| |
Brief Travelogue |
 While I wrote a much more extensive
travelogue in private on my trip across the
country, I also made some LiveJournal
updates along the way to let people know where I was and what I was doing it.
The text from that journal is here.
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Jump to :
Pre-Trip | Nashville |
Washington, DC | New York City |
Driving Across the Continent | San Francisco | Los Angeles
| Voyage Home
Just hold your horses
25
Mar 2002 | 12:17pm
For everybody who wants to know, "When are you leaving," you should just check here. It will be sometime at the beginning of April, and I'll announce here when that day comes. Until then, I don't know. When you're talking about a trip around the entire U.S., a few days difference is immaterial anyway.
Want to sleep in God country? Take a number.
28 Mar 2002 |
04:36pm
Mood: aggravated
Music: Oprah episode on Catholic priest
pedophiles.
I just found out that you need to make major reservations ahead of time to sleep in the grand canyon, like four months in advance. You can still hike in the daytime no matter what, but if you want to sleep (which is required to hike long distances), you have to get a permit.
I guess this makes sense. With as many idiots that go hiking thinking, "Oh, that bottle of water from the seven-eleven will last me all day," and then have to be rescued, the regulators need to know who all is out there. It would have been too optimistic to assume the government would let the stupid weed themselves out.
Now if this idiot can just make this trip without killing himself....
Starting countdown..... 10.... 9....
28 Mar 2002 | 05:49pm
Mood: content
Music: The Platters - In the Still of the Night
Advice to anybody else planning a trip like this: Don't plan it, per se. If you try to plan something of this magnitude, it will turn into a logistical nightmare. Just get some reference material that will help you along the way, point in a direction, and start driving.
I have various weapons in the car at my fingertips.... sizable crow bar, choking cable with steel pipe extension, etc. So far, I don't think I'll bring a gun. But I may change my mind at the last minute. I don't want anything that could be too easily used against me.
I'm just waiting for somebody--anybody--to call who can ruin this trip. I'm afraid I will get a call as I'm walking out the door, "We'd like you to fly up for a job interview immediately." Cross your fingers for me! And you can cross your eyes, too.... if you do, take a pic of it for me. It's freaky looking.
First concrete news now available... 8...7...6...5...4..3...
01
Apr 2002 | 07:21pm
Mood: energetic
Music: The sound of Tommy watching
TV in the background
Well, it's official. I now have hostel reservations in the District of Colombia for this Friday to next Thursday. I plan to leave Natchez tomorrow morning.
The motel I wanted to stay at in Tupelo apparently closed down or changed their number. I'll probably just show up in the city tomorrow night and hope somebody takes me.
Woops.... wrong day... great start, huh?
01 Apr 2002 | 07:40pm
Actually, I just realized Friday won't work. I had completely forgotten about Nashville. Tuesday may work better. But the hostel seemed to act like it was really loose and I could change/cancel any time. I'll call them from Tupelo and get it moved (I hope).
My mom and Tommy just commented that my car is so smooth and shiny from being washed and waxed, that it should be able to glide to Tupelo for lack of friction. I figure that if I get it up to 70 on the Natchez trace, it should be able to coast across the state and come to a stop just at the Tupelo city limits. What do you think?
After Tupelo, it's a day of driving to Nashville, spend a couple days there, and then a couple days to Washington. Washington may be my first chance to touch a computer again.
Hmmm... parking....
01 Apr 2002 | 10:33pm
Hmmm... does anybody happen to have info on parking in or just outside of Washington DC? I'll have to leave my car there for about two weeks. I don't mind if it's far away from where I'm staying (1009 11th Street), as I'll only have to leave and come back to it once. It just can't be TOO expensive.
If anybody happens to have experience in this whole parking thing, could you call me at [number deleted]? You can call collect. :)
Music City USA
04 Apr 2002 | 01:34pm
Hello all from Music City (aka Nashville). It's a glistening little city with glass sky scrapers that tower over the quaint historic sites of downtown. I spent today so far walking around downtown Nashville, and got a ticket to the Grand Ole Opry for Friday night. Saturday morning I leave to head towards Washington.
I've completed the journey along the Natchez Trace, stopping to see the little Elvis house/museum/chapel. Along the journey, I nearly ran over two different turkeys, but managed to avoid them. The Elvis site was quite small. I took pictures.
I was able to find a cybercafe to update my journal here (and hopefully find parking information for Washington).
Today I want to walk down music row, where all the country music recording studios reside. There's not much to see there in the way of tours, but I just want to say I walked music row.
Tomorrow, I'll go to Opryland and play in that area all afternoon while I wait for the Grand Ole Opry performance to start.
So far, I haven't gotten lost. Wish me luck.
Poetry Night
04 Apr 2002 | 08:09pm
Mood: contemplative
Music: Beatnick poetry and subtle tunes from a Yamaha keyboard
OK, I'm back at the cybercafe to look up a few more things. Apparently, I stumbled in on poetry night. As I'm typing now, a guy is about to read a poem about a cooking recipe. Ah.... look at this... a cajun dish, no less.
The last guy did a poem of something like 112 words that started with T.
It's a subtle little coffee shop called "Bean Central," near Music Row, I think. Dark oak tables reflect the gentle track lighting above, the plain tile ceiling decorated only by an unlit light fixture resembling a large daisy.
The poet's poems now turn to a blues mood, a thin black man behind him keeping the rhythm steady on his keyboard. The stage is both set off in a corner and the center of the room in this quaint little shop, with red lights calling attention to the microphone and forgiving any imperfections on the poets.
My hot chocolate is slowly turning colder, and the phosphors of the monitor are becoming an undesirable contrast to the surroundings. I think I may stop this entry now, listen to poetry, and watch the Nashville skyline in the distance.
I'll update again when I get to Washington. I think I may have found the parking solution finally.
Now in Washington DC. More to come soon!
09 Apr 2002 | 01:41am
OK, I parked at the metro station, and now my car is at my friend's house here. It stays there until I come back here from New York.
In other news, my web host screwed up again and my web page says that it's under construction. Not good at all. I am about to call and see if I can straighten it out. Grrrr....
I've visited usual DC sites. I'm about to check and see if I can go to a performance in Ford's Theater(where Lincoln was shot).
Cherry blossoms are in bloom here. Got lots of pictures. I'll be in DC until Monday.... then on to New York.
10 Apr 2002|03:46pm
Mood: pleased
Music: Twist and Shout
(Kinko's background music)
I've found the Indian/Pakistani counterpart to Red Flower Chinese food back in Baton Rouge. Lots of yummy food at a cheap price. I wish we had it back home.
Baltimore and Hippies
13 Apr 2002 | 04:41pm
Mood: relaxed
Music: Generic gospel Kinko's background music
Tomorrow, I'm visiting the home town of John Waters, Baltimore. Sanjay and I are taking a little road trip there.
Today, I did laundry and prepared to leave for New York on Monday. I need to go get my train ticket today.
I'm hoping New York will have some more interesting cybercafes than this cultural void they call Washington, and I'll be able to write something more interesting from there.
I met a guy from Indonesia, Wishnoebroto (that's his whole name), and we just went to Washington's Chinatown. He took my picture in front of an old Cathedral, which may very well end up being the only picture of me that I'll have from this trip. Yesterday, I listened to and took pictures of an anti-death-penalty rally in front of the Justice Department, hosted by Amnesty International. It seems the only clean-cut people at these things are the representatives from the NAACP. Everybody else looks like a throwback from the 60's, or just somebody who believes "the man" is behind that whole showering thing, so they refuse to do it.
Start spreadin' the news....
16 Apr 2002 |
04:18am
Mood: sleepy
Music: Bird chirping, cars honking, garbage
trucks garbaging.... I'm now in New York. Arrived last night.
I really love this town so far, even though I've only seen a few blocks of it. I think I could live here, for sure.
17 Apr 2002 | 12:19am
Mood: drunk
Music: The Wall Street
Journal shuffling papers in the background
I spent today walking around parts of New York. I went to Times Square and Wall Street. I even saw the famous bull on Wall Street.
Tonight, I went out to see New York night life with my friend, Johonna, and her brother. I told her, "I feel like New York was always my home, and I've just always been away." She said basically that I took the words right out of her mouth for what she felt when she first came here.
I really need to figure out a way to move here. Hmmm....
I looked out over the Ground Zero area today. I couldn't see very much. But.... still.... to see a whole section of such a dense city ripped out like that.... it leaves an unbelievable emptiness in your heart. One of the nearby sky scrapers was still draped in a black veil. It looked as if it were mourning.
The people of New York are neither rude, nor dangerous. I feel safer on the night streets of Manhattan than I do most other places, perhaps only because there is so much activity. The people, while rushed, are very friendly. If you catch them at a moment where they have nothing else to do, they can be extraordinarily accommodating.
New York is a city where I almost want to sleep on the streets instead of my bed just to be closer to the action. I fell in love within five minutes after stepping foot off the train, and the sentiment has gotten only stronger since.
17 Apr 2002 | 02:11am
Mood: jubilant
Music:
Vietnamese-speaking guys playing a card game very loudly
New York Update:
I was hungry at 2:00 in the morning, so I walked across the street. And bought a huge sandwich. Freshly made. To my specs. For $2.75. At 2-o-fucking-clock in the morning.
I love New York.
17 Apr 2002 | 07:15pm
I went through the Guggenheim museum today, as well as Grand Central Station. Tomorrow I'll tackle the Whitney.
One criticism I have about New York is that they don't understand this whole air conditioning thing. I'm here during a warm spell, and very few buildings have a/c. And the ones that do have the vents in really terrible places. I don't think they have any a/c expertise here.
Changing ivory to bronze
18 Apr 2002 | 02:15am
Mood:
content
Music: The lone a/c unit, working its little compressor away
I looked at all the people in a crowded subway car today and realized something monumental:
I'm not short in New York.
I'm of average height. In the minority areas, I'm even a bit on the tall side, if you can believe that.
One of the things I promised myself was that before I got home from this trip, I'd have finally resolved the body image issues that have plagued me for so long. I guess hanging around the business school at LSU, where every guy is a 6'4", 220 lbs bronze blonde god, hasn't helped me too much. But here, the city is so diverse.... I don't look different. I don't feel different. I'm not weird or the least bit abnormal here. I'm just another one of the infinitely diverse individuals.
Tonight, I got invited to a party that's three weeks away. I told the guy and his girlfriend that invited me that I wouldn't be here then, and that I wish I wasn't leaving.
"Then don't leave," they said.
But with no job and a rent of $1,800/month for a tiny studio apartment, that is, of course, easier said than done. :-)
I feel healed in this city. I feel better about myself. And about the world.
18 Apr 2002 | 04:04am
Mood: drained
Music: Chinese techno
Oh, and one more thing....
Inside Manhattan really isn't very dangerous. I feel safer here than most places. I just walked alone in the middle of New York back here, which sounds like such a horrible thing. But it's not. People are everywhere. You never walk anywhere alone.... everybody else is walking with you.
But I'm guessing areas outside Manhattan are a bit more risky.
I also got a little Polish lady to take my picture with a tall guy and his parrot in the subway. I'm hoping that one turns out well.
The subways are such a nice place... such colorful and interesting people. I spent a whole ten minutes talking to a guy about the use of color in Chinese advertising on his shopping bag from Shanghai. And believe it or not, it was actually a real conversation that had substance and everything.
I'm jealous of all the people who had the opportunity to grow up here.
20 Apr 2002 | 10:22am
Mood: determined
Music: Mexicans
throwing a baby shower
Adventure is trying to get a prescription from another pharmacy filled in Spanish Harlem. Walking the streets of New York alone at night
20 Apr 2002 | 09:14pm
The following are notes to myself on pictures I took. No need to read unless you're incredibly bored.
Note to self:
When you develop film, you will find a picture of a building with a "Madison Square Garden" sign in it. This is the EIB building.... the sign in the pic is just to distinguish it from any other random sky scraper. Another picture note:
The Chinese guy playing a weird looking fiddle in the New York subway was really talented, and you bought his CD for $8.
Yet another:
The random empty subway pic is meant to be changed to
black and white.
Tentative Travel Schedule
21 Apr 2002 | 12:18am
Mood: awake
Music: Generic latino pop
OK, here is my TENTATIVE Projected Schedule of where I'll be when for the remainder of the trip. It can and almost certainly will vary from this.
April 22: Leave New York
April 23-24: Drive to St. Louis
April 26: Leave St. Louis
April 27-May 2: Drive to Salt Lake City, stop by
Boulder somewhere in there
May 5: Leave Salt Lake City
May 6-7:
Driving to San Francisco
May 13-14: Leave San Francisco, Drive down
California coast
May 20-21: Leave Los Angeles, Drive
May 22-26: Las
Vegas and Grand Canyon
May 27 and Beyond: Head back to Baton Rouge,
probably there by June 2, which would put my trip at exactly two months
I'm doing my best to have one weekend in whatever cities I know people.
So people, don't worry.... I actually am leaving New York, contrary to what some people apparently believe. I've had offers to stay here with people and everything, but I know it's just not feasible right now. Plus I have to finish this trip. Who knows, maybe I'll like the midwest even more. I'm freaky like that.
21 Apr 2002 | 12:33am
As I'm writing this, NYPD just came into this massive cybercafe I'm in to break up a potential gang riot. This is so cool.... all the action. And I can watch it all from just a few yards away with an iced mudslide to drink.
There must be like 12 armed officers in here by now.... they keep bringing in more backup from all over Times Square.
Oh oh, there they go.... taking the trouble makers outside now. Looks like a few "peace keepers" are lagging behind just in case there's an aftershock.
Lovin' New York.... love it love it love it.
The hostel I'm in is just South of Harlem, and just West (across Central Park) of Spanish Harlem. So they all kind of converge on where we are, and we get this whole little ethnic stew where everybody's so friendly and interesting.
Goodbye, New York
22 Apr 2002 | 06:35am
Mood: grateful
Music: Birds chirping in anticipation of dawn
This will probably be my last entry before I begin my trek toward the West Coast. I'm not sure where along the way I'll get some Internet access.
Before I leave, let me pass along a joke an Indonesian told me:
What do you call someone who can speak two languages?
Bilingual
What do you call someone who can speak three languages?
Trilingual
What do you call someone who speaks only one language?
American
I'm Alive
26 Apr 2002 | 10:06pm
And let me tell you about Kansas.
Cows. Lots and lots of cows.
I'm in Boulder now.... just stopped by to visit Miranda. I'll go to Fort Collins tomorrow to get some quality photoCD film development. Then it's off to Salt Lake City and the West coast.
Argh!
27 Apr 2002 | 06:23pm
Mood: annoyed
Music: Some
sports thing on the radio.
I managed to get to Fort Collins and finally actually find the photo developing address I was looking for.
It's not there. Instead, I was greeted by Allstate Insurance. So, a whole day was generally spent trying to find an Allstate office.
I got the new address now, but they won't be open until Monday, and I probably shouldn't hang around here that long. So I guess I'll end up mailing it all there when I get back to Baton Rouge.
My heart just made it to San Francisco
01 May 2002 | 06:07pm
OK, people. I decided to skip Salt Lake City. Instead, I spent a few days wandering the deserts of Utah and Nevada. Beautiful scenery out there. Did you know this country actually has Sand Dunes in some places? I had no idea.
I went through planes and mountains and valleys. I drove all the way up and down on mountain roads, through pine forests and snow caps. I drove down long, straight desert roads. I drove in the rain and in the snow. My vehicle hates pulling its weight up
and down mountains, but loves off road terrain. I think I heard it whimpering as we drove away from the sand dunes. I drove through places so isolated that when you press "Seek" on your car radio, it just keeps cycling through all the frequencies over and
over without end. So, this explains why I never called anybody or updated anything during that time. I was far away from any civilization but a few tiny towns that derive their whole economy from charging whatever the hell they want for gas.
Anyhoo, I'm now in San Francisco, until at least this weekend. Then I'll start heading down to LA. I'm almost a week ahead of schedule from skipping Salt Lake City and jipping St. Louis, so I have some room to play.
I hate driving in San Francisco. Somebody needs to introduce the idea of straight roads and even lanes to these people.
Vegans running amok
01 May 2002 |
10:57pm
I know many of my friends have that vegetarian and/or vegan eating disorder. Well, let me just say that you'd feel right at home here. The special at the hostel tonight was vegetarian curry, with the option to purchase "vegan treats" for dessert. I don't know what exactly these snacks were, but they looked like beige, crusty brownies. The curry was bland, and I added loads of hot sauce that was "straight from Louisiana."
I hope the rest of the city has meat. I can do vegetarian for a day or two, but after that, my body starts to crash hard.
Believe it or not, I'm starting to get something akin to a tan on my arms and face. Driving around the desert with a sunroof open works wonders.
San Francisco Climate
02 May 2002 | 01:57pm
Eek.... it's all overcast and cold and windy out there, and it constantly looks like it's about to rain. I'm kind of stuck inside, or at least somewhat close to the hostel.
I hope tomorrow is better. It's the last full day I'll probably have here.
Aside from the temporary situation with the clouds and all, I'm not too fond of San Francisco so far. It is a pretty city, for sure. Kind of like the American version of Paris. But it just seems.... so.... fake. Everything is too manicured and contrived. That, and the place is infested with hippies on every corner.
Vegetables coming out my ears
02 May 2002 | 07:49pm
Mood:
amused
Music: A guy behind me talking about the psychology of marriage
Today's special: Vegetarian Chilli. Ugh.
The cafe here is owned by a guy in his 60's who calls me "love." I've heard him refer to another guy as "hun," but I'm not sure if the distinction is relevant.
He has a new assistant who's slowly--very slowly--trying to learn to count out change. The assistant seems to have nothing that qualifies him for the job. Except a gorgeous smile.
I wonder how all these facts piece together. Hmmm....
03 May 2002 | 04:42pm
More picture notes. No need to pay attention unless you're bored.
The picture of the statue from below with the sky in the background is of a congressman that saved the park overlooking the Golden Gate bridge from being developed commercially.
The girl making a strange pose between the legs of the statue was practicing yoga formations for a good hour (most of that time NOT between the legs of the statue). She must have been incredibly thin to fit between the legs.
04 May 2002 | 10:13am
I'm leaving on the three day journey to LA along the California coast now. I feel emaciated and weak.... I lost like 80 lbs or something like that. OK, maybe not quite 80. But it's close!
I sure hope PETA hasn't succeeded in ridding EVERY place along the coast that has meat. I need real food.... pork.... chicken... cow's blood... anything!
*cough, cough*
I'm fading......................
05 May 2002 | 03:28pm
Mood: giggly
Music: Blonde
California girl typing next to me
I'm now in Santa Barbara celebrating Cinco de Mayo with the locals. Tomorrow it's on to Santa Monica in the City of Angels.
Eight rolls of film and counting! I don't want to know how much this will cost to get put on CD.
I'm now in beautiful Los Angeles, and will be here probably until Sunday. After that, I'll be heading to Las Vegas for a few days, and then toward home.
06 May 2002 | 10:07pm
I crawled down the street of Los Angeles, barely strong enough to stand. I looked to each side of the street constantly in desperation, hoping somebody--anybody--could help me.
Finally, it caught my eye.... an image of Saint Mary in a store window that looked like it came right out of a cathedral. I stared into her eyes for a moment and then looked into the store. This was it.... it was, in fact.... a burger joint run by Mexicans.
I crawled in and a large, motherly Mexican woman gazed at me. "What happened," she exclaimed. "Who did this to you?!"
I lifted up my head as best I could and uttered, "I just came from Northern California.... San Francisco."
"Pedro," she called out. "Hurry! It's an emergency!"
A little man with a large mustache ran out. "What is it, Mama?!"
"He needs the meat pronto! Pronto, pronto! He just came from San Francisco!"
Pedro jumped and ran back to the kitchen. "Hold on, my little friend," he called out. "Help is on the way!"
Mama held me as I quivered under the small shrine to Santa Maria. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up to the figurine. "Why, Maria? Oh, why?"
Several minutes later, Pedro rushed back out of the kitchen with a plate in his hand. On that plate sat the most beautiful thing in the world.... a large burger, dripping grease on the floor, overflowing with meat and fresh vegetables.
"Is it.... is it real beef," I asked.
"Real beef," said mama. "We even injected the cows with hormones."
"And... and... those vegetables." I kept staring. "What's wrong with them? They're so... so... so green."
"Si," said Mama. "They come from my brother's farm. He uses pesticides that haven't been legal in your country since the 50's."
I began to cry. "Oh mama! You have saved me!" I wept into her breast.
"We have time to thank later, little one," she whispered. "Now you must eat."
I ate with Santa Maria smiling down at me. Mama signed the cross as she looked on lovingly. "Are you OK now," Mama asked.
"I am now, Mama. I am now."
10 May 2002 | 02:19pm
I'm still here. Two days ago, I went down to San Diego with a friend who lives here, and we went kayaking yesterday. That was fun. I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I'd be.... just my abs feel a little worn. My arms feel fine.
I estimate that I will arrive in Vegas on the 14th, stay there about three days or so, and then go home.
Schedule Update
10 May 2002 | 09:45pm
Mood: lonely
Music: Bluesy soft-rock stuff with female vocals
Alright people, here is solid schedule info that should shed some light on when I'll make it back home.
I'll be in Vegas from May 13th-16th. After that, I'll start driving home, which should take under a week, even if I take my time. I may play around those middle-of-nowhere spots in Texas, but not for weeks on in. One could reasonably expect me to be back in Baton Rouge by around the 23rd, though I'm making no guarantees.
I'll probably be ready to go home by then.
At any rate, I'm having a pretty good time in Los Angeles. I could live here, though it wouldn't be my first choice. It's still just a little too West coast for me. Although I have to say I'd love living near the beach.
I'm going to try to make it to Hollywood tomorrow. Then I'm leaving for Vegas this Sunday.
Anybody want me to bring anything from LA or Las Vegas, speak now or forever hold your peace.
About 8,400 miles later....
20 May 2002
| 03:12pm
Mood: indescribable
Music: Children playing in the pool
I began the day with Texas cacti and ended it with the swampland I call home. As I drove closer to Louisiana, the trees crept further toward the interstate, until they all crowded each other to witness this strange Louisiana anomaly called pavement. After
spending days in the Southwestern deserts, I liked seeing plant life that looked like it was growing just to try to keep up with the excessive water supply. The sun melted over the swamp behind me just long enough for me to see the State capital building
in Baton Rouge towering over the humble cityscape. For the first time, my radio presets found their designated stations again, and through no intentions of my own, the song "Calling Baton Rouge" came through the speakers. I grinned at the irony as the swamp snuffed out the last of the sun.
I kept a travelogue while I was gone that nobody saw. I kept it on my faithful Palm, and it has been safely transferred to my home computer. As far as what I will do with this travelogue, I really don't know yet. I don't even remember what I wrote for most of it. Perhaps I will integrate it here into my journal (which desperately needs more content). Perhaps I'll polish it up and make a mini-book. Or perhaps I'll keep it for prosperity and never let anybody read about the things I saw and the people I met. I need to read everything I wrote, which will be no easy task for a slow reader like myself, and then think about how I want to handle it.
At any rate, I am home safe, and I had a spectacular journey that most can only dream of. This country, its land, and its people, are far more wondrous than anybody ever wrote. My short trek between the coasts could not begin to discover this thing we call "America." I wrote so much of what I saw and did, but could express so little of what this country meant to me along the way. I can tell you about running shirtless in the sleet in an otherwise dry desert, or talking face-to-face to a sea lion, or watching college students cry out against their government on its most sacred grounds, or listening to a century-old woman who spent her few remaining breaths on a Manhattan street playing a harmonica for food. But my telling them could never accomplish as much as the painters of the West or the writers of the Mississippi. Those artists, who tried so passionately and skillfully to express what I'm feeling right now, made such expert pursuits, but failed so miserably in fully expressing the beauty and diversity of this land. They possessed far more ability than I.
All I can muster after an experience like this are three words: "I saw America."
Final Entry
10 Jun 2002 | 03:11am
OK, guys. I finally got my real travelogue online, and have a little site dedicated to my trip.
Thank you all for watching, and anybody who's interested in doing something like this should drop me a line! There is nothing in the world like it!
The site: Finding America
Last updated 2002-08-26 at 18:30 GMT Copyright © Van Goodwin, 2002 Contact Van