Lucas ,Trevor, and Mike’s

During my walk across America, I stayed with a CouchSurfer named Trevor while I traveled through Kaysville, UT. Trevor was a really cool guy, about my age, and we really clicked. He also gave me mp3 files of Brian Regan, Bill Engvall, old Sherlock Holmes broadcasts, and Twilight Zone Radio, which got me through those long boring days of walking across Nebraska. Anyways, we’ve kept in touch over the last four years, and this week he was in Worcester, Massachusetts to do some video work. He and his co-worker, Lucas (who I had also medt briefly in 08) met me in the North End Boston, where we had dinner at Giacamo’s and afterwards stopped by Mike’s Pastry’s. It’s always a good feeling to get to personally tell the story of meeting the president to someone who helped to make it happen.

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Heart of the Hub

My buddy Derek is the director of a community development non-profit called Discover Roxbury. Tonight I drove into Boston to help with his annual Heart of the Hub Gala / Fundraiser. It was a good time, and it was cool to see one of my own friends helm such a successful event.

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‘Tis the Season

Sometimes you gotta listen to your ten-year-old self and buy the cereal with blue marshmallows.

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Smithsonian Castle

One last photo from the Smithsonian Castle. I could have spent days walking around these museums, but alas, I miles to go before I slept.

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Smithsonian Institute

Another photo from my trip to the Smithsonian Institute. My Aunt Rose, who just turned 83 last month, has a story about drinking from the wrong fountain when she visited Florida in the 1950’s.

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National Museum of the American Indian

Yesterday morning, before I started my drive back to Massachusetts, I spent a few hours wandering around the Smithsonian Institute. Besides the Air and Space, which Bekka and I walked through on Sunday evening, I hadn’t been to any of the museums since my eighth grade field trip with Mr. Blaisdell in 1990. I only had a few hours yesterday since I was trying to beat the parking meter, so I checked out the Smithsonian Castle and saw an exhibit on Civil War photography. Then I visited the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in Sept. 2004. While the whole building and landscape was carefully designed and symbolic (surrounded by “grandfather boulders,”) this is a photo of the central lobby. Bekka and Kate both recommended the food court which has food stations from native different regions of the Americas (South America, Meso America, Great Plains, Pacific Northwest…) Much more interesting than the McDonalds and Starbucks in the other museums’ food courts.
I would have loved to stay longer and watch the videos at the various exhibits, but the DC Meter Maids can be harsh mistresses. I escaped just under my three hours (I still have a ticket hanging over my head from Worcester).
Last night I stayed with my cousin Stan and his family in Philadelphia. Because I went to the Air and Space Museum Gift Shop the previous day, I brought dessert for my eight and eleven year old nieces – Astronaut Ice Cream (that stuff tastes way different when you’re 36).

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Beam us up, Scotty!!

Live long, prosper, meet Bekka from AmeriCorps, and visit the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 model they used in Star Trek TOS at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

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1984

Last night I met Amie, my frind from AmeriCorps, inNew Castle, DE and we went to a bar inWilmington called 1984. The bar has about 30 old-time arcade games, like frogger, Galaga, Tekken, Gauntlet, both Mr. And Miss Pac-man, and The Simpsons. I left my mark on one game (extra points if you know which one this is… )

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Hold the Tomatoes….

I met my friend Ashley for lunch today in Levittown, Pennsylvania. She brought me for lunch at Ferraro’s in Fairless Hills. When she ordered an egg salad sandwich and with no tomatoes, the kitchen was sure to accomodate. (Actually, this was kind of a joke … Ashley and her family have been coming to Ferraro’s for about twenty years.) They even packed the sandwich for her to bring home to her mom.

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Hello from New Jersey!

Day one of my roadtrip: Dinner in Norwood, NJ with Josh from Northeastern…

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