location, new city, new region of the country, new graduate program, new people, new grown up responsibilities like apartment hunting, money management, and insurance plans...it was a lot. Especially in such a short learning curve where I didn't have the time or space to reflect on what was happening and make meaning of it all.

2. I was not able to find the resources and support in Teach for America to help smooth through the transition. A student development theory by Sanford emphasizes creating a balance of challenge and support; with too much challenge, it is easy to be overwhelmed to the point of stagnation and with too much support, people become unmotivated. I was clearly the former. I just couldn't find the support within that context to be successful. My teacher "role models" within the program were swamped with work themselves, and I didn't connect with the majority of my peer group. In the face of so many challenges elsewhere, it was crucial for me to find support in the program. When that didn't happen, everything else was only amplified. Even AAU, which was equally crazy in many regards, was bearable because I had a great peer support network.

It was a very real concern for me that this would continue through out the next two years, particularly in professional contexts where I needed real support and feedback to improve. I did not feel that the principal at my school was personally engaged in my success or growth and the support teachers in the program were focused more on numbers than individual challenges. Anyway, those were/are my perceptions of the experience.

3. I'm as logical as the next person, but my gut told me through out the five weeks of training that this was not the right program for me. My stomach was knotted all the time from all of the pressure (to the point that I couldn't got to the cafeteria anymore because the atmosphere made me sick and subsided primarily on fruit cups, vitamin water, and granola bars from the 7-11 on campus). I wasn't sleeping well. I cried every day of the program. In all other facets and experience of my life, I stayed optimistic. It was a strong warning sign to be in a situation where I felt constantly miserable. It would have been a disservice to myself and to my students to have stayed their teacher in that context.

During the program, my roommate's father passed away. She once told me that she felt bad that the experience of her family tragedy shadowed my experience in the program. I disagreed. I would have come to the same conclusion regardless. In some ways, seeing her experience validated my own feelings about the program. There was no support for her. Our peers started to avoid her when all of this happened, and the program could not have cared less. Hapha didn't go home when her father had a heart attack because TFA would only give her 3 days of leave time during the summer training program and she wanted to save it in case he got worse. Then, when he died, they wouldn't work with her to give her any sort of bereavement time or help processing what happened. She got to stay home from classes for a couple days in a state where she didn't have anyone in the cold, unwelcoming environment of the residence halls at Temple University while everyone else was at class. No one else was even allowed to stay with her. Then she was expected to resume to "normal" by developing and delivering lesson plans.

Now, three years later, I hope to never accept a job at an institution or with supervisors who were so outcome based that they completely disregarded humanity and lost sight of the people that they were working with. Professionals, especially young professionals right out of undergrad, deserve to be nurtured and supported. The experience reaffirmed my sentiment that I was not going to find a lot of support within the program, and also really made me question whether or not the program was congruent with my values. In a context where we were expected to find solutions and connect with students in spite of tremendous obstacles, it appalled me that the program did not adhere to the same standards and ethics in regards to our conduct towards one another.

The problem was that I cared so much about closing the achievement gap and creating educational opportunity that I felt like a failure to walk away from that cause. In the aftermath, I realized that there are better ways for me to approach that goal. I truly feel that higher education better meets my strengths, values, and goals.

All of that said, I still think that there are positives to the program and that it is an important and worthy goal to give all students the education they need. I am certain that I made the right decision to go back to California, and I think that the experiences that I received in the aftermath have been crucial to my own development (the Academy of Art University, Iceland, Oregon State University, New York, etc.). Everything worked out for the best. For the first time since all of this happened, I realized that I am proud of past me for taking such a tremendous leap and then for being honest enough with myself to walk away. It's kind of a really cool excerpt to have in the story of my life. It is nice to finally be able to explain what happened and to know, without doubt, that it was for the best.

I'm glad I got to come back and make my peace with DC. It's a great city. I don't know if it is really "my" city. I love the museums and the prestige and the opportunities to explore. I just don't know if I see myself wearing too many suits or working with a vast majority of well off students and navigating in the political realm. We'll see. I certainly am excited to come back and explore more in the near future.

My letter to George Washington

2009-12-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Dear George Washington,

I just wanted to thank you for a lovely visit to your home today in Mount Vernon. I had no idea that it was so beautiful, but with the views of the Potomac and the lightly wooded fields proved it was true. Your guides were also very nice and helpful. The front desk clerk could not give me enough tips and brochures, to the point that I finally had to excuse myself to be able to take the tour. My tour guide of your mansion was also very knowledgeable and friendly, aside from the fact that she looked a bit perturbed when I suggested that your front hallway was a little lackluster for receiving guests (which, I'm sorry, is true, George Washington. You couldn't have painted it? wallpaper?)

After today's visit and my overall DC experience, I am pleased to tell you that you have moved into my top 5 presidents of the USA. You may not have the star power of JFK (or my favorites within his family, Robert Kennedy and Jackie O), the dynamic duo of FDR with Churchill, one of my favorite British historical figures, during WWII, or the same impact on civil rights as Abe Lincoln or Lyndon Johnson. I also find it slightly weird how many similarities I have witnessed between you and Andrew Jackson as white Southern, slave-owning plantation owners who rose to fame in military glory to eventually become President after which you returned to your famous country estates with wives that you could not impregnate and extended family children that you adopted into your immediate family. Maybe I only think that because I toured both of your estates within 5 days of each other, but it is still weird. However, I do respect quite a bit that you could have take the presidency and turned it in to a dictatorship or monarchy and you choose to lead the nation in a different way.

I'm also impressed with the fact that you were clearly adored among the founding fathers, a distinguished group in their own right. Let's look at some of the major tributes, shall we? We named the capital of our nation after you. You are on all of our $1 bills, the most common type of currency. Your monument is the tallest thing in the DC skyline by law, a further emphasis that this is your city. The mural in the Capitol shows you becoming a god. You even have your own state. It's quite evident that there were some major "man-crushes" going on at the time (when a man has a lot of admiration or platonic feelings for another man, so you know if you hear it around the farm; if you liked them back in the same way, we'd call that a "bromance" these days).

My suggestions for the future mainly regard the role of these "living characters" that appear at Mount Vernon to represent the figures in your life. 1. I arrived at Mount Vernon when it opened this morning and was informed that Martha Washington would not be arriving until 11am. Frankly, George Washington, if Martha could wake up at 5am when the place was a plantation farm and you were cracking the whip, I think she can arrive at 9am for her visitors now. 2. It seems unwise to have living characters like the aforementioned Martha and also exhibit the grave sites/tombs for them. I imagine that would be petrifying for the numerous children that visit your estate annually to see the grave of someone and then see them around giving lectures on linens or posing for pictures. Either you're assuming that children are smart enough to understand the term "re-enactment" or you're assuming they're dumb enough to not notice the Martha coincidence. However, what about those in the middle?

Well, George Washington, our time together is almost ending for this trip. Though I do live in Oregon, I have found your namesake state to be much less relevant in creating this connection. It seems as though we might have to part until the next time I'm back East. But thanks to the $1 bill, I will always carry you with me (and by always, I mean the 3% of the year when I actually carry cash).

Cheers,

DC love

2009-12-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am geeking out over all of the political greatness and history in DC. Finally, an excuse to use that Political Science degree.

Today, I toured the Capitol and sat in on sessions in the Senate and the House.

I peaked in the Library of Congress, before heading over to the Supreme Court. I didn't know they did tours of the courtroom and that you can sit in on sessions! Hopefully I can come back and sit in on a session soon--I think it would be amazing! I'm adding it to my life "to do" list.

Then I visited Arlington National Cemetery in the freezing cold to see the graves of JFK, RFK, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the house of Robert E. Lee, great views of DC, and more. I found Ted Kennedy's recent grave, which is set up like Robert Kennedy's simple white cross. I thought that was a really cool tribute to his brother. I have to say, I really like that my trip to DC has been a very dynamic experience in tying history in to contemporary events.

Did you know that Robert E. Lee was the president of Washington College after the Civil War? I'm a higher education nerd, but I thought that was so fascinating. Here's his house:

Wrapped the day up with dinner with my friend Diana from UC Davis, and am now curling up with The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It talks all about DC landmarks, so its a fun tie in!

A day in the District

2009-12-15T20:14:00.000-08:00

I am on Day 2 of my trip in Washington DC (this is my first full day). It was certainly busy! I went to Ford's Theater to see where President Lincoln was shot, toured the White House, went up the Washington Monument, visited the Smithsonian Museums of American History and Natural History, and then saw a production of the Nutcracker. Whew! I don't have any pictures from today though, since I was not allowed to take my camera to the White House and I didn't have time to come back to the hostel and get it.

All in all it was...okay. The White House tour was kind of a let down since it was a "self guided" tour that only covered a handful of rooms. By self guided, they meant that there were a few sentences in a brochure that you could read. I almost got more out of listening to Mr. Carver explain the rooms to his third grade class who was touring with me, and I'm pretty sure he was just paraphrasing the brochure. I have no idea why I had to set that tour up through my senator. I'm also pretty sure that the Nutcracker production was a ballet school production and not a professional production, which meant that it was not as good as I thought it would be (sorry, but it's true). The Smithsonian was great though, and there's lots more to cover tomorrow!

I got in late yesterday afternoon. I jinxed myself and ended up having a terrible final segment of Greyhound (from Richmond, VA to DC). The ride took forever, and I was sitting with these girls who couldn't have been more than sixteen who kept talking about drinking, cigarettes, smoking pot, and the like. The saddest part was that their "aunt" was with them, and was clearly endorsing their habits. It wasn't really the place for a good conversation, but I hope that someone in their life helps them realize that there is more out there.

Afterwards, I walked around the monuments. I love the Lincoln Memorial...it's such a huge part of history! I've learned a lot about Lincoln since I've been here, and it was neat to be a part of his tribute and also to be in a spot with so many other lasting legacies, especially the March on Washington.

I also didn't realize the FDR Memorial was so expansive. This is a fireside chat sculpture, not FDR on the toilet like it also might appear...

Afterwards, since I still had energy to walk off from Greyhound, I visited Georgetown. I'm staying nearby, so it was not a far walk and I wanted to see the university and the neighborhoods. Needless to say, it was gorgeous. I can't believe college kids live here! One of the main buildings on campus (sorry so dark)...

Anyway, so far, so good. I do find DC to be quite inspiring, and have found the nice people again after some stalemates the first night. Tomorrow-touring Congress, Arlington National Cemetery, and dinner with a friend!

Greyhound: Faster routes because they aren't named after a sloth?

2009-12-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Friends, there is so much to tell you!

Yesterday, my final day in Nashville, I went to the Opryland hotel. My coworker told me I had to see it since it was such an elaborate spectacle, especially when decorated for the holidays. It is kind of a trek to get out there. I was lucky enough to find a public bus that went there (which was cheaper than the hotel shuttle or taking a taxi by about $40), but it was still a forty-minute ride each way. The hotel is definitely gorgeous though. It reminds me of a hotel in Las Vegas without the gambling or drinking. There were full on gardens in several sections, huge Christmas trees, and lots of shopping. At one point, I even took a little boat tour on the faux river in one of the hotel regions.

View from the boat tour:

On my way back, I overpaid because it was not the same cost to get back in to town as it was to leave it. Weird. Anyway, the driver gave me a fare card with 60 cents on it and I decided to give it to one of my fellow passengers (because really, when will I use it?). I was sitting near the front of the bus across from two ladies, and was waiting to make eye contact or something with one of them to nonchalantly offer the card. I was sitting in the first horizontal seat of the bus after the vertical seats; across from me is one white woman sitting in the other horizontal section. In front of her and diagonal to me is an African American woman who is sitting in the vertical seating section with several shopping bags.

And THEN--the bus stops to pick up an old woman. As she boards the bus and walks by all of us, she mutters malevolently “you should move to the back.” Excuse me, what??? At first, my sense of logic tried to explain it in some way that would allow me to understand the context of that comment. Maybe she meant it at all three of us, since we were technically in the seats that were marked for seniors or the disabled. Or since the African American woman had multiple shopping bags that were spread all over, the comment meant that she could be less in the way if she moved.

Of course, that wasn’t it. In the United States, it means exactly one thing when you tell a black person to move to the back of the bus. I was just so shocked. The African American woman eventually mutters, “Is she talking to me? I hope not. If she is, I’m not certainly not moving.” I just look distressed and shake my head.

As I sit there in silence, I just feel terrible. How could I not say anything? Those types of comments go against everything that I believe in. I certainly don’t want this African American woman to believe that my silence means I agree or that she is without an ally on this bus ride. I wait until she looks in my direction and use the fare card as an opener. Then I say in a very ineloquent manner-“I’m sorry about before. Some people are crazy.” Yes, I know I could have picked my words better. The woman and I talk a little bit about how shocked we both were, and I apologize for not speaking up with her. She nods and returns to her window gazing as I do mine.

It was just such a terrible, eye opening moment. I wish that every person who tries to suggest that racism and discrimination are things of the past could have been there. Later that day, I went to the Civil Rights display in the Nashville Public Library and was reading about the movement in the city. It always shocks me to think about how recent that movement was. It was only in the past 50-60 years that schools were desegregated. That old woman, easily in her mid-seventies, probably grew up in segregation. Maybe not. Clearly, whatever the circumstance, we still have a long way to go. I do, however, love this quote from one of the Nashville students involved with the sit in demonstrations, posted here over the doorway of the exhibit:

On lighter notes, fast-forward later and I am taking my fifth overnight Greyhound ride of 2009, this time from Nashville to DC. It’s probably the most pleasant bus ride I had this year on Greyhound. The bus is empty enough that not only did I get my own pair of seats together (which is a big deal on long rides to be able to stretch out), but I even got to lie down and rest my feet across the aisle on the seat block across from me. The bus driver was charming too. He kept telling us jokes at the beginning of each segment, and then encouraging us to “show one another some kindness during this life.” College football is also bigger than I realized, and I found my Oregon State sweatshirt to be a good conversation starter. At least in Tennessee, people know that we just missed out on the Rosebowl! I also got a few comments asking if I had taken the Greyhound out from Oregon. Now, I know that sounds like something I would do, but can you imagine how long a ride that would be? And how sick you would get of buses? I will stick to my segments, I think, not regular cross country travel.

My one character during Greyhound (because there had to be one) was this chaotic woman with a beard. Yes, a beard—it was stubbly. I answered a question for her in Nashville so she came over to talk to me during our station break in Knoxville. That is, when she wasn’t like climbing the walls, fidgeting profusely, or trying to get back on the bus. I didn’t fully understand her agitation-I mean, being impatient won’t make the bus board or go any faster. Oh well. At one point I pulled out my trip binder, which is where I keep all of my reservation information, my itinerary, any pre-paid tickets, and print outs about tourist attractions I want to see and she was trying to read it over my shoulder so I got kind of defensive. Even though I am a capable traveler and being new to some place doesn’t mean I’m a target, I always prefer not to openly acknowledge that I am visiting. And I certainly did not want this woman to know where I will be sleeping...

Then, when it came time for us to reach her station, I was asleep and I was spread across the aisle. I know this is obstructive and inconvenient. However, I was in a deep sleep and Crazy McGee just walks by me, pushes my feet off the chair to get by, and keeps going. I wake up with a gasp in fight or flight mode thinking that I’m under attack. It startled me! It took me a full few minutes to calm down, I was so surprised. Lady, couldn’t you have just nudged me or asked me to move?

I think it’s funny that the ride from Nashville to DC is as long, maybe even longer, than the ride I had from Baltimore to Atlanta. That seems wrong, no? 63 miles left and counting!

Anyway, next up—Washington, DC!

Precious

2009-12-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

One of the guys staying at this hostel with me just tried to plug in his laptop in an outlet next to me. When the cord wouldn't reach, he packed it up again to go to bed. When I offered to move, he said "Thank you, but no. It's a sign. I have to pay heed to it." Then he wished me a very good night and sweet dreams.

Alright, point again for nice Nashville.

Yes, I get it, the Grand Ole Opry likes Christmas!

2009-12-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

My time in Nashville is flying away! I'm hoping to catch the Opryland Hotel tomorrow (and maybe a few other sites, like the Tennessee Museum of Art, Fort Nashborogh, the Parthenon replica, and so on...of course, everything is on opposite ends of the city so I might have to pick and choose). Then it's hopping on a Greyhound to DC...

Today, I took the Historic Nashville tour with the Greyline company. We started with the Hermitage, the Nashville home of President Andrew Jackson and his family.

Then the tour went to the Belle Meade Plantation.

There were only six of us on the tour, and our driver was this really neat character who was like 65, looked vaguely like Santa, and played in a band on the side. He sang us two songs in an attempt to prompt us to buy his CD (he was pretty good too), and told personal anecdotes. He also pointed out things about celebrities when we got to the city Belle Meade, like the general area where Reese Witherspoon's parents live. Since I had opted not to buy the Tour of the Country Stars Homes ticket in favor of Historic Nashville, I am grateful that he still filled my celebrity fix.

To emphasize that my hostel is in the boonies, when the bus was driving back to drop me off one of my fellow passengers actually asked if we were taking backroads to get in to the city. The driver nicely clarified that I was staying there, to which I had to just smile, nod, and shrug. The man and his wife were actually really nice and from Rhode Island, with thick Boston-esque accents, but it was just a funny moment.

Another funny moment? That same couple and I realized that we all had tickets for the Grand Ole Opry that night. When I mentioned I don't really follow country music and was going more for the experience, the woman gasped and told me that I would LOVE Trace Atkins (the headliner). Because, and I quote, "he is SUCH a man!"

I actually had a general sense of this, especially is by "man" she meant obnoxious, macho, cocky, trying-too hard man with the long flowing hair of Fabio. I had YouTubed some of his work prior to flying out in an attempt to get psyched for the show. It hadn't really worked. However, live shows can be so different because of the atmosphere and the fun that I figured I might love a live country show even if it's not my top radio station (kind of like I enjoy live sporting events but couldn't care less about watching them on TV most of the time).

Overall, the Grand Ole Opry was fun. I didn't realize that they broadcast live music for a radio show there, so even though I bought tickets for the show there were commercial breaks and such. What a revenue sponge! I liked almost all of the music and it was fun to be a part of such a legendary venue. The show was at the Ryman too, which is the original Grand Ole Opry (next time I come back, I'll have to see a show at the new one where the CMAs happen). I was allowed to take pictures too, which is why I have blurry pictures like this of Little Jimmy Dickens, who is a riot. An 85 year old man who is like 4'8" and tells self depricating jokes that are charming is an A in my book.

Yes, I know it's a blurry picture. We can't win everything, okay? The combination of taking a flash picture that was zoomed in super close with a moving performer made it impossible for my camera to take a still shot. Side note--I LOVE the outfits in country music. I haven't seen this many bright colored, sparkly, embroidered suits on men since my dad dragged my brother and I to Portuguese bullfights when we were children.

I did find several of the performers rather annoying because they attempted to shove Christmas in our face. Yes, I do celebrate Christmas. I have no problem with wishing you a Merry Christmas if that is what you celebrate. However, a few times there were moments when the performers went on rants about how the nation was becoming to pc and trying to take away Christmas. Another direct quote from someone else: "Now they are trying to change the word Christmas to winter holidays or winter break!"

Ahem. Earmuffs, kids. No, you ignorant jackass, no one is trying to rename the work Christmas as Winter Break. They are merely recognizing that there is more than one holiday that occurs during this time of the year. I respect your right to celebrate holiday, and yes, this is a private venue. But I find it absolutely disgusting and insulting that you all can stand up on stage and tell me that, after centuries of marginalizing other people, you are worried about your civil rights being jeopardized because you can't say Christmas. Hello? Anyone? Your rights are still there. You can still celebrate Christmas. It's not about rights, it's about power. And Peggy McIntosh was right-the majority freaks out when they have to give up some of their unearned power to level the playing field.

I won't lie, friends. I booed. At the end of this stupid song that wasn't even a song, it was a tirade set to music, the show ended and in the midst of standing ovations, I booed. I wish now that I had booed louder so that the broadcasting might have picked it up and let people know that not everyone in attendance was a narrowminded dick, but I also had to walk home for two miles through relatively empty side streets so I choose to keep my volume low.

So right now, I'm still undeclared on Nashville. Guess we'll see tomorrow!

Welcome to Nashville!

2009-12-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

The good news is that I found downtown Nashville and it seems like so much fun! The bad news is that my hostel is relatively far away (a mile each way) through a neighborhood that best reminds me of SOMA in San Francisco-nice enough, not obviously run down or criminal, but eerily empty to the point that it makes you uneasy. Oh well. It certainly could be worse, and I’m only here for two nights.

After the airport shuttle dropped me off at 7pm, I walked downtown since I wanted to start seeing the sights and stretch my legs. Everything was lit up with Christmas lights...

I also went to Broadway, the big street of music venues and bars.

I walked down the Country Music Hall of Fame. My mother would be so proud, she loved Roy Orbison!

You should also be proud that I am wearing this season's colors (purple and green). This is by far the warmest combination of everything I brought with me, so you'll probably see it a lot this trip.

People in Nashville are so nice too. I was kind of expecting it, since MSN did say two years ago that Nashville was one of the five nicest cities in the country (with Davis ranking in as well, and we all know that is true). At one point, I walked too quickly into this tiny bathroom and almost hit a woman in the face with a door, to which she just said “it’s alright, honey!” and patted my arm. And at another point, I basically stumbled into this guy who just smiled and gave me a half hug. [Yes, I know I'm a clumsy.]

I did, however, realize that Opryland is not in downtown and I have to find a way to get there tomorrow. The woman who I asked at the downtown Opry store was so confused that I was not driving. Hello, a bus? Walking? Anyone? Guess we'll see!

I'm BACK!

2009-12-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

After some encouragement and reflection, I've decided to reopen wandergenie and to keep this as a full time blog that I update with my random wanderings and adventures. Since I am and plan on wandering as much as possible in the future, why not share all the crazy anecdotes along the way?

I'm currently sitting in Portland International Airport (which truly is one of the best airports, by the way. I can say that with relative certainty after flying through many lesser airports, that a sandwich from the Riverfront Cafe, a book from Powell's, and a hassle free everything else make flying here a joy). Winter break has arrived and that means...adventures!

First up, Nashville! I'll be there for two days and already am booked to see the Belle Meade Plantation (my first plantation...the history nerd in me is geeking out), the Hermitage (home of Andrew Jackson), and a show at the Grand Ole Opry.

Afterwards, I'm off to DC to enjoy tours of the White House and Congress, spend hours in the Smithsonian, and even watch a show at the JFK Center. Hopefully, in keeping with my odd fascination with US presidents and their historical houses, I will get to see Mount Vernon too!

Finally, NYC. I know that I just left, but I can't help it--I miss the city. Plus, it was cheaper to fly out of JFK back anyway. AND I haven't seen the Rockettes yet. Or an opera at the Met. And I miss it (did I say that already?).

So yes....I'M BACK!!!

That's all, folks!

2009-08-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

Spent two days in New Orleans hanging out with my friend Vilija and exploring the French Quarter and a city post-Hurricane Katrina. Overall, it was a great visit. The highlight was going on a swamp tour and getting to see lots of alligators and Louisiana wildlife. So much different than the West Coast!

I flew back home to California afterwards and am here briefly until I head back up to OSU for year two of grad school! I'm excited to return, but a bit part of me wishes that summer could have gone on forever. There are still so many states and cities to explore, so many NYC things to do! But I guess that just means that I'll have to await my next adventure!

Thank you to everyone for reading along with me this summer. :)

Atlanta

2009-08-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Random conversation that I had with a woman on the sidewalk today as I was walking to the train station. She was standing outside smoking, and as I turned onto the sidewalk to walk past her she started to make a sweeping hand gesture in the shape of a T. I can't figure out if she's gesturing to me or what, so I just keep walking.

Woman: You have to shoo him away.

Me: Excuse me?

Woman: You have to shoo him away. He tries to get too close, and you have to push him away.

Me: Um...[looks confused]

Woman: You let him in too close. WE had to shoo him away.

Me: Okay...[still confused]

Woman: I know you. We've done business before.

Me: Thanks. [Walks into the station]

Seriously, I still have no idea what she was talking about. I finally just had keep walking. Apparently, I still need to learn to stop talking to strangers...I haven't quite gotten there yet.

Spend two and a half days in Atlanta, and head down to New Orleans tonight for my last stop on Genie's cross-country tour. I am super excited to see NOLA and catch up with my friend who now goes to school there (for UCD people, it's Vil!).

Philly Love

2009-08-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Philadelphia has these "Once Upon a Story" benches around the city with people who are paid to tell children stories? I was walking by an empty one and the storyteller prevailed upon me to sit and listen to his story about a slave who mailed himself up north to Philadelphia for freedom. Afterwards, as a gift for listening, he gave me a little flag. How cute is that?

Overall, I think that Philadelphia is definitely one of the more "visitor friendly" places that I've been. Everything is clearly marked, there are lots of historical signs up to mark buildings or cool trivia facts, and the visitor's center is the nicest one I've ever seen. I am so glad I've gotten to come back and really see it, considering my last experience was when I did my Teach for America training here and wasn't so positive.

Today I saw Independence Hall (where they signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution), the Liberty Bell, a museum about the constitution, Ben Franklin's grave, Ben Franklin's House, and Christ Church. Afterwards, I embarked on an adventure to eat one of the famous cheese steaks. There are two places that are rivals-Geno's and Pat's. They are across the street from each other, the same price, and it is a hot debate in Philadelphia about who is better. Anyway, I walked down and went to Pat's (since I ate at Geno's during the 2007 summer and I am not a fan of some of their anti-immigration decor). A cheese steak with cheese whiz and onions...terrible, but delicious! I then walked all over Philadelphia to see more of the non-historical city.

I'd upload pictures, but I'm in a hostel and I locked up my camera in the main lobby with my other valuables. Nothing like sharing a room with 20 other girls in bunk beds! Tomorrow I have half the day here and then head to Baltimore...

American Vagabond

2009-08-10T18:54:00.001-07:00

Niagara Falls:

Boston:

On top of the Prudential tower with Marina, my friend who lived next door at Sussex Uni

Salem, MA:

House of the Seven Gables of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel

Providence, RI:

Brown University (the only thing available to see in Providence, RI)

Philadelphia, PA:

Independence Hall

Loving the East Coast!

Beautiful Pratt

2009-08-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

One last look around my terrific summer home. Goodbye, Pratt Institute!

This is Stabile, where I lived my fabulous NYC life with 300 high school girls and 7 RAs.

This is North/South/East/West Hall (yeah, I don't get it either), where I ate meals. Also home to the infamous Justin Long photo!

This is one of the many art works on campus. Originally it appeared when we were hosting an urban environmental group for a conference, so I thought there was a tie-in. Turns out they were just tree people.

It restored my faith in art students and art-based institutions, no small feat...

I don't wanna leave NYC!

2009-08-03T13:42:00.001-07:00

So the day has come. I'm sitting in my room at Pratt all packed up, waiting until I can head to the Port Authority bus station and get on my bus to Niagara Falls. I don't pull out until 11:45pm, so I've still got four hours until I even need to head to the station.

I ended up not doing a lot today because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to pack and sort up lose ends. I shipped a big box of my stuff back home, so I'm traveling with a backpack and smaller suitcase on rollers. I don't feel ready for September and heading back to Corvallis, but I'll try to make the most of everything else in the meantime.

I would love to stay in NYC, and who knows? Maybe I'll be back someday soon. In the meantime, I'm really grateful to have such a terrific internship experience and to have accomplished and seen so much while I was here. It was the best possible scenario for my 23rd summer!

My NYC Done List:

9 to 5

Next to Normal

Phantom of the Opera

In the Heights

Shrek

Blithe Spirit
Mary Stuart

Swan Lake

Amateur Night at the Apollo
Tour of Rockefeller Center

Staten Island Ferry

Coney Island

Big Onion Tour: harlem

Merchant's House

Purse from Canal Street

Book shopping at The Strand

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Brooklyn Museum of Art

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Bronx Zoo

Queens Museum of Art

Brooklyn Promenade

Museum of Modern Art

Frick Collection

Morgan Museum and Library

Flushing Meadows Park

Central Park

Grant's Tomb

Federal Hall

St. Paul's Chappel

Trinity Church

Lucy Exhibit

Fraunces Tavern

Columbia University

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

Museum of Natural History

East Side Tenement Museum

Top of the Rock

Radio City Music Hall

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Museum of Sex

Museum of the American Indian

Gracie Mansion

Skyscraper Museum

Museum of Jewish Heritage

Rockaway Beach

New York Historical Society

Guggenheim Museum

NYC Transit Museum

Whitney Museum of Art

NBC Experience Tour

Ruben Museum of Art

Explore Staten Island

Hartford, Connecticut

Cupcake from Magnolia

Cheesecake from Junior's

Pizza from Grimaldi's

Hot Dog from Nathan's
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

Newark, New Jersey

Cloisters

Edgar Allen Poe Cottage

Places that no one goes

2009-08-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

So I've spent much of the past two weeks exploring new nooks of the city and nearby cities in an effort to go beyond the typical tourist destinations and knock a couple of states of my life goal list (I want to see all 50 at some point). Now, out of these various locations, some were fun and some were pretty dull. Here's what I discovered:

Hartford, Connecticut

Attractions: Mark Twain House (pictured above), Harriet Beecher Stowe House

Fun fact: The tour guide at the Harriet Beecher Stowe house told me its a bunch of commuters who run the industry (primarily insurance companies) and the actual city residents are poor and drug problems run rampant.

Staten Island, New York

Attractions: I still don't know

Fun fact: Staten Island does not believe in sidewalks. Otherwise, it's basically the suburbs of NYC.

Newark, New Jersey

(I forgot to take a picture of Little Portugal, but I thought it was funny that there was a liquor store in the train station of New Jersey. "Eff, I'm in New Jersey, I need a drink")

Attractions: Ferry Street, or as I like to call it "Little Portugal"

Fun fact: It costs $4 each way to get to New Jersey, but the trains are super classy two story endeavors.

Fordham, The Bronx

Attractions: Edgar Allen Poe Cottage

Fun fact: Did you know that Poe's wife Victoria died of TB in The Bronx? They moved there for the "fresh air" (at that time, NYC only went up to 45th street in Manhattan), but she didn't make it too long. After her death, Poe wrote "Annabel Lee" in the cottage.

Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan

Attractions: Cloisters

Fun fact: This is actually my favorite park in NYC. In addition to the gorgeous Cloisters museum of medieval art (it's a branch of the Metropolitan), the park has views of New Jersey and the Bronx and beautiful gardens through out.

Why did I only figure out this whole student rush thing five days before I leave?

2009-07-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today I was being a bum around Broadway because I wanted to see something, but didn't want to pay $70 for the half price tickets on TKTS and most of the shows I wanted to see were ridiculously hard to get tickets too (ie, Billy Elliot and The Lion King). And, unfairly, the Broadway off season is actually in the summer, so I'm not here during the prime (and with this economy, a ton of shows closed early too). I wish I could stay around in the fall!

Anyway, I figured I would see a Broadway play since there are only a few currently running and they aren't having the most success, so I thought I could get a decent price for a nosebleed seat. I wandered into the ticket office for Mary Stuart, a play about the historical execution of Mary Stuart as sentenced by Elizabeth (you know I'm a major history nerd), and the woman was like "oh, are you a student?" So, for $26.50 and absolutely no wait, I got the best seat of my life. I was front row, exact center. At one point, the play has a scene in the rain and one of the characters slides forward on the wet stage. I literally got hit in the face with water from his sliding!

I mean, I've still seen a ton of stuff and gotten good deals, but think of all the fun I would have had student rushing things all summer! For future interns, I guess.

So, my broadway score will end as:

9 to 5

Phantom of the Opera

Shrek the Musical

Next to Normal

In the Heights

Mary Stuart

Blithe Spirit

Not bad for two months!

August, why aren't you cooperating?

2009-07-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to plan my trip back to the West Coast and it is kind of giving me a headache. Originally I was going to get a month long pass from Amtrak and work my way across that way, but I realized that this wouldn't work out with cost or timing. So, I went back to the drawing board. I figured out that if I take buses (not as fun as trains), I can save some. Also, 15 stops is pretty much not going to happen, but I might make it through like 5 or 6.

That said, there is a lot to figure out and to remember between getting everything booked, figuring out directions, planning out some things to see, and trying to keep the budget low. I'm sure that I will be excited when the time comes, once most of the logistics are out of the way.

Right now I have:

Niagara Falls

Boston (with day trips to Salem and Providence)

Philadelphia

Baltimore

Atlanta

I am not sure if I will leave from Atlanta or try to either work in Nashville or New Orleans before I go. US travel is a little extra tricky because you have to not only figure out the basic travel logistics, but lots of places have only very expensive airfare or no hostels or no public transportation to get around once you are in the city. I really wanted to see the South since I've never been, and realized that Atlanta was important to me because of all of the civil rights landmarks.

Sadly, I will have to wait until another day to see the midwest, I guess!

I think I have ESP...

2009-07-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

So last week I decided to try my luck at getting a last minute ticket for In the Heights. Different shows do lotteries different ways--here, it's whoever happens to be around between 4:30pm and 5:00pm can enter a drawing to win 1 or 2 tickets out of 22. All 22 tickets are the first row.

I had this feeling that I probably wouldn't win, and even as I was waiting for results to be called at 5:00pm I just knew that it wasn't going to work out. It didn't.

But then today, one of my rare days off, I woke up late and was trying to figure out what to do when something told me I should try the lottery again. So I went down to Broadway and was the first one to wait to put my name in. And even as they were calling names, I just knew that I was going to be called this week. And sure enough, they did!

Weird, huh?

So for only $26.50 (keep in mind that typically tickets in the orchestra section of the theater for In the Heights run at about $120 usually; even the farthest back are around $42), I sat in the FRONT ROW to watch the show tonight.

It was fantastic. And really touching. Very vibrant and stimulating, but also very moving too.

In other news, I have 4 nights off from the internship this week (I only get 7 off during all of July). Usually life balance isn't too bad because I'm able to roam the city during the day time hours, and the pre-college students have been really mellow. But Monday wore me out-I had to send ANOTHER two students to the hospital (we're up to five this summer) and I had three conduct meetings that went very unproductively. It can be difficult to have conversations with students, high school or undergraduate, who simply refuse to hold themselves accountable. And there isn't a ton of wiggle room in the pre-college program, so a curfew violation is a curfew violation is a curfew violation. I had one student storm out on me, and two others who I'm sure would have kept arguing for another hour plus if I hadn't had to cut them off after the first hour to deal with another emergency.

But tomorrow night is my 2nd night off from curfew duty, so I'm going to go to Hartford, Connecticut for the day! It still boggles me that I can do day trips to other states (CA is not like that), but I'm excited to see more of New England and get a change of scenery for the day.

My NYC done list turned 50 today!

2009-07-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

I love my NYC life. I'm so sad that I only have two weeks left, even though there will be some adventures afterwards. I've figured out that traversing the whole USA in a month via train is definitely NOT going to happen, but I do think I can jump around the east coast for a bit before I fly back to California.

Here's what I've been up to lately...

Toured Radio City Music Hall

I've had lots of great visitors over the past two weeks, ranging from grad school friends to high school friends. This is Galina and I at the Top of the Rock!

Went to Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugerated.

Saw the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn Promenade

Wandered around Queens and Flushing Meadows Park, where the world's fair was held in the thirties and in the sixties.

Found Castle Belvedere in Central Park!

Did some networking at St. Joseph's College, a local private college.

And that doesn't include Shrek the Musical, the Met, the MOMA, the Museum of the City of New York, great conversations with professional colleagues, other fun times with friends, working with amazing dedicated and bright students, and an overall summer that is fantastic.

Life goal 73: Meet someone famous

2009-07-15T20:04:00.001-07:00

The story of how I almost met Drew Barrymore and took a picture with Justin Long!

So, as you learned from an earlier post, they were filming this week at the Pratt Institute for a movie. I learned on Sunday night that it wasn't just any actors, it was DREW BARRYMORE. Originally, I was going to wake up at like 6am and like stake everything out but that didn't happen.

Anyway, the film is called Going the Distance and set to come out in 2011. From what I understand, it's about a long distance relationship and the part set at the Pratt is supposed to be at Stanford University. Which is kind of hilarious, because they created "Stanford" by sticking up a bunch of signs, some palm trees, and slapping some logo t-shirts on the extras. When I got down at 11am, they were shooting indoors.

They were supposed to come out around 3pm or so, but that wasn't happening. I was trying to think of what I would do if I actually met Drew, and it occurred to me that I should have her sign something. Luckily, there is a Blockbuster like a block away, so I ran and bought Never Been Kissed in case she did sign something for me. I would have bought The Wedding Singer if they had it. Part of me thought it would have been funny to pick one of her worst movies, like Home Fries, or something for her to sign, especially if I could have been really sincere and told her that it changed my life or something like that.

Finally, around 5pm, they come outside and it is Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. At first, I didn't even realize it was Drew Barrymore. For all the credit she gets for being a real body type and "curvy," the woman is like size -0.

Shooting is not as glamorous as it sounds. Luckily one of the guys in our department was deemed official Pratt photographer, so I name dropped him to be able to take closer pictures for like 5 minutes. But it took them 4 hours to get 3 minutes of footage. At one point I had to leave for a staff meeting and came back to them still shooting the same scene. I mean, I'm sure its exhausting for them to be shooting, but it was exhausting just being a loyal fan!

Ooo, and a real paparazzi snuck onto campus. He totally was trying to play the student part-a baseball cap, a backpack, glasses. He looked like an international student at first glance. Unfortunately, I wasn't fooled considering he had like an $800 super zoom camera and kept swearing as he was taking pictures because Drew was blocked by a tree. And, more unfortunately, neither was security, who escorted him out about two minutes later.

They finally wrapped at 8:00pm. I was hoping Drew would canvas the crowd for some pictures, but she only took one and then ran into a building to change because she was late. Luckily, my RA Santiago is very persistent and decided that he would walk into that building from another entrance just in case.

SOOOO, we do. And downstairs it's just like Drew, some random person, and Justin Long! Drew is in the bathroom, but Justin had just exited and so his hands are literally wet and he's a little sweaty, but it's Justin Long! We asked if we could take pictures with him, and he said YES, so I got a picture! He was actually really nice. He was obviously frayed and tired, but he was still nice. It was me, Santiago, my RA Caitlyn, and two of my pre-college kids. Drew must have heard us from the bathroom though. She walks out and just bolts for it. We ask and she's just like muttering that they are so late and Justin rushes after her. She almost left some stuff behind too (Uggs and crap), but we were very vocal and random girl came back to get them.

So, not quite a quality celebrity interaction, but still cool! And I still believe that Drew is probably a very nice celebrity and we just caught her at the end of a very long day where she (rightly) felt a bit cornered. Anyway, it was still so cool!

Picture spam:

Paparazzi shadeball...can you spot him?

Hi Drew Barrymore! Tiny, right? But gorgeous!

They spent forever setting up for the shots. Btw, I kept waiting for Justin and Drew to canoodle to prove that they are "on again," but nothing. Dang.

I didn't realize I was at Stanford for the summer...

Justin Long, I own an Apple!

Great news!

2009-07-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Two happy things happened today:

1. I finally submitted my IRB proposal!

2. Galina, my friend from grad school, arrived!

Exciting!

2009-07-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today I got this email:

Good Morning,   Be advised that New Line Productions will be filming scenes for an upcoming feature film on the Brooklyn Campus on Monday, July 13, 2009. The film crews will be arriving on campus at approximately 6:00 am on Monday, July 13, 2009. The staging areas for the crews will occur primarily in front of North Hall, Memorial Hall and Main Building and possible extend to the roadway in front of ELJ. Production trucks will be parked along Willoughby Avenue.   The tentative filming schedule is: Exterior scenes in front of Main building and the Courtyard beginning at 6:00 am. Interior scenes in Main Building second floor room 230 and 231 throughout the course of the day.   It is anticipated that this will be a full day of production which will run approximately 12 hours. Security has been advised to restrict vehicles from parking on campus roadways beginning Friday, July 10, 2009 through Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

Friends, what could it be???  My brush with celebrities finally???

Which New Yorker would I be?

2009-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I try to figure out if I was a real New Yorker, what type of New Yorker would I be?

Would I be the theater loving New Yorker who knows not only what shows are out, but follows actors between shows and even goes to see the same Broadway reproduction of Phantom six times to see what each actress brings to the roll of the Christine?

Would I be the maverick New Yorker who knows the cool underground places to go for everything? Where to find the best of everything from used books to cannolis, and places that are off the mainstream blip too?

Would I be the history buff who knows the legacy of each neighborhood and has a membership to the New York Historical Society? Would I track exhibits and historical speakers, hitting up the Met every time something changed display?

I can rule out some NYC versions of me. Obviously, I'm not the really Bohemian artist. Nor am I the power suit off of Wall Street. And I can't stand the Manhattan snobs who never leave the island and never want to.

Well, let me know if you figure it out. Otherwise, I guess we'll just see!

Check Ins

2009-07-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today we checked in 320 high schoolers in to the Pre-College program. Smoothly, but exhausting. Tonight, we did the first set of check ins and EVERYONE was in for their 11pm curfew by 10pm! Hooray!

I'm in the office right now fulfilling my desk shift and eating take out from a Chinese and Mexican food restaurant (yes, combined...weird, I know). The delivery guy rode a bike to get here. Aww, New York.

Can't wait to sleep and then I'm going to tour NBC studios tomorrow before my night shift!

350 high school students in T minus 10 hours...YIKES!

2009-07-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to upload more pictures today but I spent my batteries using my Swiffer Wet Jet to clean my room. Dang.

Happy belated 4th of July to everyone! I hope you all had a terrific holiday. I spent the day enjoying a gorgeous NYC day strolling through Central Park, examining the exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and finally by dipping my toes in the water at Rockaway Beach while watching about 5 different fireworks displays (its so far out that you can see shows across Manhattan and Brooklyn, albeit they were tiny). And by Rockaway Beach, I mean crawling through an opening in a fence I found in an empty lot because I couldn't find a train that went to the nice park portion at 10:00pm at night. Still worth it.

Today we had early move ins, so I woke up early to change out the cores on some door locks (I know, I'm such a badass) and make sure everything was ready to go. We can be up to 15 minutes away when we are on-call, so I went into Lower Manhattan for part of the afternoon to visit the Skyscraper Museum, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and Trinity Chappel. I even got in some thesis time to work on my IRB proposal (which is seriously dusty after a month of neglect).

I can't believe that 350 high schoolers move in tomorrow. Crazy! And this program seems so disorganized. My department is great, but the actual Pre-College staff has no idea which was is north. They were supposed to do a program with the early arrival students but gave us two different times, then were late, and then left before it was done so that my RAs had to clean up. It may be a long summer...

I'll leave on a funny note. Yesterday, while walking through Central Park I saw a man walking his cat, on a leash. And a little boy walked up to me, shot me with a water gun, and then apologized (without his parents prompting). This city is never dull!

Next to Normal? Isn't everyone?

2009-07-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up RA training today. Overall, it went really well and I really like my Pratt staff. They seem like good RAs who brought a lot of enthusiasm and investment to training. I also appreciate that because they are all returners, a lot of our training was a discussion about things like programming and policy violations where we all taught each other and navigated a plan for this summer. Now if only I could freeze time to get some of the not so fun logistic stuff done before Sunday morning!

Today I escaped because I needed to go do something non-Pratt for a while. I went to the New York Historical Society, and then saw Next to Normal. Next to Normal is a musical about a family with a bipolar mother, and it was fantastic.

Some awkward moments from today:

In the span of about five minutes, I saw the following costumed figures in Times Square: two Elmos, one Dora the Explorer, one Spongebob Squarepants, and one Hello Kitty. Three of them were like leaving work and entering the subway in full costume. All of them appeared to hate life.
I got on the wrong subway TWICE trying to get home today. I went a different route than usual to "save time" and instead boarded the right train the wrong direction, and then in my rush to fix that mistake and catch the train before it left, boarded a wrong train entirely. Dang.
I debated about trying to get the Next to Normal cast to sign my playbill, but I'm not good about keeping things so I decided not to. And my camera batteries were dead. So I just stood a little back and decided I wanted to watch the cast exit. The three cute younger men all came out first, so I was just kind of observing and waiting to see if the lead came out too. Anyway, one of the guys was signing autographs like a person in front of me and we made eye contact TWICE and he kind of paused. I think he was waiting for me to give him something to sign, and I just failed. It was slightly embarassing, especially the second time. And he was hot.

Happy fourth tomorrow! There are fireworks somewhere over the Hudson, so I"m going to try to find a good spot to observe!

RA Training!

2009-06-30T19:59:00.001-07:00

Today I got scolded by someone in the office because I didn't leave until 10:30pm. I thought it was funny that he yelled at me because 1.) he was coming back from an RA program which I'm pretty sure is technically working too; 2.) during the "after hours" that I was in the office, I ran into 6 out of 8 staff members; 3.) my direct supervisor confessed to me today that she goes home and checks her work email. I think I need to teach them about life balance!

I have an excuse to be working late because tomorrow is the start of our three day RA training! I'm super excited to meet everyone and to get into the real heart of my internship. I wanted to put in the time to make sure everything would go smoothly since first impressions and training are really important in creating a tone for the rest of the summer. Apparently the last RA staff HATED the RD intern because she was unorganized and condescending. Little do they know that this year we will all be bff (just kidding, though I did burn 15 "Pratt Pre-College Staff '09 Summer Jams" CDs with every RA and RD on staff's favorite summer song). And then my high school kiddies arrive on Monday! Sadly, less time for random NYC adventures, but I may even do more since I tend to be more productive when more is going on...

I'm really beginning to like the department. Since my actual office has no air conditioner, the slowest computer ever built, and is in my very empty residence hall, I've been pilfering work spaces in spaces in the main office. It's actually a really good way to meet people and to get a feel for how the office is. The staff is great, but they aren't overly friendly, so I've found that it is easier for me to make the first effort and reach out. It's kind of weird to have to do that, since I am an intern, but I guess I am just transplanting that west coast "friendliness" with me.

Wish me luck!

NYC Vocab, Lesson 1

2009-06-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Alright friends, you ready to learn some real NYC lingo?

Bodega: corner stores in NYC. These tiny stores often double as a deli with sandwiches, baked goods, etc.

Sinatra Test: you know the line in the song New York, New York that "if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere?" Well, the same idea is widely applicable, including towards prospective job candidates. The idea is that if you have previously dealt with something that is more difficult than what you are currently attempting, you will be successful.

Today, I went to Teddy Roosevelt's birthplace but couldn't go inside the whole thing because I missed the tour time. Maybe tomorrow? I did also check out the Guggenheim Museum:

Want other NYC life lessons?

-Never ever ever try to cut through Central Park as a "shortcut." Well, maybe you can if you actually know where you are going. I went to Phantom of the Opera and I thought it would be quicker to walk through the park to catch the subway line from the Guggenheim to the theater. Except I got really confused and turned around and ended up spending 20 minutes to walk four blocks along the same street I was on (and NOT across the park as planned).

-If you to meet gay men on a Saturday afternoon, apparently they all congregate at the little dock area along the Hudson in the West Village on sunny days tanning and admiring the view of Newark, New Jersey as I discovered while strolling around. The view:

(I always heard terrible things about NJ, but this looked pretty. Who knew?)

-If you want to actually read, take books with you on the subway. I was mad at myself for not doing more reading this summer, so I took my book with me. In between riding trains and waiting for trains, I finished 200 pages in 2 days.

"You are an American legend!"

2009-06-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attempted to fulfill my classy NYC life and went to watch a production of Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera House. I'm a little sad opera isn't during the summer season, especially since it would fulfill my Opera as Literature dreams from my senior English lit seminar. However, just to be in the building was amazing. Swan Lake was also really cool-it took me until the second half to get into it, but it was so beautiful!

Today I tried to get a hair cut unsuccessfully. A rapid lightening and rain storm decided to creep up on an otherwise sunny and nice day, so I got rained into a deli for a while in Greenwich Village. Then I went to see Blithe Spirit tonight on Broadway, which was a play that had Rupert Everett and Angela Lansbury! It was good...very funny!

This is the backstage door to the theater. I waited afterwards with some new friends (weird high school girls who were breaking into hives about the thought of meeting Angela Lansbury...like, really?). Of course, with my luck, neither actor came out and signed the playbill. Which is probably for the best considering that I had shoved mine into my purse with a bottle of water so it was pretty wrinkled and tattered. While waiting, I did come up with this line to say to Angela Lansbury if she signed stuff and took pictures: "You are an American legend." Terrible, right? I hadn't quite figured out Rupert Everett's comment. Something like "I always wanted you to turn out bi on My Best Friend's Wedding so you could end up with Julia Roberts. You kicked Dylan Mulroney's ass in that movie."

Work is going slowly and I swear I'm the most unproductive I've been in a while. I guess the pressure will kick in at some point and I will have to be productive, but so far it's not happening. I still have to submit my IRB proposal! Ack! Maybe next week...

Movie Stars?

2009-06-24T20:53:00.001-07:00

I went out with Shayna and Chris, one of the Assistant Directors, in Clinton Hill today to grab a drink. We were walking back and one of the streets had these weird trailers that I just assumed were for construction. Chris stopped us quietly and told us that they were for actors!

Yup, they were shooting a scene and we walked right by! The actual footage was in a church, so we didn't get to see anything, but I do know that it is for a show called Boardwalk Empire!!! We googled it and it doesn't have anyone super recognizable famous, but how cool is that? AND new friend Chris said that they film often in Brooklyn in our neighborhood. Guess who just got a new hobby?

So exciting!

Busy bee

2009-06-24T16:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess its obvious that the internship is picking up and I no longer have endless amounts of time to meander around NYC. My RA staff starts training on Wednesday of next week and all of my Pre-College students arrive on July 6th, which means that there is a lot to do before then. Tomorrow I'm mapping out our conduct/on-call training and creating room assignments for our 350-ish students.

I'm really excited for RA training and working with this staff. It's exciting to connect with those aspects of Residence Life that I always loved like training, staff development, and programming. I think my greatest frustration right now is that since there wasn't a clear training for my position, I am still trying to figure things out through this muddled mess. I'm looking forward to the moment that all of these things click and I can kick into Genie mode more fully.

Being busy again has helped me to reflect on the idea of work ethic again. I am here to see NYC and have fun, but I am also here to get a valuable internship experience. Those people who only do the bare minimum of things and just try to skate by with the bare minimum kind of drive me nuts. Why did you come? And don't you think that will catch up to you eventually?

Awww, no pictures even with this post! Sadness. But I am going to see Swan Lake tomorrow at the NYC Met Opera House...how classy is that?

Boston and beyond!

2009-06-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday through Saturday was the Nexus NEACUHO conference, a conference for all of the ACUHO-I housing interns in the Northeast region. Shayna and I went with about 20 other interns from primarily the NYC and Boston area (one from Providence) to talk about our internship experiences, professional development, and to network with others in our field. And it was free!

We stayed at Boston College, which is a gorgeous campus that was as far as humanly possible from the bus station. I met a lot of student affairs professionals, mainly from the midwest (me and a San Diego-an represented the west coast). New friends and I walking around Boston during our lone window of free time on Friday night:

Boston seems pretty cool. I'm hoping to head back in August to explore for real.

Shayna and I were roommates during the conference and we became pretty good friends. It is nice to have someone else who gets it, mainly how disorganized this internship is. I haven't been trained in ANYTHING, and I find that I have to be ridiculously persistent to find out what is going on. Also, I hardly ever see my supervisors. I'm used to taking initiative, but it's kind of obnoxious that even though they have interns every year that this is not a more welcoming or cohesive program. Honestly, I don't even think the main office staff remembers me-when I walk into the office they seem confused. And there are only 8 of them in the office plus us 2 summer interns! Yesterday I almost had a melt down when I asked for a copy code and they couldn't find one for me and asked me to come back another day. Sigh...

We went to the Frick Collection this morning, which was this cool independent art collection with lots of famous works. Then we came back and planned RA training (woot woot!), and I'm heading to the office to finish up some other work while I'm on the productive streak...

Verdict says...

2009-06-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

BFF! Shayna turned out to be very cool and I am glad to have an intern friend!

I know, I know, I owe a real post ASAP. It will be my tomorrow project to post about Boston and the real internship details now that I have my to do list (preview: it's a cluster truck. Buckle up.)

Amateur Night at the Apollo

2009-06-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be brief because Shayna (the conferences intern) and I leave early tomorrow for a three day conference in Boston for NEACUHO. We have a four hour bus ride both ways, plus she's my roommate during the conference. Either we will end up as bff after this or that bridge will be burned.

Today I met with Shayna, my immediate supervisor, and the VP for our department who hired me about the Pre-College program. I got a giant to do list, which I actually prefer a ton to the previously nebulous situation. Now that I know what to do, I can go about actually doing it well and creating balance.

Then tonight, I had a ticket to Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem!

The basic premise of Amateur Night is that when someone is performing you can either cheer for them or boo them. If they get too many boos, they get kicked off the stage. Then, at the end, they choose the first, second, third, and fourth place winners to advance.

Two thoughts: 1.) I WISH this principle applied in real life. How awesome would it be if every time someone was just terrible in a meeting or in a class if you could just boo them and someone would escort them away from you? 2.) High school still dominates real life. The first place winners were some "all male group" called Eclipse (like they are effing Menudo or something) that only won because their like eleventh grade class came and cheered for them. Otherwise, they were shiteous. I don't really believe in booing, but believe me friends, I booed when they won. It was rigged! There was this amazing singer who should have won 1st place and 2nd place should have been this kid who did combined dancing the robot with magic (crazy and amazing).

But seriously, it was FANTASTIC. I recommend it!