Mobile/Biloxi

After heading out toward New Orleans, I decided that I wasn't quite ready to tackle New Orleans, bourbon st, and all that it had to offer. I wanted to make a quick detour in Mobile, Alabama, where southern charm, manners, and chivalry still exists. As I arrived in Mobile, the city seemed almost dead. I'm not sure if this is just what the Wednesday post-work rush hour had to offer. I parked my car downtown and decided to go around a take a look at this southern gem. This was the city where they still had debutante balls, and the new millennium was still the 1950s. I was not going to be staying for long, but I wanted to poke my head into that city and say hello.

Im not sure why these things were even in the windows, they were just so creepy

This is my 360 degree panorama of Mobile

After getting some food in Mobile, I set out to find a great deal on a 3.5 start hotel in Biloxi, MI - the IP Casino and Resort. So I went to the casino got checked in, and I spent the night observing all the strange people in Biloxi in a Casino on a Wednesday night. After that, I went to bed, and finally was ready to take on New Orleans

This is a bad stitch of the casino in Biloxi the day of my departure

Atlanta, GA

Getting close to Atlanta, I began to see a real skyline in the distance. This was not your 5 or 6 building skyline like other cities, but an actual line, in the sky, made out of buildings. I really never planned to spend more than a day in Atlanta, because I knew that it was not a city that you could even really get a true sense of, and certainly not one that my little system would work for. All of my city encounters, thus far, have gone down a little something like this:

I find the largest cluster of bars/restaurants in the area and set my coordinates to the center of all those red dots. I then drive into the area, and than around a bit to get my bearings. After finding  somewhere to park my car, I stretch my legs, and look for an coffee shop boasting free wi-fi. I go inside, order something small, sit down and do a little research on the city. After that, I find myself a hotel/motel/hostel within reasonable distance of this downtown, and book it as long as I want to stay. Then, I use that hotel as my base for the rest of the trip.

That system has done me pretty well so far - sometimes it works, sometimes not as much. But image trying to do that with a city like New York. You'd never find somewhere to park in New York, or sleep for a reasonable price anywhere in the city, plus you'd never be able to 'get your bearings' or accomplish pulling out a general feel for the place in a day or so. My plan is simply not robust enough for large cities.

Atlanta, while not nearly as big as NY, is no small city. I just didn't have the means, or the time to give to Atlanta to really get a feel for all of its sections. It just wasn't a priority. I did, however, find an article from Lonely Planet entitled '48 Hours in Atlanta'. I read through it thoroughly, and used it as the template for seeing Atlanta in about 12. I drove through the Centennial Olympic park, I passed by 'The World of Coca-Cola', I walked around Castleberry Hill's artsy district, and I stayed at the Atlanta International Hostel.

This was the first hostel that I had stayed at because they really only have hostels in the big cities. The woman at the door was a quite attractive older woman from England. I got settled into the quaint little hostel pretty quickly before running out to "see Atlanta". When I came back, I befriended one of the workers who was there, Abe. After eating lunch, I sat in the lounge area to update my blog (because people complain if I don't). I wasn't planning on going out that night because I wanted to wake up early the next morning and drive to New Orleans, which was 8 hours away, the longest leg so far. Upon hearing of this desire to stay in, Suzy, the hostel manager insisted that Abe take me out to some bars. Since I figured I should go out and see some of Atlanta, I agreed. Before we went out, Abe let me in on the little known fact that he was gay. I suppose coming from musical theater as a kid, I had developed a little bit of a gay-dar, but Abe flew stealth. He told me that those were the bars that he knew best, and that if I wanted to opt out of the excursion, he was okay with that. Who was I to say no to getting some good drinks with a new friend, so I agreed.

We went a sports bar for bears. Bears, in the gay community, are the heavy-set, sometimes hairy, but generally larger members. Basically, if I was gay, I would be a bear. We took the subway to the bar and after a short, but brisk walk, we were at the bar. Walking in, I was shocked to find it look identical to a generic, straight, sports bar. It was a bunch of dudes, wearing baseball caps, work books, watching random sports. The only difference, as Abe pointed out, was Shania Twain on the juke box. The bartender walked over to Abe and I because he was a friend of Abes, and proceeded to take our order. He noticed my facial hair and proceeded to pet it. Almost defensive, Abe introduced me as his "Not Gay" friend, and shot the bartender a glance to back off. I appreciated the gesture, but told Abe that he really didn't have to protect me, as I wasn't too worried. Afterwards, we got some watered down beer, and $.35 hot-wings. It was just a regular sports bar, until...

Nine pm - all of the channels displaying a plethora of local and national sports synchronized to FOX. The bar quieted down, the music was cut off, and the live audio from FOX roared up: "Last time, on Glee..."

For a bunch of straight looking gay dudes, they sure loved Glee. I myself was a Gleek for season 1, but was sorely behind on season 2. The fast talking narrator quickly caught me up on all of the drama that I had missed. And for the next hour, I was returned.

After Glee ended, Abe and I settled our tabs, and headed back to the hostel. At the hostel, Abe headed off to bed, because he had an early day the next morning. I thanked him for taking me out, and back to my blog updates I went. On the couch now were two girls watching a 1988's Rob Lowe goofishly act in Illegally Yours (3.9 out of 10 on IMDB). One of the ladies on the couch watching said movie was Jackie Stanford, who came from england, and was looking for lecturing roles in political policy. She had spent some time in washington DC getting to make Amercia her home. Now she had decided that Atlanta would be her base of operations right now because of all the success that she had had getting into meetings and making moves. We talked until it was time to go to sleep. I went up to my hostel room, took a disgusting shower that ended ankle high in my used shower water filth. They didn't have any mats to put my feet on after the shower so I just dried off onto the tile bathroom floor. After getting dressed, and still feeling dirtier than before, I settled into the bottom bunk and could hear all the creaky springs sing their lullaby, like criquets chriping, as settled in, The chirping went from bunk to bunk for the rest of the night. I didn't get much sleep. The next day, I arose early and began my 8 1/2 hours leg to New Orleans.

Athens, Georgia

Almost immediately I realized that Athens was a college town. I didn't know what school was there, but I knew it was close, and in session. Now I had pretty much been hanging out in the college parts of towns since Charleston, but I was beginning to think that hanging in the college parts may be the most fun for this trip, but its not a place that I want to live. College was a lot of fun, I'm glad I did it, but I certainly don't need to relive it. With that being said, there was a lot of cool record stores, and bars. I found a little coffee shop with free wi-fi and I went to work to getting some lodging.

I managed to pull of a Best Wester 3/4 of a mile from the Downtown. It was Sunday night, which meant:

1. In Georgia, no liquor can be sold, unless the establishment is also selling a certain proportion of hot food. I.E. restaurants only, no bars were open, and no purchasing beer/wine/liquor from convenience stores.
2. It was the Super Bowl

I decided to spend the first half in my hotel getting ready to go out, and then during the Bridgestone Half-Time special featuring the Black-Eyed Peas and a whopping serving of who-gives-a-shit, I would walk downtown and find a place to watch the second half.

Pretty much the only place that was open (see 'Sunday Night' #1) was a large pizza chain called the Mellow Mushroom. I found a seat at the bar, with a nice view of the TV, and ordered a beer. Before finishing the first beer I became engaged in a conversation with the couple next to me. They were some of my favorite people I've met on this trip: Lori & LaMorris. The bright couple was from Atlanta, and was in Athens for their honeymoon. After dropping in unconscionable amount of money the night before at some VIP nightclub (including bottles of Patron, a VIP table, and apparently a moment in then night when Lori was throwing money onto the crowd below), they were pretty much broke. But what are honeymoons for? So myself, and the group to their right was buying they some drinks. LaMorris (pictured below) was an Army Ranger medic who had done 2 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was one bad-ass dude, who switched in conversation from his favorite foods to being under heavy fire and using a catheter to exchange blood on the field to a dying soldier while shooting donkeys, like it was the same thing. 

LaMorris and Myself - very strong

Needless to say, I didn't pay much mind to the second half of the game. I tried to attempt to watch it, but their conversations kept pulling me away. It was all well and good until Greenbay took the game. The group to Lori & LaMorris's right was a mother-daughter combination with some of the daughter's friends. The mother had a cheese hat, and hulk gloves (pictured above). After the victory, the very tipsy mother proceeded to do a jig (see video below). The rest of the night took on a similar manner. She was almost too drunk to stay in the bar. She began throwing her cheese hat and hulk gloves around the bar. This is when LaMorris and I got a hold of the gloves and cheese hat. At this point I saw an amazing feat attempted by the intoxicated gentleman attempting to court the daughter in the duo. He tried to ask the mother if it would be alright if he took her daughter home. I was amazed at such a display of courage and stupidity. I don't think it went over too well. The mom didn't freak out, as she was a bit of a strange one herself, but, to his dismay, he went home alone. After that, I was pretty much tuckered out, and retired back to my quarters for the evening.

The next day was Monday, which meant that Megan, the girl that I had met in Savannah would be returning to Athens and had graciously accepted my offer to take her out somewhere nice. As a lone traveler, there has been many eateries that I didn't dare eat at alone. It makes me sad, and I'm pretty sure it depresses everyone else for a guy to be eating a nice dinner out in a restaurant alone. So she found some nice place called the 5 and 10 that we went to. After the restaurant she took me to some really cool local bars. I drank some really nice Belgium beers in a place called Trapeze. They even had mead on the menu! So I had to try this historic beverage. After that, she took me to the bar that she worked at, which sadly, was closing its doors this Saturday. So most of the regulars in this bar were bummed out that this was so. Other than that, it was a pretty fun time. After that, I retired to my quarters. I woke up the next day, and set out for Atlanta, which is only about an hour and a half from Athens.

Savanna, Georgia - Part 2

Playing the Big Buck Hunter game, a woman came over and she asked if she could join me in a dual play. I obliged, and I began to get schooled in this game. After she (Elizabeth) takes me for a sheep hunting lesson, she introduces me to her husband (Dave). Both Liz and Dave were from Portland, OR and were in Savanna for work. Dave worked out of his home, so he was mobile. They began to basically tell me how I should really go to Portland, and that if I did, I had a place to stay.

After that, I went back to Sweet Melissa's, the burger joint from the previous day, to tell them of how my first night went. They told me that the bar next door was having some big party later on and apparently the theme was neon. So I went next door, but nothing had really started to build up yet. I talked to two girls, one of who was from Athens, GA. She said that she was going to be in Athens on Monday, and that she would take me out when I was there. After talking to the two girls for a while, the bar started to get pretty packed, and things began to glow. Neon glasses, glow bracelets, etc. It started to get packed, I was tired, so I went home.

The next day, I packed up my things and headed for Athens. The drive from Savanna to Athens was all back country roads. This was the first time that I had found myself in the true heart of country towns. It was actually a really enjoyable ride. My big complaint about the drive so far, and being on big highways, all I get to see is large roads, and built up corporate rest stops. These corporate rest stops are filled with McDonalds, Starbucks, Waffle Houses, Hotels, and all things that are manufactured. These places lack genuity. The colors of the walls, the uniforms their employees wear, even that fact that you will always see one worker cleaning something to give the appearance of caring about cleanliness, are all manufactured for my viewing pleasure. They stem from marketing research and focus groups that calculate the perfect experience for the most customers. But they can't control the lack of life that all of the employees seem to carry with them - a sad desperation over their situation. They're depressing and artificial, so I avoid them at all costs. If I need gas, I get gas, but I don't stay any longer than I need to.


But this drive was different. It felt real. It was gritty, and genuine, and a truly honest display of country life. My cell phone lost signal, the roads became filled with overly aggressive pickup trucks with bumper stickers (see picture), pre-manufactured housing, crumbling old structures, and the churches were packed to the brim. These were really one-horse towns (but many, many cows). While I could never find myself consciously living in these towns, I have to say, I found them quite enjoyable to drive through - it was a much needed break from large highways and corporate rest stops.

But alas, within a few hours, I had arrived in Athens.

Savanna, Georgia

360 Panorama of the Riverview

The original plan was to stay in Savanna for an afternoon or so, but the weekend was here, and I wanted to spend it somewhere rather than nowhere. So I perched up in Savanna for two nights. I really wanted to stay as close to the downtown as possible, but I only could pull off lodging in my price range somewhere in the string of hotels by Savanna Tech. I ended up at an Extended Stay America. They're meant for extended stays - I learned that the hard way. They actually charge by how long you stay, and why you're in the area. The rooms actually were like a studio apartment, with a kitchenette inside. Other than that, the room was crap, the bed was stiff, the room smelled, my bedspread had cigarette burns in it, and the TV was the crapiest yet. I had two Fox News channels. TWO! I've never even heard of the Fox Business News channel. Its mostly just a soapbox for Andrew Napolitano, which gets old quickly. But the good news is, I wasn't in Savannah for the hotels, so I left.

The first night in Savanna I stopped into a burger place called Sweet Melissa's for dinner. After getting acquainted with the girl who worked behind the counter, she proceeded to tell me all of the cool bars in Savannah only to reveal she wasn't even old enough to drink in them. I pinky promised not to rat her out to the cops, and than she continued on. Her recommendations were as you'd expect it to be - mostly the bars that didn't check for IDs, and less of the bars that were over 21 worthy. But that first night I got a good lay of the land.

The next day, on the drive to the downtown I was listening to some talk radio. The guest on that particular show was Jan Gehl, a Danish architect who helps to design outdoor spaces in cities. Listening to this broadcast, it described exactly what I am in search of. He talked about how a good city is like a good party, when you go there, you stay longer than you expected to. Cities should be centered on giving people the ability to interact and be outside, how he judges a good city by how many people are sitting outside, not walking. Cars have reached their max potential a long time ago and we should focus on walking and being outside again. After work we want to 'stroll home, stop down at the river, drink a cappuccino, and look at the girls. After that we meet up with a friend for dinner.' Every word that he was saying described my thoughts of exactly of what I am looking for in my city.

Its not about the weather, it's what nice weather allows for. It lets us go outside, interact, to stop and smell the proverbial roses, to break up our daily routines with walking and interacting. That's what I want in a city, and as a place to live. He wrote a book called Cities for People. I need to read it, but I think that its at the core of what this trip is about.

Arriving in the downtown after hearing this life affirming radio broadcast, I was in a great mood. The sky was clearing up a bit, and after walking around for a while, I had a chicken and goat cheese quesadilla from some cafe. I don't eat goat cheese very often, but it activates parts of my pallet that don't seem to get much stimulation in the day to day affairs. I quite enjoy that with fancy or exotic foods - Its not just food made well, its an adventure for your taste buds that you don't always get to have. ¡Muy bien!

After that, I did some more walking around and enjoying the downtown. Around eight or so, after the sun had gone down, I was thirsty. I ventured into a bar with a sign over it called The Velvet Elvis. They had an awesome band playing covers of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams (I, II, & III), Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and the like. They also had a Big Buck Hunter arcade game in there. Normally I skip over those games when choosing a video game because I prefer to virtually kill people over animals, but I figured - when in Rome...

Charleston, South Carolina

Sometimes in life, you just win. This is one of those times. Let me explain: Travelocity has this secret hotel finder that you can use to book a hotel without knowing the exact franchise or location. You only get a rough star rating and a general radius of the location. I’ve been using it the whole trip with hit or miss results. But I would be lying if I told you that this time, I didn’t feel like I cheated the system. For fifty somewhat dollars, I managed to get hooked up with a hotel right on the Ashley Riverfront. And after some sweet-talking a very friendly hotel manager, I was placed on the tenth floor with a view facing said river. This hotel even has one of those rotating restaurants on the top floor. Simply put, I was sad to see it go.

The Holiday Inn on the Ashley Riverfront

The view from my hotel room (disclaimer: does not do it justice)

Wednesday, Feb 2nd, was one of the first beautiful days I had encountered since the trip began. I was guided to the historic district by the hotel manager. It was a very nice looking place, but it was filled with old couples and really boring art galleries. I don't want to start a conversation on what art is and is not, let me just say this: bowls of fruit, landscapes with clouds, flowers - that's bullshit art. Maybe a hundred years ago or so these were some groundbreaking subjects, but painting begonias hasn't been art since Bob Ross painted the hell out of all of it, and then taught us how to do it therapeutically - so I don't quite understand how they could have a "gallery street" filled with these paintings. 

With that being said, after some wandering around, I found the college. They say that Charleston has the highest ratio of beautiful girls than any other city, with San Diego in second place. They are correct.

This would be me showing off how when ice gets above 32 degrees, it turns into a liquid state called water. It doesn't seem to ever do that in New Jersey, so I thought I would show you guys how nice it can be. Maybe someday.

The next night the rains came, so I went out to the bars. I met a girl named Sara who lived in Charleston and had more than an earful of all the different spots I should check out. And what can I say, the girl had good taste. She took me around to some grungy, cheap, and hip bars. Eventually we met a kid named Pete, and than his wife Rachel. He was a traveling nurse, and I don't remember what she did, but she liked tequila. Me too. They told us about this little bar called the Upper Deck Tavern. So we went there. Very cool place if you like cozy little punk bars - cool crowd of people, and they weren't too judgy as east coast punk bars tend to be. There was quite a spectrum of people in that bar, and everyone had a good time - except one random dude who was getting thrown out as we walked in. 

The next day came with the rain, so it was time to move on. Charleston was definitely a fun spot. Apparently they also have some industry - Boeing and Bosh to name a few Bs. So, I wouldn't rule it out as a place to live.  

Charlotte, North Carolina

I got to Charlotte sometime in the evening, probably around eight. This was the first city that I had tried out the website CouchSurfing.org as a means of lodging. The concept is simple: some people want to host people, and others want to crash on peoples couches. There's no money exchanged, maybe a six-pack or something, but its really a cultural enrichment type deal. I had found this couple on the site who agreed to host me, which was cool. After getting their phone number and a street address I set my coordinates for their place. Arriving in Charlotte, the downtown looks amazing at night (see generic stock photo).

The apartment that I was crashing at was located really close to the "uptown" (thats what the Charlotteans call the downtown are, apparently because its on a hill). The house looked warm and friendly from the outside. I was pretty optimistic about the whole experience. The girl was pretty welcoming, a bit of hippy, but all around nice. Her boyfriend was at work and would be back soon. She told me that she used to have people crash all the time in college, but hadn't hosted anyone since she started living with her boyfriend in Charlotte. And apparently, he wasnt too keen on the idea. He arrived home to be much older than I had expected. She was in her early twenties and he was probably in his mid to late thirties. But the good news is that all the years of drugs took a nice toll on his brain, and connecting together a string words that didn't go on in an infinite loop was a task that seemed impossible for the salt-and-peppered ex-Californian. But none of this was a big deal to me because I, after all, was their guest. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, with the highlight being the two of them were vegetarians and kept rambling on about how they would break their veg for good BBQ. He went on to talk about this BBQ place he really wanted to take me to, and for the rest of the night was all about it. Eventually, I went to sleep.

I woke up the next day, to be greeted by the girl explaining that her boyfriend was drunk last night, and woke up sober in the morning and didn't want to break his veg. He didn't have the heart to tell me, so he made her do it after he left for work. Needless to say, she took me to a BBQ for breakfast and proceeded to eat more chopped pork than I could. Hippies are strange.

After that, I really didn't have a good view of Charlotte. I proceeded to walk around the beautifully redone downtown, and didn't find much to do. I found a bar in the downtown with an incredibly friendly and gracious bartender named Richard. He told me about all of the cool spots in Richmond that weren't the downtown. I checked a few of them out just by driving through. Then I stopped at this Asian fusion restaraunte conveniently located right next door to a tropical fish store (apparently with no relation). I met some very hospitable waitresses in the restaurant who convinced me that maybe Charlotte was not so bad. This was all well and good, but it was time to venture on.

I could see myself in Charlotte again. It wouldn't be a bad place to live.