Washington, DC. A fascinating place, by any standard. I've visited Washington several times in my life, for conferences, workshops, family vacations, et cetera. However, after my last visit I felt like this was the first time I actually got a chance to visit the District of Columbia. There is a distinct difference, if you didn't already know, between the two. Washington: the seat of the federal government. The suit-and-tie, stick-up-your-ass, work in a monolithic building part of town. Most people who work in Washington do not actually live in DC. There are plenty of other cities, in other states, around the area for them to commute to and from, and the commute is not bad. Washington is pretty cool, with its museums, its monuments, its federal buildings. However, only visiting Washington leaves out a big part of the area.
The District of Columbia, outside of the federal complex around the Mall, is a very different place. With a population consistency of something like 80% african-american (in terms of permanent residents, at least), a complex mixture of "dangerous" and "safe" neighborhoods, and ridiculously high costs-of-living in areas where you can walk around without feeling like you're going to get mugged, DC is an American city like no other. They say that the population of DC increases something like 3-fold during the business day, and even the vast majority of residents of DC are transitory, constantly looking for a place to live outside of the city, in areas of Maryland or Virginia.
What this ended up meaning for my experience is that pretty much everyone I met while in DC was not from DC, nor did they plan on staying in DC any longer than they had to. The population is always changing, and if I were to go to visit DC in 6 months I'm sure there would be completely different people to visit, different places to stay, different subways and busses to ride. In that sense, the city is always changing, and I have a feeling would always be interesting to visit, with new experiences every time, as long as there are still people in the city worth visiting. So the city is cool, the people I met were cool, and I had a great time.
But you want to hear about the Inauguration. I was there, along with the other 2 million people who descended on the Mall that day. I really did feel like I was a part of an historic moment, even though I couldn't see the capital and had to follow the proceedings on a jumbotron with sound delayed a few seconds from the video. Just being there, among all those people, listening to such a great and inspiring speech, was so powerful I was almost moved to tears. Some say that it was as if the District finally came to Washington, and the makeup of the crowd totally felt like that. Everyone was so joyous and celebratory, the energy was so positive, it was just awesome.
I'm not really sure what else to say about the Inauguration. It was fun, despite the cold, despite the 6 mile walk, the hours of standing around in a big crowd. But you saw it all on TV, so you know what happened. Yes, I booed when Bush came out, yes, I understand that it was somewhat disrespectful, but no, I don't regret it. And when his chopper flew overhead, we all waved and cheered and it was awesome. Saying goodbye has never felt so good.
I am now in the Old South. Charleston, South Carolina, to be exact. I passed through Lynchburg, VA and Charlotte, NC on the way, and it has really been an eye-opening experience. The people I've been staying with (couchsurfers), are all very liberal, so I haven't gotten in any political arguments yet, but it was pretty funny when I got here and my host was like "so...you voted for Obama, right?" Everywhere else I've been so far everyone has just assumed that I'm an Obama supporter, but being asked that question down here made me realize the huge change in culture from the East and North. Democrats are not in the majority down here, and you can totally tell. But to be honest, it really doesn't bother me that much. I'm not a big fan of arguing anyways, so being surrounded by republicans doesn't mean that much, aside from the feeling that I shouldn't bring up political sensitive subjects. Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, what I can tell you is that southerners are just generally more friendly people. I've gotten several compliments on my jacket, I think most of them were just because someone wanted to spark conversation. And it felt great! I love that people want to be nice and open to each other down here, I feel better smiling at strangers as I walk down the street, knowing that they'll probably smile back. It's a great feeling, and really makes me feel like I could fit in down here, despite my liberal leanings. It's like Obama said; there is no liberal america or conservative america, there is the United States of America, and I want to put that theory into practice as much as possible.
Charleston itself is a beautiful town. Steeped in history, there are so many old old houses with big big pillars and gardens and fountains and all kinds of stuff, I really do feel like I am in the Old South. Haven't seen any confederate flags flying yet (though I did see an american flag with fewer stars on it), but there's a building in the center of downtown where they used to auction off slaves. And it was restored by a group called "The Daughters of Confederacy". Interesting... But at the same time, there's graffiti on the wall of a construction site that says "Less Ronald McDonald, more Dali Llama". The two cultures seem to be coexisting pretty well down here, which gives me great hope for our future.
So today I drive to Savannah, GA, for another couple days of Old South revelry. Then it's off to Atlanta for a few nights, then New Orleans for a few more, before finally making it to Austin, thereby ending the first leg of this cross-country tour. Let's hope I still have some money by then.....
Until next time!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Baltimore: History, Culture and Pride
Several people asked me before I left why I was going to Baltimore. Fewer still understood once I tried to explain. I've been here before, I've got friends here, and it's a cool place, despite its setbacks. Now, after two fun-filled and enlightening days, I have come to the realization that these words don't even come close to encapsulating what it is about Baltimore that I find so fascinating. It's so much more than just the friends and familiarity... it's the Pride that the citizens show toward their hometown. It's the complex diversity that permeates every facet of the community. It's the life and breath of the city. It is wondrous, unique and awesomely inspiring.
Yesterday morning, after a restful night on Meg's antique pullout couch, we went out to a nearby service event helping homeless by assembling lunch packs and blankets to be delivered to a shelter downtown. It was a fun 45 minutes of sandwich-making, and even though I did not get a chance to interact with any homeless directly, I did get a chance to mingle a bit with some Baltimore locals and get the first feel for the local community. Above all, I felt an enormous sense of compassion and neighborliness among the volunteers, and even though that attitude is pretty much to be expected at a service project such as this, it still impressed me and left an endearing impression. These people weren't just doing this to feel good about themselves once a year, they were just performing another service for their community, something they seemed to do every day.
That afternoon, Obama came to town to give a speech at the local war memorial plaza. It was bitterly cold outside, so Megan and I elected to stay in, but we caught the speech on the tube, along with all the people speaking before Obama came on. They really milked it too, bringing out speaker after speaker, all saying the same thing, using the same buzzwords, it did get repetitive after a while. Nevertheless, I did notice a few very impressive aspects about the event that left me speechless. First was the Star Spangled Banner. As you may or may not know, our national anthem was penned right here in Baltimore, by a guy hunkered down in the fort on the harbor, holding out against the shelling of the british navy (or something like that). For Obama's speech, the powers that be chose an extremely deep-bass black man to deliver the national anthem. His voice was so deep and so powerful, his character so strong and deliberate. He delivered the anthem in the city where it was written, where race relations have boiled and cooled countless times, a city dwarfed by its neighbor but steeped in much deeper history and culture, for a President who is about to change everything. The performance, for me, represented the extremely powerful moment in history that we are in better than any other performance of the Star Spangled Banner I have heard, and I found it indescribably moving.
After the song began the speeches. I have no idea who the first guy to speak was, but his attitude just made me love Baltimore even more. He had an air of joyous exultation of the event, enormous pride in his City (which was heartily echoed by his crowd), and a glimmer in his eye that said, "This is it, Baltimore. This is our Future, and it is wonderful!" His ramblings led into some other person's ramblings, and this went on for 3 or 4 more people. By the time Obama came on, neither Megan nor I were paying much attention, and the bits we did catch really didn't sound much different from any of his other recent speeches. It's no big deal though, he will be giving much more important speeches in the next couple days.
That evening we went to a curry cookoff at Katy's house--er, sorry, Katherine's (KT for short). There, we met a slew of friendly new faces, ate some delicious thai curry and had some very interesting cucumber-chili martinis. It is an event better remembered in picures, suffice to say it was yet another experience affirming my love and respect for Baltimore and its people.
Today Megan took me on a tour around the Johns Hopkins campus before heading over to the Baltimore Museum of Art to meet up with Katy. I found the campus very beautiful in its uniformity and elegance. Schools with strict guidelines for architecture have always fascinated me. I like to look at the newer buildings and think about how the architectural design styles of the time they were built affected the design of the buildings, especially when having these strict guidelines to work around. It often leads to subtle and interesting touches that take a trained eye to notice. Other times it just leads to a boring, monochrome campus, but I try not to think about that.
The BMA was pretty awesome too, they had a really great modern art exhibition that had lots of interesting pieces. My favorite was the video projection on the wall of about 2 dozen mouths humming a tune. Afterwards, we went out to the Golden West Cafe for brunch and conversed about Baltimore, Marilyn Monroe, and churros. It was a great morning with great friends, and these are the times I treasure the most.
Tonight the Ravens are playing for the AFC championship (football, for the uninformed). We may or may not head out somewhere exciting to watch it, but at this point I don't feel that I need to do anything else, I've already fallen in love with this City, I don't need football fans to convince me. Tomorrow I'm off to DC, more excitement to come!
Baltimore: It's like what I've always wanted Detroit to be.
Yesterday morning, after a restful night on Meg's antique pullout couch, we went out to a nearby service event helping homeless by assembling lunch packs and blankets to be delivered to a shelter downtown. It was a fun 45 minutes of sandwich-making, and even though I did not get a chance to interact with any homeless directly, I did get a chance to mingle a bit with some Baltimore locals and get the first feel for the local community. Above all, I felt an enormous sense of compassion and neighborliness among the volunteers, and even though that attitude is pretty much to be expected at a service project such as this, it still impressed me and left an endearing impression. These people weren't just doing this to feel good about themselves once a year, they were just performing another service for their community, something they seemed to do every day.
That afternoon, Obama came to town to give a speech at the local war memorial plaza. It was bitterly cold outside, so Megan and I elected to stay in, but we caught the speech on the tube, along with all the people speaking before Obama came on. They really milked it too, bringing out speaker after speaker, all saying the same thing, using the same buzzwords, it did get repetitive after a while. Nevertheless, I did notice a few very impressive aspects about the event that left me speechless. First was the Star Spangled Banner. As you may or may not know, our national anthem was penned right here in Baltimore, by a guy hunkered down in the fort on the harbor, holding out against the shelling of the british navy (or something like that). For Obama's speech, the powers that be chose an extremely deep-bass black man to deliver the national anthem. His voice was so deep and so powerful, his character so strong and deliberate. He delivered the anthem in the city where it was written, where race relations have boiled and cooled countless times, a city dwarfed by its neighbor but steeped in much deeper history and culture, for a President who is about to change everything. The performance, for me, represented the extremely powerful moment in history that we are in better than any other performance of the Star Spangled Banner I have heard, and I found it indescribably moving.
After the song began the speeches. I have no idea who the first guy to speak was, but his attitude just made me love Baltimore even more. He had an air of joyous exultation of the event, enormous pride in his City (which was heartily echoed by his crowd), and a glimmer in his eye that said, "This is it, Baltimore. This is our Future, and it is wonderful!" His ramblings led into some other person's ramblings, and this went on for 3 or 4 more people. By the time Obama came on, neither Megan nor I were paying much attention, and the bits we did catch really didn't sound much different from any of his other recent speeches. It's no big deal though, he will be giving much more important speeches in the next couple days.
That evening we went to a curry cookoff at Katy's house--er, sorry, Katherine's (KT for short). There, we met a slew of friendly new faces, ate some delicious thai curry and had some very interesting cucumber-chili martinis. It is an event better remembered in picures, suffice to say it was yet another experience affirming my love and respect for Baltimore and its people.
Today Megan took me on a tour around the Johns Hopkins campus before heading over to the Baltimore Museum of Art to meet up with Katy. I found the campus very beautiful in its uniformity and elegance. Schools with strict guidelines for architecture have always fascinated me. I like to look at the newer buildings and think about how the architectural design styles of the time they were built affected the design of the buildings, especially when having these strict guidelines to work around. It often leads to subtle and interesting touches that take a trained eye to notice. Other times it just leads to a boring, monochrome campus, but I try not to think about that.
The BMA was pretty awesome too, they had a really great modern art exhibition that had lots of interesting pieces. My favorite was the video projection on the wall of about 2 dozen mouths humming a tune. Afterwards, we went out to the Golden West Cafe for brunch and conversed about Baltimore, Marilyn Monroe, and churros. It was a great morning with great friends, and these are the times I treasure the most.
Tonight the Ravens are playing for the AFC championship (football, for the uninformed). We may or may not head out somewhere exciting to watch it, but at this point I don't feel that I need to do anything else, I've already fallen in love with this City, I don't need football fans to convince me. Tomorrow I'm off to DC, more excitement to come!
Baltimore: It's like what I've always wanted Detroit to be.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The MASTER PLAN (part 1)
As I'm sure most (if not all) of you have figured out by now, I am planning a cross-country road trip over the next couple months. In this post I will discuss my plans for the first leg of my trip. If, while you're reading, you think of a place I should go along the way, know someone I might want to stay with, or just have any general tips for the region, hit me in the comments! I want to make this trip as interesting as possible, and the best way to do that is through collaboration!
SO. Stop 1: Baltimore. I know, I know, when I tell people this they give me this funny look, like "have you been to Baltimore? What in god's name would make you want to go there?" Well, it just so happens I have been to Baltimore, and I enjoyed it thoroughly! In addition to this, I have a couple close friends in the area who I can't wait to see, so it's going to be fun. I'll be in Baltimore for the weekend of Friday, January 16th. If you're in the area, you should gimme a call and come visit (unless you're in DC, in which case keep reading).
Después de Baltimore is Stop 2: Washington, DC. Yes, I will be in DC for Inauguration Day. No, I will not be attending any of those official functions. Tickets are either too hard to come by or too expensive for poor ol' me, so I'll be partying it up with what I'm sure will be a great turnout of other poor bastards who wanted to be there but couldn't afford to "Be" there. Where will you be for Inauguration? Will you call me to find out what DC is like? I hope so!
Since parking is ridiculous in DC and it's going to be even more ridiculous on the days I'm in town, I'm just going to leave my car in B'more and take the MARC in. Apparently MARC is running their regular schedule on Monday (which is remarkable because that's MLK day and they usually don't run on national holidays), so it'll only cost $7 one-way. Can't beat that! So Wednesday or Thursday I will return via MARC and continue on my journey from there.
The next three major stops are as follows: Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin. It's quite a drive from B'more to Atlanta, so I've been asking around as to where I should stop in between, and right now the top pick is Asheville, NC. Not sure how great it is in the winter, but I've heard good things from friends and there are a lot of couchsurfers in the area, so I'm sure there's some reason to go there, right? If you have any thoughts on Asheville or really anywhere between Baltimore and Atlanta, let me know! Come to think of it, thoughts on stops between ATL and NO, or between NO and Austin are welcome too! I can do 8 hour drives, but I'd rather not, you know? I wanna take my time on this here road trip. No hurrying allowed!
From this point things are still hazy. All I know is I have to be in Austin by February 6th to catch the plane to Chicago for the NASCO Board Meeting. Since there's about 2 and a half weeks in between Inauguration Day and the 6th, I've got plenty of flex time and so I hope to use it to experience the Old South as fully as possible (preferably the culture and people more than the tourist attractions). Lemme know if you have any tips.
I'll be keeping this blog updated regularly during my travels, so if you want to know what's going on with me on this crazy road trip, keep on top of it! I'll also have my mom's DSLR camera with me, so will hopefully be posting some really pretty pictures along with my ramblings for you to stare at in awe and wonder.
That's it for the pre-trip update. See you all on the road!
SO. Stop 1: Baltimore. I know, I know, when I tell people this they give me this funny look, like "have you been to Baltimore? What in god's name would make you want to go there?" Well, it just so happens I have been to Baltimore, and I enjoyed it thoroughly! In addition to this, I have a couple close friends in the area who I can't wait to see, so it's going to be fun. I'll be in Baltimore for the weekend of Friday, January 16th. If you're in the area, you should gimme a call and come visit (unless you're in DC, in which case keep reading).
Después de Baltimore is Stop 2: Washington, DC. Yes, I will be in DC for Inauguration Day. No, I will not be attending any of those official functions. Tickets are either too hard to come by or too expensive for poor ol' me, so I'll be partying it up with what I'm sure will be a great turnout of other poor bastards who wanted to be there but couldn't afford to "Be" there. Where will you be for Inauguration? Will you call me to find out what DC is like? I hope so!
Since parking is ridiculous in DC and it's going to be even more ridiculous on the days I'm in town, I'm just going to leave my car in B'more and take the MARC in. Apparently MARC is running their regular schedule on Monday (which is remarkable because that's MLK day and they usually don't run on national holidays), so it'll only cost $7 one-way. Can't beat that! So Wednesday or Thursday I will return via MARC and continue on my journey from there.
The next three major stops are as follows: Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin. It's quite a drive from B'more to Atlanta, so I've been asking around as to where I should stop in between, and right now the top pick is Asheville, NC. Not sure how great it is in the winter, but I've heard good things from friends and there are a lot of couchsurfers in the area, so I'm sure there's some reason to go there, right? If you have any thoughts on Asheville or really anywhere between Baltimore and Atlanta, let me know! Come to think of it, thoughts on stops between ATL and NO, or between NO and Austin are welcome too! I can do 8 hour drives, but I'd rather not, you know? I wanna take my time on this here road trip. No hurrying allowed!
From this point things are still hazy. All I know is I have to be in Austin by February 6th to catch the plane to Chicago for the NASCO Board Meeting. Since there's about 2 and a half weeks in between Inauguration Day and the 6th, I've got plenty of flex time and so I hope to use it to experience the Old South as fully as possible (preferably the culture and people more than the tourist attractions). Lemme know if you have any tips.
I'll be keeping this blog updated regularly during my travels, so if you want to know what's going on with me on this crazy road trip, keep on top of it! I'll also have my mom's DSLR camera with me, so will hopefully be posting some really pretty pictures along with my ramblings for you to stare at in awe and wonder.
That's it for the pre-trip update. See you all on the road!
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