lori

My friend & I stumbled into this place & immediately felt right at home. Bear in mind that we both have an affinity for dive bars.

It was just 4 months after I’d gotten back from a two-week stay in Paris, France…Wow. Not sure what stunned me most…the complete surreality of strolling down “Parisian” streets in complete air-conditioned comfort, the fact that there were far more heavy-set folks there than I ever saw in France, or the fact that the legs of the “Tour Eiffel” disappeared into the fake sky (complete with white-fluffy clouds) that was the ceiling of the casino.

My band (Purty Mouth) just played there last weekend. It was awesome. The sound was great, and we rawked, natch. But seriously, I loved the wood paneling, not to mention the super strong cocktails. I would definitely like to go there again, especially if I can get on that stage again!

Montreal is a very charming city, but, for the most part, it reminded me more of older towns on the east coast than it did of Europe, in spite of the abundance of French everywhere. That said, I did enjoy my trip (& it gave me an excuse to practice my French). I would definitely like to go back & explore the city more in depth (and perhaps then I’d find it more “European” than I did this first time).

Mind you, it’s been almost 5 years since I was there (so perhaps much has changed), but I was utterly unimpressed with Charlotte. It seemed extremely sterile. It was a city that was growing fast, but that had no identity, no plans in place for expansion (especially after seeing how much planning for growth was being done on the South Carolina-side of the border), and no real character to offer…with the exception that it well may be the most smoker-friendly city in the USA I’ve ever been to (and I have been know to smoke tobacco myself, so I appreciate such things).

I came this close to transferring there for work when I found an adorable 3-bedroom bungalow from the 1950’s that I could afford. Then, I got my wits about me and realised I’d have to live in Charlotte to live in said-bungalow, and I promptly told my boss that being laid-off was far preferable than moving there from Seattle.

Unfortunately, I was only VERY briefly in Copenhagen (had overnight layovers there on my way to and from Greece), so I know that there is much more to see than I had time for. That said, I thought the town was charming. Could not believe the number of Irish Pubs in the main shopping district, though. Holy crap!

Absolutely beautiful. Spent 5 nights in Oia, but I could have easily spent 5 more…except for the fact that it was August, which means busloads of tourists crowding the streets for the stunning sunsets and the unbelievable heat. Still, the view of the caldera from the pool of our hotel more than made up for those annoyances. What an adorable town!

I was fortunate enough to have had a dad who worked for NASA…as a result, I saw a few launches (Apollo program) when I was a very small child. Unfortunately, I was really too young to grasp what I was witnessing (I mainly only remember hating the loud noise the rockets made at lift-off). Luckily, I was able to return to the Cape years later to see a shuttle launch. Even though we were a mile away from the launch pad, it was a sight to behold. Absolutely breathtaking. Such a shame that no one will be able to witness another launch in the near future…

I don’t even know how to describe how amazing this place is, so I (lamely) am copying an pasting text from this US National Monument’s official website:
“Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, the cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly-including distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery-exhibit remarkable preservational integrity that provides outstanding opportunities for study and contemplation. Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance—a landscape composed of places infused with collective memory.”

By all means, take a tour of the valley. You’ll get a great feel for the land that is still being tended to this day, and you’ll catch a glipse of anasazi ruins, as well.

Even if you’re not a fan of westerns, you’ve seen the images in film or on tv…absolutely gorgeous! And, like every place I’ve been in the American desert southwest, best seen in the winter. It’s sublime to see these rusty-colored formations surrounded by snow.