The Rochester Bike Kids: August 14-15
I arrived at LaGuardia Airport rented a car, and tried to convince the attractive associate that even though I was under 25, I was only a month away and have proven myself a competent and safe driver in my previous rental experience. Enterprise and that guy was a stickler for the rules, or perhaps I should've opted for a low-cut blouse, some make up and a good bra. Unfortunately, I'm quite positive that even a false promise of promiscuity wouldn't have swayed this guy, so I loaded the White Nissan Versa with my oversized traveling bag and hit the road. I dropped off my Broseph in Brooklyn to begin his adventures exploring NYC, and I traveled north to Rochester. I arrived at my friend Laura's house and was greeted with southern hospitality, which was confusing because that is something that eludes some northern folks. I was offered a brew and some conversation. Her mom had just returned from her own adventures in New Orleans. Laura and I walked to Lake Ontario, which was the first of the great lakes I've ever been to. (Now, I'll have to collect them all). It was beautiful, and I kind of regretted not having more time in upstate New York. Laura and I continued our adventure's to Nate's house, from there we road bikes into the town to check out a bar. My exhaustion combined with my nervousness on a bike lead me to worry about being hit. But I was in luck, I was in the hands of the Rochester Bike Kids. There skill and my peddling as fast as I could to keep up prevented me from harm. We checked out a local bar with a band playing on the outside patio and cheap PBR's. It was great meeting Laura and Nate's friends, and hanging with locals. In fact, I think that possibly my favorite part of the overall experience was being shown my friends favorite places to go. Eventually, we made it back to Nate's place and crashed there for the night. I'm still a little unsure of how I carried a bike up the stairs without ruining anything, (considering I'm a klutz and once busted my knee open walking out my mom's backdoor). After sleeping in, and finally adjusting my internal clock to east coast time, we headed to a local diner that Nate and Laura had been interested in trying. I had the "Hotlanta" which was an egg scramble that was spicier than some Cajun foods.
Overall, I really enjoyed Rochester, it's small enough that you can easily manage driving around by bike and it isn't full of people. Also, driving in Rochester isn't as frustrating as driving in Brooklyn. The people were friendly, and there seems to be just enough to do to stay consistently busy, and it's not too far from some cool sites when you feel the need to escape. I probably wouldn't go looking for a job there but if I was transferred, I don't think I would mind it.
Western Taxachusetts (Northampton, Amherst and Surrounding Areas): August 15-17
After saying goodbye to Nate, Laura and I headed to Amherst to hang out with Ian (from Blue 4). Our first night we hung out with Ian's friends and former roommates, and played Taboo. The boys dominated, unfortunately. It was cool to hang out and eat delicious food. I also ate my first White Hot which are hot dogs only found in Rochester. It was probably one of the best hot dogs I'd ever had. the next day Ian showed me and Laura around Amherst and Northampton. We learned about his college, walked the streets and checked out a pretty cool record store. We ate delicious jambalaya made with fresh seafood. It was awesome! Hung out at a local bar and Laura and Ian played pool with Ian's friends from Camp. (His camp is very different from the camps I experienced. It's very progressive and instead of rules they have guidelines. They also don't wake up until like 11. Which is weird, just sayin'). On the 17th we woke up and went for breakfast and I took off to check out Waltham, Ma before my first ever couchsurfing experience.
Western Mass, is really cool and similar to Rochester with the small town feel it has, everything is relatively close together and it having so many nearby colleges is definitely a plus. There is always something to do in college towns. You just have to know where to look. It's really pretty up there and it was great to see Ian in his element.
Waltham, Ma and Couchsurfing in Greenville, NH: August 17-18
Waltham is a cute town that is 9.8 miles from the center of Boston, Ma my favorite city in the world. I drove around and found the location for my interview and I wanted to check out the town more but I had brought the wrong pair of interview pants on my trip, and unfortunately had to by a new pair. I did refrain from refreshing my wardrobe. Reminding myself that I have enough clothes to outfit an entire village. I headed up north to Greenville, NH and hung out with my couchsurfing host. I had heard of couch surfing before and was interested in trying the experience out. This trip gave me a push because I didn’t have anywhere to stay near my interview site. My host, Alexa, showed me around her town. I learned about this artist retreat site. Where people live in these cabins for a number of months and develop their skills. It sounds like an awesome experience although I’m not sure if I qualify. She’s a really cool person, and I’m happy to have been connected to her.
The next day I interviewed in Waltham which was more or less an explanation of the job and questioning on if I think I’d be able to handle it. The job seems very rewarding and I hope that I’m afforded the opportunity. Unfortunately, I’m still waiting to hear back. I did however receive a second interview. I had plans to leave for Annapolis so I left directly from my interview and drove 8 hours south to Maryland to hang out with Blue 4’s Meghan.
Karaoke in Naptown (Annapolis, MD): August 18-19
I arrived at Meghan’s house to be greeted by potential buyers. I hope that I didn’t scare them out of the sale. The realtor didn’t look too happy about my comments on the house. Meghan returned from her errands and we headed out for delicious sushi. After Sushi we headed to Ram’s head followed by Stan and Joe’s for some Karaoke. I massacred Michael Jackson’s “I’m Bad,” it’s true I really was bad. I could make William Hung look like Ricky Martin. I will not let my dreams of being on American Idol be dashed. With some practice, I’m sure I can improve my stage presence; my singing however is beyond help. It was great to catch up with Meghan and finally get to see her and the Wolfman in action (singing Karaoke that is).
I had been to Annapolis prior to this, but I enjoyed the hotspots Meghan had spent the year talking about.
Back to Waltham and then on to Brooklyn: August 19-21
I spent most of the 19th driving and trying to find a place to stay for the night. On the 20th I went for my second interview, I felt confident and I hope to hear back soon. If it’s meant to be it will be and if it’s not I will hopefully find another opportunity. I’m trying to remain positive, as the process of looking for a job seems to put a dent in my happiness. I enjoyed lunch in Waltham, Ma and felt like I could be content to live there, which was very important to me. Then I traveled to LaGuardia to drop of the car. I tried again to reduce my under 25 fee. These people at Enterprise are not to be swayed on these fees. It’s unfortunate. I will probably continue to rent from them because in spite of the stupid fee. They still have lower prices and generally offer excellent customer service. They also put up with my jokes and my frustrations. I hung out with Rowdy Ron from Blue 5 in Queens. He expertly navigated to the Enterprise office. We had dinner and caught up. I appreciated the familiar face and conversation after being so frustrated by the roadblocks.
On the final day of my adventure, my brother, his friend Andrea and I wandered Brooklyn before Broseph and I headed back south to Atlanta. I am not a fan of NYC or it’s surrounding suburbs. It’s just not my scene. I can’t see myself living there, which is unfortunate because I usually feel like I can adapt anywhere. I was happy to leave NYC but I can’t say the same for the rest of the Northeast. I hope to head back soon, pending this job offer of course.
Overall the experience was worthwhile. I enjoyed seeing friends, and parts of the Northeast I’d never seen before.
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