Travelling across America: on the road with user (sic)

Hi guys it’s me. I’m buggering off around the world for six months and will be in North America in July and September, roughly speaking. This is a thread for me to ask where I should go and what I should do when there during road-trip bits, ask general advice, suggest FAP*, get pointed to city-specific threads that I don’t know about and post about what’s happening, probably.

So! I’m just sticking this here for now. General suggestions welcome, specific exhortations to visit places encouraged, if you know nice non-murdery people with profiles on couchsurfing.org then I am keen to be “introduced” to them :D


*NB: if you think I’m a dick on here, or have never seen me but clicked on the thread anyway**, I promise I am pleasant and charming in person. Dozens of ILX0rs can attest to this, or sentiments in the vague vicinity thereof, and I would be delighted to meet any and all others.

** Hello! I am Australian and moderately tall. totally call me Kit (in any thread you like but especially this one. I am not a typographical joke, I am a free man)

New York is fun!

and if you come here i will get you in to see some good music

Should be in NYC last weekend in June for a few days, then again late September - I'm already ;_; about how much $ummerstage this doesn't match up with! totally down for an IRL Tofu Hut experience instead

hm. last weekend in june is the Big Star show and Canada Day with LIGHTS... tho saturday is also Os Mutantes and Janka Nabay at Celebrate Brooklyn! so good options. But look me up for anything!

Joe Bataan on Tuesday looks good too

(FTR, Americanadians looking at this thread in future months: I am probably down for whatever non-usurious gigs, or openings, or dancing, or stand-up, or your friend's band playing their third show ever in a basement, or dancing, that happen to be going on)

*** CARS ***

A general overland question: East coast I’m going to do intercity stuff on cheapo buses. West coast I figure makes sense to rent a car, or maybe meet people in hostels and split rides. But I want to do some middle states in a meandering, make-it-up-as-I-go-along fashion, going roughly from Toronto/Chicago to New Orleans, but zig-zagging around as whim and suggestion take me.

Are there car rental places I could pick up and drop off so far apart? Would it be feasible to buy a cheap car in Canada and sell it in the Southern US? Is it dumb to aim to drive solo and should I do buses instead? (Is that going to end up more expensive overall?) [Stevie D?] If renting, should I get something I can sleep in, instead of a regular car?

i'm not really an expert but i'd think if you used any of the national car rental agencies the pickup/dropoff would not be a problem (basically at airports). it would, however, be pricey for the length of time i think you're talking about.

if you're the enterprising type i could see the case for buying, tho you'd incur any maintenance costs obv.

tough to say more w/out having a feel for your budget. oh, and if you come to boston some ilxors will hang out with you.

Intercity stuff on cheapo busses is absolutely the way to go on the east coast IME (the three I've used are BoltBus, Megabus, and Greyhound Express which is fancier and often cheaper than regular Greyhound). On the west coast it's v easy to get rideshares (which is how I got from Seattle > Olympia > Portland > SF > LA > Vegas). Rideshares seems like a pretty west coast thing though and it seems hard to get reliable ones elsewhere in the country.

The rideshares I've done are via Craigslist btw

Also Couchsurfing is a good thing if you like to engage w/ ppl and have them show you around cities and tell you cool things and hang out, but a) it takes a bit of effort as you have to like read profiles and find ppl that seem like matches, and then message a bunch of them, and then hope that one of them can host you b) is not a free hostel; you're kinda expected to like engage w/ ppl rather than just sleep on their couch and peace out the next day.

cheers CAD - yeah this would be for several weeks, and I figured a national agency is likely to be more costly than somewhere you return to the same lot too. I figure my best/ideal option would be buying off some other travellers who've just finished a trip, then selling to a dealer to save time at the other end (will be flying from New Orleans to Central America so will have a deadline. also iirc from when I was 11 [reliable!] NO can be handled way easier on foot than most American cities)

Boston is a definite - late September at least, but maybe first week in July. esp if that suited for FAPpage!

I bet if you stopped in Philly that a Stevie wd kick it w/ you

ta Stevie - I knew abt Megabus and Boltbus, could be handy to know a fancier option is also worth looking at ($1 fares WTF?!).

yeah, the social and local recommendation aspect of Couchsurfing is something I'm into; would absolutely rather have ppl tell me something to do in their city than roll up at a train station and pick up a leaflet. and I dig meeting/putting up* people off the internet and showing/suggesting them things in Sydney they might like. will probably need to budget a day or two a week to decompress but hey

Craiglist is not really a ~thing~ in Australia. You're saying I can get driven from city to city for free as long as someone's filming my feet in the back of a van, right? Sounds fair.


*have not done this via organised bespoke website though!

xpost - would be honoured to kiw!

Mega and Bolt are kinda annoying at times (the free wifi is really buggy and also a lot of the power outlets at the seats don't work) but I've never had a major issue with them. Also, Bolt has a rewards program (buy 10 get 1 I think?)

and yeah w/ rideshares you just split the cost of gas or let them film your feet

Train from Chi to NOLA is an option; you could make lots of stops along the way (Memphis!) & even rent cars in places if you like. I live along the path fwiw (out of country until August though)

NOLA is the best; it's the only American city that's really its own world rather than playground for the aspirational

Catching the Megabus is a great experience because it's got all the hopelessness of lining up for security at the airport but without any evidence that anyone, anywhere is in charge.

Go to Washington, DC and go to some of the finest and absolutely the free-est museums in America. Really the importance of "free museums" to having a good time in DC cannot be overstated.

I can definitely vouch for the bonafides and awesome FAPtimes of Mr Kit, fwiw. Totally jeal of your big roadtrip! I know ive floated the idea myself more than once and it never came to be.

Several people would probably say hi and drink in Chicago. We have a thread, it's easy to find.

Go to Washington, DC and go to some of the finest and absolutely the free-est museums in America. Really the importance of "free museums" to having a good time in DC cannot be overstated.

Ditto Cleveland, where we have the always-free Cleveland Museum of Art and its award-winning, groundbreaking Gallery One. And within a couple blocks of it, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Botanical Gardens, the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Museum of Contemporary Art, all in the beautiful University Circle neighborhood, home of Case Western Reserve University. Plus, to top it off, Severance Hall and the Cleveland Orchestra. You can enjoy all of this, plus great restaurants and bars and an awesome atmosphere, without ever even seeing downtown Cleveland!

one other thing to think about on the car-buying tip--the car will have a title and a registration and stuff (and may be required to have insurance, and if not you'd be smart to get it), and if you're a visitor without a fixed address i'm not totally sure how easy all that stuff is to deal with.

like, i'm sure it can be done but it might be kind of a pain in the ass.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lveks5mvM11qcyuhro1_500.gif

get me to the Cleve!

One way rental is not totally out of the question and the longer you have the car the less the difference in price between a one way and a round trip rental

1) Google up some discount codes for the rental companies, they normally come from airline loyalty programs etc. and can be good for 10% off. In theory they should check your membership card at the rental desk but I've never had that happen. That said, joining Delta or Southwests loyalty scheme is free so why not.

2) Kayak can help you serach across rental websites and owners

3) Check to see if your credit card, travel insurance or car insurance policy will cover you for renting a car. Rental insurance from the car rental company can often be more than the cost of rental. My creed card has insurance for $14.99 for up to 45 days rental and it can often be close to that a day from the rental company.

4) Look for secondary large rental locations in big areas, they can often be cheaper. eg. Ontario. CA Airport ratther than LA has often been a lot cheaper for me.

5) Look for regional variations to exploit. In Pittsburgh where I live Sales Tax is higher than the surrounding counties and Allegheny County levies a vehicle rental tax. If I take a city bus over the county Line to Westmoreland County it can be 10% or more cheaper because if this. Airports often levy a fee on the car rental companies as well. That said airports often have the best stock and offer the best deals.

6) Car rental websites will almost never display the economy car without an extra click.

Many thanks Ed (and everyone! will reply more tomorrow)

You can also buy 3rd party rental insurance. It is always cheaper than the rental companies offer.

Mega and Bolt are kinda annoying at times (the free wifi is really buggy and also a lot of the power outlets at the seats don't work)

this is an amazing 1st world problem!


Train from Chi to NOLA is an option; you could make lots of stops along the way (Memphis!) & even rent cars in places if you like.

main reason for wanting to drive in this part is to be able to see non-city American places & meet people with rural and small-town life experiences. being drenched in US media all our lives over here makes the "flyover country" phenomenon a weird blind, or at least myopic, spot in our idea of the States. also just the pleasure of driving!


NOLA is the best; it's the only American city that's really its own world rather than playground for the aspirational

yeah, was meant to be going earlier, and meeting up there with a friend who's over for six weeks right now; will be a different vibe not to have someone to share impressions with


Catching the Megabus is a great experience because it's got all the hopelessness of lining up for security at the airport but without any evidence that anyone, anywhere is in charge.

:D

Go to Washington, DC and go to some of the finest and absolutely the free-est museums in America. Really the importance of "free museums" to having a good time in DC cannot be overstated.

yeah, planning on spending a few days museuming in DC. especially the spy museum! I'm not bothered about govermental buildings and such, so museums and a Go-Go show are the real draws. is Monica Lewinski's dress on display somewhere?


Several people would probably say hi and drink in Chicago. We have a thread, it's easy to find.

Chicago probably around the second week in July, I'll be finding the thread for sure. 'sup to jaymc


one other thing to think about on the car-buying tip--the car will have a title and a registration and stuff (and may be required to have insurance, and if not you'd be smart to get it), and if you're a visitor without a fixed address i'm not totally sure how easy all that stuff is to deal with.

like, i'm sure it can be done but it might be kind of a pain in the ass.

party pooper, sober counsel. a hope is that if I'm buying off some other traveller they've already gone through the same stuff and know the problems to be dealt with

ta all!

I used to use Hotwire for car rental, if it's still going. There are always extra charges above the listed price but it used to have V good rates iirc

MOBILE TELEPHONY!

does America have cheapish and easy pre-paid sim card thingers that you can top up as you go, like in lands of Britishes and Australia? Or does your weird phone service monopoly ruin things for everyone? Are txts still ludicrously expensive, instead of being essentially free-flowing, like water filled with lols?


if I'm in Canadia for a week or few days at a time, will I need a different sim or service?


what's the situation in Central America / Mexico / whatnot? I mean obviously I can live without txting people in countries where I don't speak the language, but JUST SAY WHAT IF I take a really sweet photo of an ocelot or my balls that I want to snapchat?

go 2 national parks, consider buying a national parks pass if you end up wanting to, it'll be way cheaper

Canada and the US run on completely separate plans; calls/texts btwn them are counted as international. We do have prepaid/pay as you go stuff but idk much about them.

Cricket, Boost, MetroPCS are some of them, and I know ATT and T-Mobile have prepaid plans as well. There's tons, really.

wait or this http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414494,00.asp

obviously a road trip calls for something through the southwest if you want to do it right.

Stevie you rule

homodeuce my impression of the southwest is: fucking gorgeous and would suit camping and climbing and chilling BUT vast swathes of desert = bad idea to road trip solo. is this a wrong assumption based on the enormousness of Australian desert? holla at me

there's a chance of venturing further if I meet ppl doing the same while I'm coming down the west coast, but that's obv not super-plannable. am going to try an have a stop off somewhere between Mexico and Vancouver, but that's a plane leg atm.

why does desert=bad solo road trip?

days between human settlements -> car overheats -> eaten by buzzards

there's a walmart every fifty miles at least

yeah somehow i dont imagine the US has those vast deadly swathes of absolute nada that we do here that engenders such risk, i'd imagine.

stay on the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Defense Interstate Highway System and you're not gonna die.

I traveled all over NM by myself one trip, and I live in AZ now and hit the road solo a lot, it's no big deal. In NM I felt like I was really in the middle of nowhere, pulled off the side of the road to eat some crackers or something and 1st car that drove by stopped and was all "you ok buddy??". If you stick to highways (ie not just Interstates, but US and state routes...def recommend perusing a list of designated scenic byways and picking out a few to explore), you'll be fine. Really remote places require off-road vehicle, anyway.

Don't leave the road in Death Valley or you will never be heard from again, though

I traveled all over NM by myself one trip, and I live in AZ now and hit the road solo a lot, it's no big deal. In NM I felt like I was really in the middle of nowhere,

NM is like 1/7th the size of NSW, which is one of the smallest states. It's pretty difficult to get perspective on sizes and distances for the US from here!

(Britain is easy: from London you can catch a train to another country for a gig and have hours in the pub beforehand, or catch the train home in time for work from a beachside holiday destination. From this I extrapolate that anywhere east or west is a day's stroll.)

basically count on 5-6 hrs to get from middle of one state to middle of the other in Southwest, w/o stops, fastest route. like denver to albuequerque to phoenix to LA are nearly all 6 hr trips. obv mountain roads can double or triple that easily, which may be another factor you're not too familiar with?

Winding roads on the side of mountains are occasionally a thing of my experience, but long distance travel in Australia is very largely set up to avoid them.

Just googled Motel 6 to make sure it was a real thing and not something made up for old TV like 555 phone numbers. Room rates are now $100? wtf, update your name, people.

Features include: modern furnishings influenced by European and boutique hotels; flat-screen televisions; brighter paint accents and soft goods packages; wood floors; increased storage space; ergonomic workspace and Wi-Fi access; updated bathrooms with glass shower doors and granite countertops.

Are there still places at roadsides and on the edges of towns where you can get a mattress full of dead skinflakes, held together with dried semen and murderblood, with a non-functional CRT, for bugger-all $?

I know there are places in LA like that but idk abt edges of towns

Room rates are now $100? wtf, update your name, people.

fwiw, it's usually cheaper in nowheresvilles like most of Indiana.

But in my experience, Red Roof Inn is always cheaper (usually around $50, never more than $75).

There is a chain called Microtel, most locations are in smaller cities/towns, but they are in the Wyndham group and the website will show you other nearby hotels in the same group, like Travelodge.
I *think* they have free breakfast, but I don't know if they all do, the one we stayed at did.

airbnb really

but bring your own pepperspray

It'll be hostels and (where lucky) couchsurfing.org above airbnb, but that'll only work in cities

Canadian and US cell phones run on the same system, but as someone mentioned upthread, it'll cost you $$$$ for calls and texts between the two and you'll get absolutely murdered on roaming. I've lived in both countries and can attest that the US has much cheaper, more expansive cell phone plans than Canada. When I lived in Canada, it was cheaper to just get the North American plan on my American phone and use that.

Would it be feasible to buy a cheap car in Canada and sell it in the Southern US
No. You'll have the import the car into the other country and the process is expensive, time-consuming and byzantine.

ty for the latter

looks like my travel insurance is going to come with a somehow-global SIM that will give me the same phone number all around the world. I'm dubious about whether this will not be mega-expensive for ppl contacting me, but am going to find as much detail as I can.

Is there a regular-ish FAP or rolling NYC thread that it would be polite to bump, to see if ppl want to fap end of June, or should I just start a self-centred one as ppl seem to do, or hijack Tuomas' current one?

Canadian and US cell phones run on the same system, but as someone mentioned upthread, it'll cost you $$$$ for calls and texts between the two and you'll get absolutely murdered on roaming. I've lived in both countries and can attest that the US has much cheaper, more expansive cell phone plans than Canada. When I lived in Canada, it was cheaper to just get the North American plan on my American phone and use that.

that's a North American plan as opposed to a US plan I take it - including Mexico too?

I have the rates for my "global" sim now and it seems it'll be way better to use a local service*. the good prepaid dealies from Stevie's link seem to want to only mail me a sim; will there actually be shops and kiosks in airports and malls that sell them too, or is it too outre and niche a product in the States?

in which case I'd better hurry up and book a hostel in LA so I can have it send there I guess.

get a mod to change the title to reflect it's a potential fap?
and look me up when you're in town.

are we getting drunk tonight or what used to be the nyc fap thread before the advent of a certain poster. i'm sure you can use tuomas' thread, tho. or perhaps i go to new york

ah I think the latter is what I was thinking of

holy shit at the former

One of the best routes I've taken is a drive from Chicago to Memphis to Oxford, Mississippi - most of this leg will be boring, but the destinations are awesome for myriad reasons, from BBQ to Stax to Faulkner, total American icons - then scoot down south to New Orleans. Then loop around through the Gulf to Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama, for more uniquely American culture and sites, from Martin Luther King stuff to the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, which is one of the best museums I have ever seen.. Then hit Nashville, which is fun. Head north to Louisville, back trough Chicago, then head up northwest through the Dakotas and then across Big Sky country in Montana and Wyoming (no speed limit!), where everything is incredible. Eventually you wil get to the Pacific Northwest. Then work your way down the coast through Seattle, Portland, San Fran, LA, etc., then loop southeast through the desert and mountains to check ut the awesomeness in Utah, Arizona, etc. - from the Grand Canyon to Vegas around there.

The rest is up to you. It's a big country. I've been to every state but Alaska. East coast is easier to explore. Biggest expense will be places to sleep, followed by gas. Americans do cheap food pretty well, and there are far more uniquely regional offerings than you'll find in, say, Australia.

Over the last seven years I've spent six days of most summers driving between Washington State and Michigan. Montana and Wyoming definitely have speed limits, at least on the interstate, and have since at least 2004 when I first drove to Seattle.

North Dakota can fuck right off as far as I'm concerned but western Montana and western South Dakota are really beautiful and great drives with mind-blowing scenery. It still kind of amazes me how vast and empty a whole lot of the US is.

Wow, "reasonable and proper" limit in Montana was revoked in 1998< i guess. Now's it's 75.

that's a North American plan as opposed to a US plan I take it - including Mexico too?
Ha, no. Just northern North America.

Agree with joygoat that western South Dakota (the Badlands and Black Hills) is a sight to behold. One of my favorite places on earth. Lotsa beauty on the Great Plains.

Only states to skip are Oklahoma and Florida, really, and the latter ultimately just because it's out of the way.

Florida's definitely out of the way, and since they're not launching shuttles anymore there's zero reason to visit. (I say this as someone who moved away in 2011 when they stopped launching shuttles.)

large swaths of the united states are going to be MUCH easier with a car, and if you'r thinking about renting one, there is a ridiculous amount of variation between states and even within the same state -- you could wind up with the same car costing you $100/day out of New York City or $12/day out of some random suburb in western PA. BTW I've had great experiences with Priceline for car rentals.

I'd say America by anything but car would be like touring New York by helicopter. You really miss the point. Road trippin' across America is a thing, like backpacking through Europe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2crST10hP-s

Yeah, you totally gotta do a car. But if you go the rental route, make sure you are allowed to take the car out of state. And some rental agreements will only let you take the car to adjoining states. I think it's best, if you're gonna be here for awhile, is to just buy a beater for a few grand and sell it or donate it when you leave. You'll get to see so much more and do it on your own terms.

I'd say America by anything but car would be like touring New York by helicopter.

why do you guys hate trains

because they suck in this country

sic, if you drive I5 through Oregon feel free to stop in Eugene, we have a guest room, just let me know.

yeah given the length of time probably right about it being better to just buy a car

Oh wait, July AND September, for a sec I thought that said July THRU September. nm

because they suck in this country

it's been 20 years since I rode them but I have fond memories of the Amtrak routes from LA to Seattle and the one that goes over the Rockies. Leisurely!

A scenic train trip across the west can be nice, but as an actual means of getting around and getting to different places around the country it blows

mpls/stpl (thats mn yo) welcome you with open arms

I would also consider just calling up a rental agency like Budget or Hertz, explaining that you want to do a long cross-country trip and that your flexible with starting points, and ask them where it would be cheapest to do it from.

tbf though you'll probably meet a lot more randos bussing around than you will in a car, which could be both good and bad

(Mexico / Cuba / idk somewhere Central America maybe? is Augustish.)

oh and places like Hertz, Budget, Avis are nationwide and have "one-way" pick-up/drop-offs so you can pick up pretty much anywhere in the country and drop-off anywhere else

two things

1) DC spy museum is not free sadly; I have heard various reports from friends that it is a bit more twee and kid-oriented than srs spy business that I had hoped and I didn't end up going. Def go to the Newseum if you go to any paid museums. My favorite of the free ones is the Air and Space Museum, and Natural History is AMAZEBALLS

2) plz to consider passing through Sacramento :D

let me know if you're silly enough to come to Texas in the dog days of summer. I really can't recommend it, but I'll offer a sweaty handshake and a cold drink.

the Air and Space Museum

Shh, don't tell anyone, but the new Air and Space annex, out by Dulles, is huge, awesome and usually empty.

If you head to Texas, drive around to all the middle of nowhere BBQ spots. My Aussie brother in law loves to hit backwoods BBQ shacks, because it's so unlike what he can get at home.

I would also consider just calling up a rental agency like Budget or Hertz, explaining that you want to do a long cross-country trip and that your flexible with starting points, and ask them where it would be cheapest to do it from.

Speaking from experience, Alamo is generally OK with multi-state car rental as long as you don't go to Mexico in it.

DC spy museum is not free sadly; I have heard various reports from friends that it is a bit more twee and kid-oriented than srs spy business that I had hoped and I didn't end up going. Def go to the Newseum if you go to any paid museums. My favorite of the free ones is the Air and Space Museum, and Natural History is AMAZEBALLS

The best part of of the DC spy museum are the bus tours they offer with ex-CIA/KGB guys: http://www.spymuseum.org/exhibition-experiences/interactive-spy-experiences/spy-city-tours/

Definitely DO go to the National Cryptological Museum next to the NSA headquarters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cryptologic_Museum

Shh, don't tell anyone, but the new Air and Space annex, out by Dulles, is huge, awesome and usually empty.

^^^^^^ 100%

Related to this, the USAF museum in Dayton Ohio is a must if you're into this: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

yeah Dulles hangar is the #1 reason why we will rent a car next time we go to DC

they used to have a free shuttle out there but apparently it got cancelled. jerks.

Sequester!!!! *raises fists*

many thanks to everyone who's posted stuff in the last week that I haven't had time to reply to btw - shit is incred hectic packing my entire life up for six months.

$19.95 entry fee is not going to stop me visiting the spy museum btw

(inc things like oh, my passport getting stolen, and upstairs' plumbing flooding through our storeroom the exact day that I started clearing out a bookcase to move my most fancy, rare, and expensive books into. whee.)

It's fucking $19.95?!? Jesus!!

amortise that across all the free museums in DC imo

stolen passport ugggh that suck dude

yeah I've burned through my first couple of weeks' budget before I've even left

amortise that across all the free museums in DC imo

Btw the Philips Collection is a non-free museum in DC decidedly worth visiting: Rothko room, Luncheon of the Boating Party, half of Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series, assorted less-popular impressionists, and some stellar original rooms.

Did I post all my top DC museum things to see yet? If not, I will. (And become homesick most likely.)

You know how US postage went insanely up last year, so that it became non-functional to buy things any more? Is postage in Canada cheaper (ie if I buy a bunch of comics in NY should I send them home from Toronto) ?

No.

Ta! (Is it more expensive, or on par?)

More and takes longer.

The USPS has global priority mail as well as global flat rate shipping.

Takes longer isn't a concern, I won't be getting back to meet anything until next year

I know the US used to have that Media mail flat rate but thought that was no longer as useful. Ta again!

say kit, if you'll be stopping in seattle, jergins and i would be pleased to host you. it'd be lovely to meet you again, and to return your hospitality.

lxy! :D - I was totally going to dig up your email before I get to Seattle. Late August probably!

Party in Seattle!

Just realised that my current itinerary has me going to Canada the day before Independence Day. I don't care for gaudy patriotism of any kind really, but should probably stick around and see some fireworks or parades or something, right?

Presuming it'll be too expensive to stay in New York, anywhere nearby East Coasty that'll have cool shit going on? Tell me of your 4th Julys.

if you can hang around, yeah definitely

try to find your way to a block party or a neighborhood barbecue...I got a kick out of the one block party I went to for fourth of July a couple of years ago. Worst case, find a high spot and watch all the fireworks all over. It's kinda something.

protip - avoid driving anywhere on freeways around witching hour 8-10pm or later. DRUUUUNK city.

I dunno if it was just the weird fancy neighborhood I got invited to, but the block party I went to had a fuckin STREET PARADE with old timey fire engines and everything. I felt like I was in a Norman Rockwell painting, it was kinda cool.

I can hang around, I reckon I'd just start going up through Boston and Vermont gradually and whatnot rather than flying to Montreal.

sic: go to Willimantic, CT on the fourth for the Boom Box Parade, a tradition started there by my late Aunt. Which I have sadly never witnessed.

http://www.wili-am.com/parade.htm

This is about my aunt.

http://www.wili-am.com/paradekathy.htm

Hey Sic - what did you decide to do?

eat tacos in Echo Park tbrrrn

definitely going to put off Canadia til later though

(on zing, will check silby's links in airport or nyc)

Does Niagra Falls have some sort of large fireworks show? That puts you half way to Montreal.

not from nyc

Ha, I just assumed (Californian here, always thought NF was near the Montreal part of Canada). Well, Toronto is nice!

the boombox parade looks http://famousrighteousandholy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/cool-as-fuck.gif but I suspect of more novelty value to someone who's used to regular 4th July parades. I want classic cheese, I think! Apparently Philadelphia has something along these lines? Wanna hang out next week, Stevie?

OBVI! When/how long you planning to be in Philly?

whee! figuring arrive Wednesday afternoon, see patriotism in bloom Thursday, ~sometime~ after that prob rent a car and go to Chicago via Columbus. when are you working and stuff? email me on kitbrash (at) gmail, or txt me at three two three 229-8159.

(^ this also goes for anyone at all, with or without travel tips, btw. it's been weird living for a week without joeks and photos buzzing in my pocket)

we're rain or shine tonight sic

go to Chicago via Cleveland, instead. It is a much better city than Cbus.

I might be up for joining the Seattle fap theorized upthread. sic I hope you will be able to avoid driving through any states which are currently substantially on fire.

I want to go to Columbus to look at original mid-C20 comics art at the Billy Ireland museum (and they're closing for months on July 15)

where's on fire btw? it's drizzling miserably in NYC

also I could get me to the Cleve on the weekend and then go Columbus on weekdays. why should I Cleveland, other than to pat a real police horse?

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

it's not a bad museum, tho I don't know what they're displaying now.

Cleveland Art Museum, which is free, is currently hosting this awesome Carrie Mae Weems retrospective: http://carriemaeweems.net/retrospective.html (And there's plenty of other things worth seeing as well.)

Also we are spoiled with great brewpubs these days, most notable Great Lakes Brewing Co. on the near west side of downtown.

Also, the house where Superman was born.

I assumed HOF was dumb and cheesy, but happy to learn otherwise

I find it mega-gross that a private homeowner raised more than 500x what Siegel & Shuster were paid for the rights to Superman, from donations, to get his house fixed for free, while Siegel's heirs were desperately trying to get some royalties or rights out of Time-Warner tbh

but wth!

I could easily spend all day just in the Les Paul exhibit at the RRHOF.

Fun fact: Jerry Siegel's ex-wife Bella and son Michael were the previous owners of my house. If nothing else, I saved Jerry's surviving heirs $5,000 in sewer repairs I had to have made right after I bought it.

avoid northern California for the time being unless you like bursting into flames. the sun is being a reaaaaal asshole atm

(he divorced that wife in 1948, I don't think they get anything from the estate if his widow and daughter succeed btw)

not back in Cali til September

You are correct, they got nothing, but Michael's half-sister Laura, who pops up in all of these stories, was Michael's executor. He died in 2006 and we bought the house in 2007.

half-sister Laura, who pops up in all of these stories, was Michael's executor

aw that's nice at least

Cleveland appears to have literally one hostel btw.

I love the West Side Market and the lakeshore and the Art Museum and the Christmas Story house!
I don't know why people live in Columbus. If you removed OSU and the statehouse, you'd be left with 4 inbreds and a pig.

You could totally do Columbus in a day trip.

This is why some people live in Columbus.

You could totally do Columbus in a day trip

they will pull art for you and let you sit in an airconditioned room for as long as you like gawping at it! this is not a day trip from Australia

the one hostel in Cleveland only has spare room on Saturday night. do Cleve-boosters reckon it's worth going to the city for 24 hours, including sleep?

Cleve-boosters

. . .

Cleveland ended up getting happily ignored btw, in favour of staying in Philly longer.

Your country is annoyingly large, folks*. The road-trip bit looks like disappearing altogether, basically in order to be able to visit/meet a friend who lives in Houston while their house is absent of kids. Am now doing the train from Chicago to New Orleans, with 24 hours in Memphis along the way.

Looking ahead and starting to plan the second leg of US properly though: looks like an 11-hour bus ride from Washington DC Boston will cost about $60, even booking this far out**, but a flight could be under $90. Is this for real?

*yes, Australia's bigger. But it has the good grace to mostly be completely empty.

** actually I can't even book because it's too far out. But on the last day available.

Also there was a 3-minute period in Columbus today that was one of the most thrilling highlights of my life.

domestic flights can be supercheap, grab 'em where you can

i agree, the hugeness + population everywhere is kind of an eyeopener
but not seeing as much vs quality time in a few places, idk, quality time makes better memories imo :)

happy trails

one more vote like that and I'll book something tomorrow. anyone got opinions on whether three nights in DC is enough to museum my eyes out during the day?

NB my biggest concern is rly finding a go-go show on early weeknights


mpls/stpl (thats mn yo) welcome you with open arms

tragically there is no way I am going to make it up that far now ;_;

jjj come to Chicago megafap on Thursday instead, let Henry mind the gtr store

where in Texas are you EZsnaps?

also re Columbus btw: there's a guy from Sweden not only in the same hostel, but in the same dorm, who is also here to go to the same library collection while they're open. (he has three boxes pulled of Will Eisner's correspondence.)

I'm in Dallas. Would love to say hello if you're coming through.

prepare to sweat in Houston

three nights is doable, honestly if that's all you have it's better than nothing at all. you may have to pick and choose, as the bigger smithsonians (art, nat hist, amer hist, space) easily fill a day

say hi to abe for me

may have a stopover in Dallas in August. will keep you posted!

I'm sweating everywhere tbh, at least Texas ought to be dry

Veg it's more Smithsonians or go to Boston to argue abt Doctor Who with DJP

:D

Definitely get in touch! Once you know a date let me know and I'll make sure I've got some free time.

Houston WILL NOT be dry. It's brutal heat and humidity. Dallas is usually much drier, but not arid like Western Texas.

Parts of Texas are dry but gulf coast is disgustingly humid. Houston is one of the most humid cities in the country. I'm in AZ and it's been 100F most days here, my weatherunderground app says "feels like" 95ish. Last week it said it was 100F in Houston and felt like...178F.

;_;

eisner correspondence sounds interesting!

guys this dude is so rad tbh, show him around your respective cities it is such fun.

eh, he's fine. drinks all the goddamn free beer though!

so stoked to kic it w/a sic in sea

I had one beer on Tuesday and three wines on Sunday

I am megashitfaced in Columbus though tbh

is anky someone old being new btw?!

I just spent idk six+ hours drinking and ranting abt comics

slightly want to move here

jjj come to Chicago megafap on Thursday instead, let Henry mind the gtr store

Would that I could, but I have pregnant wife/impending child/djp arrival and bachelor party for ilxor fluffy bear (RIP) weekend so

bachelor party for ilxor fluffy bear

do you need drink recipes

Ha! We have terrible, terrible things planned. Also there will be nipsy russells if I have to kidnap everyone until I can grow habeneros on site.

I had one beer on Tuesday and three wines on Sunday

sic come to MPLS this weekend and crash Fluffy Bear's bachelor party

ha if I had seen this I might have at least looked at flights (PS check yr ILXmail DJP)


who's been to Mexico? all other factors aside, would ppl recommend going from Tulum to Oaxaca by: just getting a bus back to Cancun airport and flying; or taking a few days and some overnight 11-hr bus rides and going via Palenque?

also I'm trying to work out my US west coast dates and why are the Breeders going in the opposite direction to me >:(

OK stand down, I'm going to further ruin my spine and do the buses

I can't imagine. Safe travels!

(emailed you btw)

good luck, sic!

vaya con dios, sic!

safe travels!

yes<3

ilxors who haven't met sic and have the chance to do so while he's travelling around should take it, he is truly top notch.

ehh he's okay

j/k i am v. pleased to have met him

aw

aw everyone

I can't imagine. Safe travels!

I could fly at 5am for $300, but it is three hours or so to the airport

or later in the day for $1100, and my entire round-the-world ticket cost about 5

so, 11 hours on a bus tomorrow night, and 14 hours on a bus on Sunday night

better stories tho

"so then I slept badly for nine hours until the sun came up, while smelling a leaky chemical toilet"

spine thing is no joke though, am going to have to find some kind of physio or chiro or sthgn in Vancouver or Seattle

you must coerce yr fellow bus passengers into performing les miz or something! there is surely a film to be made here, and better you write the script than pato's buddy nick cave

yes<3

ilxors who haven't met sic and have the chance to do so while he's travelling around should take it, he is truly top notch.

― estela, Thursday, July 25, 2013 7:00 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

agree
also, i can't even imagine the people skills one must develop on a trip like this

off to cuba in the morning

if I don't start posting again in 10 days, RIP

!

taking the Capaldi news rather hard don't u think

From where are you flying to Cuba??

are you visiting California on your trip?

taking the Capaldi news rather hard don't u think

that news couldn't have been any better, but there was a death toll in Havana up to 11 at that point


From where are you flying to Cuba??

Mexico!


are you visiting California on your trip?

yes: LA roughly the second week in September, SF presumably just before that unless I can figure out how to be there on the 28th to see The Breeders play Last Splash

oh and maybe now an extra popping to LA late next week to catch some of video arts festival Everything Is, largely because Mexico City is kinda grotty and dull after a couple of weeks in lovely beaches or smaller towns and cities in Mexico so I'm not sure I'm going to hang there once I go back

sorry anyone who loves Mexico City

seattle FAP on thursday!

hey, i met (sic)! he had blue hair and some very cogent thoughts on a very strange movie!

wait he's got blue hair now

it was my solemn pleasure to confuse and alarm jbr by recognising her off the internet

here is some other work by the main writer/producer dude (mobile link): http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0095372/filmotype/writer

omg awesome

i was neither confused nor alarmed; i hear "are you get bent?" from ilxors passing through more than you'd think! delighted to meet you.

Wait did you guys arrange to meet or did he just like see you walking around or?

cross-ref w/ what's happening thread

There are too many Portland threads on ILX. Is This is Portland, we do what we like. This is Portland, we do what we like. still the ostensible main one or is there an active-ish one somewhere?

that's the most recent one, yeah.

^ ta

last night flights from Portland to San Francisco were $145. This morning they were $220. wtf, America?!

lol otm

so should I faff around and see if they go down again on collective airlines' whim, or panic and buy now?

Someone told me once that Tuesdays are the best days to buy tickets, no idea if that's true but try tomorrow.

thanks, will hold you responsible & punch you in the face tomorrow night if this lead does not turn out to be 100% reliable obv

tbh I got from PDX > SF via rideshare for $50 and it was actually kind of fun!

And yes OTM abt tuesdays being the best day to buy tickets; something abt carriers unloading leftover seats to start a new cycle on Wed? I think?

had to fly this leg, because a friend is flying in from Toronto for three days. Tuesday didn't turn out to be any better though

I may finally look into ridesharing SF -> LA though! was talking about renting and driving, cos I still haven't driven in the US at all, but was told the road is completely terrifying due to sheer drop. which might be too much to pay attention to while I'm remembering to stay on the wrong side of the road

i doubt there's any sheer drop on I-5?

I think the drops would be along the coast on the scenic view roads? idk

yep

Drives btwn PDX - SF - LA are some of the most incredible car trips I'v ever taken. A+, would recommend

I mean in terms of scenery. Idk what Oz is like but I'd never really seen anything like it on the east coast

Highly recommend doing some of Hwy-1 if you can manage a detour, I drove it from Monterey to SF & it's gorgeous. (It goes all the way to LA)

Route 1 an absolute must.

it is all beautiful, 1 especially but also 101 further north

are you all talking about the same road or

route 1, hwy 2 'the 1', it's all the same thing

101 is diff

lol that should've been 'route 1, hwy 1, 'the 1' it's all the same thing'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_101_in_California

And yes OTM abt tuesdays being the best day to buy tickets; something abt carriers unloading leftover seats to start a new cycle on Wed? I think?

This seems to be wildly inaccurate, or at least unreliable, for anyone who might ever stumble across this thread btw. Trying it has cost me about a grand in the last couple of weeks.

ack! fuck! I am sorry :(

totally not blaming you or silby! I'm pretty convinced that US airfares are ridiculous and unpredictable generally.

The secret is to clear your cache before you search. They keep an eye on repeat visitors, and you're more likely to get a "clean" rate if they think you've just started your search.

wouldn't that be cookies?

yah

so I'm heading to the airport in the next hour

it's been real, America

Safe journeys home! Sorry we didn't get to meet in Dallas, but honestly you spent your time in more interesting places.

Another three months before I'm home! Flying to Madrid tonight.

and yeah, sorry too! but if it helps, I got food poisoning in DFW airport that travelled with me for two weeks

Ugh that's awful! Bon voyage!

farewell, blue-haired man

come bak (sic)

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh200/jdschuster411/LazyMonday/IMG_0420.jpg

Americans = wild things
sic = Max

aw<3

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/818963/sic.jpg

did herself feel mollified

busted! http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30305971

That one doesn't include a list of the top 15 "funniest" requests received, shame on the BBC's self-respect

tbf I did go to the consulate in San Francisco and hang around for half an hour writing consecutive numbers in boxes on a huge sheet of paper with a blunt pencil

sic I still need u to make an u&k poll of the vhs tapes you found in my apartment

POLL: this box of VHS tapes found in Stevie D's apartment

!!?

sic, guess what hotel this happened in

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Philadelphia_Legionnaires%27_disease_outbreak

Just want to say, I support this project.

The Very Fugly Caterpillar (sic) wrote this on thread “Happy Birthday Baby!” Talk about Russian Doll on Netflix on board I Love Everything on Feb 11, 2019

fbclid=IwAR0DSYQQp2Pbm6ohGqXalDnUxRQ4Bs3npUHSufycDniNU0N1u9arfLGNpTw

steven, soda jerk (sic) wrote this on thread Ernie Bushmiller's "Nancy": C/D? on board I Love Everything on Apr 1, 2019

fbclid=IwAR1vXgURHzEpRjacJnOGtlfSWPB9UM8L_CswKjm_gBaUwoldvBAbq2SAmqg

blokes you can't rust (sic) wrote this on thread Robag Wruhme - "Wuzzelbud KK" on board I Love Music on Apr 12, 2019

fbclid=IwAR3t9lmQB95Dj7m_kap_pJmVWbVKMB1RJudXksJCztdX5r2fxNWBZYcuXvA

blokes you can't rust (sic) wrote this on thread Creation Records on board I Love Music on Apr 16, 2019

fbclid=IwAR3r3GQ0xCUGanCMuRoblfmYl68cdWCaojThJyea39G8kBYddFHKWX0vod8

blokes you can't rust (sic) wrote this on thread Beatles biographies? on board I Love Music on Apr 23, 2019

fbclid=IwAR0aRIrcVwMRiRfN27c9qX1LlkS2DTvzk82QTnt081KFJ2sKNd_tBNj2BXg

blokes you can't rust (sic) wrote this on thread US Politics May 2019: " If I was burned at the stake, I would ask for a mirror" on board I Love Everything on May 16, 2019

fbclid=IwAR335QVupznWL-6zMZozmFA0TpdW5dByMJ3rHBgBg8ANYcJcHc16GQcvLUY

blokes you can't rust (sic) wrote this on thread 2020 Democratic presidential primary on board I Love Everything on Apr 18, 2019

fbclid=IwAR3BK0DS8j1hStYIYp4VfnXuBJkVKWvcK5jNY9Cy-LEK-K-DTclZ3ua-B6o

#1 sic shtick

┏┓
┃┃╱╲ in this
┃╱╱╲╲ house
╱╱╭╮╲╲ we
▔▏┗┛▕▔ delete
╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲
The utm data off
of links before
sharing them
╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲
▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔

— Sam Wolfand (@swolfand) July 26, 2019

https://i.imgur.com/MYTOAjZ.png

Five bucks!? Getouttahere.

https://bsky.app/profile/molly.wiki/post/3lnvge5igbw2b