Day: Saturday 29th January
Well, the end of the trip is nigh.
I checked out & went to the supermarket to buy a bunch of american candy for my friends back home.
I went to a sports shop & got rid of all my left over american dollars on some new snowboarding pants - very good quality, but probably not the best deal. Oh well, i got rid of the $$ in my wallet.
Then caught the flight from Denver to LAX. The flight was good cos it was upgraded with the free voucher i got at Xgames. So they gave me a free snack, free TV usage, a comfier seat and preferential boarding time.
Waited in LAX airport then for my flight at midnight...boring airport that one. Not even internet to use.
Since I couldnt check in online I got drafted with a window seat on a full flight which kinda sucked...but just by stroke of luck i sat next to an orthodontist and the guy who manufactures dental equipment. The guy who did the equipment actually decked out Griffith Uni and all the dental chairs there which was pretty funny. They were cool people and they gave me contact details of one of their dental hygienist friends up in mt.gravatt whom they think might know people to help me look for a job. You never know but its insanely lucky if that results in a job for me.
Landed in Bris & caught the train & got picked up by sabrina and nirmani. Had a quick shower & julian came & said hi & picked me up & we went around to louwen's new place where we just played a bit of xbox. Came home & started getting things ready for a bit of a party but i fell asleep I was soo tired. Slept right through everyone coming over and only woke up at about 6am! Coming back home to a bunch of friends was great & made the return home much easier though lol.
I guess another party will have to come soon then :)
What an awesome trip I had. Probably the best I've ever had so far. The people I met & the luck that seemed to follow me around was just soo good. I can easily see myself going to live for a working holiday some point in the future. If not for the American life, then more so for the friends ive made and the mates over there. Proof once again, that it's the people that make or break a place. We shall see.
Until next time,
Blog signing off & thanks for reading!
:)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Day 60: Goodbye Aspen, Hello Denver my Old Friend
Day: Friday 28th January
WARM
Woke up with hardly a hangover as I didnt drink and basically started packing my bags. Said goodbye to my aussie mate & added him to facebook - maybe we'll go boarding somewhere someday you never know (<3 Facebook).
I caught the buses to Glenwood springs as it was the only place the greyhounds went through & then just waited for my greyhound. It was over an hour late and was absolutely packed and I swear it had 90% smokers and low socioeconomic groups lol. Not a pleasant bus drive back to denver.
Checked in back at the same hostel - I had the 8 bed dorm to myself which was nice.
I chatted to a few friends and booked my flights & shuttles for tomorrow. The company I flew with were giving away free promo cards at the X-Games so I got a full-featured ticket (i.e fully refundable, free baggage, extra leg room, free seat selection, free food) for only $200 compared to the non discounted 280.
The plan is to catch an afternoon flight from denver direct to LAX where I can just go across to the international terminal for my flight back to brisbane at midnight rather than staying a night in LAX.
I rang up Arya again to let her know I was no longer coming & she got a new job working for Apple Computer which was really cool. Ryan would be stoked. She's definitely coming to stay with us in Australia!
I cleaned up and got a pizza for dinner before going to the clubs near by and getting the entry stamps & ID checked so I could get back in later & sussed out who was playing. None of them really seemed that great until I went back to the first place. It was about 11:30 now, and it still wasnt that busy, but they were playing the music that me & ryan had just been fully into during my stay there. Basically it's Electro dance music, but everynow and then it will build up and drop into a really heavy dirty crazy sounding electro dance. It sounds very cool. Anyways, me & ry thought we'd just stumbled upon a fairly obscure kind of genera and yet here in Denver it's actually one of the citys with one of the biggest scenes of it. So here I was at this club playing some of my most favourite music that I'd been into. I wasnt drinking on account of the flight(s) the next day but I didnt need to. I had such a blast. The crowd was insane & got right into it. Such another stroke of amazing luck, I really cant convey how amazing it was.
So yeah, last night in the USA turned out to be epic. It seems luck has followed me every step of this trip.
I've had warm weather follow me everywhere, only to have the place get a cold snap & blizzards as soon as i leave haha. I've met awesome people. The fact the X-games were on when I went was just phenomenal. The aussie guy at the hostel had literally planned about 6 months in advance to go to it, and there I was by fluke and just had to extend my stay by a day haha. There was powder dumping all week before I arrived, and fresh dustings overnight and clear sunny days for me. I've been given free luggage on the greyhounds both times. I got to rent a pro board for free. I won $6 on a scratchie while waiting for the greyhound. This night in denver with my fave music. Like. Seriously. I can't believe it.
I'm soo thankful but at the same time theres a part of me that is getting worried. I'm about to go back to australia with no house, no job, I havent even registered yet, that will take 6-8 weeks itself!, no uni, no internet, hot & humid temps. It doesn't sound appealing at all! Im not even sure I enjoy the oral health field and I'd quite honestly much rather go back to uni and study something else but I dont know what.
I hope that some of the luck i've had so far on this trip continues on & helps guide me as it has.
If not, no biggie though. I've decided if by mid-year I dont have a job, then i'll probably do a working holiday. I won't be able to work the therapy side of my degree here, but i will be able to do hygiene which would actually make it easier in terms of a part time travelling job. They get treated well here too with all the cosmetic influence & positive media around dentistry.
We shall see.
WARM
Woke up with hardly a hangover as I didnt drink and basically started packing my bags. Said goodbye to my aussie mate & added him to facebook - maybe we'll go boarding somewhere someday you never know (<3 Facebook).
I caught the buses to Glenwood springs as it was the only place the greyhounds went through & then just waited for my greyhound. It was over an hour late and was absolutely packed and I swear it had 90% smokers and low socioeconomic groups lol. Not a pleasant bus drive back to denver.
Checked in back at the same hostel - I had the 8 bed dorm to myself which was nice.
I chatted to a few friends and booked my flights & shuttles for tomorrow. The company I flew with were giving away free promo cards at the X-Games so I got a full-featured ticket (i.e fully refundable, free baggage, extra leg room, free seat selection, free food) for only $200 compared to the non discounted 280.
The plan is to catch an afternoon flight from denver direct to LAX where I can just go across to the international terminal for my flight back to brisbane at midnight rather than staying a night in LAX.
I rang up Arya again to let her know I was no longer coming & she got a new job working for Apple Computer which was really cool. Ryan would be stoked. She's definitely coming to stay with us in Australia!
I cleaned up and got a pizza for dinner before going to the clubs near by and getting the entry stamps & ID checked so I could get back in later & sussed out who was playing. None of them really seemed that great until I went back to the first place. It was about 11:30 now, and it still wasnt that busy, but they were playing the music that me & ryan had just been fully into during my stay there. Basically it's Electro dance music, but everynow and then it will build up and drop into a really heavy dirty crazy sounding electro dance. It sounds very cool. Anyways, me & ry thought we'd just stumbled upon a fairly obscure kind of genera and yet here in Denver it's actually one of the citys with one of the biggest scenes of it. So here I was at this club playing some of my most favourite music that I'd been into. I wasnt drinking on account of the flight(s) the next day but I didnt need to. I had such a blast. The crowd was insane & got right into it. Such another stroke of amazing luck, I really cant convey how amazing it was.
So yeah, last night in the USA turned out to be epic. It seems luck has followed me every step of this trip.
I've had warm weather follow me everywhere, only to have the place get a cold snap & blizzards as soon as i leave haha. I've met awesome people. The fact the X-games were on when I went was just phenomenal. The aussie guy at the hostel had literally planned about 6 months in advance to go to it, and there I was by fluke and just had to extend my stay by a day haha. There was powder dumping all week before I arrived, and fresh dustings overnight and clear sunny days for me. I've been given free luggage on the greyhounds both times. I got to rent a pro board for free. I won $6 on a scratchie while waiting for the greyhound. This night in denver with my fave music. Like. Seriously. I can't believe it.
I'm soo thankful but at the same time theres a part of me that is getting worried. I'm about to go back to australia with no house, no job, I havent even registered yet, that will take 6-8 weeks itself!, no uni, no internet, hot & humid temps. It doesn't sound appealing at all! Im not even sure I enjoy the oral health field and I'd quite honestly much rather go back to uni and study something else but I dont know what.
I hope that some of the luck i've had so far on this trip continues on & helps guide me as it has.
If not, no biggie though. I've decided if by mid-year I dont have a job, then i'll probably do a working holiday. I won't be able to work the therapy side of my degree here, but i will be able to do hygiene which would actually make it easier in terms of a part time travelling job. They get treated well here too with all the cosmetic influence & positive media around dentistry.
We shall see.
Day 59: ESPN Winter X Games!
Day: Thursday 27th January 2011
Temps: WARM!
After sorting out my board & handing back the pro rental for my real board & returning the rental boots I went pretty much all day to the Winter X games.
It was fully decked out with stadiums/podiums/stages. Heaps of media. Huuuuuge half pipe & jumps & snow mobile jump courses & promo stalls giving away lots of free stuff. Was soo cool!
Basically kept walking around entering any competitions I could & getting as many freebies as I could.
Watched a bit of the snow mobiling. Wow. Those guys are crazy. When you see it in real life you get a sense for just how crazy the tricks are. They get sooooo much air and goo soo fast and literally jump right off the snow mobile then have to try and grab it again before they land. Very cool to watch.
There was some skiiers doing jumps in the halfpipe too which was fun to watch.
I went back to the hostel for a bit of lunch & relax & ended up meeting an aussie who just arrived who was my age. Had a goood chat to him & we got along quite well very similar in tastes. Anyways we went back out to the X-games for the night time events. The finals of the snowmobiling were even more epic than the practices that i saw this morning. And we managed to watch the Mens Halfpipe snowboarding. There were the 16 worlds best snowboarders there doing as bigas tricks as they could to try and win. We managed to get access to go right next to the half pipe up the stairs so when a boarder came up he did his entire spins & sommersaults & tricks right in front of you it was soo amazing. Shaun White is probably the biggest name and he was there & he won (unsurprisingly). It's just a celebrity but we were literally 3m away from him and hes such a big name that thats gotta count for something lol.
We then navigated the huuuge crowds (apparently there were nearly 80K people there, and it was the biggest Thursday of the event Ever) and got the free shuttle back into town. We found a pub whose kitchen was still open & had dinner & a few beers & chatted to a few promo girls which was fun. After dinner we basically bar hopped & just had a good night in general. Still strange though, after sun down the younger crowd seems hard to find here. I guess they're all staying in condos or something with all their mates maybe & so don't end up going out.
Temps: WARM!
After sorting out my board & handing back the pro rental for my real board & returning the rental boots I went pretty much all day to the Winter X games.
It was fully decked out with stadiums/podiums/stages. Heaps of media. Huuuuuge half pipe & jumps & snow mobile jump courses & promo stalls giving away lots of free stuff. Was soo cool!
Basically kept walking around entering any competitions I could & getting as many freebies as I could.
Watched a bit of the snow mobiling. Wow. Those guys are crazy. When you see it in real life you get a sense for just how crazy the tricks are. They get sooooo much air and goo soo fast and literally jump right off the snow mobile then have to try and grab it again before they land. Very cool to watch.
There was some skiiers doing jumps in the halfpipe too which was fun to watch.
I went back to the hostel for a bit of lunch & relax & ended up meeting an aussie who just arrived who was my age. Had a goood chat to him & we got along quite well very similar in tastes. Anyways we went back out to the X-games for the night time events. The finals of the snowmobiling were even more epic than the practices that i saw this morning. And we managed to watch the Mens Halfpipe snowboarding. There were the 16 worlds best snowboarders there doing as bigas tricks as they could to try and win. We managed to get access to go right next to the half pipe up the stairs so when a boarder came up he did his entire spins & sommersaults & tricks right in front of you it was soo amazing. Shaun White is probably the biggest name and he was there & he won (unsurprisingly). It's just a celebrity but we were literally 3m away from him and hes such a big name that thats gotta count for something lol.
We then navigated the huuuge crowds (apparently there were nearly 80K people there, and it was the biggest Thursday of the event Ever) and got the free shuttle back into town. We found a pub whose kitchen was still open & had dinner & a few beers & chatted to a few promo girls which was fun. After dinner we basically bar hopped & just had a good night in general. Still strange though, after sun down the younger crowd seems hard to find here. I guess they're all staying in condos or something with all their mates maybe & so don't end up going out.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day 58: Last Day Snowboarding :( :)
Day: Wednesday 26th (AUSTRALIA DAY)
Happy australia day.
I started slow..10 am. Understandably
Went to the ski shop & they still didnt have my board so they gave me another day with the pro-board. I didnt complain.
Went back to snowmass. It was too good of a mountain to pass up trying the others in the area.
Great day boarding. Was warm, clear and sunny and there was still about another 3cm of snow last night so still fresh.
I was hungover so didn't do too many of the crazy cliff drops but still found some aweosme tree runs & steeps to entertain me.
I was gonna go out as there seemed to be more of a young crowd around given the games start tomorrow but i was far too tired & didn't make it out lol
Happy australia day.
I started slow..10 am. Understandably
Went to the ski shop & they still didnt have my board so they gave me another day with the pro-board. I didnt complain.
Went back to snowmass. It was too good of a mountain to pass up trying the others in the area.
Great day boarding. Was warm, clear and sunny and there was still about another 3cm of snow last night so still fresh.
I was hungover so didn't do too many of the crazy cliff drops but still found some aweosme tree runs & steeps to entertain me.
I was gonna go out as there seemed to be more of a young crowd around given the games start tomorrow but i was far too tired & didn't make it out lol
Day 57: It's a wonderful place
Day: Tuesday 25th
Went to the ski shop where i'd given my board for a wax & edge sharpen last night and they'd apparently "lost" it. They'd left it at the shop. Instead they gave me some awesome premium snowboard rental free of charge. This board was made in denver colorado by a custom hand made company. You could feel the quality was soo good! Haha awesome start to the day.
I started at Aspen. Just outside my hostel.
It was okay, pretty icy. It's definiltey more of a skiier haven since there were lots and lots of moguls and groomed runs. Wasn't that great.
So after about 4 runs i decided today would be my sight seeing day & took myself to the other mountain that my lift pass gave me access to: Buttermilk
Buttermilk was awesome. It's got all the massive infrastructure and stages and stuff set up to host the Winter X Games. Very cool.
The main chairlift up went past all the half pipes with all the professional snowboarders and skiiers from around the world practicing. They are soo good at what they do, you really dont understand until you see it in real life.
Buttermilk boarding was great. The mountain was soo empty. In fact all the mountains have been empty...i guess everyone saved coming up to the mountains until the weekend & the X Games. Anwayys that meant heaps of fresh powder for me to find.
There was lots of freestyle parks & stuff which I tried a couple of jumps & rails with some success, but my fave part was the tree runs. They werent very steep but just lots of trees to quickly dart in & out of and fast turning and lots of powder. So much fun and yeah, i should really get a helmet doing this kind of stuff :P
Stayed right until the lifts closed it was that good.
After coming home I went to one of the millions of resteraunt/pub combos and had some mediocre garlic chicken pasta thing and just chatted to one of the old locals next to me. He ended up shouting me a shot of Jaager so that he could do one before going without doing it on his own and the bar tender said "YEah! Youre in America Now! This is how we do it!" when he saw me trying to pay him for it lol.
I then went to the town gas fireplace & just chatted to a few guys chillin around it. Fun atmosphere. Then started walking trying to find a happening place that had a few more younger people..theres alot of older people here & rich ladies with fur coats and celebrities. I ran into a couple of lads around mikes age and asked them where the party was at and they were looking for the same thing so hung out with them for the rest of the night. Cool lads, dont remember their names. Just remember they knew how to drink.
Went to the ski shop where i'd given my board for a wax & edge sharpen last night and they'd apparently "lost" it. They'd left it at the shop. Instead they gave me some awesome premium snowboard rental free of charge. This board was made in denver colorado by a custom hand made company. You could feel the quality was soo good! Haha awesome start to the day.
I started at Aspen. Just outside my hostel.
It was okay, pretty icy. It's definiltey more of a skiier haven since there were lots and lots of moguls and groomed runs. Wasn't that great.
So after about 4 runs i decided today would be my sight seeing day & took myself to the other mountain that my lift pass gave me access to: Buttermilk
Buttermilk was awesome. It's got all the massive infrastructure and stages and stuff set up to host the Winter X Games. Very cool.
The main chairlift up went past all the half pipes with all the professional snowboarders and skiiers from around the world practicing. They are soo good at what they do, you really dont understand until you see it in real life.
Buttermilk boarding was great. The mountain was soo empty. In fact all the mountains have been empty...i guess everyone saved coming up to the mountains until the weekend & the X Games. Anwayys that meant heaps of fresh powder for me to find.
There was lots of freestyle parks & stuff which I tried a couple of jumps & rails with some success, but my fave part was the tree runs. They werent very steep but just lots of trees to quickly dart in & out of and fast turning and lots of powder. So much fun and yeah, i should really get a helmet doing this kind of stuff :P
Stayed right until the lifts closed it was that good.
After coming home I went to one of the millions of resteraunt/pub combos and had some mediocre garlic chicken pasta thing and just chatted to one of the old locals next to me. He ended up shouting me a shot of Jaager so that he could do one before going without doing it on his own and the bar tender said "YEah! Youre in America Now! This is how we do it!" when he saw me trying to pay him for it lol.
I then went to the town gas fireplace & just chatted to a few guys chillin around it. Fun atmosphere. Then started walking trying to find a happening place that had a few more younger people..theres alot of older people here & rich ladies with fur coats and celebrities. I ran into a couple of lads around mikes age and asked them where the party was at and they were looking for the same thing so hung out with them for the rest of the night. Cool lads, dont remember their names. Just remember they knew how to drink.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Day 56: Most Epic Day Ever.
Day: Monday 24th
Woke up early (for me!)
Had the free brekkie from the hostel. They had alot like yoghurts & fruits & pastries...quite surprising.
Went to a rental place in town & got boots since i still dont have any.
Following the lads advice from last night, i caught the free shuttle to the nearby mountain of Snowmass. Figured out the right location for meeting point but realised i was still in boston time so i'd missed them.
Started the morning off boarding was alright, my boots were giving me grief though so i had to change them at lunch time.
This area of the country always gets champagne powder. All times of the year. Some places like near the ocean or lakes would get snow but it may be very wet and damp snow so it depends on the season how good it actually is. This snow here is always good. Tehy'd also had about 3" every night the last week so there was plenty of powder & awesome conditions.
After lunch i headed out to some of the harder runs. Met a dude on the ski lifts & after the standard chatting i asked where his favourite run was on the mountain.
He ended up taking me waay to the back side...where there is all double black runs.
The run was called "AMF" which stands for "adios mother fucker".
Suitable title.
I stood at the top of this ridge after traversing about 5 minutes. Massive view of the entire bowl but this cliff ridge omg was soo steep.
Like any run that looks hard, you just have to start & see how you go. I didnt do too bad. The steepest part at the top was like 3 degrees for about 5 m and then it flattened out a little. I got some good photos. Then it went into a bunch of moguls some of which were literally cliffs which you had to board around.
After that epic bit the bowl turned into tree glades. We darted through all the trees on tiny little tracks and heaps of powder everywhere...like literally untouched. This stuff is what you see on TV.
Seriously the most amazing snow experience, and one of the best experiences ive ever had in my life. Was soo amazing. Hard. But soo worth it.
The dude had to go back to work so I just continued doing those runs & exploring the back country. Met up with another couple of boarders who went traversing into some of the glades. I was able to keep up with them but my fitness wasn't used to the different type of skiing so I had to let them go ahead they were too good. Still went my own way through the rest of the trees though..soo much fun.
Didn't board much after that, i was positively knackered and it was a day well spent already to be honest.
Caught the free shuttle back to aspen & checked in my board for a tune up with some wax & sharpened edges. Figured I'd return the board to Richard in better nick and also it would come in handy on the bigger runs i was hitting.
Back at the hostel I asked to change rooms, he shuffled a few things around for me but I'm now with a friendly old Czechs republic guy who had all his stuff back home get lost (i think he said fire) so now he was just living & working here haha. Much friendlier than the other dude but he's so old 'd be surprised if he doesnt snore too.
Jumped online and played some chess with ryan before heading out into town to sus out some food & drinks!
Sublime
Woke up early (for me!)
Had the free brekkie from the hostel. They had alot like yoghurts & fruits & pastries...quite surprising.
Went to a rental place in town & got boots since i still dont have any.
Following the lads advice from last night, i caught the free shuttle to the nearby mountain of Snowmass. Figured out the right location for meeting point but realised i was still in boston time so i'd missed them.
Started the morning off boarding was alright, my boots were giving me grief though so i had to change them at lunch time.
This area of the country always gets champagne powder. All times of the year. Some places like near the ocean or lakes would get snow but it may be very wet and damp snow so it depends on the season how good it actually is. This snow here is always good. Tehy'd also had about 3" every night the last week so there was plenty of powder & awesome conditions.
After lunch i headed out to some of the harder runs. Met a dude on the ski lifts & after the standard chatting i asked where his favourite run was on the mountain.
He ended up taking me waay to the back side...where there is all double black runs.
The run was called "AMF" which stands for "adios mother fucker".
Suitable title.
I stood at the top of this ridge after traversing about 5 minutes. Massive view of the entire bowl but this cliff ridge omg was soo steep.
Like any run that looks hard, you just have to start & see how you go. I didnt do too bad. The steepest part at the top was like 3 degrees for about 5 m and then it flattened out a little. I got some good photos. Then it went into a bunch of moguls some of which were literally cliffs which you had to board around.
After that epic bit the bowl turned into tree glades. We darted through all the trees on tiny little tracks and heaps of powder everywhere...like literally untouched. This stuff is what you see on TV.
Seriously the most amazing snow experience, and one of the best experiences ive ever had in my life. Was soo amazing. Hard. But soo worth it.
The dude had to go back to work so I just continued doing those runs & exploring the back country. Met up with another couple of boarders who went traversing into some of the glades. I was able to keep up with them but my fitness wasn't used to the different type of skiing so I had to let them go ahead they were too good. Still went my own way through the rest of the trees though..soo much fun.
Didn't board much after that, i was positively knackered and it was a day well spent already to be honest.
Caught the free shuttle back to aspen & checked in my board for a tune up with some wax & sharpened edges. Figured I'd return the board to Richard in better nick and also it would come in handy on the bigger runs i was hitting.
Back at the hostel I asked to change rooms, he shuffled a few things around for me but I'm now with a friendly old Czechs republic guy who had all his stuff back home get lost (i think he said fire) so now he was just living & working here haha. Much friendlier than the other dude but he's so old 'd be surprised if he doesnt snore too.
Jumped online and played some chess with ryan before heading out into town to sus out some food & drinks!
Sublime
Day 55: Decisions again? More coins flipped!
Day: Sunday 23rd January
I flipped a coin and decided to go to Aspen over Vail. Mainly cos it had cheaper accom & sounded a little friendlier. Booked a greyhound bus for 4pm and the closest thing to a hostel i'd seen.
Went to the bus station at around 12. luckily the superbowl playoffs were on TV.
My team the green bay packers (wisconsin) vs chicago bears. Wisconsin won!!! Was a good game & ate up the time before my bus.
Drive was good, scenic when it was light.
Got off at a place called Glenwood hot springs. It was still about an hour or two bus rides to aspen but i just caught public busses as the greyhounds didnt do that loop. Ended up talking to the bus drivers & sussing out more about the area. Very friendly people. The bus driver dropped me off practically at my accomodation since i didnt know where it was.
Hostel is nice, 3 beds per room. 1st night with a snorer though, thank god for noise cancelling headphones but even then i could still hear him.
Went to one of the only pubs still open with food & got some dinner & a guinness and talked to a few local guys around mikes age (25-26ish).
They gave me good low down on where the best boarding was in the area & gave me their number & a meeting point for tomorrow morning.
Shaping up for some epic boarding yeeeaaah!!!
I flipped a coin and decided to go to Aspen over Vail. Mainly cos it had cheaper accom & sounded a little friendlier. Booked a greyhound bus for 4pm and the closest thing to a hostel i'd seen.
Went to the bus station at around 12. luckily the superbowl playoffs were on TV.
My team the green bay packers (wisconsin) vs chicago bears. Wisconsin won!!! Was a good game & ate up the time before my bus.
Drive was good, scenic when it was light.
Got off at a place called Glenwood hot springs. It was still about an hour or two bus rides to aspen but i just caught public busses as the greyhounds didnt do that loop. Ended up talking to the bus drivers & sussing out more about the area. Very friendly people. The bus driver dropped me off practically at my accomodation since i didnt know where it was.
Hostel is nice, 3 beds per room. 1st night with a snorer though, thank god for noise cancelling headphones but even then i could still hear him.
Went to one of the only pubs still open with food & got some dinner & a guinness and talked to a few local guys around mikes age (25-26ish).
They gave me good low down on where the best boarding was in the area & gave me their number & a meeting point for tomorrow morning.
Shaping up for some epic boarding yeeeaaah!!!
Day 54: Decisions Decision. Fuck that flip a coin
Day: Saturday 22nd January
So I stayed up last night til about 2am looking into all my options.
At around 4pm yesterday it became apparent to me that I only had 1 week left.
I had to decide where, and for how long i was going to spend the rest of my trip.
By about 1am I decided to go to colorado/denver.
I very almost got a flight for 6am. But luckily i asked the reception about what trains to catch & found that they didnt run.
Instead i caught a mid afternoon flight to Denver. Sat next to the ugliest most retarded lady ive ever seen. She wouldnt shut up.
Landed in denver & got to the hostel. Right in the CBD. Good location, mediocre accom.
Was about 11 so I went straight to one of the near by bars that played some electro music & just chilled out. Too noisy to talk/meet people and i wasnt drinking so just enjoyed the DJs.
So I stayed up last night til about 2am looking into all my options.
At around 4pm yesterday it became apparent to me that I only had 1 week left.
I had to decide where, and for how long i was going to spend the rest of my trip.
By about 1am I decided to go to colorado/denver.
I very almost got a flight for 6am. But luckily i asked the reception about what trains to catch & found that they didnt run.
Instead i caught a mid afternoon flight to Denver. Sat next to the ugliest most retarded lady ive ever seen. She wouldnt shut up.
Landed in denver & got to the hostel. Right in the CBD. Good location, mediocre accom.
Was about 11 so I went straight to one of the near by bars that played some electro music & just chilled out. Too noisy to talk/meet people and i wasnt drinking so just enjoyed the DJs.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Day 49-53: Boston Whirlwind Tour & Stage III
Days:
Monday 17th January
Tuesday 18th
Wednesday 19th
Thursday 20th
Friday 21st
So quite a few days & quite a bit of stuff to update you all on.
Monday Tuesday were both very chill days. Ryan @ work & me sleeping in & organizing itunes folders & doing a bit of cleaning.
Wednesday we piled up into his car with all my luggage. I said goodbye to his mum and we drove to Boston.
Parked in the suburbs & trained it into downtown where we checked into a hostel called "40 Berkley".
It seems that american cities do have hostels, but they are trying to move away from the "Backpacker" mentality. There are common rooms, but no one uses them. Theres no kitchenette. The place is more just for really cheap accommodation to use while sight-seeing rather than 'backpacking' and meeting people.
Anyways we started to walk around our accomodation. We were in a pretty good location. But man, did we walk. We walked pretty much 3/4 of the city haha.
It was amazing. The city has soo much old stuff. The streets are soo european like little alley ways and doors underneath staircases. But at the same time there is soo much modern big american architechture like huge hotel lobbies that seem like they could store an airplane and have more shiny stuff than you can take in.
You follow one cool looking street and then the next one is a little lane way through to china town which then leads you to a crazy little bunch of irish pubs all squished into a one way street. Hence all the walking.
Somehow we stumbled across all the bars & this one club/bar type thing called good life which by a stroke of good fortune was playing the kind of music we'd both been heavily into the past week. We stayed there the night & got adquately intoxicated. Such an amazing city & an amazing chance that we found exactly what we were looking for - very cool.
The next day (So, thursday) we caught up with priya and emily. They came to boston for the day to do some shopping & say goodbye. So we saw the shopping district & the italian district and ate more foods and said goodbye to them in the afternoon. Great people and ive definitely got another couple of friends to keep in touch with there.
We ambled our way home again & took it easy. Both very exhausted.
Tried to go back to the same bar again as last night but they were playing compeltely different music. It seems to be a bar which showcases a little more underground performers, rather than a select genera of music. So we just did more walking around & didnt drink anything before coming home & getting a comparatively early sleep.
Friday Ryan had to be home for work at about 4:pm so we were limited in what we could do. We were gonna do a sight-seeing bus tour but they didnt run since we got dumped with another 5 or so inches of snow overnight so it was unsafe for them to run it.
Instead we caught the trains to Harvard university and Harvard square and walked around the campus & checked out a few buildings. Simply epic looking. Soo old, so regal and prestegious and very cool to check out.
It wasn't in season but there were still plenty of students all bustling around probably doing winter semesters. College life & student life in america feels so different, i cant quite describe how but it just feels more like a students lifestyle is soo distinct from not being a student.
Took some trains to the central station where I said goodbye and thankyou to ryan as he caught a different train back to his car & headed home. Another friend who can put up with me for that length of time demonstrating just how good a friend he is.
Came home & figured out finally how to connect to this hostel's wireless..It's absoultely shithouse but if you wait long enough it connects.
I'm at Stage III of my journey now. I have only got about 6 days left before my flight leaves from L.A. I have the very attractive possibility of catching up with Mike in florida but on late notice. I could go to washington dc & do the (admittedly unappealing) touristy shit. There are heaps of snow resorts in Colorado which I really wanted to check out but time is soo limiting and I need to be back in L.A. I could very easily extend my trip and enjoy myself. But at the same time i feel i shouldn't.
Gonna Trryyyyyyy and get the internet to last me until I can figure some stuff out...but man is it being a bitch.
Anyways, must go. Food is priority.
Monday 17th January
Tuesday 18th
Wednesday 19th
Thursday 20th
Friday 21st
So quite a few days & quite a bit of stuff to update you all on.
Monday Tuesday were both very chill days. Ryan @ work & me sleeping in & organizing itunes folders & doing a bit of cleaning.
Wednesday we piled up into his car with all my luggage. I said goodbye to his mum and we drove to Boston.
Parked in the suburbs & trained it into downtown where we checked into a hostel called "40 Berkley".
It seems that american cities do have hostels, but they are trying to move away from the "Backpacker" mentality. There are common rooms, but no one uses them. Theres no kitchenette. The place is more just for really cheap accommodation to use while sight-seeing rather than 'backpacking' and meeting people.
Anyways we started to walk around our accomodation. We were in a pretty good location. But man, did we walk. We walked pretty much 3/4 of the city haha.
It was amazing. The city has soo much old stuff. The streets are soo european like little alley ways and doors underneath staircases. But at the same time there is soo much modern big american architechture like huge hotel lobbies that seem like they could store an airplane and have more shiny stuff than you can take in.
You follow one cool looking street and then the next one is a little lane way through to china town which then leads you to a crazy little bunch of irish pubs all squished into a one way street. Hence all the walking.
Somehow we stumbled across all the bars & this one club/bar type thing called good life which by a stroke of good fortune was playing the kind of music we'd both been heavily into the past week. We stayed there the night & got adquately intoxicated. Such an amazing city & an amazing chance that we found exactly what we were looking for - very cool.
The next day (So, thursday) we caught up with priya and emily. They came to boston for the day to do some shopping & say goodbye. So we saw the shopping district & the italian district and ate more foods and said goodbye to them in the afternoon. Great people and ive definitely got another couple of friends to keep in touch with there.
We ambled our way home again & took it easy. Both very exhausted.
Tried to go back to the same bar again as last night but they were playing compeltely different music. It seems to be a bar which showcases a little more underground performers, rather than a select genera of music. So we just did more walking around & didnt drink anything before coming home & getting a comparatively early sleep.
Friday Ryan had to be home for work at about 4:pm so we were limited in what we could do. We were gonna do a sight-seeing bus tour but they didnt run since we got dumped with another 5 or so inches of snow overnight so it was unsafe for them to run it.
Instead we caught the trains to Harvard university and Harvard square and walked around the campus & checked out a few buildings. Simply epic looking. Soo old, so regal and prestegious and very cool to check out.
It wasn't in season but there were still plenty of students all bustling around probably doing winter semesters. College life & student life in america feels so different, i cant quite describe how but it just feels more like a students lifestyle is soo distinct from not being a student.
Took some trains to the central station where I said goodbye and thankyou to ryan as he caught a different train back to his car & headed home. Another friend who can put up with me for that length of time demonstrating just how good a friend he is.
Came home & figured out finally how to connect to this hostel's wireless..It's absoultely shithouse but if you wait long enough it connects.
I'm at Stage III of my journey now. I have only got about 6 days left before my flight leaves from L.A. I have the very attractive possibility of catching up with Mike in florida but on late notice. I could go to washington dc & do the (admittedly unappealing) touristy shit. There are heaps of snow resorts in Colorado which I really wanted to check out but time is soo limiting and I need to be back in L.A. I could very easily extend my trip and enjoy myself. But at the same time i feel i shouldn't.
Gonna Trryyyyyyy and get the internet to last me until I can figure some stuff out...but man is it being a bitch.
Anyways, must go. Food is priority.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Day 48: Go Patriots!!!
Day: Sunday 16th January
Kathleen (Ryans Mum) slept in so I just chilled at home till around 1 when she came picked me up.
She took us on a scenic drive along the ocean to a beachside park. Lots of expensive houses & awesome view..apparently the lead singer of Aerosmith is there.
Obviously it's all snowy so we cross country skiid along the coast line - amazingly pretty scenery for sure.
After about 30 mins of cross country skiing we went into Portsmouth for a coffee and grabbed a dessert for the game at emilys.
Priya picked me up then from her house & we went to emily's house where the game was on.
New England Patriots verse New York Jets.
Their quarterback tom brady wasn't playing his norm at all so it costed them the game meaning they're now out of the running for the superbowl. Greenbay packers (wisconsin) are still in the running as a wild card which is good news though i suppose. Fingers crossed and GO PACKERS!!!
Had fish tacos during half time & played a few board games before coming home & exploring new music.
Having the spare time and a new found affinity to different generas of music has been awesome. The internet has soo many neat websites which help you find new music & share it with your friends. Its becomming so much more integrated rather than just visiting a bunch of different www. addresses. You can now visit one site and get so much more & do so much more with it. Ryan's just as much of a computer guru as i am so we are both showing eachother new cool things about computers which is cool especially as it's all focused around awesome new music.
Kathleen (Ryans Mum) slept in so I just chilled at home till around 1 when she came picked me up.
She took us on a scenic drive along the ocean to a beachside park. Lots of expensive houses & awesome view..apparently the lead singer of Aerosmith is there.
Obviously it's all snowy so we cross country skiid along the coast line - amazingly pretty scenery for sure.
After about 30 mins of cross country skiing we went into Portsmouth for a coffee and grabbed a dessert for the game at emilys.
Priya picked me up then from her house & we went to emily's house where the game was on.
New England Patriots verse New York Jets.
Their quarterback tom brady wasn't playing his norm at all so it costed them the game meaning they're now out of the running for the superbowl. Greenbay packers (wisconsin) are still in the running as a wild card which is good news though i suppose. Fingers crossed and GO PACKERS!!!
Had fish tacos during half time & played a few board games before coming home & exploring new music.
Having the spare time and a new found affinity to different generas of music has been awesome. The internet has soo many neat websites which help you find new music & share it with your friends. Its becomming so much more integrated rather than just visiting a bunch of different www. addresses. You can now visit one site and get so much more & do so much more with it. Ryan's just as much of a computer guru as i am so we are both showing eachother new cool things about computers which is cool especially as it's all focused around awesome new music.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Day 47: Shopping With "Mommy"
Day: Saturday 15th January
Temps: -5C
Ryan went to work & his mum. sorry... "MOM". came home from her boyfriends place to do a few errands around the house. I basically helped her shovel some snow & clean up the house.
We then went, for the first time in my life, cross country skiing! She loves winter sports like cross country & snow shoeing so decided to take me for a ski around the golf course next to the river inlet. Beautiful place to do it, heaps of people in little huts fishing out on the ice. CCskiing was fun too - i could see myself as an old person retiring in a place with snow.
Afterwards we went to a big factory outlet place. She wanted a couple of homeware thingies & clothes and I got myself a couple of new long sleeved shirts to replace the ones i've had since i was 15. There was soo much cheap stuff there I could have gotten more but I keep telling myself I don't need it. Very hard to do when it's so cheap.
So yeah, today was hanging out with ryans mommy :)
Nice lady, she works for a newspaper company. Unfortunately it's not going so well with all the switch to digital media like ipads and iphones and smartphones and e-readers etc.
Came home after a bit of shopping & made pizza with ryan and priya and emily and watched a few eps of arrested development.
Temps: -5C
Ryan went to work & his mum. sorry... "MOM". came home from her boyfriends place to do a few errands around the house. I basically helped her shovel some snow & clean up the house.
We then went, for the first time in my life, cross country skiing! She loves winter sports like cross country & snow shoeing so decided to take me for a ski around the golf course next to the river inlet. Beautiful place to do it, heaps of people in little huts fishing out on the ice. CCskiing was fun too - i could see myself as an old person retiring in a place with snow.
Afterwards we went to a big factory outlet place. She wanted a couple of homeware thingies & clothes and I got myself a couple of new long sleeved shirts to replace the ones i've had since i was 15. There was soo much cheap stuff there I could have gotten more but I keep telling myself I don't need it. Very hard to do when it's so cheap.
So yeah, today was hanging out with ryans mommy :)
Nice lady, she works for a newspaper company. Unfortunately it's not going so well with all the switch to digital media like ipads and iphones and smartphones and e-readers etc.
Came home after a bit of shopping & made pizza with ryan and priya and emily and watched a few eps of arrested development.
Day 45: Walk along the beach
Day: Thursday 13th January
Ryan had work again so I had the house to myself again.
I went for a walk to the nearby beach. There is soo much snow everywhere its rediculous.
The beach was beautiful..lots of pebbles - the kind you see on computer wallpaper desktop pictures.
The weirdest thing though, there were surfers! surfing! in the ice cold water! with snow on the beach! Crazy.
I got some more photos too.
Ryan came home & we caught up with emily & priya before ordering pizza in from Dominoes. Dominos pizza here is waaay more fancy. Their pizzas are actually good and are made properly with proper ingredients rather than the fast food greasy things you get in aus. Strange how it's the same company but the product is soo different.
Ryan had work again so I had the house to myself again.
I went for a walk to the nearby beach. There is soo much snow everywhere its rediculous.
The beach was beautiful..lots of pebbles - the kind you see on computer wallpaper desktop pictures.
The weirdest thing though, there were surfers! surfing! in the ice cold water! with snow on the beach! Crazy.
I got some more photos too.
Ryan came home & we caught up with emily & priya before ordering pizza in from Dominoes. Dominos pizza here is waaay more fancy. Their pizzas are actually good and are made properly with proper ingredients rather than the fast food greasy things you get in aus. Strange how it's the same company but the product is soo different.
Day 46: Boston? Naah.
Day: Friday 14th January
Well, we were going to go to Boston today...but it didn't happen. I woke up feeling like I had a hangover so called it off. I think i'll do it later on my own so it's not such a rush to drive all the way down there and back.
Instead we went to the gym, did some grocery shopping & chilled at home with some more music & TV shows. We're watching the series of Arrested Development which is absolutely hilarious.
Well, we were going to go to Boston today...but it didn't happen. I woke up feeling like I had a hangover so called it off. I think i'll do it later on my own so it's not such a rush to drive all the way down there and back.
Instead we went to the gym, did some grocery shopping & chilled at home with some more music & TV shows. We're watching the series of Arrested Development which is absolutely hilarious.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day 44: Blizzards & Snow Storms
Day: Wednesday 12th January 2011
Temps: -1C
A massive snowstorm hit last night. Blanketed all of the states in this region. We got about 50 cm of snow OVERNIGHT.
It was one of those days where schools get cancelled, and everyone takes the day off. Cars couldn't move cos they were buried. AWESOME.
Ryan's work got cancelled so he was happy. We then got the shovels and began to unbury his car & driveway. Shoveling snow yaaay!! The stuff is heavier than you'd think - its like shoveling water really.
Kids were out playing in their driveways. Soo much snow, it was halfway up ryan's car.
Snowplough's were out in force clearing the roads and lots of people were out shovelling or snowblowing their driveways clear. A wintry hive of activity!
Once ryan confirmed his work was cancelled we decided on nightime snowboarding. Drove (carefully since all the roads were covered) about 2 hrs to Gunstock mountain.
$28 for night skiing til 9:00pm, with free equipment hire.
Was soooo epic. There was soo much untouched powder and it was soo deep. Heaven. Such an amazing day.
Wen't to a pub in Ryans town that he went to uni in for dinner and a glass of guinness before heading home & crashing understandably early.
Temps: -1C
A massive snowstorm hit last night. Blanketed all of the states in this region. We got about 50 cm of snow OVERNIGHT.
It was one of those days where schools get cancelled, and everyone takes the day off. Cars couldn't move cos they were buried. AWESOME.
Ryan's work got cancelled so he was happy. We then got the shovels and began to unbury his car & driveway. Shoveling snow yaaay!! The stuff is heavier than you'd think - its like shoveling water really.
Kids were out playing in their driveways. Soo much snow, it was halfway up ryan's car.
Snowplough's were out in force clearing the roads and lots of people were out shovelling or snowblowing their driveways clear. A wintry hive of activity!
Once ryan confirmed his work was cancelled we decided on nightime snowboarding. Drove (carefully since all the roads were covered) about 2 hrs to Gunstock mountain.
$28 for night skiing til 9:00pm, with free equipment hire.
Was soooo epic. There was soo much untouched powder and it was soo deep. Heaven. Such an amazing day.
Wen't to a pub in Ryans town that he went to uni in for dinner and a glass of guinness before heading home & crashing understandably early.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Day 41,42,43: Chillin In New Hampshire
Days: Sunday 9th, Monday 10th, Tuesday 11th January
Temps: Around -5C
So a few days into one blog as im getting lazy & too comfortable.
Sunday Ryan worked again but I hung out with Priya all day & we went window shopping at the mall which was fun.
Monday ryan worked again but only in arvo so I took a ride with him to the mall & did some of my own shopping. I got a new pair of Levi jeans for $30 and a jumper for QLD weather & a pair of shorts for $20. Cheap shopping here cos they don't have sales tax.
Tuesday ryan had the entire day off & we were going to go to Boston & do some sight seeing but we both slept in and instead we went to his sister's place and chilled with her. She had an xbox & playstation & nintendo at her house. Met up with priya & emily for dinner & ate at this old church which had been converted into a pub. A little sacreligeous but good food nonetheless.
There. 3 days updated :)
Lots of snow forecasted for the next couple days - we might go boarding again if it doesnt clog up the roads
Temps: Around -5C
So a few days into one blog as im getting lazy & too comfortable.
Sunday Ryan worked again but I hung out with Priya all day & we went window shopping at the mall which was fun.
Monday ryan worked again but only in arvo so I took a ride with him to the mall & did some of my own shopping. I got a new pair of Levi jeans for $30 and a jumper for QLD weather & a pair of shorts for $20. Cheap shopping here cos they don't have sales tax.
Tuesday ryan had the entire day off & we were going to go to Boston & do some sight seeing but we both slept in and instead we went to his sister's place and chilled with her. She had an xbox & playstation & nintendo at her house. Met up with priya & emily for dinner & ate at this old church which had been converted into a pub. A little sacreligeous but good food nonetheless.
There. 3 days updated :)
Lots of snow forecasted for the next couple days - we might go boarding again if it doesnt clog up the roads
Monday, January 10, 2011
Photos Updated
Hi all,
Since I had a day off I made a new album of photos.
Think of it as the 'Best Of' selection rather than everything I take.
It's also got pics and vids from other people's cameras too now so yeah, check it out!
http://picasaweb.google.com/j.ovenshenig/CanadaAndAmerica?feat=directlink#
Since I had a day off I made a new album of photos.
Think of it as the 'Best Of' selection rather than everything I take.
It's also got pics and vids from other people's cameras too now so yeah, check it out!
http://picasaweb.google.com/j.ovenshenig/CanadaAndAmerica?feat=directlink#
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Day 40: Rest Day
Day: Saturday, 8th January
Temp: -1C
Ryan went to work early & I got to sleep in. I woke up at about 12:30 and had the house to myself.
Did absolutely nothing.
It was great.
Haha, it was the first day where I didn't do anything at all all day since the trip started (40 days!) so it was very enjoyable.
I got some washing done, cleaned up a few of my photos & music playlists, played with the kitty cat, and watched a bit of TV
Ryan got home at like 5ish and we went to priya's house again. Got excellent chinese food for dinner and watched a dvd.
Glorious day of nothingness :)
Temp: -1C
Ryan went to work early & I got to sleep in. I woke up at about 12:30 and had the house to myself.
Did absolutely nothing.
It was great.
Haha, it was the first day where I didn't do anything at all all day since the trip started (40 days!) so it was very enjoyable.
I got some washing done, cleaned up a few of my photos & music playlists, played with the kitty cat, and watched a bit of TV
Ryan got home at like 5ish and we went to priya's house again. Got excellent chinese food for dinner and watched a dvd.
Glorious day of nothingness :)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Day 39: Back to Hampton
Day: Friday 7th January
Temps: -15C
Relatively early wake up call from a TimeShare advocate. Since we were staying here, they wanted to basically give us a presentation as to what TimeShare is, and the deets on it, and in exchange they'd give us something like $80 and a bunch of pamphlets and a gift pack. Since we're both strapped for cash we signed up. Shame they needed min age of 25 so it ended up just wasting our time.
Checked out & drove back to Ryans house in hampton. Brief stop to shit/shower/shave before heading over to his girlfriends house who she was house sitting. Grocery shopping & dinner at an italian restaurant with one of her friends preceded a couple of DVD's and ice cream back at her house.
Got home & just chilled out to tunes & net. Ryan has work tomorrow, i will probs just use his bicycle into town. Might get a haircut we'll see. Since ryan has work quite often from now on, i guess it's time i start thinking of what my next stage of my journey should be. So hard to decide - I've enjoyed the comfort of friends up to this point.
Temps: -15C
Relatively early wake up call from a TimeShare advocate. Since we were staying here, they wanted to basically give us a presentation as to what TimeShare is, and the deets on it, and in exchange they'd give us something like $80 and a bunch of pamphlets and a gift pack. Since we're both strapped for cash we signed up. Shame they needed min age of 25 so it ended up just wasting our time.
Checked out & drove back to Ryans house in hampton. Brief stop to shit/shower/shave before heading over to his girlfriends house who she was house sitting. Grocery shopping & dinner at an italian restaurant with one of her friends preceded a couple of DVD's and ice cream back at her house.
Got home & just chilled out to tunes & net. Ryan has work tomorrow, i will probs just use his bicycle into town. Might get a haircut we'll see. Since ryan has work quite often from now on, i guess it's time i start thinking of what my next stage of my journey should be. So hard to decide - I've enjoyed the comfort of friends up to this point.
Day 38: Free snowboarding
Day: Thursday 6th January
Temps: -10C
We had to check out by 11 but we'd arranged to stay an extra night yesterday. Moved our stuff to the new pad, lots smaller & simpler but still comfy.
Went cruising around town & checked out some factory outlets, didnt buy anything just looked. Lots of sales - such a poor winter with soo little snow this year is bad news for the shops evidently.
About 3:30 we drove out to some ski slopes in Maine (another state further east). Barely any natural snow - all man made & relatively icy. But since the sun sets at 4pm here it was the place to be cos of the night skiing.
We tried our luck going up the lifts without a ski pass.
Wasn't worth paying for it so it was good. Snow was terrible. Still good fun snowboarding at night though.
Hit several runs before an epic bail signaled the early retirement in front of the village fireplace.
After a small stop at home we walked straight to our fave venues down the road. Delaneys pub and Molly's Cottage or something. A couple games of chess, some guiness and a few more drinks made it yet another great evening to the tally.
Once you stay in a place as small as a ski village long enough, you begin to remember people and they you. The bar tenders knew us and the bouncers and the owner of the molly's cottage too. Soo cool being able to walk into a place and get that kind of recognition. Helps with the pour of your drink too.
Temps: -10C
We had to check out by 11 but we'd arranged to stay an extra night yesterday. Moved our stuff to the new pad, lots smaller & simpler but still comfy.
Went cruising around town & checked out some factory outlets, didnt buy anything just looked. Lots of sales - such a poor winter with soo little snow this year is bad news for the shops evidently.
About 3:30 we drove out to some ski slopes in Maine (another state further east). Barely any natural snow - all man made & relatively icy. But since the sun sets at 4pm here it was the place to be cos of the night skiing.
We tried our luck going up the lifts without a ski pass.
Wasn't worth paying for it so it was good. Snow was terrible. Still good fun snowboarding at night though.
Hit several runs before an epic bail signaled the early retirement in front of the village fireplace.
After a small stop at home we walked straight to our fave venues down the road. Delaneys pub and Molly's Cottage or something. A couple games of chess, some guiness and a few more drinks made it yet another great evening to the tally.
Once you stay in a place as small as a ski village long enough, you begin to remember people and they you. The bar tenders knew us and the bouncers and the owner of the molly's cottage too. Soo cool being able to walk into a place and get that kind of recognition. Helps with the pour of your drink too.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Day 37: Bretton Woods Snowboarding
Day: Wednesday 5th January, 2011
Temp: -10C
Got up at 8 and were on the road at about 8:30 for the 30 min drive to Bretton Woods ski field.
We were lucky, they had a two-for-one lift pass special on Wednesdays so we picked up a days ski pass for about $35ea.
Over New Years day, the entire area around the east coast had a heat wave and we got those 17 degree celcius days and it melted nearly everything. The few places with enough snow not to completely melt, turned into icy white bricks.
The last two days however it was snowing just lightly enough for there to be a couple of inches of softer snow on all the slopes so the conditions weren't too bad in terms of snow quality. It wasnt windy and it cleared up everynow and then to see the valley too which was cool. Good day & great to be on the board again.
Came home & went straight to the heated spas where it was snowing quite heavily.
Drove to some further away pubs and checked them out.
Had a huge pub meal at one place - cant remember what it was called. Massive burger was soo good. Up there with furgburger in Queenstown NZ.
Drove back & walked to our fave lil irish place where they had a pub chess set and had a guinness.
Wen't back to Delaneys where they had some live music & just watched the rest of the Boston Celtics game (basketball). The guys playing music were busy watching the game too so were pretty funny being so distracted.
Caught a cab to a "club 550" which was supposed to be more of a late-night hangout. They have heaps of pool tables and darts and stuff. The obese bastard bouncer didn't accept my ID though..stupid QLD licence. The fat guy didn't wanna budge so we then started walking and thumbed a ride home.
First time i've thumbed a ride - we got picked up by a local couple maybe in their 40's, very friendly & entertaining.
Got home and chilled out and played some music, tv and a bath in my hot tub before falling asleep - great night.
Temp: -10C
Got up at 8 and were on the road at about 8:30 for the 30 min drive to Bretton Woods ski field.
We were lucky, they had a two-for-one lift pass special on Wednesdays so we picked up a days ski pass for about $35ea.
Over New Years day, the entire area around the east coast had a heat wave and we got those 17 degree celcius days and it melted nearly everything. The few places with enough snow not to completely melt, turned into icy white bricks.
The last two days however it was snowing just lightly enough for there to be a couple of inches of softer snow on all the slopes so the conditions weren't too bad in terms of snow quality. It wasnt windy and it cleared up everynow and then to see the valley too which was cool. Good day & great to be on the board again.
Came home & went straight to the heated spas where it was snowing quite heavily.
Drove to some further away pubs and checked them out.
Had a huge pub meal at one place - cant remember what it was called. Massive burger was soo good. Up there with furgburger in Queenstown NZ.
Drove back & walked to our fave lil irish place where they had a pub chess set and had a guinness.
Wen't back to Delaneys where they had some live music & just watched the rest of the Boston Celtics game (basketball). The guys playing music were busy watching the game too so were pretty funny being so distracted.
Caught a cab to a "club 550" which was supposed to be more of a late-night hangout. They have heaps of pool tables and darts and stuff. The obese bastard bouncer didn't accept my ID though..stupid QLD licence. The fat guy didn't wanna budge so we then started walking and thumbed a ride home.
First time i've thumbed a ride - we got picked up by a local couple maybe in their 40's, very friendly & entertaining.
Got home and chilled out and played some music, tv and a bath in my hot tub before falling asleep - great night.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Day 36: North Conway
Day: Tuesday 4th January, 2011
Temp: -5
Woke up comparatively early and got on the road. We drove about 2 hrs to North Conway.
Basically its a tiny road - similar in size-feeling to tennant creek NT, but way more sophisticated and ski-village feel.
We checked into our hotel. Ryan's mum is a member of Disney Time-share too, similar to how Jason's parents got us acommodation in Canmore over in canada.
Ultimately we ended up with the luxury suite condos. Two rooms adjacent to eachother. Fireplaces, kitchenettes, a full on spa bath, two king sized beds and couches and its just insanely luxurious. Unbelievable ay. I uploaded a little tour video - go check my pics out it should be there somewhere.
We went to the heated pool and started talking to a local lady who just swims there. She gave us the lowdown on the places with the best snow to snowboard on, and gave us a good idea of where to hang out for the evening.
Came back & had a jacuzzi in our private spas before heading out to the town. Basically just pub hopped & tried a few local beers, pretty tame night. The town has a ski-village feel and is relatively quiet but still good fun. Stumbled upon some amazing out-of the way places with very authentic decor which had been collected for centuries. Also got a small pizza which was THE best pizza ive had since italy on the side of the roads. Great night overall, very chilled out and enjoyable.
Temp: -5
Woke up comparatively early and got on the road. We drove about 2 hrs to North Conway.
Basically its a tiny road - similar in size-feeling to tennant creek NT, but way more sophisticated and ski-village feel.
We checked into our hotel. Ryan's mum is a member of Disney Time-share too, similar to how Jason's parents got us acommodation in Canmore over in canada.
Ultimately we ended up with the luxury suite condos. Two rooms adjacent to eachother. Fireplaces, kitchenettes, a full on spa bath, two king sized beds and couches and its just insanely luxurious. Unbelievable ay. I uploaded a little tour video - go check my pics out it should be there somewhere.
We went to the heated pool and started talking to a local lady who just swims there. She gave us the lowdown on the places with the best snow to snowboard on, and gave us a good idea of where to hang out for the evening.
Came back & had a jacuzzi in our private spas before heading out to the town. Basically just pub hopped & tried a few local beers, pretty tame night. The town has a ski-village feel and is relatively quiet but still good fun. Stumbled upon some amazing out-of the way places with very authentic decor which had been collected for centuries. Also got a small pizza which was THE best pizza ive had since italy on the side of the roads. Great night overall, very chilled out and enjoyable.
Day 35: Hampton & Gym
Day: Monday 3rd January, 2011
Temps: Cold again (-7)
Did some grocery shopping to save us eating out all the time.
Went to the gym - free 7 day trial membership so took advantage of that. Big gym.
Turns out ive gained about 3 kilo's since starting the trip (1 month)...That's an extra
36kilos a year lol.
Got mexican food on the way home undid all our hard work.
Bludged the rest of the day.
Chilled at home with music & a couple of drinks before walking to a nearby pub to see if they had any pool but it was closed. Beach looks nice at night though, very clear starry skys cos he is soo far out of the urban lights.
Just played some more chess and music back at home - pretty enjoyable just chillin out.
Temps: Cold again (-7)
Did some grocery shopping to save us eating out all the time.
Went to the gym - free 7 day trial membership so took advantage of that. Big gym.
Turns out ive gained about 3 kilo's since starting the trip (1 month)...That's an extra
36kilos a year lol.
Got mexican food on the way home undid all our hard work.
Bludged the rest of the day.
Chilled at home with music & a couple of drinks before walking to a nearby pub to see if they had any pool but it was closed. Beach looks nice at night though, very clear starry skys cos he is soo far out of the urban lights.
Just played some more chess and music back at home - pretty enjoyable just chillin out.
Day 34: Hampton & Portsmouth
Day: Sunday 2nd January, 2011
Temp: Still warm 17 degrees
Took it very easy today.
Ate some mexican food at a little restaurant that makes it in front of you and it was incredibly fresh & tasty.
Went more grocery shopping and picked up ryan's snowboard from being waxed & tuned.
Chilled out to music & played chess before we drove to Portsmouth nearby to meet Ryan's mum and her boyfriend for dinner.
We got pizzas - all italian style around here with all the european influence - nice change from the crust-heavy cheese laden pizzas everywhere else.
Had a couple of local brews before going back home via Ryan's mum's boyfriend's house to pick up some gift cards which will get us cheap accomodation at the slopes.
Came back & met up with more of Priya's friends and just played cards/music/chess
Temp: Still warm 17 degrees
Took it very easy today.
Ate some mexican food at a little restaurant that makes it in front of you and it was incredibly fresh & tasty.
Went more grocery shopping and picked up ryan's snowboard from being waxed & tuned.
Chilled out to music & played chess before we drove to Portsmouth nearby to meet Ryan's mum and her boyfriend for dinner.
We got pizzas - all italian style around here with all the european influence - nice change from the crust-heavy cheese laden pizzas everywhere else.
Had a couple of local brews before going back home via Ryan's mum's boyfriend's house to pick up some gift cards which will get us cheap accomodation at the slopes.
Came back & met up with more of Priya's friends and just played cards/music/chess
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Day 33: Hampton
Day: Saturday 01, January, 2011
Temp: 7C (Seriously feels like a gold coast winter)
Mid morning we went to a breakfast restaurant and got a very english-influence eggs benedict. The entire menu felt new england.
Felt rather full so wen't back and chilled for a bit- watched Die Hard lol.
Ryan's mum is out of town for the holiday staying at her boyfriend's house so we have the house to ourselves. Ryan's sister lives at college or something i think he said.
Emily came back over early afternoon and we wen't to a bowling place. They call it "CandleStick Bowling". It's like a 10 pin bowling place...but the ball's are about the size of the english bouwles and round., and the pins are very skinny and light. The rules are slightly different too like 3 bowls per turn. Apparently it's a very New English thing to do which was pretty cool & good fun time killer.
Wen't to a little mexican place for dinner on the way home. Ryan and Priya are little restaurant buffs and love to find great places to eat and this is one of their faves.
Feeling full we went home for another brief chill session before driving about a half hour to go see some live band that the lead singer is a friend of ryans. Unfortuantely they were having too much fun just drinking rather than playing so they were too late and we ended up only seeing the cover band before leaving but live music was still good. Heavier sort of genera but still fun, they did some good covers of other bands too.
Came home & played some cards & music before retiring. Ryan's new years resolution is to drink again lol. Last year he got done with a DUI and the penalties here are way harsher than they are in aus. Since then he basically didnt drink at all. I guess now that i'm here he realises he can't escape the inevitable and so is resolving to return to drinking - responsibly lol. Hence he busted out some old cocktail liquors & made a margerita for everyone lol. We'll see where this goes - I don't want him to drink on my behalf but at the same time i dunno, its pretty entertaining :D
Temp: 7C (Seriously feels like a gold coast winter)
Mid morning we went to a breakfast restaurant and got a very english-influence eggs benedict. The entire menu felt new england.
Felt rather full so wen't back and chilled for a bit- watched Die Hard lol.
Ryan's mum is out of town for the holiday staying at her boyfriend's house so we have the house to ourselves. Ryan's sister lives at college or something i think he said.
Emily came back over early afternoon and we wen't to a bowling place. They call it "CandleStick Bowling". It's like a 10 pin bowling place...but the ball's are about the size of the english bouwles and round., and the pins are very skinny and light. The rules are slightly different too like 3 bowls per turn. Apparently it's a very New English thing to do which was pretty cool & good fun time killer.
Wen't to a little mexican place for dinner on the way home. Ryan and Priya are little restaurant buffs and love to find great places to eat and this is one of their faves.
Feeling full we went home for another brief chill session before driving about a half hour to go see some live band that the lead singer is a friend of ryans. Unfortuantely they were having too much fun just drinking rather than playing so they were too late and we ended up only seeing the cover band before leaving but live music was still good. Heavier sort of genera but still fun, they did some good covers of other bands too.
Came home & played some cards & music before retiring. Ryan's new years resolution is to drink again lol. Last year he got done with a DUI and the penalties here are way harsher than they are in aus. Since then he basically didnt drink at all. I guess now that i'm here he realises he can't escape the inevitable and so is resolving to return to drinking - responsibly lol. Hence he busted out some old cocktail liquors & made a margerita for everyone lol. We'll see where this goes - I don't want him to drink on my behalf but at the same time i dunno, its pretty entertaining :D
Day 32: Happy New Years In Boston!
Day: Friday 31st December (2010 NYE!)
Temp: -7C in Wisconsin, +7C in Boston!!!!(Abnormally warm, it was on the news even)
Since I'm travelling with a snowboard I was unable to check in early so it meant i was one of the last to check in at the airport. This meant that I was placed in the holding numbers of people who would be forced to forego their seat because the plane was overbooked. Basically she told me three people needed to volunteer to fly on a different day, in order for me to keep my seat. Majorly gay.
Luckily there was an old couple that volunteered and another guy who volunteered so I was alright. Flight's were delayed a bit, packed full and a very tight connection which i almost missed, but other than that they were nice enough flights. The leg from Minneapolis to Boston even had free wireless internet on the flight which is a first. Was pretty fast internet too I wasn't expecting it.
Coordinated with Ryan the night before so he drove into boston and picked us up from the airport in pretty good timing.
It was him, Priya his girlfriend and their friend Emily.
We drove & parked our car at a carpark near a trainstation and caught a couple of trains into Boston.
Priya and Emily are both 19 so can't drink, so the night's event's were organized around seeing a few sights and functions rather than the usual pub/club scene.
The first stop was near Fenway Park, which is a famous baseball stadium. Some glitzy streets which we just walked down looking for a place to eat. Ended up down at some tiny little resteraunt which was hidden away down some stairs which had amazing food. Pasta primavera - was the best pasta ive had in years. Had like artichokes, chicken peices, olives, tomatoes, lots of stuff..just an amazing pasta.
Continued onto the Convention center which was hosting a bunch of various comedy acts as part of the "FirstNight" charity association which runs events all over boston for new years.
Trained our way to another section of town near downtown which is very italian in character. Went to this little bakery which is phenomenally famous for it's Calenoli's. I'm talking about a place which just reaches cult status for them. There was literally a line up for these pastries. Basically they were a tube of pastry, kinda like crust of a sweet pie, around a really different blend of cream/custard/icecream kinda. They were defintely good.
We then made our way to Copley Square outside the Boston library. AKA Time's Square for boston. Bunch of lazers & ice sculptures and a mosh pit of party-goers were dancing to a very very talented DJ. Got right in the middle of it & listened/danced to this DJ & psyched up with the crowd for the countdown. Happy new year!
Made our way back to the car shortly after and started the 45 min drive back to Ryan's. He lives in New Hampshire state, in Hampton, quite close to the beach. Boston is just south of the border in Massetussets (however you spell it). Crashed pretty much soon as we got home.
Different way of celebrating New Years this year. No drinking, going to comedy performances and eating food more so than any partying. The food was amazing, the comedy was good, and the DJ was one of the best ive seen in ages. Boston is a nice city too - can't wait to check it out properly. Theres lots of english/european influence/architecture and seafoods are heaps popular too given that it's on the coast.
Anyways, this is getting to be a long post so will cut it short. Happy New Year everyone! 2010 was an awesome year for me, 2011 has lot's in store and many changes about to come so i'm looking forward to seeing where it all takes me. Hope you all have a great year!
Temp: -7C in Wisconsin, +7C in Boston!!!!(Abnormally warm, it was on the news even)
Since I'm travelling with a snowboard I was unable to check in early so it meant i was one of the last to check in at the airport. This meant that I was placed in the holding numbers of people who would be forced to forego their seat because the plane was overbooked. Basically she told me three people needed to volunteer to fly on a different day, in order for me to keep my seat. Majorly gay.
Luckily there was an old couple that volunteered and another guy who volunteered so I was alright. Flight's were delayed a bit, packed full and a very tight connection which i almost missed, but other than that they were nice enough flights. The leg from Minneapolis to Boston even had free wireless internet on the flight which is a first. Was pretty fast internet too I wasn't expecting it.
Coordinated with Ryan the night before so he drove into boston and picked us up from the airport in pretty good timing.
It was him, Priya his girlfriend and their friend Emily.
We drove & parked our car at a carpark near a trainstation and caught a couple of trains into Boston.
Priya and Emily are both 19 so can't drink, so the night's event's were organized around seeing a few sights and functions rather than the usual pub/club scene.
The first stop was near Fenway Park, which is a famous baseball stadium. Some glitzy streets which we just walked down looking for a place to eat. Ended up down at some tiny little resteraunt which was hidden away down some stairs which had amazing food. Pasta primavera - was the best pasta ive had in years. Had like artichokes, chicken peices, olives, tomatoes, lots of stuff..just an amazing pasta.
Continued onto the Convention center which was hosting a bunch of various comedy acts as part of the "FirstNight" charity association which runs events all over boston for new years.
Trained our way to another section of town near downtown which is very italian in character. Went to this little bakery which is phenomenally famous for it's Calenoli's. I'm talking about a place which just reaches cult status for them. There was literally a line up for these pastries. Basically they were a tube of pastry, kinda like crust of a sweet pie, around a really different blend of cream/custard/icecream kinda. They were defintely good.
We then made our way to Copley Square outside the Boston library. AKA Time's Square for boston. Bunch of lazers & ice sculptures and a mosh pit of party-goers were dancing to a very very talented DJ. Got right in the middle of it & listened/danced to this DJ & psyched up with the crowd for the countdown. Happy new year!
Made our way back to the car shortly after and started the 45 min drive back to Ryan's. He lives in New Hampshire state, in Hampton, quite close to the beach. Boston is just south of the border in Massetussets (however you spell it). Crashed pretty much soon as we got home.
Different way of celebrating New Years this year. No drinking, going to comedy performances and eating food more so than any partying. The food was amazing, the comedy was good, and the DJ was one of the best ive seen in ages. Boston is a nice city too - can't wait to check it out properly. Theres lots of english/european influence/architecture and seafoods are heaps popular too given that it's on the coast.
Anyways, this is getting to be a long post so will cut it short. Happy New Year everyone! 2010 was an awesome year for me, 2011 has lot's in store and many changes about to come so i'm looking forward to seeing where it all takes me. Hope you all have a great year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Day 31: Back to Fon du Lac
Day: Thursday 30th December
Temp: 4C
Hangovers and the obligatory Maccas run, and then on the road for the hour or so drive back to mikes.
I drove, i was way more coherent than mike was - enjoyable countryside to drive through too.
Got back, packed bags & met up with mikes girlfriend & her friend for an afternoon cafe' stop and then ice skating. Ice skating for 2 hrs and rental costed $1.50 and I had a soup which was made with beer & cheese & is famous to the area. Wasn't as bad as it sounds I assure you.
Headed back home for a brief bit before going to Mike's real-dad's place. He had cooked Wisconsin's famous Braatz and cheese curds on the grill for us. Basically it's german bratwurst sausage in the form of a hotdog but served with sauerkraut. Quite tasty. Played some call of duty on the playstation before going home.
Packed bags, went to a local pub to play a few rounds of pool & say cya to a couple of mike's friends that i'd met the other day.
Headed down to Oshkosh again to stay at mikes girlfriends house (It's closer to the airport). Rented a movie and got pizza delivered.
Off to Boston tomorrow to catch up with Ryan.
Wisconsin has been a blast. I've spent shitloads more than I was expecting when figuring i was coming to the country but I got to do a roadtrip to destinations I would never have been to, saw things i would never have seen and met people and made friends with people out of the blue in a part of the world I would never have visited. The people here are big, jolly, genuine american country folk. They love their drink and their food, their guns, their machines and their sport and their country. They're comfortable where they are and found an Australian coming to their area completely fascinating. A warm destination in a cold part of the world (at least this time of year). Couldn't have had a better Christmas in america really.
Cheers mike! You're a true mate.
Temp: 4C
Hangovers and the obligatory Maccas run, and then on the road for the hour or so drive back to mikes.
I drove, i was way more coherent than mike was - enjoyable countryside to drive through too.
Got back, packed bags & met up with mikes girlfriend & her friend for an afternoon cafe' stop and then ice skating. Ice skating for 2 hrs and rental costed $1.50 and I had a soup which was made with beer & cheese & is famous to the area. Wasn't as bad as it sounds I assure you.
Headed back home for a brief bit before going to Mike's real-dad's place. He had cooked Wisconsin's famous Braatz and cheese curds on the grill for us. Basically it's german bratwurst sausage in the form of a hotdog but served with sauerkraut. Quite tasty. Played some call of duty on the playstation before going home.
Packed bags, went to a local pub to play a few rounds of pool & say cya to a couple of mike's friends that i'd met the other day.
Headed down to Oshkosh again to stay at mikes girlfriends house (It's closer to the airport). Rented a movie and got pizza delivered.
Off to Boston tomorrow to catch up with Ryan.
Wisconsin has been a blast. I've spent shitloads more than I was expecting when figuring i was coming to the country but I got to do a roadtrip to destinations I would never have been to, saw things i would never have seen and met people and made friends with people out of the blue in a part of the world I would never have visited. The people here are big, jolly, genuine american country folk. They love their drink and their food, their guns, their machines and their sport and their country. They're comfortable where they are and found an Australian coming to their area completely fascinating. A warm destination in a cold part of the world (at least this time of year). Couldn't have had a better Christmas in america really.
Cheers mike! You're a true mate.
Day 30: Chicago II & Madison
Day: Wednesday 29th December
Temp: 4C
Slept in comfortably til 11 before checking out & walking to the Willis Tower.
Copy Paste from wiki: Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 1451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.[1] At the time of its completion in 1974, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world, as well as the fifth tallest building in the world to the roof."
We waited in line for about 2 hours. Stupid, but worth it. Was a beautiful day for it - everything was melting.
Had an authentic Chicago Hotdog before getting in the car again. Apparently hot dogs are famous here too. just like the pizzas in every major city it seems :P
Chicago is a very beautiful city. Apparently in the summer it's all green, and the lake has beautiful beaches so it's like a freshwater ocean. Im starting to understand the appeal of bigger cities compared to living out in the country.
The drive to Madison was about <2hrs. We arrived at about 7ish. Checked into a hostel because it was in a good location and fairly empty so we had an 8 bed dorm to ourselves for the cheap.
Had a quick snooze before going out.
Madison is a university town first and foremost, Wisconsin State Capital second. Lots of people our age all of which love to drink and party it up.
We walked & past the town hall. Similar roof to the white house. Apparently most of the capital buildings in each state's capital have a similar design.
It was cool - it was kinda foggy & big flood lights were lighting it up..i got a few pics - will upload them soon.
Since warm weather melted snow and it had refrozen, all the roads & footpaths were covered in ice too. Was very entertaining walking where you could literally slide an entire pavement square. Skateboards are overrated. Got a video too which ill upload.
Bar hopping was great. Started with a FishBowl for $5, and continued to different bars and pubs where drinks ranged from $1 basics to $3.
In Millwauke we randomly met some people at a pub, they were from Kentucky...just cool guys we played pool with. Somehow they were here too completely randomly which was thousands times more awesome when you were under the influence than it probably sounds reading it in this blog.
Anyways, we made it home somehow - and we didn't fall over on the ice. Impressed. :)
Temp: 4C
Slept in comfortably til 11 before checking out & walking to the Willis Tower.
Copy Paste from wiki: Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 1451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.[1] At the time of its completion in 1974, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world, as well as the fifth tallest building in the world to the roof."
We waited in line for about 2 hours. Stupid, but worth it. Was a beautiful day for it - everything was melting.
Had an authentic Chicago Hotdog before getting in the car again. Apparently hot dogs are famous here too. just like the pizzas in every major city it seems :P
Chicago is a very beautiful city. Apparently in the summer it's all green, and the lake has beautiful beaches so it's like a freshwater ocean. Im starting to understand the appeal of bigger cities compared to living out in the country.
The drive to Madison was about <2hrs. We arrived at about 7ish. Checked into a hostel because it was in a good location and fairly empty so we had an 8 bed dorm to ourselves for the cheap.
Had a quick snooze before going out.
Madison is a university town first and foremost, Wisconsin State Capital second. Lots of people our age all of which love to drink and party it up.
We walked & past the town hall. Similar roof to the white house. Apparently most of the capital buildings in each state's capital have a similar design.
It was cool - it was kinda foggy & big flood lights were lighting it up..i got a few pics - will upload them soon.
Since warm weather melted snow and it had refrozen, all the roads & footpaths were covered in ice too. Was very entertaining walking where you could literally slide an entire pavement square. Skateboards are overrated. Got a video too which ill upload.
Bar hopping was great. Started with a FishBowl for $5, and continued to different bars and pubs where drinks ranged from $1 basics to $3.
In Millwauke we randomly met some people at a pub, they were from Kentucky...just cool guys we played pool with. Somehow they were here too completely randomly which was thousands times more awesome when you were under the influence than it probably sounds reading it in this blog.
Anyways, we made it home somehow - and we didn't fall over on the ice. Impressed. :)
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Day 29: Chicago
Woke up around midday and drove to chicago.
4th biggest city in the US - i didnt even realise.
The city sits adjacent to Lake Michigan which is massive. Big enough that they even get waves and surf sometimes.
Beautiful City - very clean and nice design.
We went up one of the big towers, i cant remember what it was called, and had a drink and an entre up the top.
We then walked to the pier. It's a massive peir. They just so happened to have an entire function room decked out with christmas stuff. There were thousands of christmas trees, all decorated differently. A bunch of theme-park rides as well as model santa clauses from al lthe countries in the world. Pretty thing to stumble upon.
Continued walking - eventually got to the Millenium Park. Checked out the public art works like the huge chrome ball and the waterfall with a massive tv screen inside it.
Walked back towards home, it was late now and we had been walking for ages so we went and got food. Food was a world famous Giordano's cheese-stuffed crust pizza. One of the things my american friends said i had to try was this pizza in chicago so its another tick off the to-do list. The pizza was good. Very cheezy but the cheese was good quality so not as filling and oily as you might have expected.
Came back to our hotel for a quick refresh before intending to go out. But the beds here were too comfy so we both ended up crashing. First good night sleep we've had since two days before christmas so it was well needed.
4th biggest city in the US - i didnt even realise.
The city sits adjacent to Lake Michigan which is massive. Big enough that they even get waves and surf sometimes.
Beautiful City - very clean and nice design.
We went up one of the big towers, i cant remember what it was called, and had a drink and an entre up the top.
We then walked to the pier. It's a massive peir. They just so happened to have an entire function room decked out with christmas stuff. There were thousands of christmas trees, all decorated differently. A bunch of theme-park rides as well as model santa clauses from al lthe countries in the world. Pretty thing to stumble upon.
Continued walking - eventually got to the Millenium Park. Checked out the public art works like the huge chrome ball and the waterfall with a massive tv screen inside it.
Walked back towards home, it was late now and we had been walking for ages so we went and got food. Food was a world famous Giordano's cheese-stuffed crust pizza. One of the things my american friends said i had to try was this pizza in chicago so its another tick off the to-do list. The pizza was good. Very cheezy but the cheese was good quality so not as filling and oily as you might have expected.
Came back to our hotel for a quick refresh before intending to go out. But the beds here were too comfy so we both ended up crashing. First good night sleep we've had since two days before christmas so it was well needed.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Day 28: Millwauke
Day: Monday 27th December
Temp: -5C
Hung around home and booked our hotel before driving an hour and half south to Millwauke. City known for it's breweries of Miller and its harley davidson headquarters. Checked into our hotel and walked to the basketball stadium.
Millwauke Bucks vs Hawks. We were going for Bucks but they unfortunately lost by about 9points. Still a good game to watch. Nice stadium - lots of cheerleaders & little events & give aways in between scores. They even had a Baby Race where they made them crawl to a finish line haha.
Went out to the bars afterwards for some beers & drinks & then did sort of a pub crawl of Millwauke. Not a huge night life here but was still fun enough.
Oh, and people have been commenting on how much I love the food here, im not in love with it. I'm just talking about it. It's something different and therefore a talking point. Keep your petty judging to yourselves :P
Temp: -5C
Hung around home and booked our hotel before driving an hour and half south to Millwauke. City known for it's breweries of Miller and its harley davidson headquarters. Checked into our hotel and walked to the basketball stadium.
Millwauke Bucks vs Hawks. We were going for Bucks but they unfortunately lost by about 9points. Still a good game to watch. Nice stadium - lots of cheerleaders & little events & give aways in between scores. They even had a Baby Race where they made them crawl to a finish line haha.
Went out to the bars afterwards for some beers & drinks & then did sort of a pub crawl of Millwauke. Not a huge night life here but was still fun enough.
Oh, and people have been commenting on how much I love the food here, im not in love with it. I'm just talking about it. It's something different and therefore a talking point. Keep your petty judging to yourselves :P
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Day 27: Wisconsin Wings And Footy
Day: Sunday 26th December
Temp: -2C
Slept in and then went to the chain "Buffalo Wild Wings" after I mentioned i enjoyed them to mike.
It's more of a sports bar.
True to what i said before, everyone here is passionate about football. Everyone has a jersey or jacket. Everyone was at the sports bar watching the game.
Was a good game, we won by quite a significant amount. I can fully see how living here you would get right behind your team when everyone else gets right into it. Very cool culture.
Chilled at home after the game playing some playstation til about 10pm-ish when we went around to mike's girls house picked her and her friend up and went to a pub in Oshkosh where they had $2 Long Island Ice Teas. Another good night of drinking to Wisconsin's tally.
Tomorrow we are going down to Millwauke to watch a basketball game. Then on to chicago to go up the Sears tower which is the tallest in the world or some generic claim along those lines. Will probably see other sights in chicago and might see a football game live too see what happens. Then will drop by Madison the capital of Wisconsin on the way back, apparently it has a beautiful university and a good night life. More drinking inevitable no doubt.
I'll take my laptop but dunno if i'll update blog for a few days - see how it goes.
Temp: -2C
Slept in and then went to the chain "Buffalo Wild Wings" after I mentioned i enjoyed them to mike.
It's more of a sports bar.
True to what i said before, everyone here is passionate about football. Everyone has a jersey or jacket. Everyone was at the sports bar watching the game.
Was a good game, we won by quite a significant amount. I can fully see how living here you would get right behind your team when everyone else gets right into it. Very cool culture.
Chilled at home after the game playing some playstation til about 10pm-ish when we went around to mike's girls house picked her and her friend up and went to a pub in Oshkosh where they had $2 Long Island Ice Teas. Another good night of drinking to Wisconsin's tally.
Tomorrow we are going down to Millwauke to watch a basketball game. Then on to chicago to go up the Sears tower which is the tallest in the world or some generic claim along those lines. Will probably see other sights in chicago and might see a football game live too see what happens. Then will drop by Madison the capital of Wisconsin on the way back, apparently it has a beautiful university and a good night life. More drinking inevitable no doubt.
I'll take my laptop but dunno if i'll update blog for a few days - see how it goes.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Day 26: Christmas Day!
Day: Saturday 25th December
Said goodbye to the lads at about 6ish when they left for Cancun.
I got to sleep in for a couple more hours til 8 before checking out and catching the bus to the airport. Man, public transport in this city is soo convenient.
The 4 hr flight to milwaukee in wisconsin was fine, i slept most of it.
The flight then from Milwaukee to Appleton was about 18 minutes long so as soon as i put my ipod in i was being told to turn it off again lol.
Mike picked us up. He's another guy I knew from the exchange students at student acommodation.
He lives in a little town called Fon Du Lac - very tiny and pretty rural - near the Great Lakes northern wisconsin.
Wisconsin is a state known for it's cheeses, its drinking and it's beer, and it's manufacturing. Mike finished uni this year and is now an intern for one of the companies that make big-industry trucks like snow ploughs, fire engines etc. Lucky guy is getting placed out in Singapore in February to start the company's transition into the asian markets.
True to wisconsin nature, he gave me a shot or two of Baileys as soon as we were in the car.
Drove us through the snow-covered properties out to his grandma's place where we had a huge kris kingle and christmas dinner. Had to try everything so was soo stuffed..barely had room to try many of the desserts..i'm going back obese, its a fact.
Mike's family is rather convoluted so lots of the people there were his uncles and aunties but once or twice removed - i lost track - but they were all extremely friendly and welcoming and fascinated with my accent and australia in general. Couldn't have asked for a more warming white christmas experience.
They were all royally jolly big people who love drinking, food, and the local football team the Packers.
The Packers were the first team to win the Superbowl. Ever. The superbowl trophy is actually named after the first coach. So the national sport stems from this area, so everyone from birth is a fan, and a hardcore fan at that. Very cool trivia.
Mike and I eventually left to go visit his step-dad whom they knew all their life so kept in contact with him.
He's a man of projects. He's building his entire house, has a wicked hangout downstairs with a bar, pokie machines, darts table. He fixed up a couple of camaros and also likes tinkering with very old computer parts from back in the days when they were green and black screens. We played a game of darts and pool before taking mikes brother home with us.
Mikes friend met us up at his house before we went to one of the local bar/pubs where we just had beers and played pool. People from wisconsin are country folk and know how to drink so needless to say we got drunk. A jug of beer was $5. Bottles of a nice beer were about $1.50. Shots were $2.
I'm going back obese, i think i said it before.
Said goodbye to the lads at about 6ish when they left for Cancun.
I got to sleep in for a couple more hours til 8 before checking out and catching the bus to the airport. Man, public transport in this city is soo convenient.
The 4 hr flight to milwaukee in wisconsin was fine, i slept most of it.
The flight then from Milwaukee to Appleton was about 18 minutes long so as soon as i put my ipod in i was being told to turn it off again lol.
Mike picked us up. He's another guy I knew from the exchange students at student acommodation.
He lives in a little town called Fon Du Lac - very tiny and pretty rural - near the Great Lakes northern wisconsin.
Wisconsin is a state known for it's cheeses, its drinking and it's beer, and it's manufacturing. Mike finished uni this year and is now an intern for one of the companies that make big-industry trucks like snow ploughs, fire engines etc. Lucky guy is getting placed out in Singapore in February to start the company's transition into the asian markets.
True to wisconsin nature, he gave me a shot or two of Baileys as soon as we were in the car.
Drove us through the snow-covered properties out to his grandma's place where we had a huge kris kingle and christmas dinner. Had to try everything so was soo stuffed..barely had room to try many of the desserts..i'm going back obese, its a fact.
Mike's family is rather convoluted so lots of the people there were his uncles and aunties but once or twice removed - i lost track - but they were all extremely friendly and welcoming and fascinated with my accent and australia in general. Couldn't have asked for a more warming white christmas experience.
They were all royally jolly big people who love drinking, food, and the local football team the Packers.
The Packers were the first team to win the Superbowl. Ever. The superbowl trophy is actually named after the first coach. So the national sport stems from this area, so everyone from birth is a fan, and a hardcore fan at that. Very cool trivia.
Mike and I eventually left to go visit his step-dad whom they knew all their life so kept in contact with him.
He's a man of projects. He's building his entire house, has a wicked hangout downstairs with a bar, pokie machines, darts table. He fixed up a couple of camaros and also likes tinkering with very old computer parts from back in the days when they were green and black screens. We played a game of darts and pool before taking mikes brother home with us.
Mikes friend met us up at his house before we went to one of the local bar/pubs where we just had beers and played pool. People from wisconsin are country folk and know how to drink so needless to say we got drunk. A jug of beer was $5. Bottles of a nice beer were about $1.50. Shots were $2.
I'm going back obese, i think i said it before.
Day 25: Christmas Eve
Day: Friday 24th December
Temp: 4C WARM!!!
We woke up very slowly, but still surprisingly early. Eventually the boys skated with their skateboards through central park, i caught a metro half way and walked. We aimed to meet up near the ice skating rinks - such a nice way to cure the hangover.
We ended up at a big square in central park and we just sat on the benches. Such a cool atmosphere. There was a guy playing music on the saxaphone, a guy blowing giant bubbles, runners going past, people trying tricks on their skate boards, people throwing a frizbee and doing tricks with it like spinning it along their heads and keeping it going and stuff. One of the coolest atmosphere's for a public place for sure.
We wandered to the Apple store nearby, walked past the ice skating rink but it was too busy so didnt bother. The apple store is just a glass building - so its impressive enough to go check it out. Soo busy so didn't go inside.
Went back to the hotel to skype all our families before having a micro nap.
Got woken up by my friend Neeti.
Last year when I went to india she was there via family connections. She's from new jersey more than she is indian.
She commuted about an hour from new jersey and we met up in times square for a bit of dinner. TGI fridays. Overpriced for the tourists and nothing amazing but we were hungry enough so didnt care.
Went back to hotel after saying goodbyes and packed bags before going to bed. We were going to go out to another club but simply couldnt do it physically. And the boys had to get up way earlier than I did to make their flight so we all just crashed.
Temp: 4C WARM!!!
We woke up very slowly, but still surprisingly early. Eventually the boys skated with their skateboards through central park, i caught a metro half way and walked. We aimed to meet up near the ice skating rinks - such a nice way to cure the hangover.
We ended up at a big square in central park and we just sat on the benches. Such a cool atmosphere. There was a guy playing music on the saxaphone, a guy blowing giant bubbles, runners going past, people trying tricks on their skate boards, people throwing a frizbee and doing tricks with it like spinning it along their heads and keeping it going and stuff. One of the coolest atmosphere's for a public place for sure.
We wandered to the Apple store nearby, walked past the ice skating rink but it was too busy so didnt bother. The apple store is just a glass building - so its impressive enough to go check it out. Soo busy so didn't go inside.
Went back to the hotel to skype all our families before having a micro nap.
Got woken up by my friend Neeti.
Last year when I went to india she was there via family connections. She's from new jersey more than she is indian.
She commuted about an hour from new jersey and we met up in times square for a bit of dinner. TGI fridays. Overpriced for the tourists and nothing amazing but we were hungry enough so didnt care.
Went back to hotel after saying goodbyes and packed bags before going to bed. We were going to go out to another club but simply couldnt do it physically. And the boys had to get up way earlier than I did to make their flight so we all just crashed.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Day 24: Statue of Liberty
Day: Thursday 23rd December
Temp: -3
Last night we all just slept after food. We found a place which sold Buffalo Wings and they were pretty good so we pigged out on them again. They taste soo good i wish we had them back in OZ.
Slept-in this morning making ourselves healthy again before grabbing the big camera & going to statue of liberty.
Pretty cool. One of the pre-requisite things you do as a tourist.
Frikkin cold & windy & overcast though - mind you..it started snowing lightly. Technically it's christmas eve back in australia so yes, we were in new york for christmas eve and it was snowing :P
Trained it to Rockerfeller center. Big shopping center basically. Lots of boutique stuff nothing cheap. Massive famous christmas tree out the front as well as an ice skating rink. Very busy - festive spirit is out in force here and lots of tourists have come for the xmas/New years combo.
Went back home & arranged liquors. Jagermeister (help us). Red bull and Mike's Hard Lemonades (Lemonade & vodka pre-mixes).
We sussed out the place we were going to.
It was called Webster Hall. It lets people under 21 into the club but draws massive crosses on their hands so they can't purchase alcohol..Good deal if you ask me - Jason & richard being 20 were happy with the arrangement.
$40 cover charge. But that's because Chris Brown and Soulja Boy were performing (Sisters Ayla & Hannah will be jealous).
The club had 5 stories. The big one where chris brown performed had a balcony level so you could look down. The lowest level had hardly any lights and just played diiirty dirty african-american grind music. The rest of the levels played different music. Had an awesome night. The crowd were very fun.
Some Americans who had a penthouse suite in the middle of times square invited us back to theirs to chill. It was a bunch of Sorority girls and a couple others. Good fun. So surreal.
Every step of this holiday works out for us. We are soo lucky it's not funny. We got a warm weather belt back in banff where we would have frozen, we got awesome acommodation at every step for cheap. Free upgrade to 19th floor overlooking niagara falls, transport that just works out for us. People & locals along the way that show us amazing times. Awesome snow. Awesome weather. Free upgrade rooms at hostels in both toronto AND new york. beautiful weather in new york. snowing on christmas eve. awesome nights out. went to a sorority girls penthouse in times square. saw chris brown and soulja boy at one of the coolest clubs in new york city. The list goes on im sure but you get the idea.
Temp: -3
Last night we all just slept after food. We found a place which sold Buffalo Wings and they were pretty good so we pigged out on them again. They taste soo good i wish we had them back in OZ.
Slept-in this morning making ourselves healthy again before grabbing the big camera & going to statue of liberty.
Pretty cool. One of the pre-requisite things you do as a tourist.
Frikkin cold & windy & overcast though - mind you..it started snowing lightly. Technically it's christmas eve back in australia so yes, we were in new york for christmas eve and it was snowing :P
Trained it to Rockerfeller center. Big shopping center basically. Lots of boutique stuff nothing cheap. Massive famous christmas tree out the front as well as an ice skating rink. Very busy - festive spirit is out in force here and lots of tourists have come for the xmas/New years combo.
Went back home & arranged liquors. Jagermeister (help us). Red bull and Mike's Hard Lemonades (Lemonade & vodka pre-mixes).
We sussed out the place we were going to.
It was called Webster Hall. It lets people under 21 into the club but draws massive crosses on their hands so they can't purchase alcohol..Good deal if you ask me - Jason & richard being 20 were happy with the arrangement.
$40 cover charge. But that's because Chris Brown and Soulja Boy were performing (Sisters Ayla & Hannah will be jealous).
The club had 5 stories. The big one where chris brown performed had a balcony level so you could look down. The lowest level had hardly any lights and just played diiirty dirty african-american grind music. The rest of the levels played different music. Had an awesome night. The crowd were very fun.
Some Americans who had a penthouse suite in the middle of times square invited us back to theirs to chill. It was a bunch of Sorority girls and a couple others. Good fun. So surreal.
Every step of this holiday works out for us. We are soo lucky it's not funny. We got a warm weather belt back in banff where we would have frozen, we got awesome acommodation at every step for cheap. Free upgrade to 19th floor overlooking niagara falls, transport that just works out for us. People & locals along the way that show us amazing times. Awesome snow. Awesome weather. Free upgrade rooms at hostels in both toronto AND new york. beautiful weather in new york. snowing on christmas eve. awesome nights out. went to a sorority girls penthouse in times square. saw chris brown and soulja boy at one of the coolest clubs in new york city. The list goes on im sure but you get the idea.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Day 23: Brooklyn
Day: Wednesday 22 December
Temp: 0'C (Windchill)
Caught the train to Brooklyn and got off somewhere random.
We didn't have maps or know how to use the subway.
Our goal was a bit of cheap shopping and a view of Manhattan NY skyline.
Somehow we stumbled across the shopping district by stroke of luck.
Most of the shops were kind of like Best & Less or Lowes and there was decent stuff for decent prices. None of us bought much, jason got a sweater but that was about it.
We had lunch at a terriaki chicken place and ended up sitting down watching things on Richards iphone for a good hour. Nice chill session though.
Ended up walking to the nearest landmark we could find - the brooklyn bridge - and walked across it at about sunset.
Awesome view - got some photos & view of statue of lib & a nice sunset.
Couldn't find the park where you get the full view of the skyline though unfortunately so there's a bunch of suspension bridge cables in all our photos :P
Brooklyn was interesting..completely different feel from manhattan. Soo many african americans & mexicans. Whites really are becoming a minority. It's funny too because the stereotype of them are soo true. They all wear baggy clothes, bling and talk real cool and loud :)
Oh yeah, it is Wednesday. So far during this trip; every wednesday has involved a drinking session of large (huge) proportions. We are now researching clubs and places which will let us out under 21. Tonight may involve drinking. Will let you know tomorrow. The lads are sick though so maybe not.
Temp: 0'C (Windchill)
Caught the train to Brooklyn and got off somewhere random.
We didn't have maps or know how to use the subway.
Our goal was a bit of cheap shopping and a view of Manhattan NY skyline.
Somehow we stumbled across the shopping district by stroke of luck.
Most of the shops were kind of like Best & Less or Lowes and there was decent stuff for decent prices. None of us bought much, jason got a sweater but that was about it.
We had lunch at a terriaki chicken place and ended up sitting down watching things on Richards iphone for a good hour. Nice chill session though.
Ended up walking to the nearest landmark we could find - the brooklyn bridge - and walked across it at about sunset.
Awesome view - got some photos & view of statue of lib & a nice sunset.
Couldn't find the park where you get the full view of the skyline though unfortunately so there's a bunch of suspension bridge cables in all our photos :P
Brooklyn was interesting..completely different feel from manhattan. Soo many african americans & mexicans. Whites really are becoming a minority. It's funny too because the stereotype of them are soo true. They all wear baggy clothes, bling and talk real cool and loud :)
Oh yeah, it is Wednesday. So far during this trip; every wednesday has involved a drinking session of large (huge) proportions. We are now researching clubs and places which will let us out under 21. Tonight may involve drinking. Will let you know tomorrow. The lads are sick though so maybe not.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Day 22: More Bites of the Big Apple
Day: Tuesday 21st
Temp: 0'C
Nearly every corner has some sort of food joint here. Our corner has a simple Deli/Corner store, but here most deli's have a hot plate heated all day & can cook you food pretty much all day. We got a bacon & ommlette on a bagel. 2 for 5 bucks.
We then trained it to the world trade center/twin towers area. Unfortunately they're building the new one so it was blocked off and we couldn't even find the tribute site. Did see some interesting facts of how it destroyed the subway systems & people in them & how lots more buildings went down than just the two towers. Strange how media can distort truth to make things simpler & more sellable.
Walked through Wall St and then on towards the coast where we had a view of brooklyn. The statue of liberty was a little far away & sun was in a bad spot so maybe we'll catch the ferry to it later.
We caught the trains to Upper East Side are which is well known as the "rich peoples district" which the show Gossip Girl is based. Very fancy, all the cars & shops & just the feel of it feels more sophisticated and rich.
Afterwards we went back to our area (Upper West Side) across the other side of central park. Lower socio-economic area for sure lol..
After a chill we went back out to times square to see it all lit up at night.
Walked to empire state building and paid 20 to go to the top.
Amazing view. The city is huge..bigger than we can really realise. There were soo many planes in the sky - something you don't often see. Tried to get photos but our cameras didn't seem too cooperative and we were just freezing our hands.
Afterwards the lads went home as they were both still a little sick with the cold that we all caught. I felt good enough to continue walking around the streets near times square and broadway. Got lost but it was fine. Ended up walking past Madison Square Gardens which turns out is a basketball stadium.
Train home was a little broken so it kept stopping but got home eventually for a good sleep.
Temp: 0'C
Nearly every corner has some sort of food joint here. Our corner has a simple Deli/Corner store, but here most deli's have a hot plate heated all day & can cook you food pretty much all day. We got a bacon & ommlette on a bagel. 2 for 5 bucks.
We then trained it to the world trade center/twin towers area. Unfortunately they're building the new one so it was blocked off and we couldn't even find the tribute site. Did see some interesting facts of how it destroyed the subway systems & people in them & how lots more buildings went down than just the two towers. Strange how media can distort truth to make things simpler & more sellable.
Walked through Wall St and then on towards the coast where we had a view of brooklyn. The statue of liberty was a little far away & sun was in a bad spot so maybe we'll catch the ferry to it later.
We caught the trains to Upper East Side are which is well known as the "rich peoples district" which the show Gossip Girl is based. Very fancy, all the cars & shops & just the feel of it feels more sophisticated and rich.
Afterwards we went back to our area (Upper West Side) across the other side of central park. Lower socio-economic area for sure lol..
After a chill we went back out to times square to see it all lit up at night.
Walked to empire state building and paid 20 to go to the top.
Amazing view. The city is huge..bigger than we can really realise. There were soo many planes in the sky - something you don't often see. Tried to get photos but our cameras didn't seem too cooperative and we were just freezing our hands.
Afterwards the lads went home as they were both still a little sick with the cold that we all caught. I felt good enough to continue walking around the streets near times square and broadway. Got lost but it was fine. Ended up walking past Madison Square Gardens which turns out is a basketball stadium.
Train home was a little broken so it kept stopping but got home eventually for a good sleep.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Day 21: First Day In New York!
Day: Monday 20th
Temp: About 1C
We got to our hostel. It's called the Pearl or something. Theres no signs. It doesnt have a kitchen, is about 7 stories high and seemed really weird.
Check in wasn't allowed until 3:00pm and it was 7!
We were absolutely knackered from the big night and loong bus drive so it wasn't good news.
Anyways, we started strolling towards Central Park. Went to a corner store deli-type shop which had fresh bagels & brekfast. Super cheap. You could get a toasted bagel, eggs and bacon for $2. Immediately made us feel better.
Central Park looked awesome. Morning light.
We just started walking and started to fathom the size of this city. The park is huuuge. We kept walking all the way to times square. Every bit as flashy as you see on TV. A must-return destination for an evening when it's all lit up.
We decided to get Maccas. Supersized meals. What's more American than eating the fattiest meal possible in the middle of times square? :D
After stuffing ourselves, we strolled to the New York Library.
The building is anceint. More of a museum than it is a library.
We tried sleeping but a security guard told us off after a 10 minute nana nap.
It was close to 2 now so we figured we'd try and check in early.
Navigated the amazingly simple and effective subway system right to our Hostel door, yet only got told we couldn't check in til 3.
Jason & Bish got their skateboards & we went back to Central Park.
Took a different route to see some different sights. Saw that famous bridge & the back of the meuseum of modern history or something. Most of the lakes were frozen over solid too which was pretty cool.
Closer to 3. We got back to hostel same way as before. The big manager was doing an audit so we had to wait for about an hour til we got served. I figured it'd be good to ask for a room closer to ground floor so there were less stairs to walk. The lady ended up upgrading us to a 2 bedroom appartment, with ensuite, with a spare matress for no charge (Saved a $130 upgrade). Now the shitty hostel was not so bad after all.
Much needed shower & rest before heading out for a simple pizza at a nearby shop.
I can see why people love New York. As a city, it just feels different. Theres always something going on. Soo many people. Soo much to see and do. I could very easily live here
Temp: About 1C
We got to our hostel. It's called the Pearl or something. Theres no signs. It doesnt have a kitchen, is about 7 stories high and seemed really weird.
Check in wasn't allowed until 3:00pm and it was 7!
We were absolutely knackered from the big night and loong bus drive so it wasn't good news.
Anyways, we started strolling towards Central Park. Went to a corner store deli-type shop which had fresh bagels & brekfast. Super cheap. You could get a toasted bagel, eggs and bacon for $2. Immediately made us feel better.
Central Park looked awesome. Morning light.
We just started walking and started to fathom the size of this city. The park is huuuge. We kept walking all the way to times square. Every bit as flashy as you see on TV. A must-return destination for an evening when it's all lit up.
We decided to get Maccas. Supersized meals. What's more American than eating the fattiest meal possible in the middle of times square? :D
After stuffing ourselves, we strolled to the New York Library.
The building is anceint. More of a museum than it is a library.
We tried sleeping but a security guard told us off after a 10 minute nana nap.
It was close to 2 now so we figured we'd try and check in early.
Navigated the amazingly simple and effective subway system right to our Hostel door, yet only got told we couldn't check in til 3.
Jason & Bish got their skateboards & we went back to Central Park.
Took a different route to see some different sights. Saw that famous bridge & the back of the meuseum of modern history or something. Most of the lakes were frozen over solid too which was pretty cool.
Closer to 3. We got back to hostel same way as before. The big manager was doing an audit so we had to wait for about an hour til we got served. I figured it'd be good to ask for a room closer to ground floor so there were less stairs to walk. The lady ended up upgrading us to a 2 bedroom appartment, with ensuite, with a spare matress for no charge (Saved a $130 upgrade). Now the shitty hostel was not so bad after all.
Much needed shower & rest before heading out for a simple pizza at a nearby shop.
I can see why people love New York. As a city, it just feels different. Theres always something going on. Soo many people. Soo much to see and do. I could very easily live here
Day 20: Things to do when you do nothing
Day: Sunday 18th December
Another early morning knock on the door followed by a pushy italian room cleaner was our morning alarm along with the muchly-anticipated hangover.
We rounded our stuff together as quick as we dared before retiring to the movie room at the hostel which was lovely dark and had cushy seats that we all could sleep on.
It took a good 3/4 of the day before I ventured to go outside. I made it to the corner starbucks where I got myself a Cafe Grande Mocha Latte and sat with a free paper and just people watched by the window for about an hour and a half. Soo good.
I got a flame smoked hot dog from a little stall on the way back. Hangover cured. Sleep and incoming illness maybe not so much.
Chilled in the movie room & talked to a few backpackers until we caught our greyhound overnighter at 9.
The bus was pretty good, had wireless, extra leg room and powerpoints. Still didn't make the 9 hour drive any shorter, nor more sleep-filled.
At least i was awake to drive into New York City & see the skyline.
Simply amazing.
Another early morning knock on the door followed by a pushy italian room cleaner was our morning alarm along with the muchly-anticipated hangover.
We rounded our stuff together as quick as we dared before retiring to the movie room at the hostel which was lovely dark and had cushy seats that we all could sleep on.
It took a good 3/4 of the day before I ventured to go outside. I made it to the corner starbucks where I got myself a Cafe Grande Mocha Latte and sat with a free paper and just people watched by the window for about an hour and a half. Soo good.
I got a flame smoked hot dog from a little stall on the way back. Hangover cured. Sleep and incoming illness maybe not so much.
Chilled in the movie room & talked to a few backpackers until we caught our greyhound overnighter at 9.
The bus was pretty good, had wireless, extra leg room and powerpoints. Still didn't make the 9 hour drive any shorter, nor more sleep-filled.
At least i was awake to drive into New York City & see the skyline.
Simply amazing.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Day 19: Top of the World
Day: Saturday 18th December
Temp: -4 (Feels like -8)
Woke up at 10:30 cos of stupid room checkout. Hostel was too busy so we had to change rooms. Sucks.
Started walking around the downtown & ended up in a shopping mall again. Prices were more than Buffalo so we didn't get anything just looked.
Jason and I both felt a little under the weather. Probably a combination of the big night out at Buffalo and drinking and poor eating.
We went to the CN sky tower and got a ticket to the top.
The thing is the tallest building in the world apparently. I'm gonna say its cos of the huge radio tower on the top of the thing but who am I to judge.
Amazing view. We were lucky we went up when we did as it was comparatively a clear day. The city is huuuge. It feels like Canada's version of New York.
They had a glass panel which you could stand on and look down - pretty freaky.
Made our way back to the Hostel. Rich went skateboarding around downtown while Jason and I had a really good sleep.
Stocked up on some liquor before joining a bunch of people at the hostel for drinks. The hostel organizes a pub crawl, but we didn't end up going on it - we just followed the crowd.
Good night, although when you follow a crowd you don't see as many clubs. I only stayed in the one the whole night.
Shame really, I would have preferred to have had a weeks accommodation in Toronto and have done a day trip to Niagara Falls instead. But then I suppose Buffalo might not have happened.
Quite a few of the backpackers have raved about New York. We booked our greyhound. 11 hr overnight bus. Will be killer. Looking forward to it though.
Hopefully there are enough bars & pubs & clubs which Jason & Richard can get into being only 20. We shall see.
Temp: -4 (Feels like -8)
Woke up at 10:30 cos of stupid room checkout. Hostel was too busy so we had to change rooms. Sucks.
Started walking around the downtown & ended up in a shopping mall again. Prices were more than Buffalo so we didn't get anything just looked.
Jason and I both felt a little under the weather. Probably a combination of the big night out at Buffalo and drinking and poor eating.
We went to the CN sky tower and got a ticket to the top.
The thing is the tallest building in the world apparently. I'm gonna say its cos of the huge radio tower on the top of the thing but who am I to judge.
Amazing view. We were lucky we went up when we did as it was comparatively a clear day. The city is huuuge. It feels like Canada's version of New York.
They had a glass panel which you could stand on and look down - pretty freaky.
Made our way back to the Hostel. Rich went skateboarding around downtown while Jason and I had a really good sleep.
Stocked up on some liquor before joining a bunch of people at the hostel for drinks. The hostel organizes a pub crawl, but we didn't end up going on it - we just followed the crowd.
Good night, although when you follow a crowd you don't see as many clubs. I only stayed in the one the whole night.
Shame really, I would have preferred to have had a weeks accommodation in Toronto and have done a day trip to Niagara Falls instead. But then I suppose Buffalo might not have happened.
Quite a few of the backpackers have raved about New York. We booked our greyhound. 11 hr overnight bus. Will be killer. Looking forward to it though.
Hopefully there are enough bars & pubs & clubs which Jason & Richard can get into being only 20. We shall see.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Day 18: Toronto
Day: Friday, 17th December
Temp: -2C
Staying in 4 star accomodation is awesome. You get to sleep in til whenever and have a lovely warm shower when you please.
After a goooood sleep in and recovery day we decided to check out a day early and head to toronto.
We booked the Greyhound, packed our stuff and headed to the bus terminal where we waited for our bus which was about an hour late.
Two hours later it started to arrive in Toronto. Huge city. Very cool. Will enjoy New York if it's supposedly even bigger.
Walked to the hostel - it's called: Canadiana or something - right in the entertainment district of Toronto.
I skype'd my friend Johnny to find out where he was at and we caught a cab to meet him for some beers.
Johnny was another exchange guy from Metro student accomodation but he stayed longer rather than just doing a temporary study abroad thing. African/american/pakistani combo - the kid knows how to have fun.
Lockout is early at about 2am so its both good cos you don't get tired, but it ends your night really quick.
Temp: -2C
Staying in 4 star accomodation is awesome. You get to sleep in til whenever and have a lovely warm shower when you please.
After a goooood sleep in and recovery day we decided to check out a day early and head to toronto.
We booked the Greyhound, packed our stuff and headed to the bus terminal where we waited for our bus which was about an hour late.
Two hours later it started to arrive in Toronto. Huge city. Very cool. Will enjoy New York if it's supposedly even bigger.
Walked to the hostel - it's called: Canadiana or something - right in the entertainment district of Toronto.
I skype'd my friend Johnny to find out where he was at and we caught a cab to meet him for some beers.
Johnny was another exchange guy from Metro student accomodation but he stayed longer rather than just doing a temporary study abroad thing. African/american/pakistani combo - the kid knows how to have fun.
Lockout is early at about 2am so its both good cos you don't get tired, but it ends your night really quick.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Day 17: Shopping & Hangovers
So we woke up slowly. All of us had hangovers.
We chilled out for a gooood while just talking to the guys.
Greg eventually lent us his car so he could sleep more and we went to the massive shopping mall.
The thing is almost a mile long with heaps of shops.
We shopped most of the day. Got some warm clothes, a new jacket and some much-needed new snowboarding gloves.
Went home and talked a bit longer before greg dropped us back at the border where we walked back across the bridge and tried to explain to the border control why we were walking into the country with nothing but a snowboard lol.
After getting home we all fell asleep pretty much instantly. I crashed without even getting my bed open, the tv and lights and my computer were all still on haha.
Soo good.
We chilled out for a gooood while just talking to the guys.
Greg eventually lent us his car so he could sleep more and we went to the massive shopping mall.
The thing is almost a mile long with heaps of shops.
We shopped most of the day. Got some warm clothes, a new jacket and some much-needed new snowboarding gloves.
Went home and talked a bit longer before greg dropped us back at the border where we walked back across the bridge and tried to explain to the border control why we were walking into the country with nothing but a snowboard lol.
After getting home we all fell asleep pretty much instantly. I crashed without even getting my bed open, the tv and lights and my computer were all still on haha.
Soo good.
Day 16: Buffalo and American Life
Woke up early and with a hangover and put on our snowboarding gear and hiked with our boards all the way to the bridge which crossed the niagara river and through the US border. The border control guy didn't like us coming into the country with only our boards but he let us in anyways haha.
In my first year at griffith i stayed at Metro On Central which is a student accommodation complex. Greg was one of a handful of American exchange students who came to Australia to study abroad for a semester.
I didn't really know him that well, but I did remember he always had a good time and we regularly shared rounds.
Anyways, I hit him up on facebook and he said he only lived 20 mins away so offered to pick us up and take us snowboarding.
He picked us up from the border and we then drove to his place.
He shares with 4 other guys some friends some work mates and the place is sweeet. It's about 4 stories high and has heaps of couches and poker table and fire place and is such a sick hangout.
We dropped the gear we didnt need and went to his parent's house to pick up his brother and some home-cooked food. His mum cooks amazing. A simple sandwich of just bread, home-glazed ham and turkey tasted the most amazing sandwich ive eaten. It was unreal.
We then got to the slopes. I think they were called Holiday Valley. They don't have much vertical descent cos this area is pretty flat, but it had been snowing blizzard-like all day and consistently over the last week so there was heaaaps of powder.
It was suuuch a good day on the mountain. Soo much powder..champagne powder they call it. It was soo soft. We took some tree runs and did a few jumps which were soo cool cos you just land in fluff. I saw a mound of snow and thought it was a mogul like usual and prepared to suspend the impact but the mound just exploded into powder underneath me. The most amazing experience i've felt snowboarding yet and i will never forget it.
We snowboarded all day (there was night skiing) before heading back at about 6ish.
Greg organized cheap tickets for a NHL ice hockey game between the Buffalo team and Boston. We got these tickets for like $25 and normally they're valued at about $180. They're right down the front, only about 7 rows back from the front glass and almost right in the middle. So you can hear all the impacts and see everything.
Walking into this stadium was amazing. It's soo unreal seeing it live. This was a big hockey match and the stadium was virutally packed. Both teams want to try get in a good position to get into the playoffs so there was a great atmosphere.
Greg explained the more subtle rules as they happened and we just watched the game it was soo good. We were really lucky, a guy got a hatrik and it's really rare so all the fans throw their caps onto the ice when it happens. There were a couple of fights which all the crowd get right into. There were big hits. Multiple goals. the game was back and forth. And best of all Buffalo won! :D
It's cool, each whistle they take a break and have time for ads and fun things like shirt shooting, or trivia and other funny things to keep it interesting. Very cool xperience and i can see how people love the game soo much.
After the game, Greg took us to an authentic buffalo irish pub where we ordered a round of drinks and about 30 Buffalo wings for $18. Buffalo wings are world famous. Every american i spoke to before coming over said I had to try them. And these were authentic. The real deal. They're like marinated in a buttery-tobasco type hot sauce with a crispy coating on the outside. There's nothing like them and they're amazing.
We headed back to his joint after detouring for some mixer's and some buffalo-style pepperoni pizza and more wings to eat after we were intoxicated.
The americans showed us a few drinking games and college-life style things.
We played a game where you had to come up with a word which begins with the letter of the first card that is dealt. Very hard and very funny as people get drunker & struggle to think of words
We played a game of Kings.
There was also this game called "Icing". Basically if somone drops a smirnoff ice infront of you or tricks you into finding it, you have to drop on one knee and scull it no matter where or when it is. Some of the more creative ones are hiding it inside a jacket where somone ultimately finds it, or hides it under a shampoo bottle. I got iced just as i was about to fall asleep which was very entertaing albeit hard.
We got appropriately maggot and played beer pong into the wee hours of the morning with the aawesome drinking food of pizza and buffalo wings.
HUuuuge day/night and a very memorable one. Greg and his housemates showed us such an awesome time and showed us how americans definitely know how to drink. They party very hard compared to the Aussie mentality of just driking alot. College life in America would have been soo much fun.
In my first year at griffith i stayed at Metro On Central which is a student accommodation complex. Greg was one of a handful of American exchange students who came to Australia to study abroad for a semester.
I didn't really know him that well, but I did remember he always had a good time and we regularly shared rounds.
Anyways, I hit him up on facebook and he said he only lived 20 mins away so offered to pick us up and take us snowboarding.
He picked us up from the border and we then drove to his place.
He shares with 4 other guys some friends some work mates and the place is sweeet. It's about 4 stories high and has heaps of couches and poker table and fire place and is such a sick hangout.
We dropped the gear we didnt need and went to his parent's house to pick up his brother and some home-cooked food. His mum cooks amazing. A simple sandwich of just bread, home-glazed ham and turkey tasted the most amazing sandwich ive eaten. It was unreal.
We then got to the slopes. I think they were called Holiday Valley. They don't have much vertical descent cos this area is pretty flat, but it had been snowing blizzard-like all day and consistently over the last week so there was heaaaps of powder.
It was suuuch a good day on the mountain. Soo much powder..champagne powder they call it. It was soo soft. We took some tree runs and did a few jumps which were soo cool cos you just land in fluff. I saw a mound of snow and thought it was a mogul like usual and prepared to suspend the impact but the mound just exploded into powder underneath me. The most amazing experience i've felt snowboarding yet and i will never forget it.
We snowboarded all day (there was night skiing) before heading back at about 6ish.
Greg organized cheap tickets for a NHL ice hockey game between the Buffalo team and Boston. We got these tickets for like $25 and normally they're valued at about $180. They're right down the front, only about 7 rows back from the front glass and almost right in the middle. So you can hear all the impacts and see everything.
Walking into this stadium was amazing. It's soo unreal seeing it live. This was a big hockey match and the stadium was virutally packed. Both teams want to try get in a good position to get into the playoffs so there was a great atmosphere.
Greg explained the more subtle rules as they happened and we just watched the game it was soo good. We were really lucky, a guy got a hatrik and it's really rare so all the fans throw their caps onto the ice when it happens. There were a couple of fights which all the crowd get right into. There were big hits. Multiple goals. the game was back and forth. And best of all Buffalo won! :D
It's cool, each whistle they take a break and have time for ads and fun things like shirt shooting, or trivia and other funny things to keep it interesting. Very cool xperience and i can see how people love the game soo much.
After the game, Greg took us to an authentic buffalo irish pub where we ordered a round of drinks and about 30 Buffalo wings for $18. Buffalo wings are world famous. Every american i spoke to before coming over said I had to try them. And these were authentic. The real deal. They're like marinated in a buttery-tobasco type hot sauce with a crispy coating on the outside. There's nothing like them and they're amazing.
We headed back to his joint after detouring for some mixer's and some buffalo-style pepperoni pizza and more wings to eat after we were intoxicated.
The americans showed us a few drinking games and college-life style things.
We played a game where you had to come up with a word which begins with the letter of the first card that is dealt. Very hard and very funny as people get drunker & struggle to think of words
We played a game of Kings.
There was also this game called "Icing". Basically if somone drops a smirnoff ice infront of you or tricks you into finding it, you have to drop on one knee and scull it no matter where or when it is. Some of the more creative ones are hiding it inside a jacket where somone ultimately finds it, or hides it under a shampoo bottle. I got iced just as i was about to fall asleep which was very entertaing albeit hard.
We got appropriately maggot and played beer pong into the wee hours of the morning with the aawesome drinking food of pizza and buffalo wings.
HUuuuge day/night and a very memorable one. Greg and his housemates showed us such an awesome time and showed us how americans definitely know how to drink. They party very hard compared to the Aussie mentality of just driking alot. College life in America would have been soo much fun.
Day 15: Gotta relax every now and then
Slept in again.
Another fine and cloudy and snowy Tuesday.
Did hardly anything all day.
Got slightly drunk before heading to the Casino and winning a little bit on the blackjack tables and drinking the $6 long island ice teas again.
We went to the Dragonfly which is a famous club. Unfortunately it wasnt open, only open saturday.
So we asked a local security guy where the place was to be on a tuesday night.
Not the first person to suggest it but he suggested a canadian strip club as they get extremely "naughty" and are an experience unto their own. He also suggested the local pub Jacks where most people hang out on tuesday for the live band.
We opted for Jacks given it's closeness.
Live band was great. The pub was still relatively quiet but there were a couple of local girls we just chatted to for a bit and got the low down of the area of Niagara Falls.
We got home at like 3am after walking home and eating heaps.
Another fine and cloudy and snowy Tuesday.
Did hardly anything all day.
Got slightly drunk before heading to the Casino and winning a little bit on the blackjack tables and drinking the $6 long island ice teas again.
We went to the Dragonfly which is a famous club. Unfortunately it wasnt open, only open saturday.
So we asked a local security guy where the place was to be on a tuesday night.
Not the first person to suggest it but he suggested a canadian strip club as they get extremely "naughty" and are an experience unto their own. He also suggested the local pub Jacks where most people hang out on tuesday for the live band.
We opted for Jacks given it's closeness.
Live band was great. The pub was still relatively quiet but there were a couple of local girls we just chatted to for a bit and got the low down of the area of Niagara Falls.
We got home at like 3am after walking home and eating heaps.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Day 14: Can we get any cheaper?
So -12 degrees celcius appeals to you eh?
If it does, you are a crazy soul.
We were hardly dressed as we intended to just cross the road for breakfast for a $7 buffet and even just the walk across the snow covered road and car park we literally froze. It was killer.
The brekkie was okay, but so far every meal we notices includes +tax + tip + hidden costs like drinks (Even water!). It seriously costs too much to eat out.
So we went back to the hotel after and dressed up a bit more warmly then caught a cab to the factory outlets center where we figured we'd do some shopping. Instead it was just brand-name outlets..cheaper yes, but not by enough to warrant us buying stuff other than for when we get to NYC.
So we caught another cab to the budget food outlet.
Let me reiterate where we are staying. We are staying at the Mariott. $350 per night on average. More for a room as big as ours. http://www.niagarafallsmarriott.com The place is seriously for businessmen, rich families and crazy people. As such, the place has huge showerheads and shoe polisher's and does not have a kitchenette in any of the rooms as the regular clientelle are usually endowed with enough cash to eat out for every meal.
We are backpackers.
So now we put our heads together and decided to get a $25 electric stove, pots and pans, some cooking utensils, and a bunch load of ingredients to be able to eat our own food. We embarrassingly took all this into our elaborate hotel in a massive cardboard box. Our home-made kitchen is situated in our toilet to avoid setting off the fire alarm, we are using hotel-provided shampoo for dishwashing soap and a hotel-provided facewasher to clean our dishes with. Meanwhile we look across our room and the 3 queen sized beds to our panoramic window out at the brink of the niagara falls lit up with floodlights. It is the most surreal experience as a backpacker ever :D
After procuring a meal fit for...backpackers. Spag bol. We went down to the gym, had a swim, and spent a good 20 mins in the sauna :D
Spoke to a friend on facebook who lives across the border in Buffalo NY. Greg was one of the exchange students i knew from first year when i stayed at student accommodation. I didn't really know him that well other than getting along with him well when we were both appropriately drunk. Either way, he gave us some good suggestions. It now looks like on Wednesday he's going to come pick us up and we can go snowboarding during the day, and at night there is an icehockey game which he should be able to hawk cheap tickets for us. Will be awesome if it all goes to plan.
If it does, you are a crazy soul.
We were hardly dressed as we intended to just cross the road for breakfast for a $7 buffet and even just the walk across the snow covered road and car park we literally froze. It was killer.
The brekkie was okay, but so far every meal we notices includes +tax + tip + hidden costs like drinks (Even water!). It seriously costs too much to eat out.
So we went back to the hotel after and dressed up a bit more warmly then caught a cab to the factory outlets center where we figured we'd do some shopping. Instead it was just brand-name outlets..cheaper yes, but not by enough to warrant us buying stuff other than for when we get to NYC.
So we caught another cab to the budget food outlet.
Let me reiterate where we are staying. We are staying at the Mariott. $350 per night on average. More for a room as big as ours. http://www.niagarafallsmarriott.com The place is seriously for businessmen, rich families and crazy people. As such, the place has huge showerheads and shoe polisher's and does not have a kitchenette in any of the rooms as the regular clientelle are usually endowed with enough cash to eat out for every meal.
We are backpackers.
So now we put our heads together and decided to get a $25 electric stove, pots and pans, some cooking utensils, and a bunch load of ingredients to be able to eat our own food. We embarrassingly took all this into our elaborate hotel in a massive cardboard box. Our home-made kitchen is situated in our toilet to avoid setting off the fire alarm, we are using hotel-provided shampoo for dishwashing soap and a hotel-provided facewasher to clean our dishes with. Meanwhile we look across our room and the 3 queen sized beds to our panoramic window out at the brink of the niagara falls lit up with floodlights. It is the most surreal experience as a backpacker ever :D
After procuring a meal fit for...backpackers. Spag bol. We went down to the gym, had a swim, and spent a good 20 mins in the sauna :D
Spoke to a friend on facebook who lives across the border in Buffalo NY. Greg was one of the exchange students i knew from first year when i stayed at student accommodation. I didn't really know him that well other than getting along with him well when we were both appropriately drunk. Either way, he gave us some good suggestions. It now looks like on Wednesday he's going to come pick us up and we can go snowboarding during the day, and at night there is an icehockey game which he should be able to hawk cheap tickets for us. Will be awesome if it all goes to plan.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Day 13: I Walked all the way across Canada to America
Far out, we all slept in til about 1:30pm
Sooooo goood.
Unfortunately there is heaps of fog and clouds and rain and snow in Niagara Falls at the moment so the morning view wasn't as spectacular as it might have been.
We made our way to a Boston Pizza joint for brekfast/lunch before stopping at a Hershey's Chocolate outlet.
We then crossed the bridge over Niagara Falls through customs into the US.
The US side of Niagara is absolutely dead. It seems almost like a ghost town with grafitti and vandalism and hardly any people or shops. Dunno if it was from the recession or not but everything was closed. Entire shopping centers. Food outlets. You name it.
We did go into a take away store to check and confirm that the prices across the border were significantly cheaper and bigger serving sizes before walking the 5km home.
On the walk home we walked through a park with a bunch of fairy light displays lit up. Apparently it is the Niagara Falls Festival of Lights at the moment which means the occasional night of fireworks as well as a bunch of fairy lights and christmas lights everywhere.
Back at the hotel as lazing around and ordering in for food as well as a swim in the 25m heated pool and jacuzzi.
Tomorrow we will go to the shops...we are spending far too much on food lol
Sooooo goood.
Unfortunately there is heaps of fog and clouds and rain and snow in Niagara Falls at the moment so the morning view wasn't as spectacular as it might have been.
We made our way to a Boston Pizza joint for brekfast/lunch before stopping at a Hershey's Chocolate outlet.
We then crossed the bridge over Niagara Falls through customs into the US.
The US side of Niagara is absolutely dead. It seems almost like a ghost town with grafitti and vandalism and hardly any people or shops. Dunno if it was from the recession or not but everything was closed. Entire shopping centers. Food outlets. You name it.
We did go into a take away store to check and confirm that the prices across the border were significantly cheaper and bigger serving sizes before walking the 5km home.
On the walk home we walked through a park with a bunch of fairy light displays lit up. Apparently it is the Niagara Falls Festival of Lights at the moment which means the occasional night of fireworks as well as a bunch of fairy lights and christmas lights everywhere.
Back at the hotel as lazing around and ordering in for food as well as a swim in the 25m heated pool and jacuzzi.
Tomorrow we will go to the shops...we are spending far too much on food lol
Day 12: Long Roads Traveled
3:45am start. Dislike.
Richard drove to Calgary airport thankfully.
The flight to Hamilton in Ontario was about 4 hrs so slept some which was good.
Then discussed our alternatives of taxi+bus+taxi from Hamilton town center to Niagra Falls, or just a taxi direct to our accomodation. With a little pursuasion and bargaining from our Indian taxi driver we decided to taxi direct 1.5 hrs for $120.
Jason's parents are members of a time share in Canmore and somehow it gives them discounts to this hotel to, so our accommodation is now the Mariott Hotel Falls view. We got upgraded to the 19th floor and our room overlooks the Niagara Falls and to put it simply, it is absolutely amazing.
The room has a shoe polisher and the biggest showerhead you've ever seen. Seriously this is the stuff for business men and rich people, not backpackers and snowboarders. Although I'm not one to complain ;)
After a quick unload we started walking for a food place for dinner. Found an all you can eat buffet for $16 which had pretty decent food so suited us perfectly. They had an italian duo walking around playing the accordian and violin to each table. When they got to our table I decided to be clever and ask them to play their most difficult song and which 'best showcases your ability'. They then played some classical song which i have no idea and it was incredibly fast and entertaining, well worth the tip we gave them.
Finished our dinner and got some cheap alcoholic beverages on the way home.
Back at the hotel we managed to get free internet thanks to our accents and sussed out where the places to be on a Saturday night in Niagara Falls. Turns out the nightlife at this place is better than we were expecting. Since the drinking age is lower, americans sometimes duck over the border. There are plenty of tourists. In addition to the 80 thousand or something people here. Kinda a similar night life and scene to the Gold Coast funnily enough.
Ironed our good shirts and went first to the casino. We were drinking $6 long island ice tea's (full strength) and making a couple bucks here and there on various tables. The night club scene followed shortly after and we stayed there til lockout.
Richard drove to Calgary airport thankfully.
The flight to Hamilton in Ontario was about 4 hrs so slept some which was good.
Then discussed our alternatives of taxi+bus+taxi from Hamilton town center to Niagra Falls, or just a taxi direct to our accomodation. With a little pursuasion and bargaining from our Indian taxi driver we decided to taxi direct 1.5 hrs for $120.
Jason's parents are members of a time share in Canmore and somehow it gives them discounts to this hotel to, so our accommodation is now the Mariott Hotel Falls view. We got upgraded to the 19th floor and our room overlooks the Niagara Falls and to put it simply, it is absolutely amazing.
The room has a shoe polisher and the biggest showerhead you've ever seen. Seriously this is the stuff for business men and rich people, not backpackers and snowboarders. Although I'm not one to complain ;)
After a quick unload we started walking for a food place for dinner. Found an all you can eat buffet for $16 which had pretty decent food so suited us perfectly. They had an italian duo walking around playing the accordian and violin to each table. When they got to our table I decided to be clever and ask them to play their most difficult song and which 'best showcases your ability'. They then played some classical song which i have no idea and it was incredibly fast and entertaining, well worth the tip we gave them.
Finished our dinner and got some cheap alcoholic beverages on the way home.
Back at the hotel we managed to get free internet thanks to our accents and sussed out where the places to be on a Saturday night in Niagara Falls. Turns out the nightlife at this place is better than we were expecting. Since the drinking age is lower, americans sometimes duck over the border. There are plenty of tourists. In addition to the 80 thousand or something people here. Kinda a similar night life and scene to the Gold Coast funnily enough.
Ironed our good shirts and went first to the casino. We were drinking $6 long island ice tea's (full strength) and making a couple bucks here and there on various tables. The night club scene followed shortly after and we stayed there til lockout.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Day 11: Last Day
Early morning and a surprisingly quick getup and out to the slopes.
Started off at Sunshine again. Day was clearing up after the extra snow last night so it was good fun.
After about lunch time we headed back to Lake Louise for one last time. They were lucky and had about 26cm overnight so it drastically improved the sub-par icy conditions we had earlier in the week. Managed to find some wicked powder runs under the gondola so just kept going up and down the gondola. It was good because it was closed in so you could take off your gloves and warm up and chat a bit easier and the snowboarding run was a bit longer before catching the next lift.
I got confident and hit a few jumps and moguls around the place and also hit some rails and boxes in the park which was good fun...i can see how soo many people do it.
Chilled out in the spa for a while just chatting, we all need to pack for a 4am start tomorrow but we're all putting it off for some reason...
Started off at Sunshine again. Day was clearing up after the extra snow last night so it was good fun.
After about lunch time we headed back to Lake Louise for one last time. They were lucky and had about 26cm overnight so it drastically improved the sub-par icy conditions we had earlier in the week. Managed to find some wicked powder runs under the gondola so just kept going up and down the gondola. It was good because it was closed in so you could take off your gloves and warm up and chat a bit easier and the snowboarding run was a bit longer before catching the next lift.
I got confident and hit a few jumps and moguls around the place and also hit some rails and boxes in the park which was good fun...i can see how soo many people do it.
Chilled out in the spa for a while just chatting, we all need to pack for a 4am start tomorrow but we're all putting it off for some reason...
Friday, December 10, 2010
Day 10: Sunshine & Hangovers
Seedy this morning.
Got ourselves to the slopes a little later than normal but thats okay i dont think any of us minded.
Was snowing quite heavily overnight and all day today so it made all the runs very fresh and powdery.
Got some beautiful runs which were untouched stretches of powder and all you had to do was point your board straight and float through it like a cloud. Soo awesome it really is magical.
The powder also makes for some easier blacks & harder slopes so hit a few of them too.
I've improved so far to the point where i don't constantly fall down from stupid mistakes and now it has gotten to the point where i can appreciate snowboarding more. Having to sit down & strap on bindings every flat part is an inconvenience compared to skiing, but the consistent challenge of riding a snowboard makes it a far more dynamic and entertaining mode of transportation compared to skiing which is comparatively easy.
We were all v. tired so have gone to bed early. Our last big day tomorrow before we have to get up at like 4am to drive back to calgary and catch our flight to Toronto.
Got ourselves to the slopes a little later than normal but thats okay i dont think any of us minded.
Was snowing quite heavily overnight and all day today so it made all the runs very fresh and powdery.
Got some beautiful runs which were untouched stretches of powder and all you had to do was point your board straight and float through it like a cloud. Soo awesome it really is magical.
The powder also makes for some easier blacks & harder slopes so hit a few of them too.
I've improved so far to the point where i don't constantly fall down from stupid mistakes and now it has gotten to the point where i can appreciate snowboarding more. Having to sit down & strap on bindings every flat part is an inconvenience compared to skiing, but the consistent challenge of riding a snowboard makes it a far more dynamic and entertaining mode of transportation compared to skiing which is comparatively easy.
We were all v. tired so have gone to bed early. Our last big day tomorrow before we have to get up at like 4am to drive back to calgary and catch our flight to Toronto.
Day 9: Sight Seeing
Didn't ski today, we used it as a much needed rest-day.
Slept in comfortably and jumped in the car and started to drive.
Took a scenic route through the rocky mountains on the way to Lake Louise.
Stopped at some canyon, cant even remember what it was called.
Walked up the path towards it for a bit, except we weren't really expecting to hike for as long as it took, so we just walked along the path until we decided it was enough.
It was very very picturesque with a little frozen river in the canyon that was literally a slice down an entire mountain from flowing there for the thousands of years. Really atmospheric and peaceful, glad we did it, even though we didnt do much.
We kept driving to lake louise.
Saw a field with a few Moose (I checked the plurality).
It was snowing now too. (Sucked for our visibility but was cool)
I was a little dissapointed cos Lake Louise was frozen over and not beautiful and blue like you see in the pictures. I'm coming to the conclusion that Banff area is actually better in summer for many many reasons. Skiing is better closer to the coast like Brittish Columbia/Whistler/Silverstar cos they simply get more snow over there. Still can't complain though.
Started to drive on a road called Ice Fields Parkway which was a direct line to Jasper a few hours away. It was snowing pretty heavily though and after a while of driving through the snow and scenery we decided to turn around and head to Banff village.
Wen't browsing through the tiny little shopping centre and stocked up on a bunch of alcohol.
Started a respectable drinking sesh with the lads before catching a cab into the town of Canmore. It was disappointing. I guess Canmore is more for retirees and families to rent a condo and escape into the wilderness rather than hit the night scene. Oh well, we still managed to talk to the bar tender and a couple of random locals.
Slept in comfortably and jumped in the car and started to drive.
Took a scenic route through the rocky mountains on the way to Lake Louise.
Stopped at some canyon, cant even remember what it was called.
Walked up the path towards it for a bit, except we weren't really expecting to hike for as long as it took, so we just walked along the path until we decided it was enough.
It was very very picturesque with a little frozen river in the canyon that was literally a slice down an entire mountain from flowing there for the thousands of years. Really atmospheric and peaceful, glad we did it, even though we didnt do much.
We kept driving to lake louise.
Saw a field with a few Moose (I checked the plurality).
It was snowing now too. (Sucked for our visibility but was cool)
I was a little dissapointed cos Lake Louise was frozen over and not beautiful and blue like you see in the pictures. I'm coming to the conclusion that Banff area is actually better in summer for many many reasons. Skiing is better closer to the coast like Brittish Columbia/Whistler/Silverstar cos they simply get more snow over there. Still can't complain though.
Started to drive on a road called Ice Fields Parkway which was a direct line to Jasper a few hours away. It was snowing pretty heavily though and after a while of driving through the snow and scenery we decided to turn around and head to Banff village.
Wen't browsing through the tiny little shopping centre and stocked up on a bunch of alcohol.
Started a respectable drinking sesh with the lads before catching a cab into the town of Canmore. It was disappointing. I guess Canmore is more for retirees and families to rent a condo and escape into the wilderness rather than hit the night scene. Oh well, we still managed to talk to the bar tender and a couple of random locals.
Day 8: Norquay Village Um Nah Sunshine
Went to norquay village. It was tiny. Had about 3 skiiable runs and they were quite steep and very icy. We figured we cut our losses & packed up and went back to Sunshine.
In general it was a good day there too. We're all so tired. looking forward to the day off the next day
In general it was a good day there too. We're all so tired. looking forward to the day off the next day
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Day 7: Sunshine Village
Another blue bird day!
Went to Sunshine resort today. It's a little bigger than Lake Louise and has more skiable terrain.
Snow was less icy and the day promised to be much better. I did stack pretty hard 2nd run in the morning though and it put a dampener on nearly the whole day - landed on my ribs & head so am pretty sore.
We tried to go down a powder black run that was fenced off because there wasnt enough snow. A ski-lifty caught us though and nearly took our ski passes off us and instead made us hike up the powder. Now believe me when I tell you, walking up powder is one of the hardest things you'll ever do in your life... I was soo.utterly.spent..
Oh well, got some more amazing photos and videos :)
Went to Sunshine resort today. It's a little bigger than Lake Louise and has more skiable terrain.
Snow was less icy and the day promised to be much better. I did stack pretty hard 2nd run in the morning though and it put a dampener on nearly the whole day - landed on my ribs & head so am pretty sore.
We tried to go down a powder black run that was fenced off because there wasnt enough snow. A ski-lifty caught us though and nearly took our ski passes off us and instead made us hike up the powder. Now believe me when I tell you, walking up powder is one of the hardest things you'll ever do in your life... I was soo.utterly.spent..
Oh well, got some more amazing photos and videos :)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Day 6: Canmore & Lake Louise
Lake Louise Ski Village today :)
It was still dark when we left, but as we were driving the sun was peeking up and lighting up the mountains and it was soo epic and beautiful. I'd easily reckon this is one of the most picturesque places on earth. And we are staying here. Right in the middle of it. Its soo cool.
Loooong day but soo good. I was a bit rocky at first since I havent snowboarded in about 2 years but picked it up again by the end of the day.
We were really lucky with the weather too. It was very warm for this time of year. Normally its -20 degrees celcius, we had a balmy -5 so it was awesome and relieving because the week prior they had temps of -49degrees. Soo cold you could put a mug of hot chocolate out in the cold and it will be frozen in about a minute.
The snow was mediocre as since this part of Canada is soo inland it doesn't get much sea moisture.
But the view. oh my god. Words will never do it justice, neither will pictures. But yeah. Beautiful clear day too.
A swim in the heated jacuzzi before retiring for the day.
Going to another resort tomorrow 'Sunshine' which is on the other side of the hills and closer to banff. Hopefully the snow will be a little better, but even if it isn't, the fact that I am here and am able to see the sights what i have seen is more than enough to be thankful for. People all too often forget places like this exist getting caught up in the daily grind.
It was still dark when we left, but as we were driving the sun was peeking up and lighting up the mountains and it was soo epic and beautiful. I'd easily reckon this is one of the most picturesque places on earth. And we are staying here. Right in the middle of it. Its soo cool.
Loooong day but soo good. I was a bit rocky at first since I havent snowboarded in about 2 years but picked it up again by the end of the day.
We were really lucky with the weather too. It was very warm for this time of year. Normally its -20 degrees celcius, we had a balmy -5 so it was awesome and relieving because the week prior they had temps of -49degrees. Soo cold you could put a mug of hot chocolate out in the cold and it will be frozen in about a minute.
The snow was mediocre as since this part of Canada is soo inland it doesn't get much sea moisture.
But the view. oh my god. Words will never do it justice, neither will pictures. But yeah. Beautiful clear day too.
A swim in the heated jacuzzi before retiring for the day.
Going to another resort tomorrow 'Sunshine' which is on the other side of the hills and closer to banff. Hopefully the snow will be a little better, but even if it isn't, the fact that I am here and am able to see the sights what i have seen is more than enough to be thankful for. People all too often forget places like this exist getting caught up in the daily grind.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Day 5: Flying L.A --> Calgary
Leaving L.A early was meh. Still a little seedy from beers.
Arya dropped me off at the airport. Soo incredibly cool of her to put me up & everything; its so hard to convey how much you appreciate something sometimes.
Flight out of L.A was cool. Lots of smog was blanketing the city & it looked awesome to fly out over the top of it.
Landed in Phoenix Arizona for a transfer flight. Not alot here. No more than I could have seen on google earth lol.
Best part about Arizona so far is free internet at the airport. And a dude with a cowboy hat which looks incredible..i'll try and sneak a photo of it :P
-------------
EDIT:
Here now. In the airport waiting for Jason & Richard to arrive from Vancouver. I'm loving the free wireless!
EDIT 2:
Sweet catching them. We hired a car and went to a supermarket for our weeks groceries then went to our hotel in Canmore which is Jason's parent's time share. Canmore is about an hour or so drive from Calgary.
The hotel is sweet. Hotspa, all the amenities...its very good.
I asked the car rental place some details..looks like we might need to pay a bit more than expected since we are under 25yrs which kinda sucks.
Arya dropped me off at the airport. Soo incredibly cool of her to put me up & everything; its so hard to convey how much you appreciate something sometimes.
Flight out of L.A was cool. Lots of smog was blanketing the city & it looked awesome to fly out over the top of it.
Landed in Phoenix Arizona for a transfer flight. Not alot here. No more than I could have seen on google earth lol.
Best part about Arizona so far is free internet at the airport. And a dude with a cowboy hat which looks incredible..i'll try and sneak a photo of it :P
-------------
EDIT:
Here now. In the airport waiting for Jason & Richard to arrive from Vancouver. I'm loving the free wireless!
EDIT 2:
Sweet catching them. We hired a car and went to a supermarket for our weeks groceries then went to our hotel in Canmore which is Jason's parent's time share. Canmore is about an hour or so drive from Calgary.
The hotel is sweet. Hotspa, all the amenities...its very good.
I asked the car rental place some details..looks like we might need to pay a bit more than expected since we are under 25yrs which kinda sucks.
Day 4: Santa Monica & Venice
PRO TIP#101: Never trust directions from people who genuinely have no idea.
Case Scenario: A mexican dude who is wearing a UCLA jersey, and likely only ever travels direct from his home and the uni campus. Would NOT know where the heck the corner of Pico avenue and Overland dr is. Let alone what buses to catch.
Too bad i missed the memo.
The dude sent me on a fools errand, catching about 4 different buses and a few hours extra, i finally got where i needed to go.
I was continuing my tour bus today, and i planned to jump on the tour somewhere in the middle. It worked out well albeit buses.
Continued listening to the pre-recorded gps-guided english narrator until Santa Monica where I jumped off.
Santa monica pier was cool - it was like stepping into a hollywood set since it is used so often in movies (the big ferris wheel on the ocean). Also the place where baywatch was filmed. as well as the part where forrest gump finally finished his running. then stopped, turned around, and just kept running again in the other direction.
I hired a bike for $6 and popped in my ipod and rode down to venice beach during the afternoon sunset. Listening to the Foals, was tres cool.
Venice has ....character. There were soo many homeless people and hippies lying down and enjoying the grass and the afternoon sun.
My favourite one was a fat dude who was belly dancing half naked around a regular run-of-the-mill light post...He was in a happy place lol.
Finished the rest of the tour and went to a big shopping 'mall'. I was looking for a nicer jacket. Didnt find one. Found shoes instead. Go figure.
Had an american pretzel at the mall. Big. Doughy. Salty and greasy. kinda like all the food lol.
Arya came to the mall after she finished work and we met up with one of her friends she did her course with. Nice bloke. We went to a pub called Fathers Office. It's pretty cool. They have nearly every beer on tap. And a menu of about 4 pages worth of beers. You can taste test them and find just about every beer suited to your preference.
We all had to drive so we all went back to arya's place and back to the irish pub near hers so we could walk. Continued beers maybe more than we should have :)
Went to sleep for a couple of hours left. Had to wake up at 4:50am in order to make my flight!
Case Scenario: A mexican dude who is wearing a UCLA jersey, and likely only ever travels direct from his home and the uni campus. Would NOT know where the heck the corner of Pico avenue and Overland dr is. Let alone what buses to catch.
Too bad i missed the memo.
The dude sent me on a fools errand, catching about 4 different buses and a few hours extra, i finally got where i needed to go.
I was continuing my tour bus today, and i planned to jump on the tour somewhere in the middle. It worked out well albeit buses.
Continued listening to the pre-recorded gps-guided english narrator until Santa Monica where I jumped off.
Santa monica pier was cool - it was like stepping into a hollywood set since it is used so often in movies (the big ferris wheel on the ocean). Also the place where baywatch was filmed. as well as the part where forrest gump finally finished his running. then stopped, turned around, and just kept running again in the other direction.
I hired a bike for $6 and popped in my ipod and rode down to venice beach during the afternoon sunset. Listening to the Foals, was tres cool.
Venice has ....character. There were soo many homeless people and hippies lying down and enjoying the grass and the afternoon sun.
My favourite one was a fat dude who was belly dancing half naked around a regular run-of-the-mill light post...He was in a happy place lol.
Finished the rest of the tour and went to a big shopping 'mall'. I was looking for a nicer jacket. Didnt find one. Found shoes instead. Go figure.
Had an american pretzel at the mall. Big. Doughy. Salty and greasy. kinda like all the food lol.
Arya came to the mall after she finished work and we met up with one of her friends she did her course with. Nice bloke. We went to a pub called Fathers Office. It's pretty cool. They have nearly every beer on tap. And a menu of about 4 pages worth of beers. You can taste test them and find just about every beer suited to your preference.
We all had to drive so we all went back to arya's place and back to the irish pub near hers so we could walk. Continued beers maybe more than we should have :)
Went to sleep for a couple of hours left. Had to wake up at 4:50am in order to make my flight!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Realisations So Far # 1
Realizations so far:
*L.A at least, there is still alot of racial separation. Mexicans, blacks, and whites.
*Drivers are crazy
*L.A is a city built for cars. Everything has a drive through, and it is city law to have parking pretty much everywhere...hence why the place is spread out so far ya think?
*Marijuana activists once changed the sign to "Holyweed"
*Hugh Heffner was the biggest contributor to the new upgraded sign
*Mobile Phones over here don't use sim cards. To find one and get a phone unlocked is extremely rare.
*The food isn't as bad as everyone makes out...but where it's bad is that its very hard to find a place that serves a 'balanced' meal.
*L.A has soo much glitz & glamour on the surface, but you go a couple suburbs in and you hit pretty low socio-economic areas..lots of mexicans doing all the labour work....its a mix of gold coast and india lol
*L.A at least, there is still alot of racial separation. Mexicans, blacks, and whites.
*Drivers are crazy
*L.A is a city built for cars. Everything has a drive through, and it is city law to have parking pretty much everywhere...hence why the place is spread out so far ya think?
*Marijuana activists once changed the sign to "Holyweed"
*Hugh Heffner was the biggest contributor to the new upgraded sign
*Mobile Phones over here don't use sim cards. To find one and get a phone unlocked is extremely rare.
*The food isn't as bad as everyone makes out...but where it's bad is that its very hard to find a place that serves a 'balanced' meal.
*L.A has soo much glitz & glamour on the surface, but you go a couple suburbs in and you hit pretty low socio-economic areas..lots of mexicans doing all the labour work....its a mix of gold coast and india lol
USA Day 3: Glitz & Glamour
Wow! What a day!
Got up relatively early (11am) back to my normal sleeping pattern now lol.
Caught buses back to hollywood again. They're really not as bad as everyone makes out. They come regularly enough. I guess the design of the city of L.A is soo spread out it makes for longer travel times and people love to blow things out of proportion.
I booked myself onto one of the open-top tours. I smiled and spoke in an aussie accent and she gave me a discount too lol sweet.
The tour went in a loop around hollywood & Bel Air & Beverly Hills. The list of sights are below for those who give a shit about what i saw :
Chinese Theatre
guitar center (hand prints of famous rock stars)
chateau marmont (famous hotel)
comedy store
whisky a go go (famous pub which pushed acceptance of rock music & revealed various stars)
santa monica blvd
beverly hills/camden drive (rich ppl. nuff said. They even have a separate alleyway to put their rubbish in because it's unsightly on the main road)
Rodeo drive (rich ppl shopping. There was the most expensive suit for 15 thousand USD)
Four seasons hotel (elton johns fave spot)
Beverly shopping centre
Labrea tar pits/LACMA (fossils of dinosoars/museum/los angeles contemporary museum of art)
farmers market
melrose ave shopping (where all the hip hop kids are break dancing & shopping for pants that are too big for them)
pinks hot dogs (famous hot dogs that are rather yummy. i had one for dinner)
paramount studios (just the door)
So yeah, long tour. Finished it & pretty much figured out the buses home.
Saw a movie being filmed too today. Didn't see who it was, but a truck had a car on the back of it and a bunch of lights and cameras pointing inside the car with the actors inside. Next time i see a car scene in a movie i'll know they dont actually drive, and the surrounding scenery will be lower down than normal haha.
Arya's been busy with work the poor thing so she ordered a pizza in.
Got up relatively early (11am) back to my normal sleeping pattern now lol.
Caught buses back to hollywood again. They're really not as bad as everyone makes out. They come regularly enough. I guess the design of the city of L.A is soo spread out it makes for longer travel times and people love to blow things out of proportion.
I booked myself onto one of the open-top tours. I smiled and spoke in an aussie accent and she gave me a discount too lol sweet.
The tour went in a loop around hollywood & Bel Air & Beverly Hills. The list of sights are below for those who give a shit about what i saw :
Chinese Theatre
guitar center (hand prints of famous rock stars)
chateau marmont (famous hotel)
comedy store
whisky a go go (famous pub which pushed acceptance of rock music & revealed various stars)
santa monica blvd
beverly hills/camden drive (rich ppl. nuff said. They even have a separate alleyway to put their rubbish in because it's unsightly on the main road)
Rodeo drive (rich ppl shopping. There was the most expensive suit for 15 thousand USD)
Four seasons hotel (elton johns fave spot)
Beverly shopping centre
Labrea tar pits/LACMA (fossils of dinosoars/museum/los angeles contemporary museum of art)
farmers market
melrose ave shopping (where all the hip hop kids are break dancing & shopping for pants that are too big for them)
pinks hot dogs (famous hot dogs that are rather yummy. i had one for dinner)
paramount studios (just the door)
So yeah, long tour. Finished it & pretty much figured out the buses home.
Saw a movie being filmed too today. Didn't see who it was, but a truck had a car on the back of it and a bunch of lights and cameras pointing inside the car with the actors inside. Next time i see a car scene in a movie i'll know they dont actually drive, and the surrounding scenery will be lower down than normal haha.
Arya's been busy with work the poor thing so she ordered a pizza in.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
USA Day 2: Hollywood
Woke up at about midday and caught a cab to Kodak theatre in hollywood.
The cab driver was indian, and drove just as recklessly as only an indian can lol, It bought back memories of being in india last year!
Got out and strolled along the star strip and saw a bunch of weirdos dressed up as various cartoon characters. harry potter & superman & the hulk and a bunch of others. I avoided them.
Walked a few blocks to Best Buy (major electronics store ALA Harvey Norman) and got myself a phone, then figured out the busses in L.A to get home.
Arya got home from work just as I was walking past her fave Irish pub so we had a couple of beers and a pub meal which was pretty good.
The cab driver was indian, and drove just as recklessly as only an indian can lol, It bought back memories of being in india last year!
Got out and strolled along the star strip and saw a bunch of weirdos dressed up as various cartoon characters. harry potter & superman & the hulk and a bunch of others. I avoided them.
Walked a few blocks to Best Buy (major electronics store ALA Harvey Norman) and got myself a phone, then figured out the busses in L.A to get home.
Arya got home from work just as I was walking past her fave Irish pub so we had a couple of beers and a pub meal which was pretty good.
USA Day 1: Sleep & Mexican
Slept today. The entire day.
The day that there is instantaneous transport and no jet lag, is the day that i will deem it to be the future.
Arya got home from work and we met up with Nachi (another of adi's relatives) and went to a mexican resteraunt.
The place was called 'pink taco'...I do wonder if they realize the alternative meaning of it haha.
The day that there is instantaneous transport and no jet lag, is the day that i will deem it to be the future.
Arya got home from work and we met up with Nachi (another of adi's relatives) and went to a mexican resteraunt.
The place was called 'pink taco'...I do wonder if they realize the alternative meaning of it haha.
USA Day -1 : Flight
Wooooo hoooo! Im off!
This trip has been soo long in it's confirmation that it feels kinda weird that i'm finally going.
Ashley gave me a lift to the airport in thanks for helping her move her TV. Fair deal if i do say.
Some people hate flying.
Various reasons; some are scared theres going to be a crash, some hate the security involved. I dread flying solely for one reason: the people you have to sit next to.
I had to sit on a 12 hour flight next to a two yr old, a 7 month old baby, and a fat lady.
Needless to say, the flight ....left a bit to be desired.
Anyways, Here now. Got picked up by Arya. She's the Indian sister of Adi's whose wedding it was last year. Got to her house and practically fell straight asleep. ZZZzzzz
This trip has been soo long in it's confirmation that it feels kinda weird that i'm finally going.
Ashley gave me a lift to the airport in thanks for helping her move her TV. Fair deal if i do say.
Some people hate flying.
Various reasons; some are scared theres going to be a crash, some hate the security involved. I dread flying solely for one reason: the people you have to sit next to.
I had to sit on a 12 hour flight next to a two yr old, a 7 month old baby, and a fat lady.
Needless to say, the flight ....left a bit to be desired.
Anyways, Here now. Got picked up by Arya. She's the Indian sister of Adi's whose wedding it was last year. Got to her house and practically fell straight asleep. ZZZzzzz
Monday, February 22, 2010
Done and Done
Finally finished working out the blogger...i think it looks good - will be a good thing to have when I travel
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