March 31, 2011
From Van to Van (without a plan)
Three boys from Australia road tripping from Vancouver through the US
2010 in review
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,200 times in 2010. That’s about 10 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 50 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 548 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 629mb. That’s about 2 pictures per day.
The busiest day of the year was May 19th with 182 views. The most popular post that day was Days 15-19, Denver, CO.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, mail.live.com, jzaindustries.blogspot.com, and obama-scandal-exposed.co.cc.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for van to van without a plan, new yorker hotel, welcome to texas, camping beds, and joe strummer.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
1
Days 15-19, Denver, CO May 2010
1 comment
2
About March 2010
3 comments
3
The (Astro) Boyz April 2010
3 comments
4
The Route April 2010
1 comment
5
The Van April 2010
3 comments
Day 44: Rocky Neck State Park, CT
Thursday 3 June 2010
Today we had a lazy day hanging around the campsite, throwing the football, playing basketball etc. then we strolled up the road Lyme Tavern sports bar to watch game 1 of the NBA playoffs… and a disappointing loss for Boston.
Sports day... basketball, Aussie Rules & American Football
Caddy taking advantage of rest period between playing and watching b'ball
The campsite
Bathroom at Lyme Tavern
Day 43: Milford, CT to Rocky Neck State Park, CT
Wednesday 2 June 2010 – 48 miles today – 6803 miles to date
Today we did a leisurely 48 mile drive further up the Connecticut coastline to Rocky Neck State Park. We found a great spot for the tent as there park wasn’t that busy and set up for a 2 night stay. The park was huge and really well set up with sites that weren’t too close together and even had a full size basketball court. After setting up we strolled down to the beach for a quick dip then played some basketball before dinner.
Van full of firewood and cold beer... all set!
Lucky we didn't bother bringing the boards
Awesome campsite
Campground b'ball
Caddy steady mobbin'
Day 42: New York, NY to Milford, CT
Tuesday 1 June 2010 – 72 miles today – 6755 miles to date
Tents wanted to hit up the Zoo York store on the way out of the city so we looked up Google Maps and drove from the hotel down Broadway to around 38th and parked in a garage. Tents was willing to pay the $40 parking so Caddy and I accompanied him on a wild goose chase to a non-existent Zoo York store. It way too hot and we were severely lacking energy by this point so we gave up and took off towards Brooklyn and Biggie Smalls childhood home. After we got some pics sitting on the stoop of the St. James St. apartment, we walked around the corner and got some Jamaican patties from Golden Krust Bakery where Biggie often ate.
Driving out of New York was a nightmare and the only thing that made us feel OK about it was that the traffic coming into the city was 5 times worse. It took us a good couple of hours to clear the city limits and make our way up the 95 and into Connecticut. We stopped at a place called Milford and had a quiet night which involved dinner across the street from the hotel at a restaurant called UNO Chicago Grill.
Some of the street-side seating on Broadway & 38th
This is what $30 per hour parking looks like
Best way to get around Manhattan
Biggie's stoop - St James Place, Brooklyn
Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery, Brooklyn
Bodega, Brooklyn
A fully-loaded pizza at UNO Chicago Grill
Day 41: New York, NY
Monday 31 May 2010
We got the subway to Chambers St. and got breakfast on Canal St., then wandered through Chinatown, Little Italy and SOHO for a few hours. When we got to Washington Square Park there were loads of people sun-baking and frolicking in the fountain. There was also a bunch of photographers doing a shoot of a young couple jumping around in the water which was interesting to watch for a while. I also ran into a girl shooting 3D pics with 2 Canon IXUS point and shoot cameras connected with a contraption she bought online for $700.00!!!
We made our way back up to Midtown and Tents and Caddy wanted to check out Macy’s but I was over the mad shoppers and said I’d go back to the hotel and chill for a couple of hours before dinner. So I jumped on the A,C,E line and forgot that the E train diverted to Queens. I was so spaced out that I didn’t realize until I was there. So by the time I got the right trains back to the hotel, the boys were already chillin’ with a beer in the AC.
My old friends from Uni, Jason and Kristine, met us in Hell’s Kitchen for an awesome Thai dinner then we wandered on foot all the way down to 14th Street and just hung out for a while. NY somehow tends to make you walk more than any other city I’ve ever been to and a combination of that, the crowds and the heat had started to take its tool and we ended up home before midnight.
The iconic NY water tower
This is old liquor store in now actually a J.Crew store
El Fresco dining in Little Italy
Part of a memorial day ceremony in Chinatown
Old building on Canal St.
Little Italy
Photo shoot in Washington Square Park
Photo shoot in Washington Square Park
Can't remember which church this was...
I love NY
Water samples anyone?
Tri-scraper
Kris posing for the bike shoot
Thai dinner with Jay and Kris
New Yorker Hotel
Empire State Building
MJ about to light a ciggy
Another NY icon... the fire escape
That's all folks!
Day 40: Philadelphia, PA to New York, NY
Sunday 30 May 2010 – 94 miles today – 6683 miles to date
We had an awesome breakfast at the hotel, with custom omelets and lots of other good stuff. Then we got our gear together and took off for NYC baby!!
Again it was only a short drive (good thing about all these north-east coast cities) of about 1.5 hours. Unfortunately 2 things hampered our entry to the big apple… an excess of tolls and traffic. Eventually we got into Manhattan and found our hotel in the upper west side. We were extremely lucky to get anything in Manhattan at all and we paid less than what we would have paid to stay in a 12 bed dorm in a hostel. There was only one queen bed bu there was a second room with a kitchenette and loads of room to lay our mattresses out on the floor.
Our hotel in the Upper West Side…
The weather was perfect so we didn’t waste any time getting set for a walk through Central Park to soak up some Sunday sun with thousands of others. We spent about 2 hours strolling from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir (only a few blocks from the hotel) right down to Columbus Circle at the south-west corner of the park. We kept walking down Broadway a few blocks then stopped in for a cheeky pint and watched the world walk by the window of the bar.
At night we ventured into the East Village and grabbed a meat pie from Tuck Shop on St. Mark’s Place. Then we had a couple of beers at Vazacs Horseshoe Bar.
We thought this may have been Jay-Z... but maybe not
The modern home office
Tents getting his stoop chill mode on
"Crack Tennies"?
A number of sinister explanations have been proposed as to why this is done. Some say that shoes hanging from the wires advertise a local crack house where crack cocaine is used and sold[1] (in which case the shoes are sometimes referred to as “Crack Tennies”).[citation needed] It can also relate to a place where Heroin is sold to symbolize the fact that once you take Heroin you can never ‘leave’: a reference to the addictive nature of the drug. Others claim that the shoes so thrown commemorate a gang-related murder, or the death of a gang member, or as a way of marking gang turf. Wikipedia
This boy's got hops!
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, Central Park
Central Park
Belveder Castle, Central Park
Anothe Scrubs romance?
Saw this bitch on the Subway... and thought her owner was cute!
Oh yea... meat pies on the stoop outside Tuck Shop late night
Joe Strummer (The Clash) mural on St. Mark's Place
Tents playing pinball at Horseshoe Bar
Caddy at Horseshoe Bar
That's about our budget!
Apparently this IS possible
Second dinner at Papaya Dog on 14th Street
Tents waiting for the subway
Fat Joe's Caddy maybe?
Day 39: Washington, DC to Philadelphia, PA
Saturday 29 May 2010 – 137 miles today – 6589 miles to date
After a breakfast that consisted of 3 coffee’s from the hotel for me and Burger King for Caddy and Tents, we took off for Philly. It was only about 3 hours and we arrived just after lunch.
Philly is surrounded by water with the Delaware River to the east, forming the border with New Jersey and the Schuylkill River to the west. Delaware River is right on HWY 95 as we drove into the city and hosts the Independence Seaport Museum which is home to the USS Olympia…
The Olympia (C-6) is the oldest steel warship afloat in the world. Launched in San Francisco, CA, in 1892, she is similar to many early steel warships built in Philadelphia for the US Navy. more info.
First impressions of the city were that it was gritty (in a good way) and industrial on fringe of downtown with a mix of historic and modern architecture. The city is divided into distinct neighborhoods, each with their own character and set of draw-cards.
As per usual, we stumbled upon a decent car park the heart of it downtown called Washington Square West, which just so happened to be ‘The Gayborhood’ (not that there’s anything wrong with that). We fed the meter long enough to explore for a couple of hours which gave us a chance to check out the famous Reading Terminal Market, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall (where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted) and then down to the waterfront to check out the USS Olympia.
We decided that we liked Philly and wanted to stay for one night at least. The problem again was that it was Saturday night, Memorial Day Weekend and also the Flyers were playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We sat in a coffee shop for over an hour trying to find a room at a decent price, within a short distance of downtown. Eventually Tents found one at Crowne Plaza which was about a 5 minute drive just to the north-west.
After picking up our mate Vladimir we checked in and chillaxed for a bit in the room. We had planned on taking a cab back downtown at night but getting a cab at all proved way harder than we expected. So after calling one and waiting for about 1/2 an hour, we ended up sharing with one other guy who suggested we go to another neighborhood nearby and have a drink with him at his mates bar. This turned out OK and we all bar hoped a bit and had a pretty good night.
Some of the finest (cheapest) beer known to man!
Old mate waiting for a bus
Pimped out van
Grafitti and b'ball court just north of downtown
Giant cell phone stuck onto a wall
Couple of gents doing a reenactment of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence
One of many giant murals in the city
Typical Georgian style architecture downtown
Independence Hall
USS Olympia
USS Olympia
The Moshulu floating restaurant
Giant American flag mural
With a major assist from The Sherwin-Williams Co., the city of Philadelphia in November, 2001 unveiled a huge,6,000-square-foot American flag mural painted on the side of a Philadelphia cold storage warehouse facing Interstate 95, in a project commemorating the tragic events of Sept. 11.
The reason why this was 6,000 square feet is when they planned this mural (late September) they had originally thought 6,000 people had died and so they dedicated a square foot per person. more info.
Tents (DJ Shift-T) and Erin on the decks in Denver
This was at miniBAR, downtown Denver on the Saturday night we were there.
Day 38: Petersburg, VA to Washington, DC
Friday 28 May 2010 – 131 miles today – 6452 miles to date
We had a fairly short drive into DC and our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it were designated officially as a military cemetery June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Scene at Arlington National Cemetery
More than 300,000 people are buried at Arlington Cemetery.
Veterans from all the nation’s wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the Iraq and Afghanistan. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900.
At first we couldn’t believe how many people were there for a Friday, then we remembered that we had arrived at the start of Memorial Day Weekend.
We walked up to see JFK’s gravesite, Arlington House and the Tomb of the Unknowns where we were lucky enough to catch the changing of the guard ceremony.
The Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard sentinels. Sentinels, all volunteers, are considered to be the best of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), headquartered at Fort Myer, Va.
Tents banged up some salad rolls out of the back of the Astro in the car park and then we drove past the Pentagon and over the Arlington Memorial Bridge and found a park on Constitution Ave. right by the Washington Monument. We walked from there down to the Lincoln Memorial and back then had to move the car. Unfortunately we couldn’t find another park anywhere near the White House so I just dropped the boys off nearby and did a few laps of the block while they went and had a look up close.
We headed out of town after that because there was no accommodation available anywhere near downtown due to the long weekend. We ended up at a Red Roof Inn at Jessup for the night and soon started talking about the possibility of finally sampling the enormous (and cheap) buffet at Golden Corral. Everyone was very excited at the prospect of devouring as many baby back ribs as they possibly could however upon arrival at our closest franchaise we were devasteted to see 3 busloads of people arriving and lining up outside in a Sizzler-like fashion circa 1993. On to Panda Express for some OK but far from satisfying Chinese.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
JFK's grave
Civil War Unknown Soldier Monument
Soldiers on guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns
Chevy Camaro with stars & stripes paintjob
Washington Monument
Looking towards the Lincoln Memorial
Tents & Caddy looking at the Capitol Building
Ducks washing in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Lincoln Memorial
Capitol Building
White House
From Van to Van (without a plan) 