Last night we here at the hostel had a community dinner together. I sat with a friendly couple from Long Beach, Brenda and Alee, and we had a great discussion about traveling, Alee's home in Iran, Seattle, religion, politics in America...very unexpected way to spend my evening.
But then it got even better. The hostel had a group field trip to a place called the Comet Tavern, which was a grunge/punk/ska music venue featuring four different bands. The first band--I think their name was The Super Cutes, but not positive--was one of the best. I initially saw a man playing the tambourine and I had to laugh--until I watched him. Then I quickly learned he was kind of amazing. (I never knew the tambourine could be that difficult. I was wrong though.)
I met some lovely ladies from England who have been traveling across the United States for almost three months! They have been absolutely everywhere--Boston, New York, Nashville, Austin, Las Vegas, LA, Chicago...these ladies were so inspiring! I can say they have been to more American cities than a large majority of Americans (which is frankly pathetic, if you really consider the statement).
After the concert a group of us (Jasper from Australia, Matthew from Chicago, myself and the Brits) went to a downstairs Mexican bar that was solidly red throughout. It was seriously the only lighting in the bar. We each had a beer, decided we were tired, and then on our way out a fight broke out. Which was more amusing than intimidating, to be honest.
Although that was my evening, my day was spent schlepping all over Seattle. I went to the Space Needle. Saw the city from Queen Anne. Checked out downtown. Went shopping (seemed necessary). Walked along the pier. Went to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum). It was a fantastic day and if my big adventure continues to be like yesterday, I am surely in for the time of my life.
Call me a freak, but from here on out I'm hooked on hostels. It's the absolute best way to travel.
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Journey Thus Far.
Well, I can finally check something off my bucket list--staying in a hostel. Besides walking into my room and being welcomed to the sounds of a man masturbating (there is simply no way that a man could sound that happy when he was taking a nap), the trip has been just lovely. I've met and made friends from Germany, Alaska, Oregon and Illinois, and almost every person surrounding me has some story--running away from home, backpacking across the coast, just getting by, going on an epic journey...I can certainly say this is a very, very unique place.
You sleep in a room with 5 other people. There are three sets of bunk beds, and beneath the bottom bunk is a locked case for you to store your belongings. Surrounding your bed are curtains so that you can sleep with a little privacy (although in terms of my jerking off bunk buddy, it simply does not provide complete privacy). There are private showers on each floor which are first come, first serve. So far no trouble.
As I write this I am staring out the window at the iconic Public Market Center. This hostel is right in the center of it all. They provide breakfast, which was a welcome surprise, but there is a catch--you have to cook it. They provide the bread, the eggs, the pancake mix...but from there you are on your own.
Some of the renters work here to live here. They cannot afford to pay the cost of the stay, so instead they help out with odds and ends in order to make the rent. They cleanup the bathrooms, prepare the breakfast area, clean the different dorms...it was a very peculiar addition to this hostel experience I had not expected. Essentially, because of the ample amounts of free food they provide, you could theoretically continue to work here just to sleep here for one more day. It's like a modern day form of indentured slavery, or at worst high-end, glorified poverty.
They provide daily activities--today is a tour of all the famous dead musicians graves--and they do everything they can to create a fun and friendly atmosphere. The spin is that you can embrace this and make new friends from all over the world, or you can stay to your lonesome self and not say a word. It is entirely up to you.
I'm reminded that I am in a global city because of the computer I am on. They are courteous enough to provide free internet and even free computers, but even here there is a catch--it's a French keypad. If you go through this blog update, every single apostrophe (') has been cut and pasted into this document. I have no idea how to locate it on this keyboard, and frankly I just gave up looking!
The journey thus far has been fun, exciting, challenging and filled with the unexpected. I'll be sure to continue with the updates as the myriad stories find their way to filter in.
You sleep in a room with 5 other people. There are three sets of bunk beds, and beneath the bottom bunk is a locked case for you to store your belongings. Surrounding your bed are curtains so that you can sleep with a little privacy (although in terms of my jerking off bunk buddy, it simply does not provide complete privacy). There are private showers on each floor which are first come, first serve. So far no trouble.
As I write this I am staring out the window at the iconic Public Market Center. This hostel is right in the center of it all. They provide breakfast, which was a welcome surprise, but there is a catch--you have to cook it. They provide the bread, the eggs, the pancake mix...but from there you are on your own.
Some of the renters work here to live here. They cannot afford to pay the cost of the stay, so instead they help out with odds and ends in order to make the rent. They cleanup the bathrooms, prepare the breakfast area, clean the different dorms...it was a very peculiar addition to this hostel experience I had not expected. Essentially, because of the ample amounts of free food they provide, you could theoretically continue to work here just to sleep here for one more day. It's like a modern day form of indentured slavery, or at worst high-end, glorified poverty.
They provide daily activities--today is a tour of all the famous dead musicians graves--and they do everything they can to create a fun and friendly atmosphere. The spin is that you can embrace this and make new friends from all over the world, or you can stay to your lonesome self and not say a word. It is entirely up to you.
I'm reminded that I am in a global city because of the computer I am on. They are courteous enough to provide free internet and even free computers, but even here there is a catch--it's a French keypad. If you go through this blog update, every single apostrophe (') has been cut and pasted into this document. I have no idea how to locate it on this keyboard, and frankly I just gave up looking!
The journey thus far has been fun, exciting, challenging and filled with the unexpected. I'll be sure to continue with the updates as the myriad stories find their way to filter in.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Another Trip!
Oh, I forgot! I'm going to one of my favorite cities next week--Charlotte, North Carolina!
I'll be there for three days. It should be fun :-).
I'll be there for three days. It should be fun :-).
Time for a Big Adventure.
So I officially purchased my ticket to Seattle! I will be in the Pacific Northwest from August 24th until August 31st. I'll also be spending two days in Vancouver, which seems like a brilliant idea since Vancouver appears to be the kind of city I'd adore. (Vancouver Island is denser than Manhattan!)
Instead of shelling out tons of money for hotels that I'll only been sleeping a few hours in, I'm taking a little adventure. I'm going to try CouchSurfing. Have you heard of this? I have friends who swear by it and have done it for years, but I always thought it was kind of risky and strange.
CouchSurfing is a real simple complex--people go on the website looking for a place to stay. People in cities around the world set up profiles indicating whether they can host a person or if they want to visit a new city...and that's it. You set up a connection, and people open up their homes to you.
It's kind of scary, so I'm going to try and establish some relationships now. After two months of e-mailing, I'm sure it will be like friends visiting instead of me sleeping on a random couch. And, if it turns out not to work so well, I'll just budget to have the money for a last-minute hotel if need be.
Anyway, so I fly to Seattle, spend Mon-Tues-Wed there, then take the train to Vancouver on Thursday. (I hear that this train ride is GORGEOUS!) I'll then return to Seattle on Saturday and leave early Monday morning. I won't be renting a car because, well, it's a waste of money. Hopefully I'll be able to find a fun place to rent a bike. AND I sure hope it doesn't rain the whole time!
Now I just need to start learning everything about the area. I did this with my Minneapolis trip, so when I got there I really was able to maximize my time since I already knew my way around.
Any Seattle people out there? Do you have any suggestions for things to do? :-)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The (Verbose) Update on Minneapolis.
I'm in Minnesota. It's amazing.
I'm not even really sure where to start on why I like it here so much, but I guess I can begin with biking. This city is designed with bikers in mind. Due to the plethora of bike trails, I have literally gone all over St. Paul, Minneapolis and even the suburbs via my bike. Beyond even the myriad designated biking lanes along the major streets, there are actual highways set up for bikers. I've hopped along the Midtown Greenway which connects to the Kenilworth Trail, Cedar Trail and a few others too, which can literally get you as far west as Lake Minnetonka (Like 10-20 miles I guess), and as east as Wisconsin. Along the Midtown Greenway there are exits and entrances just like a regular car highway. It's awesome! And even better, there are places you can store your bike, take a shower, have a cup of coffee and walk to the Uptown Transit station (which will connect you via buses anyway in the city).
Aside from this perk for bikers, both Minneapolis and St. Paul are very densely populated. Everything is very close together, yet it's not difficult at all to escape downtown and suddenly enter a moment of serenity while walking around a tranquil lake. It's really amazing how one moment you can be fighting busy city traffic and the next you can be sitting in the middle of a park and feel like you own it.
On Monday I hung out with some friends at Bryant Lake Bowl, a restaurant-slash-bar-slash-bowling alley. I impressed them with a competitive bowling score of 76 (ha!) and quickly learned that maybe bowling isn't my sport of choice.
Tuesday my friend from Ohio, James, and I explored the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, which was simply amazing. We then dined at Bombay Bistro, which has the absolute greatest Indian food I could have asked for (almost all vegetarian, too!). We then perused around Uptown, which is Minneapolis' trendy arts district. We argued over if it was better than The Short North, which I sat it is, he says it isn't. Regardless, they have a North Face store, Urban Outfitters, tons and tons of original local restaurants and it seems to go on forever. (Unlike the Short North which is a few blocks of galleries/restaurants).
After dropping James off so he could take a nap, I met up with my friend Sean at Chino Latino, an incredible restaurant that serves enormous portions of Mexican and Asian food. The restaurant itself was beautiful! After dining there (for four hours, literally), we explored St. Paul and I'm amazed at how it gets such a bad rap! St. Paul is a beautiful city, and I'm excited to learn more since most of the things I've done have been Minneapolis-based.
Wednesday I hit up the Birchwood Cafe, a great local restaurant that serves vegetarian and vegan food. It was so sweet! It reminded me a lot of North Star Cafe, just far more cheaper. (In a good way. Is it me or is North Star way overpriced?)
After breakfast I did a four-hour bike ride all around town. It was snowing, but luckily it didn't stick so basically the ride was just cold but doable. As previously stated, I did everything via my bike! It was simply fantastic!
That evening I met up with my friend Kevin for dinner at Spill the Wine, which was a beautiful restaurant with delicious food. They even had a great happy hour--$15 bottles of wine! After a great dinner, we headed over to the world-renowned Guthrie Theatre, which was awe-inspiring to say the least. We saw The Gentlemen of Verona and what a perfect performance it was. I absolutely loved it.
The interesting thing about The Guthrie is not only its three theatres, numerous restaurants and countless bars, but actually the massive structure that makes up the building. The architecture is just breath-taking! And to make it more impressive, there is a bridge called "The Bridge to Nowhere" which lets visitors view the St. Anthony Falls. Although I had heard of them, I had no idea what I was in for. I can't even begin to describe what a site it is--simply incredible. I was astounded by the falls!
After dinner we met up with Kevin's boyfriend, Kareem, and had drinks at the Minneapolis Eagle. It was great-- 3-for-1 special! Talk about a cheap night out!
That's been the trip so far. I think the world of this city and I can't wait til I'm packing my bags and moving out here! :-)
Oh, and PS, can we talk about Galactic Pizza, the pizza joint that delivers pizza in waay coolz space gear? Seriously. I couldn't make it up.
I'm not even really sure where to start on why I like it here so much, but I guess I can begin with biking. This city is designed with bikers in mind. Due to the plethora of bike trails, I have literally gone all over St. Paul, Minneapolis and even the suburbs via my bike. Beyond even the myriad designated biking lanes along the major streets, there are actual highways set up for bikers. I've hopped along the Midtown Greenway which connects to the Kenilworth Trail, Cedar Trail and a few others too, which can literally get you as far west as Lake Minnetonka (Like 10-20 miles I guess), and as east as Wisconsin. Along the Midtown Greenway there are exits and entrances just like a regular car highway. It's awesome! And even better, there are places you can store your bike, take a shower, have a cup of coffee and walk to the Uptown Transit station (which will connect you via buses anyway in the city).
Aside from this perk for bikers, both Minneapolis and St. Paul are very densely populated. Everything is very close together, yet it's not difficult at all to escape downtown and suddenly enter a moment of serenity while walking around a tranquil lake. It's really amazing how one moment you can be fighting busy city traffic and the next you can be sitting in the middle of a park and feel like you own it.
On Monday I hung out with some friends at Bryant Lake Bowl, a restaurant-slash-bar-slash-bowling alley. I impressed them with a competitive bowling score of 76 (ha!) and quickly learned that maybe bowling isn't my sport of choice.
Tuesday my friend from Ohio, James, and I explored the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, which was simply amazing. We then dined at Bombay Bistro, which has the absolute greatest Indian food I could have asked for (almost all vegetarian, too!). We then perused around Uptown, which is Minneapolis' trendy arts district. We argued over if it was better than The Short North, which I sat it is, he says it isn't. Regardless, they have a North Face store, Urban Outfitters, tons and tons of original local restaurants and it seems to go on forever. (Unlike the Short North which is a few blocks of galleries/restaurants).
After dropping James off so he could take a nap, I met up with my friend Sean at Chino Latino, an incredible restaurant that serves enormous portions of Mexican and Asian food. The restaurant itself was beautiful! After dining there (for four hours, literally), we explored St. Paul and I'm amazed at how it gets such a bad rap! St. Paul is a beautiful city, and I'm excited to learn more since most of the things I've done have been Minneapolis-based.
Wednesday I hit up the Birchwood Cafe, a great local restaurant that serves vegetarian and vegan food. It was so sweet! It reminded me a lot of North Star Cafe, just far more cheaper. (In a good way. Is it me or is North Star way overpriced?)
After breakfast I did a four-hour bike ride all around town. It was snowing, but luckily it didn't stick so basically the ride was just cold but doable. As previously stated, I did everything via my bike! It was simply fantastic!
That evening I met up with my friend Kevin for dinner at Spill the Wine, which was a beautiful restaurant with delicious food. They even had a great happy hour--$15 bottles of wine! After a great dinner, we headed over to the world-renowned Guthrie Theatre, which was awe-inspiring to say the least. We saw The Gentlemen of Verona and what a perfect performance it was. I absolutely loved it.
The interesting thing about The Guthrie is not only its three theatres, numerous restaurants and countless bars, but actually the massive structure that makes up the building. The architecture is just breath-taking! And to make it more impressive, there is a bridge called "The Bridge to Nowhere" which lets visitors view the St. Anthony Falls. Although I had heard of them, I had no idea what I was in for. I can't even begin to describe what a site it is--simply incredible. I was astounded by the falls!
After dinner we met up with Kevin's boyfriend, Kareem, and had drinks at the Minneapolis Eagle. It was great-- 3-for-1 special! Talk about a cheap night out!
That's been the trip so far. I think the world of this city and I can't wait til I'm packing my bags and moving out here! :-)
Oh, and PS, can we talk about Galactic Pizza, the pizza joint that delivers pizza in waay coolz space gear? Seriously. I couldn't make it up.
Friday, August 29, 2008
My Fabulous Return!
Sorry for my absence, I've been moving and I have not had internet since Wednesday! Regular updates will be coming back...promise...
I'll take this time to say that I'll be blogging from Chicago and possibly Milwaukee the week of September 15th - 19th. I'm really excited because I am trying to do the cheapest vacation I've ever done. First off, I'm using the Megabus to travel between Columbus and Chicago. The cost? $30.50 roundtrip. From there, I'll be staying with friends, and the train between Milwaukee and Chicago is only $18 each way for students with Student Advantage. On top of that, I'll be checking out free museums, hanging with friends in coffee shops and utilizing the El to get around. My goal is to spend under $200 for the entire trip....think it's doable?
I'll be writing about the whole experience, and I'll see if cheap vacations are just as fun as regular vacations! Expect a full review of the Megabus, too, since if it's good it may be something you want to consider. I mean, a $30 ticket to one of the greatest cities in the world is already something to holler about!
I'll take this time to say that I'll be blogging from Chicago and possibly Milwaukee the week of September 15th - 19th. I'm really excited because I am trying to do the cheapest vacation I've ever done. First off, I'm using the Megabus to travel between Columbus and Chicago. The cost? $30.50 roundtrip. From there, I'll be staying with friends, and the train between Milwaukee and Chicago is only $18 each way for students with Student Advantage. On top of that, I'll be checking out free museums, hanging with friends in coffee shops and utilizing the El to get around. My goal is to spend under $200 for the entire trip....think it's doable?
I'll be writing about the whole experience, and I'll see if cheap vacations are just as fun as regular vacations! Expect a full review of the Megabus, too, since if it's good it may be something you want to consider. I mean, a $30 ticket to one of the greatest cities in the world is already something to holler about!
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