Post-MBA US Tour

Following the completion of my MBA, I decided to visit a few US cities before heading home. First stop was New Orleans...a city I had wanted to visit ever since I had watched Roger Moore as Bond in Live and Let Die. I wasn’t disappointed...the buildings in the French Quarter were beautiful, the street music was awesome, and the people were really friendly too. I met up with my friend Sarah – who I met in Vegas a few years back – and we stayed in a lovely old Hotel that at one point served as a hospital for confederate soldiers...and is now haunted! Had a fantastic meal the 1st night, before loading up on hand-grenades (bright green drink in a tall plastic glass), beers, and absinthe (served the traditional way)...and listening to some cool music along the way. Have to admit that I ended up a bit the worse for wear and succumbed to my usual tactic of skinny-dipping in the hotel pool...at least I thought it was a pool, the next morning it looked more like a pond! Checked out a couple of areas for nightlife – Bourbon Street is the one everyone knows about, and it was full of cheap drinks, neon lights, and sleazy clubs....so of course I enjoyed it!? Frenchman Street was more typically local, and much smaller...managed to find a place called DBA which had a wide range of beers, and a really good act – Shannon McNally (Irish name, southern accent, native American look) – and found a comfortable seat to chill out. Think New Orleans would be a really cool place to go for a stag-do, as well as somewhere to just enjoy the music and chill.

An early flight (painfully early) took me to Savannah, on the east coast...you may have heard of this place having watched Gone with the Wind? Or Forrest Gump (it’s where he sits waiting for a bus and tells his story). A quaint little place, set around a series of squares – each with a monument, some lovely flowers, and often some live music....and bizarrely the ashes of the person who the square is named for are often buried beneath the square too! Pretty small town, and I had to work hard to think of things to do to keep me occupied for 18 hours, and it also seemed to have as many trolley buses doing tours as it did cars in the street! I did stumble across a little shack selling BBQ though, and had an awesome pulled pork sandwich!

I have quickly realised that it is not possible to travel on a budget in the US....outside of the major cities, very few hostels exist, and whilst train travel can be relatively inexpensive way of getting around (at least with an ISIC card), the stations are often located in hard-to-get-to places, with no linking public transport and so you have to pay $20 each way to get to the station! Very annoying! However, my frustration at this led to one of the highlights so far....I decided to walk the 5 miles to the Amtrak station, out into the countryside, and a large owl flew right past my head – wing-span as wide as my arm-span....beautiful. Seconds after, the owl was chasing a hare...superb to watch.

A 2hr train ride, complete with attendant who called everyone “love” (thought I was in Yorkshire) and “babe” took me to Charleston...site of the 1st battle in the US civil war. A similar place to Savannah – lots of large, beautiful homes to look at, but not an awful lot to keep you busy. I walked around the entire town within a couple of hours (including frequent stops) ....and I went the long-way! The hostel is pretty cool though, and at least it is forcing me to relax somewhat, and it’s also warm which is a bonus after the Chicago winter! Oh – I also saw a group of people break-dancing in a nearby park...some leaps and twists I don’t think I could ever do. Amusingly, 3 little kids started to join in dancing at the side...very cute. And if you ever make it to this part of the world, make sure to pack khakis, a navy blazer, and perhaps a bow-tie....it seems to be the uniform in these parts! Spent my 2nd day here chilling in the main square, watching the world go by, wishing Lucy was with me, but enjoying the bikini clad girls, some live music, a few beautiful dogs (and two ferrets!) been walked, and the sunshine.... fortunately I managed just minor sunburn after 5 hours out....

After arriving at the station ridiculously early, and engaging in a somewhat strange conversation with the station attendant (only 2 trains per day go through there - so I understand how he may be going slightly insane!) I took the overnight train to Washington - managed to get quite a lot of sleep, even if it was often interrupted very broken - and arrived in a much colder climate...quite a shock after Charleston!Dropped my bag at the hotel, and embarked on a whistle stop tour of the major sights - the White House, Washington/Lincoln/Jefferson/FDR memorials, and the Smithsonian before checking out Capitol Hill. Got back to the hostel to find a free performance from a local singer-songwriter called KuKu - he was very good, mixing African music with soul. Amusingly, with all the turmoil in the world today, the only protesters outside the Capitol were protesting against circumcision! The best city yet for the budget traveller, as the hostel is well equipped, there is lots of stuff to do for free - and the public transport is actually quite convenient for a change. Definitely feels as though I am back into civilization after my trip south.

Next stop was a brief sojourn to Baltimore, where I found a charming, yet obviously industrial place. Wandered around the inner harbour, saw yet another aquarium (every town seems to have one!) and appreciated the windswept view from Federal Hill. Got a spot of lunch from one of the local markets, and sat by the harbour to watch the world go by. People here were amongst the friendliest I have met on my trip to date....wonder if that continues as I near New York! Highlight of the day was the World Trade Center....complete with a viewing gallery entitled Top of the World.... it's actually just 20 stories or so high!?!? Very amusing! Although it does happen to be the tallest pentagonal building in the world....

Another quick train journey brought me to Philadelphia, and it's impressive 30th Street Station. 1st impressions were of a city with lots of old buildings, some cool looking bars, and great food (I'm a big fan of the cheese steaks!). The hostel is pretty cool too - bright green and orange in the common room - and friendly staff (something that was missing from the 1st couple of places). Spent much of the day walking around the historical sites - Independence Hall, the Pennsylvanian Congress Hall that housed the 1st US Congree building, and of course the Liberty Bell. So much to see in this compact city... I did want to go and re-create the famous scene from Rocky and run up the steps to the art gallery, but the wet weather wasn't really conducive to that, so I settled for an early finish, a hoagie (sub-sandwich) washed down by a root beer!

New York was my final stop - reached by yet another train journey. Spent the night with Evren and Cusack in their luxury pad - and Jon came along too. Had a nice meal at a place called Bread, visited some cool bars, and drank far too much vodka.... then woke up the next day to find my flight had been moved forward 24hrs and so I had missed it! Managed to book myself on another flight (expensive - ouch) via Dublin.... and had one of the world's cheapest yum-cha feedings to make me feel better ($35 for 4 people!). Very hung-over as I headed to the airport...but at least I was on the way home - and one step closer to seeing Lucy again!

Interesting facts I have learnt on the trip: A mammal is defined as an animal with hair, mothers producing milk, and (this one I did not know) they all have a bone in the middle ear. The term 'green room' (back room in a TV studio / theatre) originates from Shakespearean times.... they used to fill the room with shrubs, plants, etc as it was thought that moisture was helpful to the actor's voices.

Bit of a strange experience, and probably not as enjoyable as I had hoped - think a variety of reasons for this; the American reliance on cars (and the therefore non-existent public-transport links) looking forward to seeing my friends and family in the UK, an eagerness to get back on with the job search, and most of all, a desire to see Lucy back in Oz. Strangely enough it is the non-planned parts of the trip I have found most inspiring - the owl chasing down a hare, chilling in a Charleston square and watching people break dance, arriving at the Washington hostel for an impromptu musical performance....