america
Travel from sea to shining sea; by car or by plane, there's plenty to see in the good ole US of A.
Quest of the Phoenix 2017 (5)
Once again I was up at 6:30 and had a breakfast of tea and granola/fruit bar. Browsing maps and such on my phone, I was determined to CAREFULLY plan my route into Phoenix to avoid anything like last night’s debacle. In any event, I knew that my motel this time would have an actual “parking lot.” Still I retained some residual nervousness.
Nathan SturmPublished 7 years ago in WanderTwo Wandering Souls
Little did we know, there, right in front of us, was change. For months I had been planning the trip of a lifetime. I had made spreadsheets and mapped out countless routes. Organizing each stop to create the ultimate, soul searching road trip. My itinerary was set, my budget saved, my car fixed, everything was ready to go, or so I thought.
Eslieann LeflerPublished 7 years ago in WanderQuest of the Phoenix 2017 (4)
I rose early again but took my time getting ready, since I had a shorter drive today (or so I thought). Checking out, I also bought a postcard depicting Canyonlands National Park, since Tina (and her mom) had requested one and it enabled me to give the innkeepers an extra 80 cents to thank them for their nicely-scented room. I was on the road again by 9:30 and in good spirits, for today I would be driving through Monument Valley.
Nathan SturmPublished 7 years ago in WanderCalifornia Dreaming
The first time I had gone on vacation to California was when I was 16 years old. My parents finally gave in due to my bugging the crap out of them to take me to Disneyland for my "Sweet 16" Birthday. Hard to believe at that time I was more interested in meeting Mickey and Minnie than going to a party and getting drunk with friends. Is what it is though and was happy to have talked my parents into taking me and thankful they had the money to do so.
Kate AdamsPublished 7 years ago in WanderWorth the Gamble
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I zigzag my way through the airport crowd, in between the hundreds of walks of life who came from all over the country and probably even the world to be here. Some traveling for business, others for pleasure—maybe for a little of both. A wild getaway of finer living with a touch of risky behavior and revealing outfits. It is good to be back—and to be of legal drinking and gambling age.
Jordan MurphyPublished 7 years ago in WanderQuest of the Phoenix 2017 (3)
The clock in my room had not been adjusted for Daylight Savings Time and I forgot to correct it, so I thought I was getting up at like 6:30 but actually it was 5:30. So when I went out for continental breakfast 15 minutes later (they’d said that breakfast started at 6:30), I was actually 45 minutes early instead of within the proper range. The Spanish speaking guys were hanging around the lobby ignoring me and talking to each other as I wondered why the bread products were still half-frozen and why I could smell eggs but not see any yet. At least I got a bagel and some coffee.
Nathan SturmPublished 7 years ago in WanderQuest of the Phoenix 2017 (2)
I rose at about 6:45 and hit the road by 8:30. The plan was to follow the directions I’d looked up on my phone to the local Firestone. However, the area around my motel consisted, in addition to construction sites, also of a bizarre sea of interlocking parking lots with no real “town” amongst them and streets and street signs that operated in ways I hadn’t seen before, so I ended up bungling around for awhile in that area, then driving across a highway into the actual downtown area, which was just as bad, involving narrow one-way streets and wandering lanes. After a bit, I just said “screw this” and opted to hit the freeway for Omaha.
Nathan SturmPublished 7 years ago in WanderThe City That Never Sleeps
On first impressions, it seemed to be less alien than I imagined. When you sit and think about how different our two countries are, you tend to imagine there to be guns visible at every glance, patriotic nationalists bombarding you from all forgotten angles, and a pale green cat... A cat bigger than any building you've seen before, just there... Towering over the city... With dollar signs for eyes and a laugh that you just can't seem to run from... A cat that has paws bigger than clouds, that boom together when he makes that money rain... But, to my disappointment, he wasn't there, and neither was the rain... Neither were the anti-abortion activists spouting their brainwashed hypocrisy, neither was the young African American man who was shot and killed before my very eyes, and all the other people on the street who trivially walk by... Just me, and my eyebrow raised.
Charli KnightPublished 7 years ago in WanderNew Orleans
New Orleans is well known for the Mardi Gras. People from around the country visit to dress in costume, drink, watch the parades as they go down the small streets of the French Quarter and when the police aren't looking bare their chests so as to have beads thrown at them from people on floats in the parade.
Kate AdamsPublished 7 years ago in WanderQuest of the Phoenix 2017
During the dread Polar Vortex of December 2016, I, having worked six to seven days a week for the last five weeks, most of it spent outside when snow buildup made it nigh-impossible to pull out of any intersection at which one had to stop one’s vehicle, got to work a full and rather lengthy day when the wind was blowing at around negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit (about -23 C). By the time the day was done, my face was too numb to talk properly, and even after getting back indoors it took over an hour for me to feel warm again. And shortly after getting home (and reflecting also on the fact that two months previously I had nearly died of a severe asthma relapse that seemed to have been brought on by the humidity of the autumn, not to mention the depression and general health-deterioration that ALWAYS afflicts me as summer comes to an end), I found myself thinking: “I don’t want to live in Michigan anymore.”
Nathan SturmPublished 7 years ago in WanderNew York! New York!
I LOVE NEW YORK! Despite everything that goes on here, I still love it. Where should I begin? I have been a native New Yorker since the day I was born. As far back as I can remember, it was just the three of us: Mom, Dad, and little young me. For starters, we lived in an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was close in proximity to Columbia University. Right away, attending a university later on in life was ingrained very early on. I remember looking out of the window at night and barely seeing images in the darkness. I was able to make out some sort of park. It looked like some sort of park that I saw on a jazz record cover. I saw the lights just barely above the trees. They looked like steady neon flames. It was so nice when balanced against the nighttime sky. How much did it make an impression on me? I was almost two years old at the time.
Maurice BernierPublished 7 years ago in WanderLiving on an Old Country Road
Living out in the country is a fun thing if you are born and raised as a country girl or boy. I always loved the leaves falling on old country roads, and when you drive over them, you can see them fly off the road. The beauty of living in the country is that you don't have to worry about the city life. The only things you have to listen to were birds chirping, crickets making noise at night, or frog croaking. Have you ever walked a country road alone? It is so peaceful and quiet. It's few and far in between when you will see a car coming by.
Peggy RicePublished 7 years ago in Wander