Bean Town,Newport, and Concord

Welcome Back! Its been a while since the last post, but things have been rather busy, and I finally have time to catch you up on my travels. So much has happened since the last update -- Awesome experiences with many cool people, beautiful cities, and tons of fun! Enough banter, lets get to it!

After a restful night near New Haven, I headed North and East to Boston. Boston is a real gem of a city, and one that I had been anticipating for quite some time on my journey. I arrived mid-afternoon, and met up with a good buddy from college, Colin. Colin lives so close to Fenway Park (Home of the Boston Red Sox) that I wouldn't be surprised if foul balls occasionally pass by his window. Colin had serious plans for the night, and I was game.

Without delay, we headed downtown for our first stop of the evening -- a free hip hop show. After a quick stroll through Boston Commons and the Park , we headed to the show. The artists were energetic and enthusiastic, and thousands of supporters lent their cheers and screams to the ambiance. A few minutes later we arrived at the main attraction for the night: Silent Disco . I won't try to explain it in this space (click the link for more info), but lets just say it was one of the highlights of the trip. Good beer flowed like water, good people were around every corner, and groovy tunes poured into my ears all night. 

After a great night of Silent Disco and bar hopping with Colin, we headed back to his place and passed out. During my time in Boston, I got invited to Newport for the night, so without hesitation I headed South to beautiful coastal Rhode Island. I arrived in early afternoon, just in time for a beach outing with some newly found friends from New York. We sat around discussing food, politics, and other topics of interest all while getting a good tan! After a marvelous afternoon at the beach we headed back to their rental, and settled in for the night.

My new friends all had plans for a harbor cruise, so after seeing them off, I headed to the grocery store to grab some key ingredients for a delectable meal. When I got back, I got to whipping up a feast for the group that included: Kale salad, grilled skirt steak, fresh shrimp, corn on the cob, zuccini and summer squash, and fruit salad, just to name a few! We all devoured the food - I don't think there was more than a couple bites of anything left - and followed dinner with several wine courses. Afterwards we grilled smores, and had the final glass of wine before everyone retired for the night. A truly great day.

After waking from a wonderfully wine-induced slumber, I gathered my things, said my thank yous and was on my way (mind you, it was after noon before i left!). Once again I was headed North, this time to Concord, a cute little town in central New Hampshire. After arriving, I grabbed a bite to eat, and exhuasted, I fell asleep sometime around nine.

I got up early the next morning ready to explore what Concord had to offer. Concord is not really known for much outside of being the state capitol of New Hampshire, but I truly did enjoy my time there. They have a beautiful state capitol building that still houses the state legislature (the oldest such building to do so) and state lawmaker's doors sit ajar as one may have envisioned the scene some 100 years ago. After touring the downtown area, I grabbed some lunch at a yummy thai restaurant before hitting the road.

Ok folks, thats all the time I have for now, but more updates are in the works. Be patient, and you shall be rewarded :)

A.S. Bloom

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Philly, NYC, and New Haven

Welcome back to part two for tonite! I hope you enjoyed catching up on my travels in the past few days: There is tons more to come! After a few days headed up the East coast, it was time to proceed to some of the biggest cities in our beautiful nation.

After a great time in D.C., I headed North and West to Philly. Philly is another beautiful, historic city with lots to offer. I arrived in the afternoon, with few things more prevalent on my mind that getting a delicious, greasy, Philly cheesesteak. I headed to the (disputed) king of said meal, Pat's. Pat's has been a mainstay in Philly since 1920, and for good reason. Their service is sassy, food delicious, and the vibe is distinctly Philly. After satisfying my need for cheesy steaky goodness, I headed over to the West end of town to meet up with my hosts for the night, a couple of cool Drexel kids.

We met up, and like any function involving college kids, began drinking. After starting our party, we headed to an open mic downtown, which featured quite a few really stellar acts. After finishing at the open mic, we headed back to the house to continue the party. An impromptu dance party erupted and, the next thing I knew it was 3:00 A.M. and time to get to bed. After a delirious post-drunken slumber, I awoke ready to tour historic Philadelphia. Again, I have to echo my earlier sentiment about the historic nature of the East coast cities - There is just something about the history that occurred on these haunts that is truly awe striking.

I took my time touring around the historic area of Philly, trying to get a good sense what types of events had transpired on the very grounds I was walking. I toured most of the historic buildings, and although they were brimming with tourists (myself included of course :), they proved to be quite fun and interesting. Probably the coolest site (and the most popular) was the liberty bell. Talk about hundreds of years of history bundled into one monument, the bell is a symbol of American pride and freedom in so many ways.

After a leisurely afternoon touring Philly, I headed for one of my most anticipated cities so far on the trip: New York City. New York is just one of those cities that has such a vibrant energy that once you're there, something just feels different. One thing to note though: New York is not for the timid, or faint of heart - especially drivers. One must be a complete a**hole in order to even jockey for position at a stoplight. I think my moment that epitomizes this is at the Holland tunnel where 8 toll lanes merge to 2 to enter the tunnel, and everyone just kinda smashes into one another in a bumper car like fashion until everybody fits like a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Exhilarating, but seriously scary. 

After making it through the maze of New York traffic, I arrived at my cousin Lisa's apartment in Manhattan near the park. We caught up, parked my car and headed for a delicious Italian meal at gorgeous restaurant minutes from her place. We came back, chatted for a while, and then I passed out, exhausted from a great day. I woke early the next day, and decided to take a stroll in Central Park. I knew it was vast, but two hours later I realized how HUGE it really is. After a nice long walk, I headed back to Lisa's place to grab a quick bite, and head out for the rest of the day.

After heading out, I hit most of the Manhattan hot spots including Time's Square, The East Village, and SOHO. All very cool places and unique in their own ways to the spots previous. I met my cousin Jonas near NYU and grabbed a cup of iced tea to cool off and catch up. After some good conversation, and a quick tour around the area we parted ways and I met up with Lisa down on Wall Street for a tour and a bite to eat. After seeing Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty we chowed down on some delicious Vietnamese food. A great end to a great day.

Once again, I slept like a rock, and woke, ready to continue my journey. I headed North to New Haven,CT home to Yale and some pretty cool historic buildings. I toured around the campus, snapping some photos of the grounds, before rain cut my tour short. What I did see was very cool, and seemed to be teeming with activity (most likely orientation for new students!). After spending the day in the area, I headed North for a reasonable motel room to rest my head.

Alright blogosphere, once again you are completely caught up on my trip. I hope you've enjoyed my tour of the East coast - There's plenty more where that came from!

A.S. Bloom

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Roanoke, Richmond, and D.C.!

Welcome back blogosphere! Its been more than a week since the last posting, and there is much to report. Once again, you will be treated to a double dose from the road! I can't wait to catch you up, so sit down, relax, and let's talk East Coast.

Last you heard from me, I was spending the night in Roanoke. Roanoke is a quaint little town with lots to offer. After a restful night of sleep (on the most comfortable mattress thus far) I woke with a renewed energy, and headed out for the day. My first stop was St. Andrews Church, a huge, immaculate example of early 1800's architecture. With jutting spires, ornate stained glass, and antique columns, it was truly awe inspiring and unexpected. After a quick visit at the church, I headed downtown to grab a bite from the local farmers market for lunch.

The market, although smaller than most, was packed with enthusiastic vendors. I engaged a vegetable vendor in conversation and found out that today was especially slow because there was another market going on across town. Despite the lack of vendors, I was able to procure some good lookin' veggies for the road. I also happened onto a local organic restaurant, that was serving a lunch special that included a turkey sandwich w/ pesto, mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, and spicy arugula: How could I resist? The sandwich was delish, and after a late lunch, I was on the road to Richmond.

I arrived late in the day, and was greeted by some cousins that I hadn't seen in about 10 years! Needless to say, there was some serious catching up to do. We gathered over dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant, and got up to speed. Best of all, we were able to relate on food (of all things)!  After dinner, we headed back and I retired for the night. I woke late, gathered my things, and headed downtown to the capitol building.

The Richmond capitol area was stunning, and historic. There is just something about the capitols on the East coast that the West simply cannot contend with: There is a real sense of history in these places - knowing that our forefathers walked these grounds years ago is a tremendous feeling. Beautiful, historic statues abound the area, and many a photo op can be had. The grounds (which contain several other gov't buildings) are immaculately maintained, and humming with activity. Men in suits we abundant, walking this way and that, going about their daily business.

After a nice tour of Richmond, I headed North to our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. I timed my tour of Richmond perfectly as to miss the horrendous D.C. traffic which tends to be a rolling parking lot from 3:30 to 7:00 or so. I arrived at my Aunt's house just after 3:30, relieved to have missed the traffic. She arrived shortly past 4:00, and after a bit of catching up we headed to grab a bite to eat. After dinner we headed back for a quick game of scrabble, and then to bed, for a big day was in store tomorrow.

I woke at a reasonable hour, gathered my things for the day and headed to the metro station for a quick ride downtown. I arrived to the all the splendor that Washington D.C. has to offer. What can one say about our nations capitol? It is truly stunning, with most of the historic buildings and sites clustered into roughly a 2-3 mile strip. One could easily spend days here and not see all that there is to be seen: From the capitol, to the national gallery, to the Smithsonian, all the way down to the White House - D.C. is rich in history and culture. I spent the better part of the day cruising the mall, before meeting up with my Aunt Arlene for a real treat.

After a long day in the hot sun, I was in dire need of some entertainment, preferably located somewhere air conditioned. Aunt Arlene came through with dinner at an Indian restaurant, followed by a show at the Ronald Regan center. The performance came from The Capitol Steps, a group of political satirists who put on a show about current events. They dance, sing, and perform some hilarious comedy bits that had me in stitches! If you haven't heard of them, head over to their site and check them out - some seriously funny stuff.

After a long day in the city, I came home and fell asleep, exhausted from the day's activities. The next day, I relaxed, played some scrabble, and walked along the canals with my Aunt. It was a fun day, but all the while I knew I would have to depart on Monday morning. The next stop on the journey: Philly.


A.S. Bloom

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