I have been to 43 out of the 50 states in the US, and I always wanted to sit down and figure out my list of the top 10 that i’ve been to so far. So I finally did that, and here it is. I didn’t count my home state of Connecticut because i’ve lived here my whole life, so I cant really count that as a state i’ve traveled to, and once I have gone to all 50 states, I am sure that this list will look a little different and include at least 4 or 5 new states being replaced by some of the ones on here, but for now, here is the best of what my eyes have seen in this country and why:
10.) New Jersey:
Ah….New Jersey…the “Garden” state…AKA the BIGGEST misnomer in this country…comparing New Jersey to anything as beautiful and non-polluted as a garden would be quite similar to calling Seattle “The Sunshine City” or labeling Florida “The Snowshoe State”. I have had a viscous grudge with New Jersey for pretty much my entire life, and literally have nearly vomited and cried at the same time every time i pass through that part of state right on the other side of the river from Manhattan. I always thought to myself that this must be the worst place in t he entire country…that nothing could possibly look worse than this, and that I never want to come back here again. However, what I failed to realize all those years is that New Jersey does have other parts of the state that look like a completely different country compared to the Newark area. There are parts that people from better states actually come to to vacation at, and recently, I had gone to these places for the first time, and it completely changed my mind about the “armpit” of America. Once you are out of the mess of the Newark area and start to head south, you notice a drastic change almost immediately. Get off the NJ turnpike and the Garden State Parkway because you’ll never see the hidden gems this state has to offer while driving on the highway. As you head further down the coast, you go through many cute towns, but the main reason why NJ has slipped into my top 10 is because of its boardwalks. I have never had as much fun of a time somewhere and have felt like a kid again as much as when I vacationed in the south Jersey shore the past two summers. Seaside Heights, Wildwood, and Ocean City are now 3 of my favorite places in the entire country, and they all happen to be about within an hour of one another. Cape May, down at the southern tip of the shore, is a perfect example of how some things simply just get better with age. The entire town is a National Historic District, and showcases almost 600 preserved Victorian buildings, which line nearly every street, with rocking chairs ready for tired tourists to relax on their front porches. I will gladly fist pump my way up and down these boardwalks anytime, and every single night I’m sitting at home with nothing to do, I secretly wish I was still on the Jersey shore in the midst of all the hype. Although I have seen some beautiful beaches, great people watching hot-spots, and historic towns, I have still yet to see one thing anywhere in the “garden” state….a garden.
9.) Pennsylvania:
The keystone state overall is what i like to call “shitty cute”. Most of the towns in Pennsylvania are nothing special, just simple small towns with a main street and some antique stores and coffee shops and things of that nature, but that is exactly why I like this state, because in other states that I don’t like as much, such as it’s neighbor Ohio, these same type of towns can be found but they are a lot more run down and much more unappealing. Somehow, Pennsylvania manages to make it’s “shitty”….”cute”, and I definitely appreciate it. These types of towns that I love can be found all over the state, but in addition to that, PA has an impressive college town in State College (where Penn State University is) and beautiful scenery and hills throughout its entire state. PA fails to reach higher on my list for a few reasons: 1.) it’s a very long, boring drive to drive through from east to west and it never seems to end. 2.) its big cities (Philly and Pittsburgh) are decent but nothing special and 3.) most of the state smells like cow shit from all the farms. However, I enjoy many things about this state, from its funny town names (such as Intercourse, Blue Ball, Bird-in-Hand, and Virginville), to seeing Amish people drive their horse n buggies right along side cars on the road. My favorite beer’s brewery, Yuengling, also happens to be here, and it is the oldest brewery in the country. One of my favorite bars, The Darkhorse, is in Philly, and even though Philly has a lot of sketchy, terrible sections, it does have some pretty fantastic places to eat and drink. So overall, PA deserves a spot on my top 10 because it is what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not, and I respect it for that.
8.) Massachusetts:
MA definitely deserves a spot on my top 10 for the simple reason that is one of the only places in the country where you can walk down a major city and still feel like you’re 400 years in the past. Boston is one of the most unique and amazing cities in the country for this reason alone, because somehow one of the biggest cities in the northeast doesn’t even really feel like a city at all, but more of a mix of a huge college town and a lot of beautiful, colonial buildings on cobblestone streets. While a city like New York City just destroys the old to keep building new bigger and better things, Boston cherishes its past and does whatever it can to keep it in tact. This can be seen all over the city, from Fenway Park to the North End to Beacon Street. Massachusetts is more than just Boston though, and the other parts of the state have much to offer. Western MA is very woodsy and scenic and a drive along the Mohawk Trail is one of the prettiest drives you can take in all of New England. Cape Cod has perhaps some of the most breathtaking coastline on the Atlantic and many small, cute coastal towns to accompany it. Massachusetts makes me proud to be from the northeast, and everything that New York City lacks in, Boston showcases proudly, which is why MA is number 8 on my list and New York never even had a chance of being close.
7.) Michigan:
This is another state, much like New Jersey, that I shit on and made fun of constantly until I actually checked out the nice areas instead of just the bad ones. The “mitten” is very unique in many ways, especially for its geographic location. Nothing compares to it anywhere in the midwest; in an area of the country that is mostly just farms, Michigan manages to have more coastline that probably California even does, since it borders 4 of the 5 great lakes. Fittingly called “the great lake state”, some of the most beautiful beaches I have been to are found along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and best of all, they don’t smell half as bad as the ocean does, but are still just as pretty! Michigan is broken into two different parts, and the upper peninsula (known as the UP) is a whole different world than the southern part. The UP is one of the most rustic and naturally beautiful places I’ve been to, and reminds me more of a place I would find in Alaska or Canada or really north upstate New York than anywhere in the midwest. In addition to all the natural beauty, Michigan also has many very cute towns, such as Holland and Saugatuck, and one of my favorite college towns in the country, Ann Arbor, which is just a very impressive and fun place overall, perfect for anyone in their 20s. Sure, Michigan has gotten a bad rep in the news, and Detroit is…well, Detroit, and is probably the worst, most run down city in the country, but I am willing to overlook that major eyesore to take in the entire picture, and Michigan, when I ignore the fact that the motor city is in your state, I realize that your state is not so bad after all, and especially for being in the midwest, you have the most beautiful scenery by far in that area of the country. The people of Michigan are tough and are hard workers, times are rough there but if anyone can bounce back, I know Michigan can and will, and I wish them all the best.
6.) North Carolina:
North Carolina is pretty much a western state that somehow got misplaced and put on the east coast. No state on the eastern half of the country should have mountains as beautiful as NC, yet somehow western North Carolina does an amazing job at pretending it is part of the Rocky Mountains and borders Montana and Wyoming and Colorado, because it parallels the beauty of those types of states. The Blue Ridge Parkway is by far one of the most scenic drive in all of America, and goes through some of the most picturesque parts of the state, then drops you off right into the neat little mountain town of Asheville. Even more impressive though, is that NC is a very diverse state. Not only does it have these beautiful mountains and woods, it also has pretty much every other type of landscape you can imagine except for a desert. NC has tons of beautiful coastline, and also a area known as the triangle, which includes Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, which is an area full of fun college towns, nightlife, and things to do. There are also many other unique towns such as Southern Pines, Wilmington, and Greensboro, all worth checking out. Not too many states have mountains and scenery this impressive but also are on a coast, it’s not even too far fetched to say that in some ways, North Carolina can be compared to a California of the East coast, so this special reason is why North Carolina will always hold a special place in my heart, and is the true gem of the Atlantic.
5.) Arizona:
Dry…Hot…Silence…Serenity…Unworldly…Perfection. What I have experienced in my travels in the deserts and mountains of Arizona are beyond words, ergo, whatever is written in this blog will do my experiences no justice, because even a published poet and writer such as myself cannot describe the beautiful mix of tranquility and madness, the perfect blend of calm and chaos, the equilibrium of ugly and utopia, that I encountered in this state. In a nutshell, one must experience what I have for themselves in order to fully appreciate it, but I can only hope that these words will offer enough evidence to prove to you that some of the most amazing natural places in the entire world can be found right in the grand canyon state. With one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, petrified forest national park is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. This place is called “the painted desert” for a reason; the hills look like someone took a paintbrush and went over them with various shades of reds, oranges, blues, and grays. I said to myself that this was the most beautiful place I have ever been to, and that was true until I drove a little up north to the Grand Canyon. When I walked to the cliff’s edge and saw the canyon spread out before my eyes for the first time, my jaw literally drop and I shook my head in disbelief as a tear of joy fell from my eye, because nothing this beautiful should even exist on this planet, it’s simply just not fair. Honestly, the Grand Canyon is probably just as big as or maybe even bigger than my entire home state of Connecticut, and it by far was one of the most beautiful places my eyes have ever laid upon. I was amazed at how drastically different the climate, scenery, and landscape alters in Arizona by just driving a little over an hour up north. In southern and central Arizona, there are many cactuses and sand covered mountains, yet up north, in Flagstaff and above, I felt like I was right back at home in New England or upstate New York, because of all the pine trees, greenery, snow covered mountains (yes, in June), and quaint little mountain towns. The beauty and diversity of Arizona impressed me a lot and I can definitely see why many people come here to live after they retire. My only complaint about Arizona was that while I was in Phoenix, it seemed to me that most of the people there were really rude and mean, and they honestly reminded me a lot like new yorkers, so that was a big turn off for me, and the city of Phoenix wasn’t anything special anyways, so that thorn in the state’s side is the reason why it lands at number 5 in my spot, because honestly it would probably be in the top 3 if it wasn’t for my bad experiences in the state’s capitol. But putting that aside and looking at the state as a whole, it’s natural beauty and uniqueness are unparalleled to anywhere else in this country. Out here, I was able to clear my head, but it was only filled with more questions about the origins of the planet, because I do not think that things this beautiful were made by accident over time; I think that some sort of a God out there must be an amazing artist, and He used the southwest, especially Arizona, as His canvas.
4.) Utah:
Utah is much like Arizona, which makes sense since they border each other both on the map as well as on my list of my ten favorite states i’ve been to. What makes Utah a tad more appealing to me over Arizona though, is that it’s even more diverse and has even more of a “wow” factor to it. Coming to Utah for the first time, you quickly notice that they have the most beautiful of all the state welcome signs, with an awesome license plate to match it, a stunning picture of the Delicate Arch, which happens to be the reason why I went to go visit Utah in the first place. Utah may not be a destination for many, but it was for me, because I have always wanted to visit Arches National Park, perhaps more than any other place in this country. On the drive into Moab, as well as around Arches National Park, the scenery looks more like something you’d find on Mars than on our own planet, with all of the red rocks, mountains, and sand surrounding the area. The 1.5 mile hike to the delicate arch was well worth it in the 90 degree heat, after nearly passing out and thinking you’re not going to make it, all of a sudden as soon as you turn a corner it is right there in full display right in front of you in all of its glory. It is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on this planet, even more-so that the grand canyon. The word “delicate” is appropriate for it because it’s a miracle how this thing is even standing, and I don’t want to admit it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing crumbled to the ground during my lifetime. Utah is a state I have only been to for a few days out of my entire life, and I have only been to one corner of it, so there is still 75 percent of the state I have yet to explore, yet Utah is number 4 on my list, shouldn’t that tell you something? This state is amazing, unique, epic, and not like anywhere else on this planet.
3.) Maine:
Maine deserves a spot on my top 3 because of how rugged and badass the state is, while still managing to be “cute” at the same time. I have no idea how something can be both intimidating yet adorable, but Maine manages to do it. I like to call Maine the Alaska of the east coast, and I believe that to be a pretty accurate assessment. Maine makes me proud to be a New Englander, and this is definitely a state I will live in for awhile at some point later in life. The whole coastline of the state along the shore is filled with cute little towns and fishing villages, the type of places you see on postcards. There’s a reason why Maine is called “Vacationland.” It possesses a unique natural setting, which is comprised of a spectacular coast and a woodsy, mountainous interior, and is by far one of the most diverse states in this country. Southern Maine, has beaches, resort communities, and cosmopolitan cities, which is poles apart from the northern part, where forests and farms are plentiful. All within one day, one can hike the White Mountains, then have dinner in Portland, which is known as the “most-livable city.” and the “foodiest small town in America”. One can also shop in the nationally known outlets of Freeport and then go for a whale watch right afterwards, or visit a fine art museum in Rockland right after watching painters create masterpieces on a rugged mountain. Maine has the largest bear population in the lower 48 states, yet also has an inn that was called one of the best in the world. The state is home to some of the best skiing in the East, the finest sailing waters this side of the Mediterranean, world-renowned parks, two of America’s best art museums, internationally known shopping areas, award-winning restaurants, dozens of National Historic Landmarks, extraordinary beaches, exceptional kayaking, antique stores, nationally ranked golf courses, moose safaris and whale watching trips, and the best National Park in the eastern half of the country, Acaida National Park, in Bar Harbor, which is a cute little town right on an island with amazing scenery surrounding it. To sum things up, this state has it all, which makes it impossible not to like it, because it has something for everyone, and makes me proud to be from the north east.
2.) Colorado:
Colorful Colorado possesses a stunning, unique, and diverse natural landscape and some of the most impressive scenic beauty in the country, including the highest sand dunes in North America, to 54 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet. All in one day’s drive, one can pass through emerald green forests, fields of vibrant wildflowers, picturesque mountain lakes, abundant grasslands and rich red rock formations. There are four national parks, five national monuments and 42 state parks, and also 25 scenic and historic byways, including going through ghost towns, ancient ruins, alpine tundra, and mountain passages. Whether you’re looking for big cities or small mountain towns, Colorado offers many unique experiences. Boulder is one of my favorite college towns in the country and definitely a place I can picture settling down someday, Denver is a solid big city with lots of entertaining things to do, Estes Park is a cute mountain town at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park, and Aspen and Breckenridge are beautiful little skiing towns. Also a side note, the first ever Quiznos is located in Denver, and that happens to be one of my favorite places to eat, so bonus points for Colorado giving birth to such an amazing sandwich shop. This state almost has it all and is 99 percent perfect, the only reason why it is not number 1 on my list is because it is not near an ocean, so the top spot on my list goes to a state that has an incredible amount of some of the most beautiful coastline in the country.
1.) California:
What makes a place good enough to be labeled “perfect”; is it the scenery, the people, the cities, the nightlife, the location, all of the above? Well, there is no such thing as “perfect”, but the closest thing to it that I have ever seen is California. I have been “California Dreaming” since I was a kid, and finally at 22 years old, my dreams became true. San Francisco is by far the most beautiful and amazing city I have ever been to and I would definitely love living there someday, no place has ever felt like home to me as much as the Bay Area has. California has 3 of the best and most impressive cities in the country, along with many national parks, close to 1,000 miles of beautiful coastline, impressive mountains, and much more. In fact, California is the only place I have been to where the landscape drastically changes so often. California has the ocean and beaches, it has the desert, it has snow covered mountains, forests, it has big cities, small rustic towns, pretty much any type of environment you can think of can be found here, so with everything imaginable within the golden state’s borders, why ever leave? A very interesting thing happened to me while I was coming into California from Nevada; the state sign was missing so there was no official “Welcome to California” sign when I arrived! Obviously, this made me upset at first because my goal is to get my picture next to all 50 state signs, but California would have to wait till the day I actually left the state. But then I thought of the symbolism behind this; I will be seeing “welcome to California” the moment I am actually leaving the state, which to me shows that even though I am leaving for now, I am truly welcome back there whenever I wish, and that I never have to really say “goodbye” to the Golden State, just like how the line in the famous Eagles “Hotel California” song goes…”you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave” and I would be just fine with that. The beaches, the mountains, the forest, the hills, the big cities, the little towns, the food, the climate, the location…all these things make California amazing…but especially the people, their personalities and laid back attitudes, is what truly makes this state as close to perfect as one will ever find. I’ve been an East coast resident my entire life, and even though I have only been to California for a total of 15 days or so, the Atlantic has nothing on the Pacific; the west coast is where it’s truly at, and California makes it hard to come back home and have it truly feel like home here anymore. California, I will be back soon, but until then, I’ll miss you and you’ll be in my dreams until I can make you become a reality again.
1California
2Colorado
3Maine
4Utah
5Arizona
6North Carolina
7 Michigan
8 Massachusetts
9 Pennsylvania
10 New Jersey
honorable mentions: texas, georgia, indiana, florida, south dakota
thanks for reading everyone, feel free to comment on your favorite states and why too!
ersey Shore” is filmed, and upon arrival, we quickly realized that literally everyone on the boardwalk looked like clones of the characters on the show. It amused me to see such
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g around the boardwalk, it wasn’t so bad after all. It was by far the dirtiest and sketchiest of the boardwalk towns we went to, but it wasn’t anything unbearable. On the boardwalk here is the only place on the entire trip I saw homeless people and beggars coming up to tourists, and here is the only boardwalk that was lined with that stereotypical trash and pollution that has tarnished the
checked out the area again early the next morning. Before leaving, we
realizing that my pale Eastern European body was getting too much of a
an 2 miles
over-sized slices of cheese pizza. Our night was ended with a ride on
which composed of a toasted peanut
of my favorite states, but I spent quite a significant amount of time here last summer, and I know as a fact I will again in the not so distant future, so I was not too upset that we pretty much just drove straight through. We did make a quick pit stop in Enfield, NC to check out the Aunt Ruby’s peanuts store, where we sampled and bought various tasty treats. We then got back on the highway and drove past “Pedro” billboards for the next 150 miles until that huge sombrero peeped over the horizon and the infamous tacky tourist trap was in our sights. South of the Border is a roadside attraction that is appropriately
named since it lies just south of the North Carolina state border as soon as you come into South Carolina, and anyone who has ever taken a family trip down to Disney World has probably stopped at this place along the way. I have no explanation of why it exists or why this makeshift Mexican town is thousands of miles from its natural habitat, and usually I detest gaudy things on this planet, but there’s something about the tacky charm here that makes each passerby smile, perhaps because unlike the real Mexico, everyone here speaks English and the water is safe to drink. There are restaurants, amusement parks, attractions, and motels here, in case a traveler stopping through is in search of comida, a fiesta, or a siesta, but since we craved to go even further south, we briefly just stopped in one of the gift shops, tried on a plethora of goofy hats for silly picture opportunities, and bought some very retro and vibrant souvenir t-shirts.
family of poets in that area. After performing an over 30 minute set of both old poems from my first CD as well as new stuff I performed for the first time off my upcoming CD “Sea Change”, we chatted with the open mic host and other poets there for awhile and then headed into downtown Orlando at Universal Studio’s Citywalk, where we ate a late dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Florida is a state that I have been coming to annually since I was 5 years old, because my family owned a time share at Disney World, and this was the first time in over a 15 trips to Orlando that I would not be stopping to see Mickey Mouse and his gang. It was both weird and refreshing in a way, because not stopping at the overplayed tourist traps in the area would give me more time to explore the other parts of Florida I have never seen, which is why we got back in the car early the next morning and headed down the east coast of the state towards Miami.
walked along the beautiful beach there while enjoying the sunset, checking out the unique and colorful lifeguard stands, and taking in all of the amazing colors of the water, sand, and sky around us which would never been seen at any beach back home. We then walked around the famous Collins Ave and Ocean Drive to marvel at the beautiful Art Deco architecture and to enjoy one of my favorite free pastimes: people watching. Every single one of the dozens of bars, clubs, and restaurants we passed on the crowded street were full of interesting and vibrant characters, and it was easily one of the most hype places for nightlife I had ever seen. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the famous News Café and sat outside to enjoy some more entertaining people watching as well as the beautiful scenery and weather.
ming to an end at the southernmost point in the continental US. On the way to Key West, we drove on approximately 160 miles of perhaps some of the most beautiful stretches of road on this planet, with unparallel views of the gorgeous ocean on both sides of one of the longest bridges in the world. When we finally arrived to our destination, we first took our pictures next to the monument marking the southernmost point in the continental United States, and then we relaxed for a bit at the southernmost beach in the continental U.S., which was right next door. We then walked over to the popular Duval Street and briefly checked out Ernest Hemingway’s house on the way. During that walk 
we also noticed that there are many free roaming chickens that reside on the island, which was both neat and a nuisance at the same time. Duval Street is full of restaurants, gift shops, and bars, and we spent a great deal of time taking in all of the ambiance of the area before it began to spontaneously downpour outside, so to escape the treacherous rain, we decided to eat dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s restaurant, Margaritaville, where I had a delicious crab cake sandwich. By the time we had finished eating, the streets were empty even though the rain had recently stopped, so we took one last solitarily stroll up and down the street before getting back on route 1 to drive back to Miami for the night.
he largest National Historic Landmark District in the entire United States. We headed straight to the visitor center, which is inside of the old railroad station, and houses a museum as well. Savannah is one of the most beautiful and well preserved cities I had ever seen and I was excited to have the opportunity to come back here. Savannah’s architecture and history are internationally known, as well as its reputation for Southern ho
spitality and charm. Savannah seems to have a city park or square at the end of literally every street block, and huge live oak trees draped with Spanish moss grace the entire downtown and are a nice accent to the historic homes and buildings. We strolled and relaxed in a few of these beautiful city parks, including Chippewa Square (where some of the famous scenes from “Forrest Gump” were filmed), before walking over to River Street, which runs right along the Savannah River and is paved with cobblestones. We got lunch at one of the many restaurants there, and then checked out some of the shops before making our way back to the car to dreadfully head back up the Northeast.
shares the same food together from the same plate, which is something that I greatly enjoy. We then made our way to a couple bars and jazz clubs for quick drinks and to watch some musicians perform, and then headed over to a very famous bar and blues club named Madam’s Organ, which is 4 stories high and is considered a landmark in the city. Upon entering, the bouncer made me take my baseball cap off (which is something I actually appreciate about a club, enforcing somewhat of a dress code), and once I walked in, I realized why this place is so famous. The club actually has a very strong Memphis type feel to it, and at times I had to remind myself I was in the Mid Atlantic and not on Beale Street. We sipped down a few bottles of Yuengling while listening to a rockabilly band play on stage, and equally exclaimed our newly discovered love of this city to each other even though the best had yet to be seen. The night was ended by walking around the central Mall, and sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial while gazing out at the Washington Monument and the Capital Building, which was truly a beautiful sight and a beautiful way to end a beautiful first night in this beautiful city.
Monument, but tickets were already sold out for the day, so we walked over the Lincoln Memorial again, then to the Capital Building and Jefferson Memorial. On our way walking over to the White House, the most fascinating thing happened. Suddenly dozens of cop cars blocked all of the side roads so no traffic could pass on Pennsylvania Avenue. Then all of a sudden, as a helicopter was circling overhead, a parade of about 50 black cars surrounded by more police cars came speeding down the road, and out of one of the large black cars in the middle of the pack, President Barack Obama was smiling and waving to the crowd. This was truly an unexpected experience, but I guess I should have figured that this probably happens often here, every time he is leaving or entering the White House. Nonetheless, it was still very cool to be able to see our nation’s president while in town. We then made our way over to the Chinatown district, and got some amazing Chinese food at a place called Chinatown Express, which is supposed to be the best Chin
ese food in the city. There is a big glass window outside the front of this tiny restaurant and passerby’s can watch the “noodle guy” prepare the noodles as they continue walking on the sidewalk. After finishing our very enjoyable meals there, we walked on over to the Smithsonian to go to the Air and Space Museum. One of the great things about DC is that admission to pretty much most major attractions are free. We walked around the museum for about an hour while learning about the history of aviation and breakthroughs with space discovery.
opped at some of the retail stores on the congested M street before heading out in search for dinner. We grabbed a bite to eat at the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, where I had the most delicious hot dog of my life, which of course was topped with their famous chili. Besides the chili dog, I also had a half smoke, even though I had no idea what a half smoke was until I ordered it. Apparently Obama asked the same exact question when he came here to eat once he was elected, so I am in good company at least. While we were eating, a man who worked at the restaurant showed us some brief TV news highlights of Ben’s throughout the years, and gave a very impressive and informative speech both about the history of Ben’s in the past 50 years, as well as the area of the city throughout that time. U Street used to be a predominantly black neighborhood, and the man
told the story of how Ben’s Chili Bowl brought people of all backgrounds and races together to celebrate the joy of eating out as a family, and to enjoy great food, even through the toughest times of oppression and turmoil. We finished what might have been one of the best meals of my life, thanked the man for his very descriptive speech, and headed out to Dupont Circle in search for a bar to get some brews for dessert. This section of town is widely known as the gay neighborhood of the city, yet it is equally popular with heterosexuals simply on the prowl for some good nightlife, restaurants, shops, clubs, bars, and most importantly, people watching. We ended up at a very neat bar named The Brickskeller, which claims to have the widest selection of beers in the world. In fact, their menu does have over 1000 beers on it from all around the world, broken down by country of origin, which I found extremely impressive. I wish this place was closer to my house so I could come here every night to sample a taste from every country, yet since we were only there for the night, I decided to stay true to my nationality and roots and tried Russian Baltika beer for the first time in my life, which was, for lack of a better word, delicious.
now was the time to check it out while I was in the area. Once arriving into town my jaw almost dropped in amazement for how beautiful and genuinely historic the town looked. The entire downtown area steps you back in time 300 years and truly makes you feel like you are a colonial parading the streets rather than a modern day visitor. We went to one of the neatest Starbucks I’ve ever seen, which was in the basement of a historical hotel, and once inside, we felt like we were in a cave rather than a coffee shop. We then walked along the harbor, the main shopping and dining streets, and some of the residential side streets to take in all of the history and beauty that surrounded us. We grabbed some grub for dinner at the 18th century landmark Middleton Tavern before sadly heading back home later at night.
on Restaurant, which is famous for serving many types of wild game meat. Since I am a very adventurous eater, I decided to sample some ostrich, pheasant, and wild boar there, which were all delicious, and then washed it down with some Yuengling, one of my favorite beers which are not sold in my home state. After dinner, we headed to the University of Delaware in Newark, DE which was only about 20 minutes away, and walked around the campus at night to check out the college scene before getting back in the car to head to Baltimore. One of my good friends Poet of Pain lives in Baltimore, and plans were to meet up with him briefly to say hello while we were in the area, but he had work so we drove around downtown Baltimore, checking out some good and not so good sections of the city. By now, it was after midnight, and we dabbled with the idea of walking around Washington DC at night but we decided to save DC for another time, and drove an hour west to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, which is located right on the Maryland and Virginia state borders. We arrived there around 2 AM and almost hit four deer crossing the road at one point, but finally fell asleep in my car in a parking lot for a few hours while a very loud train would pass by every 45 minutes and the cold weather certainly did not help. We awoke at sunrise very cranky and sore from napping in the car, but we went to a diner to rejuvenate and then walked around the town of Harpers Ferry and the National Park there. The Appalachian Trail goes right through the town, so we took a moment to take a short walk on that, even though I eventually would like to hike the entire trail from Ma
ine to Georgia later in my life, and marveled at the charm of the quaint, beautiful little town before heading off for our long drive through the West Virginia mountains. We both took turns napping while the other drove, and while we were awake, we would marvel at the beautiful natural scenery surrounding us. West Virginia is a state that doesn’t get much attention or discussion, but this was my 3rd time here this year for a reason, the beauty of this state awes me every time I pass its state line. By noon we arrived to the capital Charleston, got a quick bite to eat and took a minute to check out the city, and then got back in the car en route to Kentucky, which was our destination for the evening.
We ended our night one street over at my favorite hole in the wall bar in the state, 3rd street dive, and played a few games of darts before going to my friend Ian’s house 10 minutes away in New Albany, Indiana for the night. His hospitality has always been appreciated during my many travels to Indiana, and it was good to be able to see him again. The next day we were off to Bloomington, Indiana, which many of you know is one of my most favorite towns in the entire country, and I always get extremely excited when I get to come there, because I know good times are always to be had. When we arrived into town, we walked around the Indiana University campus, which is truly a beautiful place, and I had a show at Rachael’s café right outside campus. After the show, a group of my friends from Bloomington joined us for dinner and drinks at a restaurant nearby, and then we walked over to my favorite bar in the country, 
which is called the Video Bar and Saloon by outsiders, but is simply known as “The Vid” to locals and myself. This bar is so great that there is not even a sign for it outside, they do not promote the place at all nor advertise it, but the locals know how amazing it is so it is packed every night. It is on the 2nd floor of a building, above another bar, so we walked up the stairs and showed the bouncer our ID, and I was surprised that he remembered me from being there two months ago. The reason why I love this bar so much is because everything is cheap and it is a very laid back fun place full of friendly college students and young adults. You can get a beer on draft for $1.50, play darts for free, and billiards for only 50 cents a game. So it’s safe to say that a very fun night can be had at “The Vid” for fewer than 10 bucks. We spent several cherished hours there and then retired for the night at my friend Hiromi’s dorm, whose hospitality is also always appreciated every time I’m in Indiana. The next morning we got brunch at the Runcible Spoon before saying goodbye to Hiromi, and then headed an hour up north to Indianapolis for the weekend.
oyed very much. The comedy club was a lot of fun and we saw comedian Robert Hawkins perform, who was voted as one of the top 25 comedians in the country in a 2001 poll. Needless to say, he was hysterical, and I was glad we spontaneously decided to go there. We then went to a hookah bar, which was a first for me, and it was definitely a fun, relaxing experience, but I don’t quite understand all the hype about it, because quite frankly, if I’m going to smoke something, I want it to be something that gets me high, not something that tastes like watermelons. Unfortunately on the way back to the hotel that night, we were in a car accident, but luckily it wasn’t too serious and nobody was hurt. The next day we woke up and met up with Lindsay again (who is a Colts fan) and headed over to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch the Indianapolis Colts play my favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks. We had amazing seats on the street level and I was amazed by how beautiful the Colt’s new stadium is. Of course the Seahawks lost 34-17, because the Colts are too good, but it was still fun to go to. Later that night we went to an area downtown called Mass Ave which has some
cool bars, restaurants, and shops. We ate dinner at Old Point Tavern, then went to a really cool little Jazz Club called Chatterbox and watched an amazing saxophonist by the name of Jared Thompson perform. After leaving there, a car-related misfortunate happened for the 2nd night in a row; we ran over a really big pot hole on the way back to the hotel and the front axle on my car snapped, so we had to call a tow truck to take my car to a mechanic. At this point I was pretty worried and upset, because it was late at night, I didn’t know the city well enough to know where mechanics were, and I was supposed to leave early the next day for Michigan. However, the series of events which happened after proved why I love Indiana and the people of the Midwest so much. The tow truck guy was extremely helpful and dropped us back off at our hotel for free, and then the next day, my friend Steve went to the airport to go back home to CT as planned, but the La Quinta hotel in Indy we were staying at let me stay in 
my room for an extra few hours for free because of my situation, and then a mechanic from the shop came and picked me up at the hotel for free, which was a 15 minute drive each way. My car was the first one fixed that day since they knew I was from out of state and had to leave that day. The entire experience went smoothly and I was truly impressed with how kind and helpful people out there are to complete strangers, because I feel in the back of my mind that people would not be as kind in that same situation back home in the northeast. After thanking them for all their help, I left the shop with my fixed car and drove up to Michigan, where I would be spending the next few days.
mes like to joke around and call it the New Jersey of the Midwest, but I do like certain parts of the state, and wanted to take the time to explore the entire state to see some of the nicer parts of it. After spending the night in Grand Rapids (a not so amazing city), I picked up my friend Jamie from the Grand Rapids area and started driving up north to see some of the more quaint little towns along the coast of Lake Michigan. We briefly stopped by at beaches in Muskegon and Grand Haven, which I had been to this past July. When I was there over the summer, they were very lively and fun, happening places, but now in the cold Autumn weather, the beaches and towns were almost completely deserted, with the exception of a couple older fishermen and joggers. It seemed like I was at a completely different beach than before, but I kind of liked the serenity in a way, and sat out on the dock near the lighthouse while thinking about where I 
wanted to travel next from here. I decided to drive up the entire coast of Lake Michigan up to Traverse City, which was a small, charming town I was quite impressed with, and then made my way to Petoskey for the night. Pretty much every single town I went to in Michigan I was really impressed with, and all had a small town charm to them which is not something you see much more of nowadays, with all sorts of modernized commercial buildings and chain stores and restaurants popping up everywhere. However, none of this existed in northern Michigan; there were no Best Buys or Wal-Marts, no Barnes and Nobles or Applebee’s. There were instead plenty of independently run businesses, which was a breath of fresh air. This might be the very reason why the economy is exceptionally bad in Michigan, but it was really nice to see stores such as Billy’s Shoes and opposed to Payless, and The Fresh Scoop instead of Dairy Queen. Out here, there was a store just for shoes, just for televisions, just for vacuums, and not kidding…just for bingo supplies. We stopped briefly in other small towns along the way, such as Harbor Springs, and they were all mirror’s reflections of the towns before them; all very small, all very independent and close knit, and all very quaint, cute, and picturesque.
ward place while we still had the chance, and sprinted out of the shack into my car and sped away without looking back. We then made our way to Green Bay, which was a little town that I had high hopes for, since I figured it must be nice if an NFL franchise could prosper there. However, I was thoroughly disappointed with the town and quite frankly, it was one of the ugliest, most depressing places I had ever been to. All you can see from the highway is several smokestacks, and once you get into town, there is nothing much at all there to see or do. There is nothing around town that even hints that the Packers exist or play there, except for Lambeau Field about 5 minutes from downtown. I really feel like this town has a lot of potential, but there were no signs of improvement anytime soon. Maybe one day I will be mayor and turn things around, but with confidence I could say that I would rather hang out in Bridgeport, Connecticut or Harlem than Green Bay again.
here, and I wish I could have stayed longer. The entire area near the University of Wisconsin campus is full of great restaurants, stores, bars, and the city itself is nestled right between two very scenic lakes. The next day for lunch we headed down to a small town in southern Wisconsin named Monroe, which has a pretty famous “cheese store and tavern” there named Baumgartner’s that I had to check out in order to satisfy my beer and cheese cravings (even though I’m lactose intolerant). At this place, I got to enjoy the very two things Wisconsin is famous for: Cheese and Beer, at the same time. I don’t remember the name of the beers I had there, all I know is that t
hey were locally brewed and very delicious. I sampled 3 different cheese sandwiches: Swiss, Cheddar, and Limburger, all complete with wheat bread and onions. All were very yummy, but the Limburger was extremely smelly, had a weird texture, and was very unsettling in my stomach. After enjoying my time there, I learned one thing about Wisconsin: even though cheese and beer are their specialties, you should enjoy just one at a time, because they do not mix well together at all. We ended the day by driving over to Milwaukee to watch the sunset on the other side of Lake Michigan, and we wandered around the river walk area at night, which is a nice area full of upscale stores and restaurants. Looking back on Wisconsin, I must say that I was very, very impressed with this state overall, it definitely exceeded my expectations (with the exception of Green Bay), and I can honestly say that this is one of my new most favorite states, that I can’t wait to explore more of next year.
he famous Gino’s East Pizza. We shared a deep dish tomato pie which was very delicious and then I traditionally carved my name into the wall just like everyone else does there, before leaving and attempting to find a hotel for the night. We decided to look for one outside of Chicago because it would be cheaper, so we decided to venture back to Indiana about 20 minutes away and stopped in Hammond, which is right over the border. We found a hotel named the Jefferson Hotel, and this was quite possibly the worst place I had ever slept at in my life. First off, this place charges by the hour, so you 
can get an idea of what kind of place this is right off the bat, and the entire place had a 1920’s feel to it, but not in a good way, more so of the stock market crash kind of way. I decided to rent the room for 12 hours so I can catch up on some lost sleep, but if I knew the condition of the rooms beforehand, I wouldn’t had stayed for more than 12 minutes. What surprised me the most was when I opened the door to my room, there was no bathroom in it; the entire floor shared one bathroom, similar to a college dorm style. The bedroom pretty much just had a bed, a tiny television, a closet, and a sink in the corner. This was clearly a place where people came to do just one thing, and it definitely wasn’t to sleep. However, I was too tired to really care too much at that point, after a long day on the road, and many miles still to go on the journey ahead, so I shut my eyes and dreamed of a better place. The next morning we briefly checked out Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (yes, Indiana does have a coastline to those of you who suck at geography), and enjoyed being able to relax on a beach and see the Chicago skyline in the distance.
state until we decided to make a pit stop in the cute little town of Chelsea, which is near Ann Arbor. From there, we headed about 15 minutes north to the tiny little town of Hell, which I had heard of before on the Travel Channel, obviously because of its name. The entire town consisted of only 3 little gift shops and a restaurant, and was clearly a minuscule and diminutive tourist trap nestled in the woods. We grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant in “town” and then headed to Detroit for the night. Detroit was a city that I had never wished to visit, because of my previous stereotypes of it, but I decided to give it a chance since I was in the area. We walked around a sketchy section called “greektown” at night, which I guess was the cities attempt at a hip, nightlife area, but it proved to be more of a place for homeless men to hassle passerby’s than a fun hangout spot. I then decided to find a hotel for a 
night and give Detroit a second chance tomorrow while the sun was out and it was safer. We woke up the next morning and first visited the suburb of Dearborn, which is the town with the highest population of Middle-Easterners in the entire country. Driving around town makes you feel like you’re in Lebanon instead of Michigan, and we ate lunch at a very amazing restaurant called Al Ameers, which was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, one of my favorite shows on the Travel Channel. The food there was some of the best I had had in my entire life, which consisted of some sort of a Middle-Eastern chicken wrap, and a fruit smoothie filled with chunks of fruit still inside it. I really wish this place was closer to my house, because I would seriously eat there every single day. I then went back to Detroit, hoping it would look nicer during the day, and it proved to look even worse during the day because you could see more that the dark was hiding last night. We went to Belle Isle Park which overlooks Canada on the other side of the river, and I was really sad that I didn’t bring my passport so I could explore Ontario instead of the Hellhole I was in now. Briefly seeing Detroit made me realize that stereotypes exist for a reason, and that Michigan, especially the Detroit area, is hurting badly from the poor economy. It is quite a sad area indeed, and hopefully it can be improved somewhat in the near future.
y impressed with. We got lunch at a diner in town and then strolled along the streets checking out all the stores and restaurants near the college, before heading back in the car and driving through all of Pennsylvania before making it to New York City at night. We went through the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey which shot us right into the hustle and bustle of mid-town Manhattan. We walked around Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village before getting dinner and delicious cannolis for dessert in Little Italy. We then drove around Times Square to marvel at all of the lights before heading back to Connecticut to conclude my two week trip of the Midwest. I then showed her around Connecticut and Boston for a few days before bringing her to Logan Airport so she could get back home, and thanked her for accompanying me on my trip since everyone else was too busy to join me with their real world obligations tying them down from living their lives.
seconds I thought that was the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard, but then I saw the surrounding neighborhoods nearby, which made the awful looking “nice town” look like Beverly Hills. We then got off the highway and instantly were brought back about 300 years in time. Directly in front of us were the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Seeing these two landmarks right next to each other definitely makes you appreciate the heritage and history that the former capitol of
our country possesses. Just a week before this trip, I was in Philly with my nephew and took him to the Chapel Hill area of Philly, which is very pretty, as well as the famous Mutter Museum, which has a lot of anomalous things, such as skeletons with abnormalities, and so on, which was one of the most amazing museums I have ever been to. Philly is famous for its cheese steaks, so we went to the two most famous places in the city to get them: Geno’s and Pats. The two are completely opposite in appearance; Geno’s looks like something that belongs on the Vegas strip or in Times Square, and Pats looks like someone’s house, but they both serve generally the same thing and are both right across the street from each other, constantly staring at each other face to face. After tasting both of them, 
Geno’s won the taste test even though the place was too gaudy for my taste and the people who work there were pretty ignorant and rude (they have signs that say “speak English or leave” right on their window). We then washed down our food with some brews at the Darkhorse Bar (that’s right, I have a bar named after me in Philly!), and took a stroll down South Street before retiring for the night. Going to Philadelphia for the night definitely made me realize that I have a love / hate relationship with the city, it’s a place I don’t particularly enjoy that much, but something about it…maybe the history…maybe the cobblestone streets…or maybe the asshole-ish “I don’t give a shit attitude the people there possess…keeps bringing me back there time and time again.
p in Columbus, Ohio at night time. Columbus is a little known city that I’ve been eager to explore for a long time, so I wasted no time and went right out on the town. We first checked out an area called Short North, which is a street lined with restaurants and bars. After barhopping there for an hour or so, we went to the Brewery District to barhop some more, and then stumbled on over to the German Village, which was a very nice, older part of town, with brick streets and beautiful older homes. Early the next morning, we walked around the campus of THE Ohio State University, which is the biggest college in the country. I was truly impressed with this area near the campus, as well as the entire city as a whole, and I’m glad we decided to make this city a pit stop on our trip.
that is very similar to Coney Island or Santa Monica, California. Usually I avoid tourist traps as much as possible when I go places, but since this was my first time in Chicago, I wanted to do and see the things here you’re “supposed” to see and do, just as a first timer in NYC would have to see the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and Times Square. So, we decided to go the original Pizzeria Uno’s for some famous deep dish pizza for lunch, which was amazing, and then we went to Wrigley Field to catch a Cubs game, because I’ve always wanted to see their stadium. It is truly a beautiful and historic stadium and I was in awe to see it in person, and was 
shocked that it is practically in a neighborhood surrounded by apartments and bars. It was a hot day outside, so my cousin and I pounded down 6 beers a piece at the game, which probably cost over 100 bucks, and then went to a bar after the game to celebrate the Cubs 4-2 victory over the Pirates. At the bar, a random couple started talking to us and bought us drinks and shots, which of course we accepted, and when we told them we were from Connecticut, the girl had no idea where our home state even was, which was funny yet sad at the same time. After talking to them for about an hour, we all stumbled out of the bar and said goodbye to our new friends. At this moment, my cousin and I both got extremely sick and puked out our approximately 200 dollars worth of alcohol we had consumed in the past few hours. I passed out under someone’s staircase to the front of their apartment on a street, and my cousin passed out in an alley way nearby. We blacked out for about 3 hours before picking ourselves up off the ground and finding a random sketchy motel to randomly pass out in for the night. I was extremely thankful that the citizens of Wrigleyville just let us rest there in our own regret in peace, and it was nothing short of a miracle that we weren’t taken away in an ambulance or cop car instead. Of course, there was only one bed that we had to share at the motel, but it was still one of the most comfo
rtable night’s sleeps I’ve ever had since I was so happy to be in a bed after a sloppy, embarrassing moment such as that. The next day we tried to get rid of our massive hangovers by walking along a couple beaches and Millennium Park and getting some fresh air. We capped off our time in Chicago by going to the Sky Deck of the Sears Tower (which is now called the Willis Tower), which is the tallest building in the country. The view from the top of the tower was breathtaking, and we watched the sunset 103 stories up from the ground, as well as walked on the glass floor where you can look straight down to the city streets, which was a great ending to a very interesting time in the city.
the New Haven area, and was always excited to inform people of the true beauty, diversity, cleanliness, and nightlife of the city. However, after coming back “home”, it simply did not feel like home anymore…something was different to me…New Haven felt just like another city and not like a place I still belonged in; it’s special charm that used to light my eyes with excitement…now gone. Perhaps that bulb had burnt out because I have just recently discovered better, perhaps I have overstayed my welcome; perhaps this was a calling for me to pack my bags and find a new home. I have spent so much time in New Haven that I could close my eyes and name every restaurant, store, bar, and club on every street and probably even know a person or two in each place 
without seeing them. This is not the type of place I wish to still live in; I yearn for a bigger city where I can get lost and then try to find my way back home, while discovering new things and places along the way. So although New Haven did not feel the same to me after seeing the entire country, I was still happy to see familiar places with familiar faces for the time being. Before meeting up with my friends, my cousin Steve and I walked around the Yale campus and admired the beauty of the buildings, which never fail to amaze me no matter how many times I see them. We then grabbed some hamburgers at the world famous Louis Lunch, where the hamburger was claimed to be invented. The night was perfectly finished by washing our dinner down with some half yards of Molson at Richter’s Bar near the city’s green while sharing stories of my travels amongst my comrades, and then parading over to an Irish pub called Anna Liffeys to have some more brews for dessert.
“vacationland” to see it through adult eyes for the first time. Luckily, on my huge trip out west, I only saw rain for one night in a 6 week span, but on this mini trip around New England, Mother Nature was not so kind to me. I briefly walked around Old Orchard beach, which I can vaguely remember going to as a kid, and then arrived in Portland, where I had a show that night at the North Star Café. Before going to my show, I walked around the town in the pouring rain and had some clam chowder for dinner to warm me up, which New England, and especially Maine, is known for having the best of in the country. With soaked shoes, shirt, and all, I arrived at the venue for my show, and it actually turned out to be one of the best of my entire tour thus far; the crowd was pretty big and supportive, and I met some very interesting and kind people there, including a fellow poet all the way from Nicaragua. The next day I had really amazing Lobster Rolls (or Lobsta as we say it up in the northeast) at the famous Red’s Eats in Wicasset. I actually heard about this place originally because it is one of Andrew Zi
mmern’s most favorite places to eat in Maine, and of course I had to go there since I’m one of his biggest fans. I’m usually not a huge fan of lobster, but I guess that’s because I’ve never had lobster in Maine until now….wow was it amazing! The highlight of my time in Maine was still to come though, with the arrival to Bar Harbor to visit Acadia National Park. I have been to about a half dozen national parks this summer around the country, including Grand Canyon, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Carlsbad Caverns, and Petrified Forrest, and although Acadia may not have matched up to some of those other parks in the “awe and admiration” factor, it did possess some other attributes and characteristics that the other parks may have lacked a bit; a scenic drive along a beautiful ocean for one, beaches, and an breathtaking view on top of one of the highest points on the entire east coast. It is actually said that if you are on top of Cadillac Mountain in 
Acadia National Park during the sunrise, you will be one of the first people in the entire country to see the sun’s first rays in the morning…now isn’t that something neat? Unfortunately, I couldn’t be one of those lucky people since it was raining out again the next morning, but I was able to enjoy some sunlight both the evening before while on top of Cadillac Mountain, and later on the next day while driving along the coastline, going to the beach, and hiking on some of the trails in the park. After being in Maine for only 3 days, I cannot understand why it took me over a decade to come back here after my initial visit, but I can assure one thing…It will definitely be much sooner than that until I come back here again.
e tears from my eyes from the thought of leaving the great Golden State, I started to slowly make my way back to the east coast. This started with a 7 day stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My aunt and uncle live right in the city, so it was great to spend quality time with them during the 4th of July holiday and have them show me around the area. I also got to meet my two adorable little cousins Sierra and Sidney for the first time, and we all watched the fireworks together on July 4th, which was a great family experience. I also sampled a lot of traditional New Mexican food, incl
uding green chili, and some not so traditional items to the area, such as whole baby octopuses and amazing sashimi. I was quite surprised with the beautiful scenery of the area also, and every morning I would wake up to the breathtaking views of the mountains behind their back yard, and at night, downtown Albuquerque sparkled like a huge open treasure chest box full of diamonds and gemstones. I can’t wait to go back there in the near future to see the city and my relatives again.
but I personally didn’t feel like I was a mile above sea level, and even though I have asthma, I had no problems breathing there and felt no lack of oxygen. I left early the next morning and drove through Wyoming, where I stopped in Cheyenne for lunch. This was another city that I was impressed with, although it was a lot smaller and more desolate than Denver. I then made my way through western Nebraska, and truly felt in the middle of nowhere there, but the scene
ry there was also breathtaking, and I loved the feeling of driving on the open road with no one around. The mountains in Nebraska were also very beautiful and unique looking, which I definitely wasn’t expecting to see while driving through the state. I finally made my way to South Dakota later that night, where I stopped at Mt. Rushmore to watch the lighting of the monument, which was a very nice presentation. I went to Mt. Rushmore again early the next day to explore it some more and hike on some of the nearby trails. I am usually not a fan of man made monuments and parks, and usually prefer the natural better, but there was something about Mt. Rushmore that was so breathtaking in its beauty, and the elements of the natural and man made are so perfectly inte
rtwined in that area, plus you can’t help but feel extremely patriotic while those four amazing presidents are staring back at you. After leaving there and driving through the Black Hills region, I made my way to Badlands National Park, which was a truly amazing area and reminded me a lot of the petrified forest national park in northern Arizona. I drove through the various mountains and hills there for about an hour while mountains goats and rams were right alongside my car, and then I made my way about 4 hours east to the town of Mitchell, where a very famous Americana attraction is, known as the corn palace. Basically, I don’t understand the point at all about this place, but I’ve seen it on the travel channel before so I figured I would check it out. It’s basically just a large building partially made out of corn and inside the building is a gift shop with tacky souvenirs. After leaving there, I spent the night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I watched a very interesting laser light show on the river which had a narration about the town’s history.
pent in San Francisco and the Bay area. The night I arrived there, I had a featured performance at a coffeehouse on the famous Haight Street, which was the hippie Mecca in the 60s and 70s. I was happy to finally be able to perform in California, because I have a huge fan base out there, plus it was always a dream of mine to perform my famous poem “California Clone” in the state it was written about. The show was a huge success, and the people I met there were some of the most down to Earth individuals that I have ever encountered (not to mention most of them were smoking weed right in the coffee shop!). Also during my time there, I explored the beaches and parks near the Golden Gate Bridge, met up with some long time friends in Berkley, visited Alcatraz, and enjoyed driving on 
some of the windiest and steepest roads in the world. I also went to Golden Gate Park (which is San Fran’s version of Central Park, except better), and saw Gavin Rossdale (the leader singer of Bush) perform for free, and during that concert, I noticed how chill and carefree all the residents of that area were, and how well I fit in around them. The second I stepped foot in SF I fell in love with it; the feeling I get in that city cannot be explained with words, but it felt like home there to me, and I am seriously planning on moving there in the near future.
ways dreamed of going to a home game. Well, that dream became true this week also. I was literally in tears when I walked into Angel Stadium for the first time, because firstly, I was in awe of finally being there in person, but also because of the memorial to their pitcher Nick Adenhart in the front of the stadium who died in a car accident in April after being hit by a drunk driver. The memorial was a very touching sight to see, filled with Angel’s caps, rally monkeys, RIP signs, pictures of him, and other items. I paused there for a moment of silence before entering the stadium and going to my seats, which were right on the field directly behind the Angel’s dugout. I sat next to a really awesome guy from California who shared stories with me the entire time, and it was so surreal cheering on with a stadium of fans routing for the same team, because I am definitely not used to that when I go to Angels games in New York and Boston! When Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu hit home runs, the fireworks went off behind the center field wall as I was slapping high fives with everyone around me, truly an amazing experience I will never forget. The Angels beat the Rockies 11-3 that night, and I was happy to see my team get a win.
tional Park in Arizona. With one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, this is
a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. This place is called “the painted desert” for a reason; the hills look like someone took a paintbrush and went over them with various shades of reds, oranges, blues, and grays. I said to myself that this was the most beautiful place I have ever been to, and that was true until I drove a little up north to the Grand Canyon.
e ever seen. The sky was orange, purple, blue, and black all at once, and lightning would stretch in the sky for miles before crashing to the ground. It was truly something magical and very inspiring to witness right before my very own eyes. The next day I woke up early to begin exploring the city, and had lunch at a fabulous place called Tillman’s roadhouse, which was voted for having the “best fries” in the city. The restaurant was not only beautiful inside, but it also had some really amazing food, and some pretty unique French fries. I then went downtown to visit the JFK memorial, and I was n
ot impressed with it at all. It basically looks like a big white Lego block, and I felt like something nicer should have been showcased for such a great president who lost his life in that city. Then I thought to myself, if one of the George Bush’s got shot or killed, Texas would make a whole shrine or name a town after them, yet since JFK was a democrat, all he gets is a Lego block! I then went to a very nice area called Pioneer Park, which is a nice place to relax from the hustle and bustle of the city. I also treated myself to a new Dallas Mavericks shirt at the fan store in their arena since the Mavs are my favorite NBA team. Then a couple hours later I had my show, and I must say, that night was one of the best nights of my life. I’ve had much bigger audiences than the turnout that night, but the people that were there were really supportive and 
the whole group of us went out after for drinks at an English Pub (yes, an English Pub in the heart of cowboy country). There, I sucked down some bottles of Dos Equis and we all shared stories of our travels, of our love for poetry and spoken word, and how Yankee boys and Texans are all not that different from one another after all. That night will be one that I will never forget, and I was honored to be treated to such nice southern hospitality and Texas charm. In the midst of all the smiles, laughs, and stories being shared, one woman constantly turned to me and kept shouting in a joyful manner, “Welcome to Texas”….well, with the help of her and my other new friends, I definitely felt very welcome and almost at home.
rea in town called 6th street (which is a big nightlife, bar, restaurant, and entertainment area). When I arrived to San Antonio, I explored the world famous River Walk for awhile, sampled some Tex-Mex food, and just took in the beautiful scenery. I then walked over to the Alamo, which also had to be one of the most beautiful landmarks I have ever seen. Early the next morning, I briefly visited Mission Concepcion, then took a boat ride on the River Walk; the perfect, picturesque ending to a perfect time in a perfect state.
driving for 8 hours straight while looking at the very same sight (desert and mountains and oil pumps) with no signs of civilization at all, and even though this was extremely beautiful and serene, it also tended to be redundant at the same time. Moreso than the landscape, the people here surprised me more than anything. The negative stereotypes of the citizens here (from my experiences at least) are hardly true at all. The people of Texas are just simple folk who enjoy the good things in life, and the majority of the people I met here were not narrow minded or shoving Bibles in my face or extremely right wing at all. And even the people I met that I may not share the same views with, we embraced the things we had in common rather than dispute and debate over topics we disagree on, and as an outsider looking in, that’s more than I can ever ask for while coming to a new part of the country for the first time. In a nutshell, Texas was definitely one of the most diverse, interesting, fun, and just plain awesome states I’ve ever been to. I never thought I would say this in a million years, but I love Texas and I would actually consider moving down here at some point. Can’t wait to come back to the Lone Star state again, but until then, I continue my travels out west to New Mexico and beyond, and I will not rest until I can dig my toes in the sands of the California Coast. Adios and Gracias, Texas!
my mind. Before leaving Memphis Monday morning, I stopped by the Lorraine Motel, where he was shot outside of his room on the balcony of room #306. The motel is obviously closed now for renting rooms out, and it is now part of the Civil Rights Museum. Walking up to the motel was one of the most eerie moments of my life. The motel itself feels like it’s haunted and it obviously has had no upkeep in over 40 years, but I think the look and condition of the motel at present day is the epitome of the tragedy that happened there in 1968. There is a very silent and depressing vibe outside of the motel also, and one can’t help but to shed of tear while staring at that balcony where a reef of flowers hangs in his honor.
azing and funny stories from my travels for when I return. I left my house around 8:30 PM and around 9 PM when I saw the welcome to New York sign, it finally hit me then that I wasn’t going to be in Connecticut again for a long, long time. A pleasant surprise awaited for me in New York City when driving through; fireworks were going off along the Hudson River and seeing those burst in the night sky with the picturesque George Washington bridge and New York skyline as a backdrop symbolized to me the epitome of beauty and amazing memories I would be having on this road trip.
ow if it wasn’t for him. After driving all night, and seeing such odd town names in Virginia such as Triangle, Dum Fry, and Manassas (is that really pronounced “man asses”???) I finally arrived to the “welcome to North Carolina” sign as the sun began to rise. The main point of interest for day 1 of my tour was to sight see Raleigh and the Durham / Chapel Hill area. I’ve been to North Carolina many times but for some reason have never been to this area of the state, and I’ve always wanted to see UNC and Duke. I was really impressed with the beauty of Duke’s campus and honestly, the architecture is so impressi
vely magnificent and majestic there that it made Yale look like a community college. University of North Carolina was really enjoyable also because of a nice park it had on campus and also because of how college oriented the town of Chapel Hill is right near the campus. The college town reminded me of Bloomington, Indiana a lot (where University of Indiana is), so I instantly fell in love with it, and all the little bars, cafes, stores, and restaurants that made up the area really bring life and energy to the town and college, and make it a must stop visit for any young adult.
