air berlin, take me there!

well, let me just start this by saying how much i dislike these east coast cities and the northeast area in general. the people i have got to see and meet have been great, but since i left portsmouth, kind of downhill. the reason is because this is all one large megalopolis. from boston to dc, west to philly, and maybe even as far south as richmond. and it just isnt what i want.

i loved the days in the wild west where i wouldnt see anything but bare land or forests and mountains, i could drive on state highways and be the only car in sight. the state highways out here are just a step down from an expressway, with as much or more congestion and little of value. the cities are so huge that i cant really get a good footing anywhere.

when i have little to no knowledge of a place i start from the center and work out from there, but the city centers of large cities are just boring buildings and lemmings. i dont even have the desire to try to sneak into places and explore like i once did. city life is taxing, with few visible returns. probably i am not staying in places long enough for the returns, but oh well. this is my life, better live it to be happy now.

yesterday i drove through jersey, still on the expressways, to trenton. there were some factors that drove me to trenton, one of which was sleeping in a new state. this, really, isnt anything important. but i like the idea of being able to say that i have spent considerable time in each state. even if i dont enjoy it. on this trip, of the states i have visited i have slept for at least a night in all of them except connecticut and rhode island. but, as i said before, i spent like 15 days riding a bike through those states in 2004.

so, trenton. i got there towards the end of the day and thought of going to the state house but it was closing up. it didnt look like that exciting of a place anyway. it was the most guarded of all i have seen so far. there was a fence all the way around it and it was set off from the actual downtown. there was probably a moat too. instead i went back into the downtown and looked for a place to spend a few hours. i found the marriott hotel.

hotel are very fine establishments, oftentimes they have free wireless and comfy chairs and they just dont ask questions. i sat in the lobby using the internet for awhile, read, had a beer in the lounge. i watched some of the football game on tv. i like watching football (a somewhat recent happening) but i havent been able to see much on this trip. so that was nice. it almost felt like i was just sitting in my own living room enjoying my spoils. except for when i had to leave and brave downtown trenton, which looks like a large ghetto.

i parked on a "residential street" but it was still metered and i dont like parking on a meter overnight. i get scared that i will be towed. luckily, i also parked about two blocks from the main fire station, so i had some flashing lights and sirens to temper my sleep. in the morning, there was much chatter outside my "door." i got dressed trying make as little movement as possible, i didnt want to attract any attention to my truck. the ladies chatting were sitting in their doorway and calling over all the people walking to gossip with them.

i was stuck back there for almost an hour. i dont like getting out when there are people around, it is probably scary for them and i dont want to draw undue attention to myself. i dont want to get beat up for being homeless or something. i know that my fear and apprehensions are probably mostly unfounded, but this is why i dont like being in cities. eventually the people left and i jumped out real quick when it was just the ladies at the doorway. i dont think they really noticed me, but i sped away rather quickly.

i went back to the hotel, because it was familiar and i was hoping they would have a free continental breakfast or something, but no luck on that front. i used the internet for a little bit, mapped my route and set off for philadelphia.

the last time i was in philly was in june-ish of 2005 (perhaps my timeline-ographer can fact check this for me) for a protest. it was a short visit, i came with steve, emily and my friend blank in a car from indiana. we went to bowling green first for a media conference, there we ditched steve (i think) and the three of us went on to philly for a bio devestation convergance. i think this was the last majot protest convergance that i was a part of...and i wasnt really a part of it.

i mostly sat in the radio studio and helped with the broadcast or updated websites. i dont remember that much of it. i do recall going to the much renowned vegan philly cheese steak place and staying at the $10 house with some big dogs. also, i remember going to a little vietnamese convenient store that had awesome tofu sandwiches for really cheap. i am looking for that place while i am here now.

i got in here and pretty much went to the library. they generally have some kind of information on the city and if not, i can use the internet to find things. but philly hasnt been very inspiring to me. i came in on route one, which cuts diagonally through the city and i drove about twenty miles in the city limits before i hit downtown. this place is just too big. i got cut off at the library early because there was a fire drill or something there. i wasnt doing much anyway, so i walked around downtown a bit and settled near logan square to read a book for awhile.

it was a really beautiful sunny day and i was hot sitting on a bench in the sun. i got in touch with my friend amelia whom i am meeting up here later on. that should be exciting. the last time i clearly remember seeing her, she was throwing things at me. we were dating at the time and at a party, i was hitting on someone else very blatantly and when she confronted me about it i kind of blew her off. she also had hurt her ankle that night and i wasnt interested in taking care of her. in short i was an asshole. (big surprise, this had to be 2003).

i have probably seen her since then, but our encounters were certainly terse since then. now, with the sedative of old age i am sure that is past and we can enjoy each others company as just people. even now, our meeting will be brief. she is leaving tomorrow for nyc and unless my friend mike gets in touch with me i will most likely push on south to baltimore from here. or maybe stop somewhere in between, we'll see.