06/12/2009
One of the reasons why I came to the US is to fight my inhibitions and prove my self wrong when it comes to my bad impression about people from this country. I have had some disappointing experiences in the past, but due to some wonderful ones, I decided to come here and see they're not all as bad. :)
In the four months I have spent in the US so far, not only have I been pleasantly surprised over and over again, but it also got me thinking regarding our everyday interactions: how people will respond to a person who will stop them in the middle of the street and make them feel uncomfortable in a number of ways by asking something very simple. It's amazing to observe that a lot of them are not interested to hear what you have to say. On many occasions, whether I asked "Would you like this one hundred dollar bill?", or "Would you like me to rape you?" I would get the same response. A quick "no" just to brush me off. People are not only in a hurry all the time, but they have evolved to not appreciating and expecting momentary human interaction that comes from outside their circle. When someone talks to them on the street, they will other feel violently removed from their comfort zone (and therefore threatened), or surprised that someone they do not know is actually speaking to them. Why should it be like that? Why is a simple hello nowadays not normal?
Chicago is the place where I have encountered this the most. Which is why I chose this city to do this:
A razor had not touched my face since september 2005
I am planning to continue with my everyday life as normal for a few days. Today, sunday the 6th of december, is the first day of this experiment.
I want to see how people will treat me. What their reactions will be like. How they will judge me, or avoid me, or even spark a conversation with me. I want to test people's limits and acceptance levels.
The inspiration for this experiment came by a very close friend of mine. You can read about his experience with the same experiment here: http://thelifelesstravelled.com/2008/08/fifty-fifty.html
I'll be keeping you posted. :)
M.
03/12/2009
A road trip cannot be a road trip without the occasional car problem. I had various so far, but this was the first one actually on the road.
On the way from Michigan to Chicago, driving down the I-94, under an almost snowy weather, we suddenly heard a very loud and disturbing noise coming from the rear left side of the car. We quickly pulled over, put on our huge jackets (the weather can't be handled with just a t-shirt and flip-flops anymore) and got out to face the damage.
The rear, left tire was not just flat. It had practically exploded.
Anyway, no biggie I thought. I got a spare, so we'll change it and we'll be on our way. I went round the back, brought out the jack and the rest of the tools, and.... well... I didn't get much further from there to be honest.
To start with, I was fiddling with the jack and a long metal rod for about ten minutes, trying to figure out how to make them work together and get the damn car to rise. You should have seen my face. I was probably like a 6-month old kid, trying to fit the triangle in the circle. Trying from every possible angle and with all likely combinations, but I just couldn't get it to work.
I decided to leave that aside and try to get the spare wheel from under the van. Little did I know that I was in for yet another failure. How the hell do you get that wheel from under there? I knew that the long metal rod was the one to be used, but where the hell was I supposed to stick it? (Careful with the answers on this one.......) I was looking everywhere, under the van, on the side, behind the bumper, under the mattress. I ended up unscrewing something that I was not supposed to.
So there we are, both me and H., looking at each other baffled and feeling incompetent. She threw the idea of calling the AAA, but I felt too embarrassed to call road-side service just for a flat tire! (It wasn't just flat by the way, the whole damn thing exploded, but still. The procedure was the same...) Anyway, my initial reaction of not wanting to call the AAA was just me being in denied that I was useless and that I did need help to change the tire.
So we did call them and half an hour later they arrived. Changed the tire in a matter of 10 minutes and that was that.
At least we were not completely stupid. The jack was missing a tool, which is why we couldn't get it to work and to get the spare tyre off, I needed to remove a bit of rubber from behind the bumper, which I did not even notice it was possible. So with my competence not fully ridiculed and a good tyre in place, we continued our journey towards Chicago.
M.
02/12/2009
After the short visit in Canada, we stopped for a few days at my friend B.'s place in Keego Harbor, Michigan, a very small town located just north of Detroit.
We ventured a couple of times down to Detroit and both times I was shocked at the state in which this city is left. Abandoned buildings everywhere, even in the heart of the city. A big city that once was booming with activity, mainly after the industrial revolution years, is now nearing the stages of a ghost town.
One of the biggest abandoned buildings, if not the biggest, is the Packard plant. The Packard Motor Car manufacturing complex was established on the east side of Detroit in 1907. Packard manufactured luxury vehicles here until it went out of business in 1956. Now, it looks like a building that is half demolished. The huge 40-acre complex stands there and is visible from the centre of the city.
We ventured inside near sundown and took some pictures of its spooky remnants.
The whole city felt like it was lacking color and vibrance. Apparently, a big percentage of people who work in Detroit, do not live in it, but rather drive in and out every day. I'm sure it has a lot of hidden gems, and in the few days we had, we didn't have a chance to discover it all, but the abandoned neighborhoods images were quite striking by themselves.
We left Keego Harbor to make a one-night stop at Ann Arbor and the following day we set off towards Chicago. The weather is getting colder by the day...
M.
29/11/2009
Bit of a funny fact while at the Niagara falls.
We had parked the car all the way behind the falls and we had walked back until the bridge that connects the two countries. It's a pretty long walk, so we decided to hitchhike back to the car. Yes, the ride would be about 5 minutes, but we were feeling lazy enough to do it. It was around 1pm, on a very sunny day and lots of people were around, enjoying the wet view, but we were in a hurry to go for a winery tour.
We got off the bridge, started walking on the road and when a car appeared, I quickly raised my thumb. To my surprise, the dude stopped straight away! Never before had I managed to hitch a ride with the very first attempt!
We open the door, get in the car and both myself and H. get overwhelmed by a very strong smell of weed! "WOAH" we both thought. I look at the driver and it's a guy in his early 30s, smoking a joint! I remind you, it's pretty early on a sunny sunday afternoon.
Very friendly and jolly guy and without hesitation, he proceeded to explaining about how in Canada one is allowed to grow and own weed for medicinal purposes. Of course, the talk lasted a whole 3 minutes until we arrived at the car park where I had my car.
We get out, he drives off, we look at each other and we go: "Yeap. THAT just happened!"
M.
29/11/2009
The following day I left D.C. and drove up north once again. Next stop: Niagara falls.
However, the way to the falls is a turning point, as I will be no longer traveling alone for a while. As pre-arranged, as made a quick stop at JFK airport, where my friend H. was gonna be arriving, in order for us to join forces and travel together.
We made it to Niagara, and Canada more specifically, where we stayed for a night with E., a friend through CouchSurfing that I had never before been lucky enough to meet in person.
Entering Canada...
I've been violated!
Going to Niagara falls has always been a dream of mine. However, I was never especially passionate about it. I wanted to go there, mainly because everyone would mention these falls every so often. They would be used as a metaphor to show great water flow, or as a form of exageration. Also, it would always be an attraction that would get mentioned whenever someone would talk about a holiday in the USA: "Oh yeah, and the Niagara falls. You have to see those...". Visiting the falls, I realised that Canada has an equal share (if not a better one) of the falls as the US do.
The bridge that connects the USA with Canada
Straddling the two countries
After a number of attempts, we gave up on the idea of trying to fit both of us AND the falls in the same photo
Now, being close to the moment that I would see them, I was prepared for dissapointment. I was not expecting to see anything breathtaking nor new. And indeed, I was not proven wrong.
Behind the falls
Yeap. Lots of water indeed...
Niagara falls itself, in my humble opinion, is nothing to write home about. The falls form the natural border between Canada and the USA and other than the fact that millions of gallons of water flow through that border on a daily basis, there isn't much more to say about them. There's nothing really spectacular about the scenery and especially after having seen the Iguazu falls in Argentina, this to me was nothing more than a running tap...
This was the most beautiful image I saw out there. Funny how no part of the falls is portrayed.
What kind of human visits the niagara falls to have their photo taken in front of a photo??
So, Niagara Falls: check. Back to the US of A now and specifically to Keego Harbor, Michigan.
M.
27/11/2009
Last thursday of november is when Thanksgiving is celebrated. It is possibly one of (if not THE) the most important holidays in the United States and is celebrated traditionally amongst a huge family, with a big, stuffed turkey dominating the center of the dinner table. My friend J., with whom I stayed for a few days in New York, invited me to spend the festive days with her and her family in Washington D.C.
With J.
D.C., the capital of the nation, is a pretty strange city. It's generally very quiet, but also very touristy. And the funny thing is, all tourists come here to see governmental buildings. Sure, everyone loves a monument or two, but the majority of people come to see the white house, the capitol, the supreme court etc... Isn't that really bizarre? Those buildings having nothing extravagant when it comes to their structure or architecture. Instead, everyone comes to visit them for their status in the political world. I bet that if the very same buildings were located in Madagascar, not as many people would look forward to taking their picture in front of them.
The beautiful autumn colors
Shouldn't the reflecting pool have a bit more water in it?
The subway had something different about it...
Just one pointer. Make sure you visit the Albert Einstein statue!! If you only have time to do one thing in the city, do that! You can find it behind the bushes, on the right of the Lincoln monument. :)
Assing out with Einstein
Within a day, we were done with the touristy side of D.C. and we went on to the grub. Thursday night and we're going with J. to her aunt's place for the big feast. Now, had I mentioned that J. is russian? Well, she is. And so is the rest of her family. So, there I was, spending thanksgiving in the U.S. with a big russian family that had prepared a humongous feast that included a bit of turkey somewhere amongst all the dishes.
It was a very surreal and beautiful image at the same time. People of all ages, having left their country many years ago, being all gathered around a big table, celebrating a strong north american tradition, while still maintaining their own culture, habits and style. It really felt like I was in Russia, and not in the US. I really admired they way they lived and spent that significant day. It was truly very inspiring and traditional or not, I don't think I could have spent a better thanksgiving elsewhere.
Thank you J. :)
M.
24/11/2009
In one of the stops of the New York subway I discovered a big art project. The artist is called Tom Otterness and the tile of this project is Life Underground. What it consists of is a huge collection of bronze little statues in various poses and everyday life moments.
I will not show you every single one, as there are too many, but a collection of my favourite ones instead. If you wish to see it, all you have to do is go to New York and take the subway to 8th Avenue stop. :)
M.
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