It's the last night of my vacation. Back to a mess at work tomorrow. Anyway, we went for a ride yesterday on Lake Erie (I live 20 minutes from Cleveland), so here's two last photos. The neato building in the background is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which has some great memorabilia (I've been inches from Michael Jackson's glove and Thriller jacket) but is ultimately a boring time. The architecture is fun, though.
I just spent the past week hanging around Sedona, Arizona. I hiked some washes, explore some swimming spots, and discovered and mapped a mostly secret camp and swim hole by a spring-fed freshwater creek. It is a magnificent place if you enjoy the outdoors and, if you're like me, can quell a fear of wasps so poisonous that their sting feels like a brutal stabbing. The town itself borders the Coconino National Forest and plays host to some really unique red rock structures The other fun part is the new age/ufologist/crazy community out there. Sedona is a sort of nexus of irrationality and insanity, and is home to at least one cult and "spiritual vortices". If you listen calmly and play along with some of the people there or poke around the crystal and coffeeshops, you can hear some really entertainingly crazy stuff. Reptilians are big among the ufologists there.
Aside from the beautiful nature and craziness, it's also close to a lot of historical sites. Sedona's 25 minutes from Jerome, a rather spooky old town with a Ghost Town quarter, a restaurant converted from an abandoned asylum, and numerous converted bordellos and ruined jails and hotels. It's built from the shell of a debauched copper mining town that went to shit when the mine dried up. Locals claim that various buildings are haunted, and the buildings at the very least give of that atmosphere in spades. Other spooky little towns exist; one town, Cherry, is solely accessible by means of a dirt road so rough that certain cars can't make the trip and has only a handful of odd buildings. The Grand Canyon is about 4 hours away, and various reservations are nearby. Native culture is huge in some areas, and the art in Sedona and the surrounding towns shows it.
To sum it up: Sedona is really strange, but it's lazy and absolutely beautiful, with no shortage of paths to explore. The nicest part is that even given Arizona's political issues, you're so removed from Phoenix and the busier areas of the state, it's like none of that exists. It's a special place.
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I'm in New York! A holiday for four weeks! Although I've got to get used to saying "vacation" instead of "holiday" around here.
I arrived yesterday, and got myself slightly settled in. Before I knew it, it was time to go meet some jugglers. I turned up to the Carmine Street Juggling Club.
I got there very late, but didn't want to juggle due to jetlag and stress. I mainly wanted to go out for dinner afterwards, which I did do. It was like the last five years since I did this last hasn't passed, as the conversation and the translating games were very much the same.
Today I got up early. I bought myself a bike. Here is the bike and the shop (called Zukkies) I bought it from.
I cycled over to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue to buy a new power adaptor for my laptop. After experiencing it first hand, I can see why this shop is the most profitable per square foot in the whole of New York.
From the outside.
After a load of stress about losing my credit card (on the second day of my holiday, no less), I cycled home again. I found my credit card again, on the final search before calling to cancel it.
Here's my bike route. I'm living at the bottom right corner.
I picked the apartment, in part, because of the high loft ceilings. Here is where I juggled this afternoon.
I found out there is access to the roof, and I found out just as the sun was setting. I grabbed my camera and checked it out right away!
Empire State Building, reflecting the sunset. Awesome.
Tomorrow is the NYC Unicycle Festival, so I'm off to Governors Island. Expect some fun photos.
Comments
Aside from the beautiful nature and craziness, it's also close to a lot of historical sites. Sedona's 25 minutes from Jerome, a rather spooky old town with a Ghost Town quarter, a restaurant converted from an abandoned asylum, and numerous converted bordellos and ruined jails and hotels. It's built from the shell of a debauched copper mining town that went to shit when the mine dried up. Locals claim that various buildings are haunted, and the buildings at the very least give of that atmosphere in spades. Other spooky little towns exist; one town, Cherry, is solely accessible by means of a dirt road so rough that certain cars can't make the trip and has only a handful of odd buildings. The Grand Canyon is about 4 hours away, and various reservations are nearby. Native culture is huge in some areas, and the art in Sedona and the surrounding towns shows it.
To sum it up: Sedona is really strange, but it's lazy and absolutely beautiful, with no shortage of paths to explore. The nicest part is that even given Arizona's political issues, you're so removed from Phoenix and the busier areas of the state, it's like none of that exists. It's a special place.
I'm in New York! A holiday for four weeks! Although I've got to get used to saying "vacation" instead of "holiday" around here.
I arrived yesterday, and got myself slightly settled in. Before I knew it, it was time to go meet some jugglers. I turned up to the Carmine Street Juggling Club.
I got there very late, but didn't want to juggle due to jetlag and stress. I mainly wanted to go out for dinner afterwards, which I did do. It was like the last five years since I did this last hasn't passed, as the conversation and the translating games were very much the same.
Today I got up early. I bought myself a bike. Here is the bike and the shop (called Zukkies) I bought it from.
I cycled over to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue to buy a new power adaptor for my laptop. After experiencing it first hand, I can see why this shop is the most profitable per square foot in the whole of New York.
From the outside.
After a load of stress about losing my credit card (on the second day of my holiday, no less), I cycled home again. I found my credit card again, on the final search before calling to cancel it.
Here's my bike route. I'm living at the bottom right corner.
I picked the apartment, in part, because of the high loft ceilings. Here is where I juggled this afternoon.
I found out there is access to the roof, and I found out just as the sun was setting. I grabbed my camera and checked it out right away!
Empire State Building, reflecting the sunset. Awesome.
Tomorrow is the NYC Unicycle Festival, so I'm off to Governors Island. Expect some fun photos.