Scotland

Lose the watch, dude…

Well an already long 12hr bus ride turned into an even longer 15hr bus ride, teaching me a very important lesson about British busses—never, ever, even for a little bit, believe the bus driver when he tells you how long your trip will take. I felt for a bit like I was in Africa or India or something…you’re going to get where you need to go eventually, but just don’t look at your watch while you’re in transit. Ok, so comparing it to India might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was frustrating for sure. The upside was I got to catch up on sleep, which was definitely good.

Good Times…

We’ve been having a lot of fun—the weather has held for the most part, with just the occasional bit of rain here and there. The people here are super cool—it’s definitely a change of pace from London. The outdoors are much more accessible here, so we’ve been exploring the town (which dates back to the 1400’s), camping on the beach (which was a bit cold, but totally worth it), and just lazing around. I’ve been catching up on some reading (Kerouac, who has proven to be a very fitting companion), and recharging my batteries for a full assault on Edinburgh. I’ve done some research on it, and it sounds like a super cool city—very artsy, and it sounds like they have a pretty close-knit community. There’s a university in the town too, so there should be plenty of people my own age. I have my hopes up for sure, so we will see how it goes.


The Pound is Killing Me…

I just took a look at my bank account and added up my expenses sense I’ve been here—it’s a bit shocking how expensive it is to travel here…I feel like I’ve been very good about my spending habits, but the pound will be my demise if I’m not careful. I will feel good when I get a job and start earning pounds, it’ll be nice to be on a bit more of a level playing field.

Well that is the lowdown for now. It’s back to hostel living for me for a bit, but hopefully I’ll like Edinburgh and be able to settle down…Wish me luck.

Goodbye London!

Just so this is in context, I wrote this a few days ago on the bus ride from London to St. Andrews… I’ve been without wireless internet for the past couple of days, hence the delay. Wireless is proving to not be as popular as it is back home, but I did just recently find out that Seattle is one of the top three places in the US to get wireless. Regardless of the internet situation, I have still been writing, so you have some reading to keep you busy for a bit.

Well, I’m on a bus headed up to Scotland as I’m writing this…going far, far away from London.

London’s a crazy city let me tell ya. It’s ridiculously big and so expansive; it’s really quite overwhelming once you wrap your mind around it, and even that takes a couple days. It’s also impossible to get around easily if you don’t know it—the tube is expensive, but very straight forward, but hit the streets and it’s a whole ‘nother ball game. Coming from NYC, I thought I had the big city thing all wrapped up, but turns out that was just the minor leagues—London is the big time. The streets have no logical course or direction; the words “total chaos” comes to mind. It felt like I spent my whole time in London going in giant circles around where I wanted to be. Thank god for the A-Z (pronounced A to Zed), a map of London in a small book with a giant index that contains every single street, courtyard, etc…I would have been totally screwed so many times without it.

I did get to see some cool stuff in the past couple of days: Islington is super cool, it kinda flies under the radar tourist wise, so it was quiet and quirky—lots of small funky shops, etc. Camden was a BIG touristy version of Islington—hundreds of small shops, huge street markets (your #1 source for $10 Gucci sunglasses and other knockoff designer wear), and quirky restaurants. There were also quite a few record shops that were super cool. There were actually real LPs from all genres, and some cool rare mixes that were awesome.

So that was my London experience. It was not as grand as I thought it was going to be—maybe I set my expectations a bit too high, but I don’t really think so. I just never felt like I connected to it on any level—I know that takes time in any city, but I’ve been to other cities where I’ve been at least comfortable. Maybe I tried to see too much, too fast, or maybe it’s just a case of small town boy meets big city. Who knows. I’ll give it another chance, but for now, I’m going to check out other parts of Britain…

…Starting with Edinburgh, which is actually all the way up in Scotland. I have a friend going to St. Andrews, so I’ll been visiting her all weekend. Should be fun, and the weather is supposed to be good, so maybe I’ll get a taste of fresh air!

A day late, nothing short

This report is from yesterday as I couldn't find reliable internet yesterday, and don't have time tonight. I'll combine today and tomorrow next time and be all caught up, don't even worry about it.

London, hell yeah!

So after the loooong trip from the plane through the airless airport and tube (subway), I walked out into the—yes hold your breath—SUNSHINE of England! Icing on the cake, I say. I said a “London, hell yeah” to myself on the street and started my day. I decided to get all of the touristy stuff out of the way today, leaving me two full days for real exploring. I first hit the V and A museum—an alarmingly vast and 99% free treasure trove of all kinds of art. From ancient glass bottles to modern architecture to delicate textiles to life size plaster replicas of Michelangelo’s “David” and on and on. Every time I got tired of being there, I’d turn to go out the door and stumble on another incredible exhibit. Did I mention it was free? Incredible. From there, I braved the fanny packs and camera phones and went to more classic London tourist stops: I walked through Hyde park to Buckingham Palace, cruised down to see Big Ben, hopped on the tube and saw London Tower and London Bridge. After that I walked into the city and saw St. John’s Cathedral. Whew. Glad it’s out of my system. I’m looking forward to seeing the “real” London tomorrow.

Hyde Park is beautiful!


Big Ben with the quintessential and ubiquidous (ha! Two big words in one sentence!) doule decker bus.

London Bridge

I ate here, it was a classic English pub.

Red Eye O' Rama

Here at last!

After a long flight, I am finally here. It feels so good let me tell ya. The flight went pretty well—I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, wasn’t hassled at security, and was able to use the free airport internet to nail down some last minute things. My seatmates were “interesting”: To my right was a couple that had a series of “nothing fights” (“get your arm off the armrest” “No. I was here first, that’s the rule” “Oh stop, just take it off” “NO. I said I was here first…”). The lady was also a fabulous critic of the in flight magazine; notable quotes were “look at the smile on that lady, so fake…can you believe it? They all have such fake smiles” and, “Can you believe that sculpture, what a bloody piece of crap, must have been cheap”. The woman to my left was quiet enough, but I spent the night fighting a silent battle for armrest space. In the end, I didn’t sleep a wink, looks like I have a long day of doppios ahead of me. I really need to get my act together and figure out what I want to do today. I think I’ll spend the morning in the Kensington/ Chelsea area, take a short nap at the hostel, then head across town to The City to check out some of the super touristy stuff. Or I could just head north, and check out some of the art galleries, or check out some ideas I have for places to live and work, or spend the day strolling around the many local parks. The possibilities are endless…I have London at my fingertips…I must go. Later.

Just Chillin'

So yesterday we drove north to the country to visit my uncle and his family. It’s always nice going out there—it’s super rustic; the air is clean, there is lots of wildlife, etc. My uncle just finished building his house out of materials he harvested from his 60 acres. It turned out very nice. He also is raising a flock of sheep—please see the pictures below.

Today was pretty mellow: hung out with family again, and then drove back down to my Grandma’s. Tomorrow is the Big Day!! I don’t fly out until 8pm though so I’ll have plenty of time in the morning to sleep in and get my stuff together. I’m super stoked, next post will be from London!

This was a classic New England Church we saw on the way up.

A picturesque farm we saw on the way up.


We were there for feeding time, the sheep came running from all over when the heard us with the food.

They were anxious to get to the food, I guess.

This guy was pretty friendly.

The ram was huuuge, and check out his horns!

Rollin'

I did a lot of driving today, which was ok because I got to borrow my grandma's super sweet car. I Went up and visited family north of my grandma’s, then continued 2.5hrs further north and am currently staying with my Mom’s family. It’s beautiful up here. I guess the fall foliage isn’t as brilliant as it usually is, but it sure looks nice to me. Tomorrow I head further north to visit more family, so I am really making the rounds.
I’m getting more and more excited about getting over to Europe, it’s going to be good times for sure. Going to NYC by myself gave me a nice bit of confidence, and now I can see that I will be able find/ fake/ forge my way around just fine when I’m across the pond. Last night, my grandma's friend from London came over for dinner and gave me the insider scoop on where to go and what to see; and not just in London, but all of England! Needless to say I am stoked. I also have a bit more direction now, which is nice.

And now, just to drag this out a bit longer…more NYC pictures!!!

This super cool globe was outside of Trump Tower, on the south (I think) side of Columbus Circle.


And this is Columbus Circle, the picture is a bit blurry, but you get the idea.


















The Café of the Day is this place. It’s cool because it’s underground.














The garden of the day is this one. Another one of those cool inner city community project deals.

I took this because I liked the way the street looked, but I think the dude pushing the cart across the street really makes it.

Chillin'

Another relaxing day: I slept in a bit, played some more pool (it’s great to get some practice in before I hit the pubs of England), ran errands, helped grandma with chores. The weather is still nice, the beach is still beautiful, and I am enjoying every last ray of sunshine knowing that there will be many rainy days ahead. Tomorrow I am borrowing my grandma’s car and heading up to see more family in VT. Should be fun, and it'll be nice to see the foliage.

More Pictures…
That’s right there are more, and here you go…
New Yorkers apparently love their gardens, and as mentioned before that is fine by me. Here's a couple:


This is a cool boulevard on the Hudson that looked new. I definitely got a wierd look from the dudes in the foreground when I took the picture.

Seems to me like a New Yorker motto is, “if it doesn’t look good, hide it with plywood and ads” see below:



These I just like:

Recovery

I’m Sore. And yes I mean that with a capital S. At least I got a great night of sleep last night and have had good meals all day today. Today was pretty mellow: played pool with my grandma, checked out the fall foliage, went to the beach. It was a perfect day of recuperation. I went through my bag today and tried to get rid of stuff. The best I could manage was a sweater, a tee shirt and a magazine. I’m bummed. I am going to have a smaller bag sent to me, so hopefully that will shift the load around so that is easier to carry. I’m stretching it here, I know.

Pictures!!!

Yes I downloaded pictures so you can all see what I saw, only it won’t be as cool. Sorry.

Thought this cafe looked cool.

I really like the colors of the apartments, if I didn't have to stand in the middle of the road to take the picture, it could have been better.

This dude was just chillin' in the middle of the sidewalk in the sun. People walked around him. Looked nice.

Thats all the pictures for now. I'll post more when I get them sorted.

Takin' a Bite From the Big Apple

SoHo Rocks…

Took the subway south to Houston and Broadway for some exploring. First on the list was SoHo, which as mentioned before, rocks. Small cobbled streets, tall brick buildings posh shops, and quaint cafes all added to the very Euro atmosphere. I stopped in on a very cool art exhibit by the Artist-Craftsman Alliance of New York. The Alliance is essentially an artist cooperative, which I am all about. I think I was the first person to view the exhibit, even the curator said she hadn’t had a chance to look at the collections.

Tourist Trap

I was excited to see Little Italy, and, unfortunately, Little Italy was all too happy to see me. The many, many tour busses were my initial tip off, but I chugged on, hopping to see something really Italian. You know, like a Truman Capote or at least a Euro cologne shop or a pair of tight jeans, or someone speaking Italian. Instead I saw gift shops, wood fire pizza and super expensive Italian restaurants, and…tourists. I checked it off my list and continued on to Chinatown.

It's What's for Dinner...

The Chinese really do eat anything. Especially if it comes from the sea—turtles anyone? Dried squid? Fish heads? Giant snail things? You know what else is weird about Chinatowns worldwide, and I am convinced that this is a worldwide phenomenon, is they all smell the same. I can’t even place it, but if you have been to one, you know what I’m talking about. Chinatown seemed to stretch on forever, and even seemed to be engulfing Little Italy in places. There is also a very funny commentary about Chinatown here.

*Now with pictures!*

Here's some pictures to better illustrate what I'm talking about food-wise; just think about talking a biiiggg juicy bite of these things...










My Pack is too heavy.

That’s really all I have to say, I will have to work on figuring out what I don’t need. I didn’t pack a TON, but it’s just a bit heavy to be carrying around day after day. Of course the most glaring excess is my laptop, which besides adding weight to my pack adds a security liability. It is VERY convenient though, so I think I will suffer its weight in silence. The good thing about having a heavy pack in NYC is you are forced to stop once in a while. For me this meant I got to people watch at a few of the cool inner city parks, which seem to be everywhere. Definitely earns Will’s Seal of Approval.

Did someone say art?

I think the Chelsea district did. After a very cheap and very tasty lunch at the Chelsea Market (used to be the Oreos factory), I headed up to the Chelsea art district. There is a cumulative twelve blocks of art galleries. Seriously, and that is a conservative estimate. There is everything from Andy Warhol to Student exhibitions. I was impressed for sure. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and didn’t see even half of what is there.

Central Park…in the dark.
So yeah it was dark by the time I made it up to central park. So it was kinda sketchy. I pussed out and just walked along the main drag through the park. However, it was super cool to see the hundreds of dedicated cyclists and runners getting in some after work exercise. It was a really nice evening, but it still blew me away at the amount of people out there. I actually got in quite a workout of my own as I got lost and had to find my way back to the subway so I could make my train out of the city. It all worked out in the end, but I am super tired and very sore right now. Think I’ll call it a night.

Touch down...

Fun With New York’s Mass Transit...

So I get off the plane and realize that I need to get out of the airport. After quickly and efficiently learning that I need to take the AirTrain to the E subway, I start following signs. But then they stop, and I’m left to spin circles on the sidewalk until I spot the terminal wayyyy over on the other side of the airport. Whatever. Getting on the subway was no problem, except that we were stopped waiting for other trains for probably 45min. That sucked. What didn’t suck was I got to my hostel no problem, and found the room to be super clean with its own bathroom.

And Rock and Roll….

What also didn’t suck was I went to a concert last night. I just walked three blocks out of my hostel and, just as I was wondering what to do with myself, I saw a sign on Madison Square Gardens for Franz Ferdinand. I haaaad to go inside and find out when it was; and, as they say, the rest is history. They rocked all night, playing songs from their first and second album, as well as a 4 or 5 song encore in which they went nuts…there were three people on drums at on point (the stage hands helped out) and they really seemed to be enjoying what they were doing.

All for now, Will

And I'm off...

Well I haven’t updated this blog for a while, but now I’m off so hopefully you should be hearing more from me now.

Yes that’s right, you heard me, I’m off. You, my reader, have a front row seat as I am sipping black airline coffee while writing this from the cruising altitude of a Boeing 757 headed to JFK. I’ll have a one-week layover on the east coast to visit NYC, family, and make the 8hr time change a bit easier to handle. Then next week I will head over to London with my 6 month work permit and see if I can’t make a living for myself over there, and have a bit of fun while I’m at it.

The Bad, The Good, and the wonders of airport security….
Yeah so I got to the airport and get in line for my ticket. All is good. I then realize that the automated check-in lines are moving much faster than mine, so I move over. I proceed to get into the slowest line, only to learn that I can’t check in because I have an International flight. OK. Back over to the other line. Of course I’m standing next to the screaming baby (and complimentary screaming mother). However, the Gods of Airline Travel rewarded me for my efforts with a front exit row window seat, so it was all worth it. Proceed to “security” where my backpack and I were selected at random to be searched “extra special”. After first trying to give my bag and laptop to another traveler, they scanned my bag no less than three times, and confiscated my lighter. They then scanned me, and after checking underneath the waistband of my pants for whatever you hide under the waistband of your pants, they let me go, though it seemed to me this was only because there was a supervisor yelling at all the workers to hurry up, and keep the line moving. What a clusterfuck. Oh well, the rest of the trip to the aircraft was uneventful… More later, Will