The van is fully functional! The guys at Frank’s did a great job, and cost significantly less than Ben’s dad’s estimate. If they weren’t busy helping other customers out when I left I was gonna snag an honorary H.t.b.o.t.I. photo.  Oh well.

While I waited I checked out the Lincoln Park Zoo (left) & Conservatory (right). They’re both surprisingly big, and pleasantly free. I got the broken-spirit vibe from a lot of the animals at the zoo, but the plants seemed to be decently happy. Surprisingly the Conservatory was the more interesting of the two. After feeling pumped up about my superior intelligence and opposable thumb, I proceeded to place my $18/5-day transit pass into the dollar bill scanner. The words “don’t act like a monkey” were all too audible despite Ben not being there.

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We drove through Detroit yesterday due to a bit of a time constraint.  It was cool to at least drive through the city and see the GM building from afar.

Last night, we hung out with a good friend of mine, Kelley.  Apparently, Ann Arbor is a bit of a college town, therefore it is possible to find great drink specials on a Wednesday such as: $2 pitchers of Miller High Life.

By the end of the night:

• Alexi realized he had used the women’s bathroom at some point.
• We had played a few rounds of quarters.
• We apparently recruited a couple of college girls to play beer pong with us.
• We ordered “chips and cheese.”
• Our bill was less than $12.

Alexi is finishing up some work, then we’re headed to Chicago to get the van checked out.  Apparently, about 20 miles outside of town, the speedometer decided to stop working and the engine started sounding a bit…different.  We filled up with premium gas, which helped as it did with a knocking that was happening before.

This morning, we realized that the odometer is also not working, assumedly related to the speedometer.  So, hopefully we can find someone in Chicago to take a look at the van without screwing us over

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It was awesome to see family that I hadn’t seen in quite some time.

The first night, we hung out with my uncle Tony, aunt Verna, and cousin Danielle.  We had  one of the best pizzas ever and talked late into the night with Bob and his awesome stories.  Tony’s house is over a hundred years old and he’s put a ton of work into it and the property - I hadn’t seen it in about three years and it looks so amazingly different.  As soon as the barn is finished, I’m totally heading out there to break it in.

The next night, we hung out with my aunt Lisa, uncle Charlie, and cousins Emma and Evan.  Evan’s about four months old, so it was cool to see him for the first time.  Emma’s four years old and a little chatty Cathy.  If Alexi ever gets down about being single, he can remind himself that he’s the apple of Emma’s eye.

That night, we went to an apple orchard and picked apples for an hour or so.  Then, we had the most amazing donuts ever.  Krispy Kreme doesn’t even compare.  I ate three within the first five minutes we had them.  Later, Charlie cooked awesome steaks (there’s your good review ;), and we celebrated aunt Lisa’s birthday with an ice cream cake.

I also got to see my grandmother and the new additions to her house which look amazing.  I’m definitely glad she made it out to Lisa and Charlie’s for dinner and that I got to see her for lunch as well.

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Right now, we’re sitting at a place called the Linux Caffee. It’s just our speed. Coffee, bagels, Radiohead on the speaker box, and a stack of programming and OS books in the corner available for public consumption. Our van (and we) slept well last night in a busy street.

The dude behind the counter is a bit hippie-ish, but not to an uncomfortable or awkward degree. Their everything bagel with butter is, quite literally, the best bagel I’ve ever had in my entire life. And the laydeez that roll through here have been cute in that dorky, nerdy, fun, unpretentious way that we all know and love.

Speaking of women, hands down, Montreal has the best looking women I’ve seen in the entire world. We were told to expect the same of Toronto, but it’s not the same.

Montreal and Toronto downtowns are both really, really clean. Montreal carries itself with it’s touch of French; proper, prim, and a perhaps a bit rigid. Toronto feels more laid back like this cafe.

Both feel safe and are places that would be easy to live in. Apartment prices seem reasonable compared to similar cities in the US.

Both cities are amazingly bike friendly, which is rad.

All in all, the Canadian cities get my vote. I have a feeling that I’m really going to like Vancouver as well.

Stay tuned for “The Montreal Story.” French cuisine, late night boozing, and how train tracks and a GPS saved the day…night.

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Looks like you can only plan so much! We were going to spend two full days in Toronto, but the drive from Glens Falls, NY put us in Niagara Falls, NY too late to see the actual falls. Determined to not miss it, we spent the night there and indulged in some Roy Rogers (a memory enhanced by childhood,) and a case of Molson. Neither were very kind to the digestive tract.

Waking up early so Ben could catch a client call, we headed over to the Falls, snapped some photos, and then went to the border to play Hide & Seek with customs agents. I guess you never get off easy when:

1. You claim a van as your residence.
2. You say you’re unemployed, for the sake of simplicity.
3. You have stamps in your passport from Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.

Good thing Road Trip 2.0 is 100% legit!

We rolled into Toronto around 1:00pm only to discover that our Walmart’s parking lot has a 3 hour time limit. Plans fouled, we found parking on the street, and now are trying to get our sights in quickly. Ben’s down at the Hockey Hall of Fame, I’m soaking up local nerdiness at the Linux Caffe. Tonight we’re gonna party it up all crazy like, and tomorrow we roll out early for Detroit.

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This sleepy little city, in this sleepy little state, made us really, really tired. No, seriously. We’ve been going to bed at 10:00 and waking up at 9:00 for the past 3 nights. But it was probably good for us. We used the extra time to get burn some calories, do a little fancy cooking, and enjoy a couple of campfires. Not to mention that the trees are starting to turn color. The only downside of the season was a strong wind every day but the morning that we’re packing up to leave. This prevented the awning from being deployed, something we’re both looking forward to.

There’s not much else to say about South Hero, Vermont, so I’ll let the slideshow do the talking after the cut. Read the rest of this entry »

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Who knew that RV parks had seasons? More specifically, who knew that the RV park in Phippsberg, Maine closed on the very day we were to arrive? Well, we do, now.

We sat in the van and cried for a little bit, then got on Ben’s Verizon Internet card to find another option. Since Vermont’s on the way, and Ben can’t stop talking about the sharp cheddar you can get there, we decided to hit up a park there that IS open this time of year. But all wasn’t lost! We got some killer lobster rolls before we left.

All in all, we rocked Maine pretty hard. Probably best we left early.

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Boston was a blast. We saw history, boats, smart people, and culture. We slept in peaceful neighborhoods, and partied with the college kids. And most importantly, we had great people to show us around and make it an all around good time (thanks Jankowskis & Ben!)

Full details after the cut.
Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve been riding my bike in and out of traffic all through Boston for a lot of this afternoon. I have to say that this city feels really, really good. There’s something about it, its charm, character, feel, whatever you want to call it, that I really like.

This park, for example, juxtaposes the nature of its ancient willows with the horizon of a just-big-enough modern city showcasing the John Hancock building. It seems like this is what New York City’s Central Park might have felt like at one time before it became tainted with a name.

It’s clean, but not too clean like a hospital or the city I grew up in. It feels safe, but vulnerable. There is a sense of wisdom here.

Or maybe it’s just the fresh New England air.

Either way, it is because of these moments that I recently discovered my love for travel.

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Last night, we ended up going to Stoned Crow in the upper East side to meet up with a good friend of mine, Sarah, who has awesome music tastes and great intellect.  It was definitely a good time with some beer funds being used as well.

We’re just outside of Boston tonight. The ride wasn’t too bad. It would have been nice to miss NYC traffic and see Connecticut during the day, but we made do.

Speaking of, New Haven and Hartford seem like they could be really cool cities. We both agree on that based on the kind of experience that you get driving through a city. It’s well-founded.

Tomorrow, we have a few options of plans including meeting up with an old friend, sneaking into college classes, and riding my fixed gear around town. If the weather is good, I’ll definitely be downtown on my bike. Saturday, we’re aiming for the Samuel Adams brewery.

After that, we’ll be heading to the coast of Maine either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

For now, we’re going to crash. Hard. In another Wal-Mart parking lot.

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