Travel log

Where I’ve been, at least that I’m willing to share, in alphabetical order.

Travelers (2015)

On this lonely road,
Though crowded with travelers,
I still feel alone.

Overview

I grew up in the United States Midwest and have visited 31/51 US states and 10/63 National Parks.¹

I’ve also visited a number of other countries.

I used to make “video postcards” and zines (printable versions: nz, eu, china) of my travels.

Here are some low-stakes recommendations.

Tips

Go here for some of the things I’ve recently learned while traveling.

Random stories and lists

Worst Airbnbs

1. A basement in an “active household” with five small kids, two dogs, endless dog toys, children’s television, and a paper-thin ceiling, in Grand Rapids, MI.
2. A basement with low ceilings - so low that I could not stand up straight - in Wheeler, WV.
3. The time I had to break into my own room following the host’s instructions, in San Francisco, CA.

Places

Albuquerque, NM, USA

• riding a hot air ballooon is expensive but fun
• petroglyphs are cool
• La Montañita Food Coop

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• “coffee” from the coffeehouses, of course
• the Van Gogh museum, also a bunch of Rembrandts
• joppie sauce = hate-less chickfila sauce

Asheville, NC, USA

• pimiento cheese scrambled eggs at Bisuit Head
• Plant, a hip vegan restaurant
• Brevard is cute, and Quotations is a chill café
• get up early, take the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the sunrise over the mountains
• lots of good hikes (wear sunscreen)
• kayak along the French Broad, and stop off to sneak into the big mansion
• didn’t get a chance to visit Moog

Austin, TX, USA

• like Lexington, but if they turned everything way up to 11 and didn’t make any changes to the underlying infrastructure
• hard to visit without a car
• good BBQ can be found in the surrounding area
• Electric Church is a chill underground psych rock venue, and De Nada Cantina is tasty nearby
• state capitol building is beautiful even if what they do there is totally messed up

Bath, UK

• the roman baths are old and cool but the museum is underwhelming
• the bookshops are good
• walk along the canal

Bay Area, CA, USA

• Point Reyes National Seashore ia worth the drive, and you can get oysters on the way (my friend also recommends the bookstore in PR Station)
• Chapel of the Chimes, Urban Ore, and Golden Tee Golfland are all fantastic
• Cheeseboard is an incredible worker-owned restaurant, cheese shop, and bakery
• Burma Superstar is tasty
• The Knockout is a surprisingly divey venue in SF
• Once a month you can go to the SF botanical garden for free, the SF japanese garden is quite good, and Oakland’s bonsai garden is incredible
• Spectator Books is good
• Friends and Family is tasty, and Understory, and so is breakfast at Alem’s Coffee

Beijing, China

• you can hop out a little window onto an unrestored section of the Great Wall; don’t fall!

Berlin, Germany

• coolest city ever, probably
• modern art and more: Berlinische Galerie, Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Neue Nationalgalerie, ME Collectors Room
• vegan currywurst
• east side gallery
• memorial to the murdered jews of europe and the Judisches Museum
• walking up the Bundestag Building
• clubs, obviously

Bloomington, IN, USA

• Mother Bear’s pizza
• Bloomington Thrift Shop Inc.

Boonville, Mendocino, CA, USA

They have their own language, Boontling.

Boston, MA, USA

• Halloween in Salem is excellent
• make sure to put your feet in the ocean

Bristol, UK

• Cafe Kino
• Cube Microplex
• People’s Republic of Stokes Croft

Budapest, Hungary

• rudas and gellert baths
• cave church
• csendes letterem, and yeah, at least go see szimpla kert
• massolit books and cafe (for chilling and working)
• fekete kutya
• the tram up castle hill is short but still kinda fun

Charlottesville, VA, USA

• excellent turkish food around
• some great used bookstores
• LiveArts theatre

Chicago, IL, USA

• go to a daytime Cubs game
• malort
• Calumet Fisheries and the Blues Brothers bridge right next to it
• Myopic Bookstore

Cincinnati, OH, USA

• Rhinegeist brewery
• Findlay Market
• Perfect North

Copenhagen, Denmark

• amazing breakfast
• I <3 cargo bikes
• Christiania
• dreamy sunsets over the bridge
• actually livable

Denver, CO, USA

• Red Rocks is fun to visit, along with the nearby dinosaur footprints
• Evergreen, CO, is nearby and very cute
• Davies’ Check Wagon Diner was transported there from the East Coast
• City, ‘O City has great vegan food, and Domo was a great eating experience
• Meow Wolf is overhyped but still fun with friends

Dresden, Germany

• find Slaughterhouse V
• the Green Vaults
• climb the Kreuzkirche rather than the Frauenkirche

Faroe Islands

• it’s doable by bus, but not easy
• the edge of the world
• incredible hikes
• sheep!
• fish ’n chips and traditional music in Torshavn

Florence, Italy

• climb to the top of the Duomo
• it’s all just beautiful, and I enjoyed both major museums
• Bobolui Gardens were also fun
• Siena is worth the trip, with its amazing history and cathedral

Florida, USA

I’ve been down there a number of times. Not a ton of recommendations, but I enjoyed Miami and the Keys.

Florida Keys

• one of the keys is a state park where you can walk 100 meters into the Gulf of Mexico and it will still only come up to your waist
• Key West is a tourist trap but the other islands have some gems

Grand Rapids, MI, USA

• a little boring, in a good way
• Redux Books is a good used bookstore, and Argos nextdoor
• Bitter End is a great coffeeshop
• vegan breakfast sandy at Sunday brunch at Fulton Street Bar and Grill

Hudson, NY, USA

A lot of very expensive furniture, but also a cute town and a great natural landscape.

Lots of good food here, too, including Lil Deb’s Oasis, the Mel bakery, and many more. We also enjoyed the firefighting museum.

Iceland

An incredible place. I recommend spending at least 9 days there, and doing it with at least one other person. Once you get started, and leave Reykjavík, you are unlikely to match the cadence of anyone you meet on the road.

Ben Frost and Francesco Fabris made an album from audio of the Meradalir volcano, which I saw erupting in 2022.

Indianapolis, IN, USA

Naptown, Crossroads of America, etc.

• the art museum
• Kurt Vonnegut stuff
• Rhythm Discovery Center
• Yats
• Maxine’s Chicken and Waffles

Lexington, KY, USA

• food: Bourbon & Toulouse, Sav’s, Stella’s, Magee’s, GirlsGirlsGirls Burritos
• CD Central, Sqecial Media, and other spots nearby
• Institute 193 typically has a good exhibition

Lisbon, Portugal

• pasteis de nata
• Versiculo d’O Faia

Los Angeles, CA, USA

You don’t need my help with this one. I mean, there’s the beach for starters. And the desert. Brecht’s take is more interesting.

Louisville, KY, USA

• Kaiju
• Zanzibar
• Actors Theatre of Louisville
• WXOX/Art.fm

Mackinac Island, MI, USA

• It’s pronounced “mackinaw”
• Don’t go in the winter, like I did

Milan, Italy

• in addition to the Duomo, check out the Museo del Novecento
• quite cosmopolitan

Minneapolis, MN, USA

• the skyway system is great in the winter
• the Flour Tower presentation at Mill City Museum is for kids but I enjoyed it
• art museums are pretty good
• Mercado Central is a vibe
• I rode a Nickelodeon-themed rollercoaster at Mall of America

Monterey, CA, USA

• incredible year-round weather + beaches, beaches, beaches!
• 17-mile drive
• Moondog Grill
• Cannery Row Antique Mall has excellent maps

Munich, Germany

• excellent museums
• that spot where people surf
• also, Hofbräuhaus and gardens

New Orleans, LA, USA

• mardi gras world
• crawfish etouffee at felix’s
• beingets
• spotted cat
• flora cafe and gallery
• studio be
• the opossums of cocoally

New York, NY, USA

I live here now. Email me for recs.

New Zealand

I spent a couple of months there.

North Island

The Sky

Here, the sky is close.
The cold stars blow through my hair,
Just out of my reach.

Rugged

A rugged landscape:
Foreboding mountains and seas
Never cede domain.

Distant

Distant mountain peaks
Over supple, lively green
And my lack of words

It Sets

The sun sets orange light
Upon the rugged path, bright
Soon to rise again.

Hills

Aching feet keep step
With the insistent rhythm
Of a boy's schedule.

It's uphill one way
Downhill and uphill again
Endless hills of green

Pain, now forgotten:
This unfathomable beauty
Heals body and soul.

Auckland

• excellent contemporary theatre
• take the ferry to the valcano hike
• explore the public-private park (sheep!)

Wellington

Wellington, a haiku

Candles on mountains;
The flickering light of lives
Glowing by the sea

Blinded

This country blinds me;
Whether waking or dreaming,
It is all I see.

Memories:

• The All Seeing Hand live at a bowling club

Kiwis

We are all the same,
The sarcastic kiwi said.
And I simply laughed.

South Island

Bus

Through grubby windows
One witnesses a new world,
The unknown made known.

To Wanaka

The road winds slowly
Towards a lake of clear glass,
My own reflection.

Pub Quiz

Distant, white mountains
Stand high with caps out of sight
Seeming infinite

Alps

Great high sentinels
Selfishly guarded by clouds
Quietly peek through

Winter Sun

The winter sun burns
My eyes submit, averted
It is far too strong

Low-Hanging Clouds

The light mist tarried
Above the dark green mountains
A natural twilight
Of beauteous, verdant forces
And I wondered
If I could fly

Leaving

Off and On

On a plane, you're off.
We had something going on,
But now it's long gone.

Jetstar

A jet to the stars--
Just kidding; this airline sucks.
But at least it's cheap.

Nice, France

• stay with crazy/great people :)

Oakland, CA, USA

See Bay Area above.

Paris, France

• not to be confused with Paris, KY
• crepes
• get an Airbnb that has cats, for a chill time
• the Louvre is exhausting, but good for people-watching
• Centre Pompidou was great
• Chartres Cathedral is worth the trip
• the catacombs!

Pescadero, CA, USA

• Pie Ranch
• Costanoa Lodge
• the beaches!

Philadelphia, PA, USA

• the Mütter Museum is wild
• Barnes Foundation has incredible collection
• Making Worlds bookstore is coop, radical, and SO GOOD (they also have their own press)
• great stuff at Raxx Vintage
• in June, I highly recommend Porch Fest and Dallar Stroll in West Philly, along Baltimore Ave

Portland, OR, USA

• rose garden
• japanese garden
• the big bookstore
• arcade bar(s)
• smith tea

Porto, Portugal

• going up the hill across the bridge from the city center to watch the sunset
• drinking port wine
• gelatopia
• rocky’s donor kebab

Prague, Czechia

• a Mozart opera at The Estates Theatre
• Sex Machines Museum
• Terezin is worth the trip, I recommend getting a tour guide

Rome, Italy

• the Vatican is worth the trip, including the Sistine Chapel, although it was exhausting by the end
• much more lively and urban than I expected for some reason
• La Famiglia restaurant was near the hostel and very good
• all the touristy stuff

San Francisco, CA, USA

See Bay Area above.

Sarasota, FL, USA

• amish restaurants and food
• lido beach
• chart house and stonewood

Savannah, GA, USA

• the one spot by the river where your voice echoes but only you can hear it

Seattle, WA, USA

• going up the big tall thing
• central library
• gum wall
• union station

Shanghai, China

• get to the top of tall buildings!
• excellent street food

St. Louis, MO, USA

• City Museum is v fun
• their botanical gardens are excellent

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Only for a day

Only for a day

• opera house is worth the visit
• the quay is gorgeous
• cute gardens
• it takes longer than I expected to get across the bridge

Traverse City, MI, USA

• it’s fun in the winter, haven’t been in the summer
• try all the free samples at Cherry Republic
• cross-country skiing (Hickory Hills), hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes
• Slabtown Burgers, J&S Diner, and 7 Monks are all quality

Venice, Italy

• wandering the streets, GPS signals bouncing off the narrow walls
• the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
• taking a trip out to the beach (water taxis!)
• Osteria al Tajer
• Trattoria Alle Lanternine

Vermont, USA

• dog chapel
• climbing mt. mansfield

Vienna, Austria

• the Olympic-ring-shaped roller coaster
• Naschmarkt
• taking a lap on the Ringstrasse streetcar
• sachertorte, obviously; the wait staff may be unhappy that you only want cake
• the museum quarter, opera house, and Schönbrunn Palace

2024 additions:

• walking along the canal and admiring the street art
• museum of art fakes
• hummus project

Washington, DC, USA

• Suns Cinema for an art film
• OKPB for a secretive drink

Xi’an, China

• the soldiers are worth it
• amazing food