Ethan Drives to Los Angeles

Home Sweet Home

2006-08-16T16:26:00.000-04:00

Casa de Piliavin:

The trip is done. I am home and already planning the next one. What an amazing experience! I learned so much, and saw so many great things that I plan to remember for the rest of my life.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog, I have to admit, many days it was a pain to keep up, but I know I will benefit from it more than any of the readers.

Lets go over some stats:

Yahoo Maps says its 2719.7 Miles from Baltimore to Los Angeles.
Yahoo Maps says it takes ~38 hours.

My version:

On the road: 30 days
Miles travelled: Over 9000
Total Cost, incl. Food, Gas, Tolls, Hotels, Gambling (thats a joke): <$1500
Total States Visited: 26 - Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Conneticut, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California.
Pictures and Videos taken: 1,353 (5.3 gigabytes)
Blog Posts: 26 (yes, I counted this one)
Favorite Place: It's a tie between the Adirondacks and southern Utah
Least likely to visit again: French Quarter in New Orleans

This map is approximate, I didnt add every single stop as a waypoint, but I was on all of those roads, plus a lot more when in cities and visiting specific landmarks, etc. Here it is:

Any more questions?

Thanks, its been great.

What Happened In Vegas

2006-08-15T20:43:00.000-04:00

I have nothing to hide. I will tell you everything that happened to me in Vegas.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures today. I'm not hiding anything - its just that they don't allow cameras in a casino, and the rest of the day I was felling kind of lazy. It must be some kind of trip-end depression. Freud probably has a theory.

Anyway, I am going to cheat. All the pictures on this page are approximate reproductions of the day's events, brought to you by the power of Google Images. Just pretend I took the pictures and you won't even know the difference. HEY - at least i'm honest about it.

Last night was a lot of fun. I finally got settled in my room around 11:30pm. It took a long time to find it, I didnt realize how big this place is...they have 4 towers and seperate ways to find each elevator and lots of security and roaming people. A very cool automated checkin computer was there, and nobody was in line at it, the regular line had about 40 people in it. The machine worked great, like self checkin at the airport, and it prints your room key and everything.

Yes, the hotel looks like a castle. Yes, inside they are themed like a castle, its cool. All of the employees wear castle servant uniforms and the walls have joust poles and coats of arms and stuff like that. FYI, and if you can spot it, I was in a room on the left side, the 19th window in the corner, in the round turret closest to the camera.

I chilled in my room for a while, took a shower, watched some TV, jumped on the bed, etc. At around 12:45am I decided to checkout the casino. These places are supposed to be filled with 24 hours/day of money sucking activity, so I went back down. I couldn't believe how many people were there, probably over 1000 people were playing! I don't know a thing about gambling, so I just walked around for an hour and stared at people. I was tempted a few times, but I didn't even know how to get some chips, so I went back upstairs and hit the sack. (No, I didn't use the jacuzzi. Gross. This is Vegas, remember?)

Checkout time was 11am. I beat the rush at around 10:30 and took my stuff to the car. (Already over 100 degrees.) Phew. On the way out I saw a sign that offered free Roulette lessons at 11:20am. I decided to go back in and give gambling one more shot.

After about 20 minutes of lecture and examples, I asked a few questions and then the class disbanded. I was out on my own, confident and ready to lose money.

I walked up to an active table and tried to hand the Roulette dealer a $20 bill, the only money I had on me. He looked at me funny. I tried again. Finally I learned that you never hand money at a casino, always put it on the table. I played for an hour and won $100 - beginners luck. As a smart (not addicted yet) gambler I took the money and ran.

With $120 in cash burning a hole in my wallet, I cruised over to Shalom Hunan, only 2 miles away from the Strip, for a kosher Chinese lunch. I have been eating tuna and crackers for days now, and I was ready for some real food. Nice to eat meat, but ultimately very disappointing, try a different place next time.

Now its time to go home.

As I drove the final leg of my trip, Las Vegas to Los Angeles, I thought, sadly, of all the things I didn't get to see. Then I remembered all of the great and beautiful things I actually did see.

I wanted to go to the Joshua Tree National Park, but I spotted so many of the Joshua Trees on the side of the road, I figured it would just be more of the same.

I also wanted to go to Death Valley, but it was so hot, and I was tired. Perhaps even tired of driving. So I drove 3 hours, straight to Los Angeles.

I parked my car in front of the house at around 7pm. I walked in, no surprise party, so fell asleep on the couch until morning.

The End.

Deep in Arizona

2006-08-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

Its getting late! Karen's wedding is in 1 week, and I have to hustle to make it back with enough time to buy some new clothes, and help a little bit... It is unfortunate because there is so much more to see!!

This morning I was on the road by 9am. First stop was an Indian 'Trading Post' which happen to be all over the place in these parts. These nifty tourist traps are filled with amazing 'Native American' hand crafted art pieces with little stickers that say 'Made in China'. This one seemed like an interesting one, so I pulled in.

They had the worlds largest petrified tree on display, which, although large, is fairly unimpressive. This tree in the lobby was much prettier. I dont know if you will be able to zoom into this enough, but the price tag of the bottom most piece is $3000, the one on the left is $1800 and I dont even know how much the top one is. I must admit, I really fell in love with petrified wood, there is just something about it. I bought a couple of $10 pieces, come visit me in Los Angeles if you want to see them.

Next, I drove to the Meteor Crater. Its $15 to get in, and its quite a production, surrounded by cattle, grazing on an open range.

The tour guide took one picture of me, too bad I look like an idiot.
Here is the entire walking tour on video (~30 mins):

I decided to go the long way to the Grand Canyon, so I could check out the Volcano and some Indian Ruins. (Sunset Crater, Wupatki National Monument)

Almost as good as the Windows XP background:

Chilling on ancient ground:
My friend, a wild desert LIZZZZZARD:

Get in car. Drive. 2 hours later, VIOLA, the Grand Canyon. All I can say is OMG:

Can you spot the Waldos that climbed that rock?
Some interesting, and safety minded visitors:

Oooooohhh, Ahhhh, etc etc....

A 'grand' video?...

I was kind of tired of canyons and nature, for the past week I've been sweating it out in the heat and dust. I need some urbanity. (Is that a word? If not, it should be the name of a hip, expensive clothing or shoe store.)

I left the 'country' with big city aspirations. After driving another couple of hours, the temperature is unbearable.

Yet, my dedication to care free tourism forces me out of the car to take a quick look at Hoover Dam:

30 minutes later, I am cruising the Vegas Strip:

Being a blog celebrity, with over 20 hits per day you sometimes get perks. Don't be jealous - you can do it too. The Excalibur Hotel and Casino has offered me a room on the 19th floor, with a king size bed and a jacuzzi. Only $57. Nitey nite!

X Marks The Spot

2006-08-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

I was feeling lazy this morning, so I didnt check out of the hotel until 10:30am or so. I forgot what it's like to live in high altitude! I have been getting lots of headaches, and even worse, with the combination of desert and altitude..well I get at least 2 nose bleeds a day... TMI? I can;t wait to be at sea level again, even if the view is pretty. Maybe Death Valey later in the week will cure me!

So, first I rolled down to Dead Horse State Park. Here is the view:

It got its name because cowboys used to catch wild horses and corral them in the bends of the river. Once, some guy caught a dozen horses and forgot about them. They all died of thirst, within sight of the river.

Next, I drove 40 or so miles, to the middle of nowhere. Sedo Canyon. There are lots of canyon walls that have ancient indian paintings on them:

After, I wandered around the area, and found a creek that had some nice rocks:

I had also heard about a ghost town in the area, called Sedo. I wandered some more and found a few buildings of what I think muct be the old town. Here is one of the buildings:
I walked up to it and was about to walk in when I remembered the Gemara that talks about not walking into ruins when alone. I was definately alone, there wasnt anyone around for miles in every direction, so I stayed out.

To get to Sedo Canyon, you drive through a tiny town called Thompson Springs. Here are some cute pics:

The post office.

Train Station

That town looked like it was on the verge of ghosting itself. There were only about 20 or 30 trailes/houses. The only shop was a gas station.

Then I drove several hours to the 4 corners. Here I am, on location:

Then I decided to drive to Arizona, so I dont have to do it in the morning, on the way, I saw this cool mountain:
I also saw this amazing sunset:
Finally, I drove to Hallbrook, AZ for the night.

U augTAH!!

2006-08-11T18:02:00.000-04:00

Today I drove 5 miles from Moab to Arches National Monument. A breathtaking place. I took over 250 photos and videos. Here is a link to most of the photos.

A small part of the drive through Arches:

Cool Idea: Someone was playing guitar at the park:

Just to whet your appetite, here is a small sample of pics:

I found this guy playing guitar on the cliff!

I also went to a wetlands preserve...greenery in the desert!

Finally, I stopped in at this fossils store, they have amazing stuff. Dinosaur skeletons only $3000!!

I am here in Moab for shabbos, in a nice hotel. Gotta go get ready!

Crazy for Colorado

2006-08-10T23:07:00.000-04:00

Today was one of my favorite days.

I woke around 7am to the end of a great sunrise.

After my usual morning routine, I started out to Boulder, CO. The way looks a lot like this:

First stop, Celestial Seasonings Factory:

They have a no picture policy. I snuck my camera in anyway. I got caught in the act and they threatend to bust me up and the pics didnt even come out.

It smells so good in there. Free tour, free samples. Lots of robots. They make 500,000 tea bags a day. My favorite part was the Peppermint Room. Basically, they have to keep all the mint in a seperate room because it is so strong that it can change the flavor of the other spices in the factory. Once I walked in to the room, the mint smell was so strong my eyes were tearing. Not only that, but after 30 seconds or so your saliva starts to taste like mint! It was amazing!

I wanted to go to NIST and see the Atomic Clock, the box that runs our lives., but security concerns mean no more tours.

Next I drove ~25 miles to Golden, CO which is the home of Coors beer. Also a free tour, and you can take any pictures you want! Not only that, but at the end you get 3 glasses of free beer. Not little samples, 3 regular sized glasses!! Basically, there is a free bar at the end, also with free soda available for kids or wimps. Coke amd their stupid $12 tourist scam can jump in a lake!!

Fermenting Vats

Filters (Removes ll particles >10 microns)

They have their own train station in the factory, They fill 300 cars a day. The guide said if you drink one six pack a day, one train car would last you 88 years.

A room with pipes.

Barley.

One stop in the tour is a sample of the freshest beer, right out of the vat.
(Doesn't count towards your 3 free ones)

Packaging (They do 1.5 million gallons per day)

A short (20 mile) drive away, is Denver. I spent 4 years here - highschool!

Dorm building. If you think this looks ratty, you should see the inside!

7-11 Across the street from the dorm. It was my general store and supermarket.

The school building. (Not used anymore, they moved since but I was here.)

A quick drive to the east side of town and the East Side Kosher Deli. I restocked my supply of kosher edibles and was off to Utah.

I-70 West from Denver is amazing, lots of curves, views and tunnels.

I saw a sign on the highway for the grave of Buffalo Bill, so I went to check it out:

Buffalo Bill killed over 4,300 buffalo in just 18 months.

Like I said, I-70 rocks! The weather was great up there, about 65F!

At a rest stop, I decided to wade in the Colorado River. COLD!!!!! Its amazing to think that this river carved the Grand Canyon almost thousand miles away!

I crosses the border around 11pm.

Tonight, I type and rest in Moab, Utah.

One The Neb. Road Again

2006-08-09T23:46:00.000-04:00

Whoa. Who would have thought that there large corporations have so many crooked auto shops. After finally resolving the issues with my car, I have learned to be extra careful.

The problem started back in July, see 07/31/2006 - New OrDeals.

So it seems that when I filled my oil, I put a little to much, as you might now, overfiling oil can cause excess pressure in your car's engine and isn't too healthy. So, when we got to Dallas, I drove to Sears Auto Center and had an oil change done. I specifically told the mechanic to make sure the oil isnt overfilled when he puts the new oil in, because I knew that I had put too much. He claimed - no problem.

Well, I drove to Kansas and my check engine light went on. Then, yesterday I lost power and started getting terrible gas mileage. This morning I finally got to a good mechanic. (Goodyear on 75th and Metcalfe in Overland Park, KS) Turns out, that the guy at Sears never changed my oil! He just lifted my car, waited 15 minutes and dropped it down and gave my my keys. So, it was still overfilled and that caused overpressurization, which made my car go haywire after driving many hundreds of miles in that condition. Luckily it seems there is no permamnet damage. I lost a day and wasted $200 between all the mechanics. So new policy for me - HATE WALMART AUTO CENTER and SEARS AUTO CENTER. I can't bring myself to hate Walmart in its entirety, yet.

Anyway, I rolled out of the garage at around noon, and went staright to State Line Rd. Here is a picture:

Sure, it looks like any other road, except this road is the border between Kansas and Missouri. The right side of the street is Kansas, left - Missouri. They have different area codes, zip codes, phone/cable /electric companies, etc. The cross streets even change namea across the road.

I then turned Northward, with the goal of Omaha, Nebraska. Why? Because when will I ever go there again, I had to see the place because its so irrelevant to me. When I need to make up a rediculous location, like for a joke or to make fun of someone, I usually pick Omaha or Africa. Can't drive to Africa right now.

To get to Omaha from Kansas City, you drive through Iowa. Here are some pics of Iowa:

Here is the welcome to Nebraska sign:
Notice, the combination of bright sunlight and bug splatters on my windshield make the sign almost invisible. Yes, I know it is gross, and I have to stop and clean it every hour, so I can make fun.

When I got to Omaha, I drove around for a half hour looking for something interesting. I found a nice park on the shore of the Missouri River:

Actually this park is in Iowa, just across the border. Nebraska, and the city of Omaha actually start on the other side of the river, and I drove across the pictured bridge to get there. Nothing else to do there. I called Warren B., my old pal, but he didnt have time to chill with me today, so I skipped town.

The rest of the day was spent driving across the entire state of Nebraska. Here is the short version:

Around 9pm I pulled into a little town, to forage for food and hit the local Walmart for supplies. A few minutes later, there was a real Emergency Broadcast System message on the radio, just like the tests, except it was real. There was a major thunder storm warning for Buffalo County, which was exactly where I was standing. AWESOME!!! The E.B.S. saved me fro quarter-sized hail and flash floods!! All the dangerous excitement.

The lightning storm was amazing and beautiful, so I video recorded and took photos:

Around midnight, I cross the border:
I pulled over, prayed and fell asleep.

There And Back Again

2006-08-08T23:47:00.000-04:00

Hotel Wexler in Kansas City, KS - 5 Star Accomodations! Well rested and refreshed I was ready for anything...

For breakfast I popped into the local supermarket - called Hen House. They have a gourmet bakery under Kosher supervision. I purchased and devoured a warm loaf of the best bread I have ever eaten. I couldn't help myself.

I then drove the short distance over the state line to Kansan City, MO.
Next stop, the Harley Davidson Factory Tour.

The don't allow cameras on the tour, as you know, that never stopped me before, except here they have a metal detector and take them away until after the program. Too bad, because the tour is of their 350,000 sq. foot facility filled with robots and machines and all kinds of amazing goodies that I would have loved to photograph. To get through the tour, the walk is over a mile. Best part: tour is free!

I did buy a nice new cap at the gift shop.

After the tour I went to the closest gas station and filled up my car, it takes ~18 gallons and gets ~27 mpg. This is not a non-sequitor. Remember it for later.

Next I drove to Liberty, Missouri - location of the Jesse James Bank Museum. It is the location of the first robbery of the James Posse. I was the only visitor at the time and got an exclusive tour. The tour guide was very friendly and outgoing.

Here is a video of the tour:

The last planned stop of the day was the headquarters of the Hallmark card company, also in Kansas City, MO. They are located in a huge complex called Crown Center, in the middle of downtown. Their tour is also free of charge, but it is self guided. The museum is very comprehesive and talks about the history and evolution of the company.

Here is a video of a ribbon making machine in the Hallmark Visitors Center.

On the way back to Kansas, I passed over this bridge, over the Missouri River.

At this point, I noticed that my gas tank was only 3/4 full. I had driven less then 50 miles since the fill up. My car also felt like it lost power, and the "service engine" light is on. Uh oh.

I had planned to drive to Colorado tonight, instead I spent the rest of the day trying to find an honest mechanic. Unfortunately, the best guy is booked until 10am tommorow.

If I am going to be stuck somewhere, why not at Hotel Wexler? It couldn't have worked out better!

Dust In The Wind

2006-08-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

As soon as I woke up, (~7:30am) I drove across the border, into Kansas and was looking for a suitable place to pray. It was very hot and empty, so my requirements were:

Shady
At least a little secluded

After about 10 minutes I reached a little town called Coffeyville. I found a nice mansion/museum that had an huge, empty parking lot and lots of trees and shade.

After I finished, I wandered around a bit and found that they had a museum of the Dalton Gang too. Too bad they are closed on Mondays.

Here is a quote from the Coffeyville website, describing the town’s claim to fame:

“On October 5, 1892, the Dalton Gang tried to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, simultaneously. The gang was made up of Grat, Bob, and Emmett Dalton; Bill Power; and Dick Broadwell. As the gang crossed the Plaza to enter the two banks, the Daltons were recognized by townspeople, who raised the alarm. Citizens armed themselves with weapons from nearby hardware stores and were ready for the gang when they tried to leave the banks.

In the ensuing gun battle, eight men died and four were wounded. Grat and Bob Dalton, Bill Power, and Dick Broadwell were killed; Emmett was severely wounded. Four of Coffeyville's defenders also were killed. Three other citizens were wounded, one of them severely.”

I then set off towards Kansas City. Here is what it feels like to drive through Kansas:

Getting bored of the road after a few hours, I was looking for some kind of diversion, when I saw a sign for a safari museum, only a few miles away in Chanute, KS.

The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum is dedicated to none other than Martin and Osa Johnson. I had never heard of them before, but what they did was amazing. This couple, from Chanute, were the first filmmakers to ever make wildlife and safari films. From 1917-1936 they traveled the world, visiting the plains of Africa and cannibals in the South Pacific, all filming it for the first time. Much of what they filmed is completely destroyed today, so it makes their films even more important.

They had some great stories as well. The lady at the front desk was very nice and chatty, she told me a lot of interesting things about them and there was a great movie too.

Check out the African Shofar!

One great story: In 1918 Martin and Osa landed on an island with hungry cannibals and began filming. After a few days, the chief took a liking to Osa and captured her and Martin. Luckily, within a few hours a British naval boat happened to pull into the harbor and the cannibals fled. Three years later, the Johnson’s decided that they should return to the cannibals to finish the film, this time with armed escorts. When they arrived, they setup a makeshift theater in the jungle and showed the cannibals the films of themselves. They went wild! They thought it was special magic and hooted and laughed when they saw themselves on the screen. When someone who had recently died was shown, in shock, they thought the Johnsons had magically resurrected them. The artifacts and pictures are really very interesting, but the video at the beginning is the best part.

Finally, I pulled into Kansas City around 1pm. I chilled with my buddies, the Wexler family, for the rest of the day, and they were kind enough to invite me to sleep over.

Rabbi Meir Wexler is an important man in this town. Despite this, and his busy schedule, he gave me an exclusive tour, including the Kosher Deli, Supermarket, 2 Shuls, and the JCC Super Campus, which is probably the largest and nicest JCC I have ever seen. I think it helps that they sold a few of their acres to Sprint, which built their world HQ right next door.

Lots of interesting stuff planned for tomorrow! Wait and see!

Everything is OK

2006-08-06T20:40:00.000-04:00

As soon as I woke up, I prayed and left Dallas. Too much time in one place for a road trip! I drove north on I-35 into Oklahoma.

The drive was mostly flat and very hot, the heat index was 108F. There was one particularly nice part of the highway and I whipped put my camera and took this picture out of the sunroof:

Lots of oil pumps here.

About an hour into Oklahoma, I saw a sign off the highway for the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. That seemed like a good name for a place, so I went to check it out. It was amazing. Its a huge place I would say at least 10 or 20 square miles. Apparently, the indians used to call it "Peaceful Valley of Rippling Waters" and I agree.

A Resting Herd of Buffalo

A resting squirrel. I was vewwy, vewwy qwiet to get this picture.

Chillin' on the Edge

Another view off some cliff in the area.

An interestinglooking cactus that I found off a trail in the park.

Looks like Smokey the Bear wasn't around one day recently.

Here is a video of some fish that were staring at me.

I then drove to Oklahoma City. It's very small compared to what I expected. There are many, many, many casinos there, and on the way. My first stop was the National Cowboy Museum, an amazing and educational experience.

Many old cowboy clothes.

Lots of old cowboy hats.

Old cowboy boots.

Gallery of Branding Irons

Thousands of different types of barbed wire, all cataloged.

Cowboy Weapons.

I then drove to Stockyard City, which is a few minutes out of downtown. Its the largest operating cattle auction in the US. Right outside the place are many restaurants and cowboy/western supply stores. Its interesting.

Video of cows moooooooing at me.

My last stop was the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, right in the middle of downtown, built on the site of the bombing. I thought they did a good job with the memorial. It was very quiet there, even with all of the people visiting.

Trinkets people left, attached to the fence just outside the entryway.

I added my old keychain.

After that I drove to Tulsa. I took the famous Route 66, but there wasnt anything on it, all I saw were houses and some Phillip 66 gas stations. I found it was not what people make it out to be, there were no funny roadside attractions or old signs!!?! That must be a different part of the highway.

When I got to Tulsa, there wasnt anything to do, and it was pretty dark, so I drove around, looked at downtown, looked up the shuls and left.

I drove to right before the Oklahoma/Kansas border for the night.

Little Details in Dallas

2006-08-04T19:09:00.000-04:00

I have recovered from the heat and fast yesterday, but I didn't feel like driving anywhere new, since I am already in a nice Jewish community, so why not stay here for Shabbos?

I spent the day doing errands. What kind of errands can someone do while on vacation?

Oil Change
Shabbos Gifts, etc
Hair Cut
Reading Materials
Update Blog?

Those are just some of the things on my agenda. Sorry, no pics!

Tisha B'Av

2006-08-03T22:54:00.000-04:00

I didnt do or eat anything today - it was Tisha B'Av.

Waco

2006-08-02T18:33:00.000-04:00

I didn’t have too much time, but I did a quick run to Waco, TX – it’s about an hour and a half south of Dallas. I know the East Coast has been in a heat wave, but it’s been over 100F here in Texas as well, and nobody is even complaining – I think it always gets that hot around here.

As I was cruising down the highway, I saw this amazing sight and pulled over to take a picture:

I thought it was amazing to see the cows and birds resting together under the shade.

About an hour later I pulled into the Texas Ranger Museum and Hall of Fame. It’s a great museum, well worth the few bucks’ admission. They have a 40 minute movie as well. One of the things I couldn’t believe was the Colt Revolver that Rangers in the 1800’s had to carry, it weighs 5 pounds. I thought it was very heavy for something you have to pull out quickly, aim and fire.

They have a lot of exhibits, mostly guns, saddles and outfits, but its very interesting and informative.

Then I drove about 1 mile to the original Dr. Pepper factory. Dr. Pepper was actually invented in Waco, and the museum is really good. It’s much less crowded and more educational than Coca Cola in Atlanta and they have a lot of interesting exhibits and old bottling machinery. It’s also only a few dollars to get in. I really enjoyed it.

I also stopped in some boot and saddle stores but I thought they were overpriced. (Though, their rattlesnake boots did catch my eye.)

I had to be back relatively early to prepare for the coming fast day, so that’s it!

Deep In the Heart of Texas

2006-08-01T23:48:00.000-04:00

We got an early start, hitting the road at about 8am, with the goal of visiting an old friend of my father's in Tyler, TX. Before dad's flight back to California at 7pm. Unfortunately, we had a last minute change of plans, as he had to take is wife to the hospital. So we drove straight to Dallas instead and visited some family landmarks.

Texas has nice grass, trees and sky. Very flat.

Many of the blog readers are, of course, masters of Ethan trivia. For the rookies, here are some quick pieces of information for future reference:

1. Ethan lived in Plano, TX (a Dallas suburb) from 1980 - 1984.
2. Ethan lived in Dallas, TX from 1989 - 1991.
3. Ethan graduated 8th grade in the Class of 1991 at Akiba Academy in Dallas.
4. Ethan is smart, very good looking and has a great sense of humor.

Now that you have read the trivial facts above, sometime in the past, allow me reference them below, with museum quality captioning.

Home where Piliavin Family lived (1)

Cul-de-sac in front of Home where Piliavin Family lived (1).
In his youth, Ethan was reputed to enjoy long sprints in the buff across the grass and street. (4)

Entry to hallway of Apartment Building (2)

NO PICTURE AVAILABLE
IT WAS TORN DOWN 3 YEARS AGO
(3)

We also picked up some lunch at the local supermarket. The store bakery is completely kosher, and there is a very nice deli with hot and cold foods. I bought some sushi, it was delicious, and a bargain at only $5 for about 15 pieces.

My father and I also visited a favorite bookstore of ours, Half Price Books, where we , together with my sister, used to spend many hours at a time, in years past.

Finally, and unfortunately, it was time for the airport. My father is now back, safe in California, and I am once again alone on my road trip.

I stopped by the local shul to pray and to try and find some old friends and ran into a few, that was nice.

I’m hope to stay in Texas for the next few days, because of the upcoming fast day, etc.

New OrDeals

2006-07-31T23:26:00.000-04:00

The sky was cloudy as we awoke to an Alabama morning. Lightning pierced the sky and thunder roared in the heavens.

An hour or so after our start, this is was the view out of the car’s windshield:

A few minutes later:

Traffic was at a standstill. We saw a Wal-Mart coming up on the road. It’s been about 3,500 miles since my last oil change, about 3 weeks ago, so I decided to go for it.

We dropped of the car and my father and I went shopping. I was paged after only about 10 minutes. After looking at my trusty steed (actually the manual says there are 190 horses in there) the attendant claimed he couldn’t perform an oil change because there was a major leak in my oil sending unit, and that I had no oil in the engine at all. I was baffled. I had a comprehensive review of my car a few days before I left, and they said there were no problems and that it was ready for the long haul. Of course, I was concerned to say the least, as was my father.

We drove to the mechanic at Sears, a few miles away, who couldn’t look at it, and he referred us to a local Firestone. The good ‘ol boys at the Firestone were fine chaps. They examined the car top-to-bottom, and told us quite plainly: ‘There aint nothin wrong with your car.’ There was no leak, and no indication of a leak. We filled it with oil and left it running on the lifts for 10 minutes and nothing.

My theories about the missing oil:
1) My mechanic in Baltimore forgot to put oil in after emptying it before I left.
2) The dudes at Wal-Mart emptied my oil.

I have my suspicions as to why option 2 is more likely. We will leave that for another time. Anyway, I stop and check my oil every couple hundred miles since the incident, and everything is still fine. The delay cost us a few hours, but at least everything was in order.

With all the delays, we finally got to The Crescent City at about 1pm. The first thing we did was pull into the suburbs to see how Katrina recovery was coming along. My father and I were both shocked to see that a year later progress was slow, if any.

I am not exaggerating when I say that miles and miles of neighborhoods were completely empty. They are simply ghost towns, well, ghost burbs. I saw a gas station that hadn’t been open since gas was $2.31/gal, probably last time they changed the sign before the hurricane. Many houses are for sale, and gutted. The whole area also has the smell of old wood, mold and rot. There are some people living in trailers on their lawns, but few and far in-between.

Another thing I noticed is that every house has information spray painted on the front, that notes the date a rescue group checked the inside for surviving people and animals, as well as what was found. Here is a picture:

We then drove down to the French Quarter. I haven’t been here before but I can say that it has definitely changed. My past few postings have had negative comments about the places I have visited, and this will unfortunately follow that trend…I’m not a pessimist, perhaps I just have high expectations of everything after hearing so much over the years. All of the allure and lore that is supposed to be in the French quarter was completely absent.

I expected a historical and architecturally beautiful section of town teeming with artists and jazz musicians at every corner, many quaint shops and the air filled with the aromas of Cajun cooking and spices. What I saw was a restored, architecturally beautiful section of town filled with the stench of trash, kitschy and lame gift shops, and about 25 nudie bars. Most of the stores and bars were blasting every type of music but Jazz. That was on Bourbon Street, supposedly the main thoroughfare of the French Quarter. The rest of the streets were filled with bars, restaurants, antique shops and some art galleries. Not a single musician and very little class. We did find one street performer:

After walking around the French Quarter for about 2 hours, we drove to the waterfront park, by the Mississippi River. Nice place. It was about 6pm, there was a drunk there, his elbow was bleeding and he was getting arrested. It’s a great memory.

Here is a nice little video of the view from the park: (of the water, not the arrest)

We took a short dinner break, unfortunately there used to be a kosher eatery in the French Quarter, but it has closed, so we ate some stuff we had in the car from before.

Before we left we decided to find Anne Rice’s house, which is in a beautiful section of town, with HUGE old mansions and historic buildings, very nice.

And, finally, at about 10pm we drove off to Texas, but it was getting very late so we slept just outside of Shreveport.

Not Too Peachy

2006-07-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

After living out of a car for so long, two nights in a hotel are a wonderland. Comfy beds, cool A/C, a TV, such are the necessities(?) of life we have been missing.

Despite our temporary upgrade to habitable conditions, we decided that it was time to move on and see the rest of the country.

After munching on the delicious and nutritious (and kosher) cereals, orange juice and banana nut muffins provided as part of the complementary continental breakfast, we drove off into the bowels of Atlanta and her tourist traps.

CNN Studio Tour was the first stop of the day. $12 admission. The tour is short. In about 50 minutes, you get to ride the world’s longest escalator (8 stories) to the top of the CNN studio, and then walk down 8 flights of stairs, each floor being a different studio, CNN, CNN International, CNN Headline News, etc. The tour guide also shows a demo of the controls the director uses to bring up different images for broadcast and a blue screen room. They don’t allow any pictures of the studio, but I snuck one anyway. Over all, the tour wasn’t very interesting and looking into the studio for 3 minutes was their highlight. Blah.

Next we drove a few miles to The World of Coca Cola. Another tourist trap, except, this was even worse. First of all, admission is $9. The museum is almost non existent, its mostly just pictures of Coca Cola advertisements from the past 100 years. There is a bit of history and some bottling equipment, but the rest is worthless. Coca Cola overload.

The most disappointing part is the tasting room. For years, my friends have been telling me that you get to see your drink shoot across the room and into your cup. They have claimed it was one of the coolest things to see, and a highlight of the tour. What a crock. The room is overcrowded, and your drink doesn’t shoot across the room, it’s just a water fountain that shoots about 6 feet. Under the fountain is a place for your cup where it is filled with the drink of your choice. See the video here:

I have to admit that a soda fountain that serves 40 flavors and has unlimited refills is appealing. But, paying $9, squishing between 500 people and suffering through a lame tour aren’t worth the drink.

Next we drove over to the home of Margret Mitchell. As a reader of this blog, I know you are a member of the Literati, so I don’t have to mention which book she authored. Anyway, we took a quick tour of the place; here is a nice photo for you.

For dinner we ate at a nice kosher restaurant in the Toro Hill neighborhood called Off Broadway.

Despite our fatigue, we began the long trek to New Orleans.

Drive Through Alabama

2006-07-28T17:07:00.000-04:00

We didn’t do any touring today. It was Friday and we had to hustle to Atlanta, GA to make it there before Shabbos. We drove straight through Alabama without stopping. I have come to realize that, at least in the south, there is a Wal-Mart store within 2 hours of any given location. I am not exaggerating. I have seen hundreds of Wal-Mart stores.

Wal-Mart’s are actually a great resource for road trippers. We are now only buying supplies for one day at a time, this way we maximize the free space in the car, and avoid spoilage from the excessive heat.

As far as Alabama goes, everyone there looks exactly like you would expect. Very southern and lots of stereotypical southerners with pickup trucks, etc.

We also made a quick detour at The Flea Mall, which has the best name, ever. Its an antique and junk stuff mall, similar to the Patapsco Flea Market, if you have ever been to it in Baltimore, except this was mostly antiques, a lot of interesting stuff here. I saw an iron, form the days before electricity, I had never thought about how they did that. Basically, it’s shaped like the irons we have, except the bottom opens up and you put in hot coal. I wish my car was emptier, so I could have bought a few items. My father bought a cedar bird feeder, it’s very nice and hand built, and it smells so good! A bargain at only $9.

Then we drove straight to Atlanta. We purchased some provisions for Shabbos at the local supermarket, Kroger, which has a huge kosher section, including a kosher deli, kosher meat department and kosher bakery. There is also a kosher Chinese restaurant in the Kroger as well.

My father made arrangements at a hotel near the Chabad, and that’s where we will be until Sunday!

The King's Legacy of Gift Shops

2006-07-27T23:23:00.000-04:00

We pulled into Memphis around 12pm. Even though I had already visited the Martin guitar factory in Nazareth, PA, my dad has never been to a guitar factory, so our first stop was the Gibson factory in downtown Memphis, across the street from FedEx Field. We inquired about the tour at the front desk, but they were full until 2pm, and we had better places to be, so we scrammed out to Graceland.

Anyway, Graceland is pretty much a tourist trap. Sure you get to look at the house and his grave and that part is really very interesting. First of all, the place is definitely not as big as I imagined. The mansion itself is decorated in the way only Elvis could. There are also many Elvis costumes and memorabilia all over the place and just lots of interesting videos and anecdotes on the tour. I was always an Elvis fan, but this made me an even bigger one, he was just such a cool guy, and seemed like a decent person overall, not like many entertainment stars of today. I can actually respect Elvis.

The thing is, they really are exploiting his life as a tourist trap. After coming out of the Estate, they bus you across the blvd. to what I will call the ‘Elvis Amusement Park.’ They have a few more exhibits, his cars, his airplanes, a short biographical film, etc. The thing is, the only way in or out of any of the exhibits is through a gift shop. There is no way around them. I understand if they have one or two gift shops, but 7 gift shops within 500 feet of each other? This is after shelling out $30 admission. Its just plain ‘Elvisploitation.’

Here is a quick tour of the kings castle:

The Dining Room

The 'Jungle' Room. (You can't see it well, but the name is appropriate)

The Pool Room (The wall and ceilings are coveren in a fancy cloth)

The TV Room (3 TV's because Elvis heard that the president watched all 3 news networks at once and he wanted the same)

Kitchen

Living Room

Bedroom of Elvis' parents

Elvis' Desk

Some of Elvis' Guns

You might have heard this story.

The King's Jewels

After a few hours of Graceland, my father and I were on Elvis overload, but we zoomed over to the legendary Sun Studios, where the first recordings of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis were made. They closed at 6pm and we left Graceland at 5:15 hoping to squeeze onto the last tour.

Lucky for us we made it. It was by far the best tour of the day; the tour guide was really friendly and informative and we even met the owner and schmoozed with him for a while. The quality isn’t great, but here is a movie from my camera of the last, and best, part of their studio tour.

And of course, after playing the Elvis piano the day before, I couldn’t resist trying out his microphone.

Finally, my father suggested we go out to eat at Arie’s Deli and Grill – a local kosher establishment. We drove the 15 miles and enjoyed a nice dinner, he had Salmon Pasta and I ordered a Tuna Steak Salad.

Tomorrow were off to peach country – Atlanta, GA!

Curious to see how I work on the road? See below for a possible arrangement.

Of course, the required map.

Time Travellin' To Tennessee

2006-07-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

A good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast of travel-sized Corn Pops can get you a long way.

As you know, my father's flight arrived at 12:30pm, so I had to try my best to be prompt and waiting for him when he walked out of the terminal.

Waking up at 7:30am and on the road by 8:15am, I slowly made my way out of Virginia and into Tennessee. Shortly after crossing the border at 11:15am, perhaps 10 or 15 minutes later, this simple sign was posted on the side of the highway, I saw it, and it changed my life forever:

Prior to the sign, it was 11:30am, after the sign, it was 10:30am! I couldn’t believe it, THE SIGN SAVED ME!! I was going to be on time at the airport!!!

The power of such a simple sign really got me thinking, so I actually turned around on the highway and went back to the elevens for a while, and then turned around again for that refreshing one-hour difference. I also didn’t realize that turning around meant that I had to drive 20 miles until the next exit so I could turn around again, but I still think it was worth it.

I picked up my father at 1:30p Central Time (his plane was late) and we zoomed over to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It was an interesting exhibit, but the highlight was definitely going to the RCA/Victor Studio B, on Music Row in Nashville. After buying a ticket at the museum, you board a shuttle bus that takes the group there, along with a tour guide. Channing was an OK tour guide, but the place was AMAZING!! This studio, a tiny building, probably around 3000 square feet recorded over 1,000 Billboard #1 songs. Elvis Presley said it was his favorite studio and recorded over half his albums in the studio as well. Most of the original equipment was still there and I was the first person who had the guts to go over to Elvis’ piano. I played Mary Had a Little Lamb and everyone on the tour stared at me, but at least I got to actually play on it. They are all just a bunch of yellow bellied chickens.

The actual hall of fame part of the museum was interesting too. There was also an exhibit about Ray Charles which was good.

My dad and I then drove past the section of Broadway that has all of the Honky Tonks, which basically are just bars, where wannabe country musicians all get their start. We couldnt go in but the street looked cool.

We also checked out Nashville's Parthenon, the world's only full scale replica of the Greek building. It was built in 1897 for some kind of fair, but it is still up and definately adds a touch of class to the city.

Finally, we drove to the Grand Ol' Opry, to check out the building and surrounding area, but that was a complete waste of time. It is basically a complete sell out - in a new neighborghood, 15 miles away fron downtown, surrounded by hotels and malls. Lame.

That was a long day. Then we drove half way to Memphis, before calling it a night in Jackson, TN.

Not Quite Nashville

2006-07-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

Not much to report today. My main task was to get to Nashville by 12:30pm tomorrow, that’s when my father’s flight arrives. He is joining me on my trip for a week, it is going to be lots of fun, I cant wait!!!

It’s a 13 hour drive from Norfolk, VA to Nashville, TN, which meant that I basically needed to hit the road ASAP after I woke up.

Unfortunately my excellent attention span as well as the usual tendency to concentrate 100% of my energy at the task at hand failed me. First, I decided to check out the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a 17 mile long combination bridge that switches to a tunnel in the middle of the water, and then back to a bridge again. It does this twice along the way, connecting Virginia Beach, VA to the Virginia’s Eastern Shore. It was hyped up by a few people and has a cool sounding website, but ultimately it wasn’t as interesting as my hopes and dreams imagined it to be.

I had also heard about Mt. Trashmore and Lake Trashmore (yes those really the names.) Mt. Trashmore is a public park that is actually a filled up landfill. Cool idea, but ultimately disappointing, and I think the lake was a funny color, and its odor was queer. The ducks didn’t seem to mind.

Then I decided to meet my friend Eric Levine, who I haven’t seen in about a year. He has been living in Norfolk for a while so met and chatted for a few minutes until he had to go back to work.

Finally, I left Norfolk and drove all day. I made a quick stop in Monticello, VA to see the home of Thomas Jefferson, as mocked by Naomi Baer, but it was already closed. I only got as far as the sign by the gate. Their loss.

I drove a few more hours and was getting sleepy. Before I went to sleep, I did something I have never done. Many of you may even be grossed out with the idea. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous/skeptical myself. What did I do? I took a shower at a truck stop.
$9 buys you a fairly clean bathroom. I would describe it as a Motel 6 bathroom. They provide soap and a clean towel. The pressure was good and the water was hot. I can definitely say that I have had worse. (The bathroom at Adiel’s old train-station apartment in Brooklyn.) I would do this again.

Refreshed and relaxed, I drove another few hours, didn’t even make it to Tennessee, let alone Nashville, and started dozing off, so I pulled over and..ZZZzZzzzzzZZZZ!

Virginia is for Messianic Jews Conferences

2006-07-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome friends and enemies to today’s edition of Ethan’s Road Trip Blog. Before the daily report, on behalf of everyone on staff here at the blog, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!!!!

We have a lot to report on, so let’s get started.

The day started out early as Ethan packed up his stuff at the Baer’s for the last time (on this trip) and loaded up his car. Following a brief goodbye ceremony and a delicious breakfast of a spinach wrap with melted cheese, Ethan was off.

Our first destination was NASA HQ in Greenbelt, MD (outside of D.C.). Ethan, always the VIP, arranged for a special tour that is only available if you have a friend that works at NASA and is willing to escort you as an ‘official guest’ through all of the security. To protect the innocent, Ethan’s friend will remain anonymous, we shall call him Hymie.

As Hymie’s guest, Ethan was assigned a badge: ‘ESCORT REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES.’ Hymie then proceeded to walk Ethan through such cool places as the Hubble Space Telescope’s mission HQ, the SOHO mission operations center, NASA communications switching facility and of course the NASA space equipment testing facility, where they have the world’s largest clean room, the world largest speaker (to test vibration), a huge centrifuge, and some big room with lots of forklifts and boxes that contain misc. spaceship and satellite parts as well as booster fuel.

One reporter overheard Ethan exclaim ”WOW!!! THIS PLACE IS SO COOL!!! It’s just like on TV with big screens and people sitting at consoles with headsets and big space maps and lots of computers!!!!!!!” This comment cannot be confirmed. Readers will be surprised to learn that Ethan found NASA employees to be very friendly and informative, once the group was past the initial security checkpoint many NASA brains even stopped what they were doing and provided mini tours of their own mission centers and lots of interesting scientific and technical information when they saw the VIP coming their way.

After NASA and a heart wrenching farewell between Hymie and Ethan, we were off to Norfolk, VA. It’s a nice drive south on I-95, but we feel that it’s nothing to write home about.

Arriving in Norfolk at 6:22pm, Ethan parked and ran straight top the docks. Being in top shape, 100% muscle and a pure athlete has its rewards – Ethan made it just under the gun for the 6:30pm departure of The American Rover cruise, without breaking a sweat. It was a breathtaking experience. For a mere $22, one is whisked away for 3 hours along the waterfront of Norfolk and through the local naval base. The tour guide was informative, yet not overbearing, and he only spoke for the first hour and a half. After the tour guide finished, a nice gentleman with a sweet voice began playing all the classics on his guitar and we sang our way back to shore. Overall the tour was both relaxing and beautiful.

There was, however, one big problem. Little did anyone know that there was a convention in town. And that this convention would book the 6:30pm cruise on the American Rover on July 24, 2006. What convention? The National Conference of Messianic Jews or more simply, Jews For Jesus. Sixty or so people on this cruise were in town to discuss their tips and techniques for proselytizing to Orthodox and other Jews like myself. The tension was high as they eyed Ethan as ripe for the plucking. At least 5 or 6 people actually had the gall to approach him and ask something along the lines of “Are you a spy for the Jews for Judaism organization?” The others just tried to make simple conversation, but Ethan was not to be fooled. He was civil, yet cold, and eventually they got the idea and left him alone.

That’s it for today’s installment of Ethan’s Road Trip Blog, we hope you had as much fun as we did, especially since we love talking about ourselves in the plural, and in third person.

What, no parade?

2006-07-21T19:30:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Baltimore. Some said it would never happen, but I have returned. If not a parade, at least a key to the city, or perhaps an Admiralty to the Harbor. Don't get to nervous - I am only here for the weekend.

Unfortunately all great plans are meant to be foiled; this case was, of course, especially ripe for foiling since my plans involved myself arriving on time, at specific locations. So, instead of heading to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (thanks Natan for the idea) and then Portland and Bangor, Maine, followed by a quick stop in Block Island (thanks Julie for that tip.) – I had to hightail it back to Baltimore so I could spend one last Shabbos with the extreme super duper awesome VIP turbocharged platinum Baer Family.

The drivewas boring. I woke at 7:15 on Friday morning in Montpelier, Vermont. I prayed. I made myself a scrumptious peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast, and I was off. I had to be in Baltimore by sunset. I rolled in around 6pm due to traffic. In New York, a truck carrying a Tomahawk Missile was hit and it rolled onto the highway. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see it, but I definitely was delayed by it. The rest of the traffic was due to crowded highways, standard rubbernecking or just plain driver stupidity.

I have also learned that listening to talk radio for 8 hours straight, especially in war time, is a very stupid thing to do. Listening to the dim-witted commentary of egomaniacal radio (no)talent morons made me want to slam my head against the window. Then, listening to the laughable and completely ludicrous opinions of their bozo callers was even worse. ALWAYS BRING BOOKS ON TAPE. - A.B.B.O.T. is my new motto. Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. I have learned my lesson.

Anyhow, I do find it amusing that I drove through 7 states in one day: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. I finally pulled up at Rancho Baer at around 6pm – with plenty of time to spare.

Why do I love the Baers? I cannot explain in such a small space. However, I am very clever, so I will instead provide you with two small pictures that will do the job of approximately 2,000 words. (Which still is not enough.)

Monday I roll out to Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA and beyond.

Syrupy and Sweet

2006-07-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

Awake and refreshed, and after a king’s breakfast of 3 different types of cereal at the Casa de Rosenblumo, one of the proprietors, Rabbi Adam Rosenblum B.T.L ., J.D., Esq. and I trekked to the gravesite of Uncle Sam in Troy, NY. Seems like he was just your typical ‘Olde American’ dude, worked hard his whole life, fought in a couple of wars, and then the government decided to exploit him as a marketing tool, I hope he was well compensated.

The Adirondack Mountains are my favorite place so far. Lake George. NY. Lake George. NY. Lake George. NY. Go there. Now.

Right before the bridge to Vermont is an old Fort called Crown Point. It was built at the 1760s by the British to fight the French and Indians. It burned down in the 1770s but the ruins are really very nice. It’s a great park, and I was the only person in the whole place, it was super scenic and super quiet. The grass was nice, I took my shoes off and walked on it. I recommend it to anyone at any time.

Vermont is a nice place too. Very serene. A lot of places smell like cow poop though. Still nice. And, I was at a gas station where, for the first time in my life, I filled up my car before paying! $3.19/gal.

I have been called many things in my life. I sure some of the people reading this can remember some of the things you have called me, perhaps you are even one of the innovative originators of one of my many nicknames like E, E3, Sayton, etc. One of the more stupid names people call me is ‘Ethan Allan.’ If you know your history, E.A. was an American revolutionary and he had his pack of Green Mountain Boys and they did some serious damage. When I got there, they were closed, but since this is Vermont and they let you pump gas before paying, I just walked around the back and of course, the gate was open, so I did a self guided tour. $0 admission, call me if you want one. Anyway, he had a surprisingly tiny house on a very beautiful and large estate in Vermont.

Of course, no self respecting Vermont visitor would skip the Ben and Jerry’s factory tour. Watching the machines spin around and move pints of ice cream is fun for about 2 minutes. But seeing the machines go haywire, ice cream spill on the floor and all the workers run around scrambling to do ‘stuff’ is much more entertaining. I guess we were one of the lucky tours. Sorry they don’t allow pictures. (HAHA I snuck a video on my camera.)

Finally, I drove to Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, to spend the night. I had plans for more, but as you well know, time management is not my forte. So here I am, typing this up in a quaint little riverside town, sitting on my portable camper chair that I purchased from National Wholesale Liquidators for $6.99., in the parking lot of their single supermarket. Weather is nice, people are friendly. Good night!

Getting My Feet Wet

2006-07-19T23:55:00.000-04:00

I’m having a great time on my trip; I hope that everyone reading is having a great time wherever you’re at.

I woke up to a warm and sunny Allentown morning. I prayed at around 8:45am in an Office Depot parking lot, and then I went hunting for food. Luckily I didn’t have to fall back and use my survival skills, I found a ‘Kings’ supermarket a few blocks away and stocked up on bread, water, peanut butter and jelly. I was set for the day, and what a great day it was. Finding a gas station with premium for $3.01/gal was just a bonus.

No sooner than 45 minutes later, I was in Nazareth, PA where the headquarters of the C. F. Martin Guitar Co. is located. They have an amazing facility and one of the best factory tours I have ever seen. The tour was about an hour long, and I was able to see every aspect of their guitar manufacturing process. I really enjoyed the smell of that factory. It smelled so nice, like all different types of wood. I took lots of great pictures, but you only get to see one:

My next stop was Bushkill Falls in the Pocono Mountains. It’s billed as ‘The Niagara of Pennsylvania.’ You decide. I can say that I thought the (very steep) hike and all of the paths are really nice all around that area.

Next, a stand selling all kinds of Illegal fireworks caught my eye. Who wouldn’t want to check it out? I pulled over and walked into the trailer. Immediately the woman working there asked me for my ID. Apparently, you cant even be inside the trailer if you are from Pennsylvania. Those fireworks are all illegal there. After I passed the test, I begged her to explain all the different types of fireworks to me, since I have never bought any in my life. They had some amazing products there, mortar launched rockets and Saturn missiles, roman candles - so many to choose from. In the end I chickened out and didn’t get anything. I know, I’m a sissy. She was disappointed too, I had her all hyped up on my fantasy fireworks show, that I would never do in my backyard because it would be highly illegal and dangerous.

After cruising through the Poconos and crossing a bridge over the Delaware River, I was in Port Jervis, New York. Boring.

Props go out to Chaim Brumer once again, he told me about the highway that runs parallel to the Delaware River. It was beautiful and amazing! It’s the PCH of the east! Roads on beautiful cliffs overlooking water - can’t get much better than that. Chaim says they film a lot of car commercials there. Eventually the road lowers a bit, and so I found a little park with a rocky beach and I decided to dip my feet into the river for that ‘river fresh’ feeling. The water was pleasant and refreshing. No, I did not drink any.

After hearing about the Catskills and bungalow colonies ad nauseam, it was time for me to see them for myself. Well, I got to Monticello and BARF. I used to complain about Brooklyn. Sorry to offend, but why anyone really wants to live there is beyond me. But to drive 4 or 5 hours through the mountains to an abandoned and dirty town, to live in a TINY HOVEL that’s just insane!?!?!?! Ditto for South Fallsberg and Woodbourne. Well at least there is dinner in Monticello, complete with 100% of the expected Brooklyn grime and attitude:

Finally, to end a long day, I zipped into Albany and stayed the night at Casa de Rosenblumo, they provide premiere sleeping accommodations, hot showers, fresh and delicious food and top notch conversation!

Review (for the test).

Hello Pennsylvania

2006-07-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the parking lot in front of Panera Bread #708 in Allentown, PA.

Today was a great start to what will hopefully amount to a great trip. Thank you everyone for your awesome emails and positive responses to the blog. And, yes, I know the comments are not working. I don’t know why, I will try and look at it when I can; maybe I should call my computer guy.

I got off to a late start…not until the afternoon, because Ari Nudell and I went, in the heat, to Druid Ridge off Park Heights Ave. to shoot model rockets. Radio said that with humidity and all other factors into account, the heat index was 106 degrees. Rocketry is totally fun. Seriously, I wish I had known about this sooner.

I rolled into York, PA around 5pm and went to checkout the Weightlifting Hall of Fame. Definitely an interesting place if you like to read muscle magazines, but it didn’t do much for me. My super-friend Chaim Brumer met me there, and since the receptionist wasn’t there, we quickly combined our powers to lift the ‘ultimate barbell’ that was sitting in the lobby. We are very strong and powerful, this should be a lesson – don’t mess with us.

Just as we walked out of the place, a massive thunderstorm hit and we had to replan the rest of the day. We had planned to see Centralia, PA but the storm made the trip impossible. Instead, we drove to The Shoe House, of ‘There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Show’ fame. Not much to do there either but definitely interesting to see once in a lifetime.

Chaim had to pick up his cousin at Dorsey Park in Allentown by 8:30pm so we headed North/East to Lancaster County, home of the famous Amish and Mennonites. Not much going on, but we did find an old covered bridge, which are quickly disappearing. The one we saw is set to be demolished within a few weeks. This bridges were all built out of wood, by hand, some over 100 years ago. Amazing to see that kind of work! Of course progress doesn’t have room for relics, so a new concrete bridge is replacing it.

Eventually we made it to Dorsey Park, where Chaim pulled out a BBQ, a cooler and some steaks. Mmmmm. A tasty end to an interesting day.

Departure Is Imminent / Goodbye Baltimore

2006-07-17T17:54:00.000-04:00

Alas, the time has finally arrived. Seems I am finally getting started, although 18 days later than I had expected - due to a mixture of medical, personal and business responsibilities. Just three weeks ago my apartment was filled with junk and I began sorting, trashing and packing all my stuff. Now my car is filled with junk, and I am homeless. (Although freeloading at the Baers does have it's benefits.)

I love moving. This will be my fourth move in five and a half years. It's not the packing and schlepping that I enjoy, it's going through all of my stuff. Finding things that were so important to me at one time and then were quickly lost or forgotten remind me of how I got to where I am. The best part is deciding what to keep and what to throw out. For this move, I had to cast off the majority of my possessions, as they wouldn’t fit into my car. I still can't believe how many things I have kept that are completely useless. Most of these useless things have never been used and probably never will be, but for some reason I feel that they define who I am, or want to be. It is strange that objects can have this kind of power over me.

An unexpected air of mild melancholy has been floating inside me for the past few days, along with random memories of past events. This happens mostly when I am standing somewhere and I look around and think: "This is probably the last time I will be here." I guess that cutting a cord after nine years in one place is more difficult than I thought. Even so, the excitement and promise of my new career is definitely more overwhelming.

Enough philosophizing. Lets talk about the trip. Tomorrow I plan to set off towards the North - towards Maine, through Pennsylvania, Upstate New York and Vermont. I have lots of interesting stops planned along the way. If you want to suggest something, please do, I want to see it all! Even better, if you want to offer some hospitality, I might even accept. My GPS is charged, my camera has free memory and batteries, all I need is a little gas in the car, and...I'M OFF! (Hmm. Should I buy AAA membership?)