Fernando Giannotti

Fear and Loathing on the Road to Boston and Back

-Got a late start.  Will have to skip Falling  Waters.  Couldn't find iPod radio player, so only have cell phone for music. 

-Before leaving for this trip, for the past few days really, I'm finally ready to end my sojourn into the woods so to speak.  It, among other things, seems so arbitrary.  Everything is in flux, and you better get use to it, cause its not going anywhere.  Got to enjoy living in the flux of change and never reaching a sense of whole, or a sense of contentment.

-about 20 miles east of Columbus, Ohio and I'm at the best rest area by outside terms I've ever been too.  It has benches and tables that look like foe modern art.  It has trees planted in round soothing circles.  Its all very clean and impressive.  On the inside, when one walks into the two connected buildings, one us immediately hit with the overwhelming smell of alcohol, raw alcohol that immediately dissipates upon entering the restroom area.  All of which is very clean.  And this rest area is on the Blue Star Memorial Highway, which is a tribute to veterans who have served during World War II and since.

-the drive through Ohio so far has been with beautiful Ohio blue skies complete with clouds, which both look great off of the green grass and trees.

-driving through Zanesville, I forgot about the prominent churches and cathedrals.  The city, which is mostly brick and has more than one downtown exit, has two prominent cathedrals, one a French gothic cathedral that looks like notre-dame, and a red cathedral that looks like the famous one in Florence.  All nestled in the hills of eastern Ohio. 

-driving in eastern Ohio I've realized the land is more hilly, not flat.  I always new that fact, but never was cognizant of it.  There are less farms in the hilly eastern part of Ohio.  Probably because the hills make it more difficult and the glacier didn't deposit sediment.

-just saw a sign for California university of Pennsylvania.  Hmmmmm...

-at a wendy's in Pennsylvania, everyone here is middle aged to retired.  Maybe the news is right and fast food is dying out in the US with older people. 

-as the sun sets in Pennsylvania I press harder on the accelerator.  The sleek black Swedish machine roars to life.  Rolling through the hills of central Pennsylvania.

-right now as the sun sets there are s variety of colors from blue, purple, and red in the sky above the green grass and hills.  Looks very similar to the sky I saw in South Dakota.

-had to pay 27 dollars to cross Pennsylvania, and the toll booth only took cash.  Fuck you Pennsylvania.

-at a warton MBA party in downtown Philly.  Vandy MBA girls are way hotter.  Its always funny to see nerds and intellectuals dance. 

-went to Patt's at 4 in the morning.  Delicious.

-went to federal donuts in Philly.  Had an orange cream fresh donut and a special donut salted tahimi, and coffee.

-Delaware has much more reasonable tolls.  Only $1.  Landscape is mostly a lot of trees.  With a few scattered farms.  Not much development in general.

-Heading East from Dover vaguely.  In search of the ocean.  Dover is a pretty nice little community.  A lot of the public buildings look like University buildings.  Lots of red brick.

-Interesting juxtaposition in Little Creek Delaware.  A rundown house with an expensive red new motorcycle out front.  Many rundown houses in the downtown of Little Creek Delaware.

-tried to go to the beach in Delaware at Pickerying beach but there is no public beach.  Leaning on my car, taking in the Delaware scenery.  Quite beautiful.

-Going on one hour of sleep is not working out for me.  I may not remember any of this.

-I have now been to both counties of Delaware.  New Castle County and Kent County.

-Just saw a car with a bright yellow sticker on the back that said novice driver.  Aren't you kind of asking for people to make fun of you?  Will to be great New Jersey

-New Jersey is the worlds worst state. 

-Anyone whoever says New York is not big is lying.  The city and its metro area are huge.

-Ran out of money a while ago for tolls. 

-See a lot of cars With the bikes on the back heading up to Boston.

-Boston is s pretty cool hip city.  Pretty bike friendly.  Crazy mix of hipster and driven classical academic kids from good schools.

  

-Poor Boy's dinner in New Hampshire.  Had lobster roll, three kinds of poor boy unique soda, orange, grape, and root beer.  And an freppe, vanilla flavored. 

-in Waterbury Vermont.  A really nice and friendly guy is working the counter.  I cannot tell if he is mentally handicapped or just has a rough new England accent

-Vermont is quite beautiful.  So so so green.  Lots of rolling mountains.  Sparsely populated with small quaint towns.  The drivers are much friendlier, many will let you go in tight spots, more conscious drivers.  

-at magic hat brewery in Burlington.  One of their paintings hung the walls done by there staff, it was titled lame product.  The free film on the free brewery tour had a lot of marketing, I guess the hippies sold our.    Money always wins. 

-at north beach park in Burlington on lake Champlain.  Its beautiful.  There are pine trees right by the water instead of palm trees, instead of shells there are tiny rocks.  The sand is a dark brown almost black and grainy.  Very cool.

-Burlington is a cool little town.  Has a chiqe section, but cool people and a hippie college town vibe.

-went to Vermont brewery and pub.  Got Toads-in-the-hole, which is maple sausages, cheddar & onion in pastry

-I've seen 2 signs driving North of Massachusetts, but still in Massachusetts, that warn of a low salt area ahead.

-From the side of the highway Maine is mostly trees.  Thick green deciduous trees.  Really quite beautiful.

-I went to a gas station in Maine, south of Portland, they have a lane where someone comes out and pumps your gas for you.

-Maine's license plate says vacationland.  Maine doesn't seem to have convince other drivers that their state is important like Delaware, Massachusetts, and Connecticut with their license plate slogans such as the first state, the spirit of America, and the constitution state.  Way to go Maine, you and Vermont.

-There is a giant cathedral in downtown Portland Maine.

-not having cash when most places only cash is a bit eye opening.  I know what it is like to covet something you can't have and everyone else has. 

-at the first lobster place I went to I couldn't afford it because it was cash only.  A guy watched me the whole time I was there.  He didn't stop staring and following me with his eyes.  Perhaps it what I was wearing, but it was a bit unsettling.  Perhaps this is how African Americans feel regularly

-went to five islands lobster co. in Maine.

-"take a break and stay awake for safety fake.". On a road sign in CT.

-overheard at central Connecticut state university in the student center.  "the longest I've gone without showering is a week." "ehhh".  Four kind of greasy geeky looking white kids.

-walking in the place my dad walked in before I was born.  Very cool.

-saw a sign in Connecticut for a texting stop.

-somewhere in Pennsylvania fuelling up at a BP.  They have the cleanest, most upscale bathroom I have ever seen in a gas station hands down.  To further that, it is a nice, clean, upscale bathroom for almost any establishment.  Looks like professionals clean it.  Crazy.