Introducing Boston

Whether you're history buff wanting to see textbooks and biographies come to life, a foodie hoping to dig in to some local grub, or just have the travel bug, Boston is the perfect destination. At the top of this page, a travel guide can be found. It was designed for a college student hoping to see the city in a week or less on a budget, but can easily be adapted to fit a wide range of travellers. This post will also cover some of my favorite aspects of the city and some things to look out for. I do not claim to be an expert on Boston, but I can tell you what I have seen in three visits. I have experienced the winter where the weather was bitter cold and overnight the city gained a foot of snow. I have experienced summer where one day resulted in a heat index of over 100 degrees. I am currently experiencing late spring where the weather is warm and fairly pleasant. From a tourist point of view, the differing seasons pose advantages and disadvantages.

I think that the biggest drawback from my winter visit was the bitter, and I mean bitter, cold. Even though most of the trip was free of snow, it was difficult to want to be outside. When the snow did hit, it hit hard and ruined the plans I had for that day. I would like to say that the trip was not all bad; I had a great time. If the winter is more mild or you happen to love cold weather, I'd recommend going for it. Many attractions are less crowded, but be aware that some are closed because of the weather. One tip is to check out the Boston Public Library and other event calendars to find special events. I was able to see The Great Poe Debate between Philadelphia. Baltimore, and Boston to find out where Edgar Alan Poe considered home. It was very interesting and entertaining and I still can't decide where I would pick.

Spectacle Island view

Warmer weather seems like the perfect time for you to travel. Unfortunately, the rest of the world seems to agree and wait times will be increased. Boston transforms in the sunshine just like any other coastal town. Approximately a third of the dine-in restaurants have walls that fold up to allow for street access, there are more and more street vendor, and people are everywhere. Travelling to Boston in July was an experience with an extreme heat wave, but allowed for some good water side activities. The Boston Harbor Islands are nice relaxing getaways and supplies great views of the city. Another for of cooling off is taking a ride on Codzilla, a 40 mph, wet adventure that is not to be missed.

So far, the city in May has meant hoards of children. In the summer time, it seemed to be a lot of families around, but May is something else. There seem to be many school groups taking class trips and it can be a little crazy. It requires patience for the 10-14 year old crowd and a willingness to go with the flow. On the plus side, the employees of most places will try extra hard to accommodate you. The weather is quite pleasant for my trip so far as well.

Many tips will be covered in the next couple posts, like where to get the best chowdah and how to find unadvertised attractions, but here's a couple starter tips.

1. Learn to navigate the 'T' and you will have a much more pleasant trip.

I was unaware that the silver line from the airport was a bus and an unmarked stopped right outside the Charlie Card kiosk. Lets just say it ended in a lot of dragging my suitcase around. So, know where you need to go to get to your first destination before trying to get there.

2. Don't be afraid to get LOST

While it seems contradictory to my last tip, once free of baggage, roaming around is a lot more pleasant. I travel around by myself half the time in Boston and don't really mind. It's a city where I can feel generally safe as long as I am aware of my surroundings. The scariest thing I have seen is a lady following behind her husband yelling at him. Not too bad. I have not travelled in the city in the dark, so I can not attest to that, but the daylight is quite fine.

3. Take an introductory tour when you first get to Boston.

Whether it be the trolley tour (great for winter), the duck tour (which I haven't done in Boston yet, but I hear good things), or just a guided tour along the freedom trail, this will help you get acquainted with the city. Another solution is just to follow the red bricked road. The freedom trail is marked with a red line to every site, so finding all the major attractions is a breeze.

As I said, more tips to come shortly, along with what I'm doing on this trip!

Plane, Plane, Go Away

Hello! Guess where I am headed... ATLANTA, GEORGIA. Yes, I know, I was just there a month and a half ago. The redeeming factor is that I will only be there thirty-eight minutes. Thirty-eight minutes to catch a connecting flight in the Atlanta airport seems daunting, but my gate is only two down from where I will exit. That’s one benefit about flying Airtran, you do not have the nightmare that is a Delta flight in Atlanta. Delta basically owns the Atlanta airport, so navigating the huge facility is a challenge. I have to admit, I am not too fond of Airtran though. Everything about this flight has been unpleasant, except the view. It’s 6:30 AM and the sky is so gorgeous. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me from being a sourpuss on what is typically a pleasant flight out of Bishop Airport. 

My carry-ons are not safely stored because the flight attendant said that they could take my backpack and did not offer to help me. Instead of disturbing my aisle mates and forcing help, I have my backpack shoved partial under my seat with no foot space. The in-flight snack is two non-descript packaged cookie/crackers that I’m not sure if I want to try. Also, I chose seat F because I wanted a window seat, but that was a bad idea because shifting to the third seat from the aisle is difficult and uncomfortable. I MISS MIDWEST! Seriously, fresh baked cookies on the plane were probably the best thing ever and the flight attendants were accommodating and wonderful. I can not believe how far away from Boston I have to fly to get there. That is my real destination, by the way, and I can’t wait to get there. No idea what I’m going to do there, but I’m looking forward to it. I know my first steps will be to navigate the shuttle, subway, and streets and wrestle my luggage downtown to have lunch with my sister. In the Airtrain magazine, they have a picture of a Memorial Day tradition that I am going to attempt to see if they have not gotten rid of it.

The past week has been spent packing, with family, and at my friend, Brittany’s wedding. It was great to see a lot of people before I left, but there were some I did not get to see. I am having a birthday party the day after I get back, so I hope to see everyone then. I am official gone until July 14^th. I am already realizing many things I forgot. For more on my packing, you will have to check out my study abroad blog. For now, enjoy these pictures from the last few days. Keep an eye out for many more blog posts soon to come.

Three Month Home

Three times this year the place that I did half of my growing up in will be my home for month long stints. Next year is a whole other ball game and I really don't know where I'll be, but for now I am here. Somebody asked me yesterday, "But don't you leave in a week?" Yes, yes I do. However, it has been such a long time coming that it doesn't feel real. On May 29th, I will be leaving for Boston and will not return for seven weeks. SEVEN WEEKS traveling to Boston, New York City, and around the Dominican Republic. As you hopefully know, most of those adventures can be followed by clicking Not a Pirate here or at the the top of this page. I seriously can not believe it, but I'm very excited.

Metamora in May has been extremely low key. The slow pace is good because I am able to do the things I need to before I leave, but bad because I get bored very easily. Even when I have someone to hang out with, we are usually stumped for something to do. Mostly, I've been frequenting the nearby parks, the nature trails (pictured left), or hanging around outside my house when it has been nice enough to do so.  I have done a couple cool things since I've been here though. It has been consistently warm for the past week or so, which I definitely have enjoyed.

Yesterday, I got sunburned on my shoulders while cleaning the pool. I have been on a major mission to get the pool opened and ready before I leave. I just want my dad to have something that he is able to do, since a lot of activities have been ruled out, but there's still a lot he can do. He's a lot stronger than I anticipated, which makes me happy and less worried about leaving. We went to Comerica Park last week to see Central play against Michigan State. We lost 5-2, but I enjoyed our time together.

On Friday, I went to see Kathy Griffin at the Soaring Eagle with my dad, my mom, and her friend. It was odd for me to go all the way up to Mount Pleasant and back in one day. Being up there made me  wish I could spend some time with friends that are still in town this summer and it was kind of a tease. On the other hand, despite everything else that happened that night, Kathy Griffin was hilarious and awesome and definitely worth seeing. I apologize that her face is washed out in the side picture, we sat pretty far away. I'd also like to say that I am so glad that my school is only two hours away instead of four, because that is just too much travel to do in one day.

So, this past weekend, Oxford hosted its (I believe) 2nd Annual Backyards & Burgers. Now, being a resident of Lapeer County, I was expecting something of Lapeer Days quality. If you don't feel like actually visiting the website, here's a snip-it of Lapeer Days history:

On Aug. 28, 1902, Alonzo A. Bostick and his son Austin celebrated the grand opening of Bostick Stove Works in Lapeer. Neither Alonzo nor his son could have foreseen the legacy they bestowed on our community. The simple grand opening celebration inspired the idea of a community festival held for the first time the following year. The Lapeer Days Festival was born. From simple beginning’s it has grown over the years to become the county’s largest festival and Michigan’s largest FREE festival.

Okay, so maybe not that quality, but I expected more than it lived up to be. There were seven restaurants competing to have the best burger in Oxford. Only two of these restaurants had outdoor booths, but luckily 'Wiches, the winner, was one of them. Their "burger," that was admittedly more of a steak sandwich, was delicious and will now be featured on the menu. I had two major problems with the festival.

One, it was basically just a carnival. The actual burger area was hard to find, there was no stage, and we had to ask someone for the results of the contest. I was there on Saturday night, which was basically the end of the festival, and the winners were announced at 1:30 PM. The burger area/beer tent were on the back side of some shops and there were no signs that I saw to direct you.

Second, this festival seems to be strictly for Oxford residents. While I live fairly close to Oxford during three months of the year, I do not have the ability to go out to eat at each restaurant competing and try the burger. I feel that trying each burger is necessary to vote properly. What would have been the best option in my opinion would be for each restaurant to have a booth, first of all, and to also be giving out samples of their burgers. Maybe Lapeer and Mount Pleasant have made me accustomed to free stuff, but I think that would be best. Yes, it is a financial issue, I understand that. There are other options than giving free samples, like a $10 sample platter. My ideas would make it A) a much cooler festival and B) create more accurate voting. I should be running this thing, my word.

Admittedly, the carnival was cool. I think it was mostly because I am so used to Skerbeck rides and whoever does the rides for the Eastern Michigan Fair. I only rode Vertigo because just that was $5 and the wristbands were $20 unless you bought them in advance for $15. It was fun though, I had a good time, I just think that I could have had a better time with some alterations to the festival.

Vertigo

Tomorrow, I get to see my very good friend, which is exciting. When my dad and I drove down to the baseball game last Tuesday, we saw the car shows going on in Oxford and Lake Orion, so we're going to go check that out. There may be pictures in the next blog post. Remember to keep an eye on both blogs. 

And a great sigh of relief as I get all my pictures to sit where I want them to, even though the one is not clickable: Ahhhh... :)

The Most Delayed Blog Post EVER

This is the girl that says, "In the next couple days," that you don't here from for over a month... yeah, sorry about that.

You know when you work on something for hours and then it crashes or doesn't save..... yeah.... I had a really great, long blog post for you all, but my internet was failing and it didn't save like I thought it did. Noooow, I have to try to recreate it. I know that it won't be nearly as good, but I'll try. This post has lost bits and pieces repeatedly, but I still want to talk about Atlanta. It's about a month late, but we can forget about that, right? School and exams just got in the way.

Before I go into the whole Atlanta experience, I'd like to share this with you all.These are the different ways people are accessing my blog...

Referring Sites

www.facebook.com

67

m.facebook.com

10

www.stop-a-cheater.com

5

www4.safe-vochecker.com

3

buygenericsfromindia.com

2

troll-face-ru.blogspot.com

2

www-cgi.cnn.com

2

www.mspy.com

2

Now, the first two, I get; I connect every blog post to Facebook (Something I will eventually stop doing, so you all should start subscribing if you're interested). I do not, however, know how connections are being made between these other sites and my blog. I also have a lot of views coming from Russia. If any other bloggers read this, has the same thing happened to you?

And now.... on to ATLANTA! This trip originated from stories that my sister would make up when I was young about Coca-cola World. She would tell my brother and I that we would drive there and back in one day and hang out with polar bears and drink lots of coke. Well, the later part was true, and there was a "polar bear" there.

On Christmas, my sister sat us down to talk and for a second I panicked just a little. However, she made it seem a  lot more serious than wanting to take a trip! Because this year I will be turning 21 and Derek will be turning 18, this was our last trip before adulthood set in. Really, we've never done something this big as just the three of us. The last thing that we all did was Siblings Weekend at Oakland 10 years ago! So, I'm going to narrate a couple pictures here, the rest can be viewed on Facebook and if you click on these pictures, they can be viewed in a larger size.

Aquarium and World of Coca-cola

Atlanta, Georgia

Siblings and I (and a creepy lady)

Derek in front of the Hilton

Centennial Olympic Park

At first, I was a little skeptical on Atlanta, the bus and subway system is not the best and I am much more fond of Chicago, DC, and Boston. It is more of a business town than anything and the hotels are built to house business men and women. It's less of a tourist destination than the other cities, but the hotel was enormous, and pretty awesome. Derek and I played tennis of the roof on the third floor... and lost two tennis balls off of the roof. I wasn't quite sold on the big city until I saw the Centennial Olympic Park where the 1996 Olympics were held. The only bummer is that I didn't get to see it at night.

We got a CityPASS to see Atlanta, giving us access to CNN and the High Museum of Art, and my favorites The World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, and Zoo Atlanta. The CNN tour surprised me because the main floor is like a mall with stores and a food court, but it was very interesting. It reminded me of the tour that Jenn and I took of a local TV station on my first trip to Boston, but this time we weren't accompanied by a rowdy group of boy scouts. 

The museum was the first place we went, and there was pretty interesting art there. I don't think it was really up the alley of any of our interest, but there sure were a lot of things that made you turn your head to the side a say, "Huh."  The picture to the right is a horse toy with a ceramic man face made mostly of bottle caps. Artsy... and very odd.

The Georgia Aquarium was massive and amazing. I don't think I have been to many aquariums, so it's hard to compare, but I certainly enjoyed it. One tip, get there early and get your show passes as soon as you get there. Luckily, a very nice employee sneaked us in to Dolphin Tales and that show was awesome. I also got to touch small sharks, sting rays, anemones, and star fish while we were there. It's just awesome, you need to go there!

The Zoo Atlanta was my third trip to a zoo in a month's time, but I was excited anyway. They had lots of baby animals and elephants. Zoo Atlanta was a lot smaller than I expected, much smaller than the Toledo Zoo, but had very nice exhibits. There were multiple ways to access the same exhibit in case an animal wasn't visible from one area. The Toledo Zoo was a blast, but a lot of the exhibits were closed, including the exhibit with the baby elephant, even though the sign outside said that it would be visible. I would really like to go back when the exhibits are open. As I said, the Zoo Atlanta was at no shortage for baby animals. Po, was my favorite, the little giant panda (oxymoron). To see Po in action, or sleeping, there is a webcam from 10 AM-5 PM on Monday through Friday that you can view!

Of course, the main attraction for the trip was The World of Coca-Cola. It had a ton of historical and cultural items that made me think of one of my current favorite shows, American Pickers. It was all cool, but probably the greatest part is the tasting room, where I got a stomach ache trying every drink from around the world. 

"You just haaave to try it!" Bleh!

My favorites (South America)

Derek's favorite (Pine nut) that was
really gross

I really enjoyed the entire experience, even though it wasn't how it was described to me years ago. We even got a bottle of Coke that was bottled there, but we had to drink it instead of bringing it back because we only had carry on luggage and there is a liquid ounce limit of three ounces. If you want more information on the World of Coca-Cola, here's a link: Taste it! 

Another big part of our vacation was food. I used the Yelp! app on my Android to pick most of the restaurants we went to. Papi's and Gladys Knight and Ron Winans' Chicken and Waffles were two of my favorite places and we were able to walk to both from our hotel. I also really enjoyed Googie Burger in Centennial Park and the hot dog stand we ate at between the aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. Food is important to me on any trip and the things that we found to do were fun.  My review on Atlanta... 8/10.


So, there is my very long, very delayed reflection on my trip to Atlanta. Many of the above mentioned attractions are linked so that you may find out more information, so feel free to click around. I am hoping for Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco, Saint Louis for the next sibling trip. Soon, I will be in Boston to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Speaking of Boston, that will probably be my last post before I make the six week switch to my other blog, Not a Pirate of the Caribbean. That blog can be viewed by clicking the tab above that will take you to a new url or you could subscribe. I highly encourage subscribing, one, so I feel awesome and popular, two, so that you will know when I post something new! Because the blogs are separate, I believe that you need to subscribe to each. There are already two posts there that I posted while I was neglecting this blog. Hopefully, that will excuse me a little bit. If you made it to the end, congratulations! I can't believe I am finally done with the post. Whew!