(Amanda LaCasse/DD)

Check out this piece I wrote about how Phoenix is (and will somehow always be) my home.

Wedding Bells, PA

I'm back from a gorgeous wedding in Pennsylvania (and I've been back for a while.)

Eva and Mama Wilson

Pennsylvania was full of beautiful surprises. It was nice to see my friend Eva, the bride, as it had been two full years since the last time I saw her. Her wedding was put together largely by her mother, whose organizational skills are envied by moi. (Seriously, she did SUCH a good job organizing everyone and planning out meals and who was staying where. Mad props to her.)

The wedding was great, of course. I was a bridesmaid, and didn't hate it. I actually really loved it, and not just because I was escorted down the aisle by two men in uniform (although that wasn't too shabby.)

Sheer joy.

In fact, this was the fifth wedding I attended this summer, and I can confidently say I don't hate weddings anymore. I guess I've been bitten by a love bug or something.

Very little occurred in Pennsylvania that wasn't associated with the wedding. We all (bridal and grooms party, family, extended family, out of town friends) spent a lot of time together, which brought me back to my roots. I rediscovered how much I love eating food with other people, and bonding that way.

Of course, there were a few other shenanigans.

DSLR selfies are the best selfies.

Namely, a really kickass wedding after party, including all the groomsmen (most of whom were British) singing Mumford and Sons on karaoke, a few of us playing pool, and the obligatory DSLR selfie.

All fun and games and relationshippy things aside, this trip was just glorious because I made friends.

Heidi (pictured next to me) is one of Eva's oldest friends, and I'd heard a lot about her, and it was so great to finally meet her. I can see how she and Eva have been friends for so long--she and I are a lot alike.

I also met a traveling buddy as I got in line to print my boarding pass at the airport. He saw my ASU sweatshirt and said "Oh, you're heading to Arizona?" and BAM I had a traveling buddy to sit with on the plane and eat dinner with during our two hour layover in Chicago between Philadelphia and Phoenix (for him, Tucson.)

It always makes me happy to meet fellow travelers on the road. (Or in the air.)

At the beginning of the summer, I was hesitant to take this trip, but in hindsight, I am so glad I did. This has been a summer filled with travel, and I couldn't imagine a better way to end my summer (but not ending my travel.)

Until next time, friends.

I'm going to LA twice within the next six weeks, and Oregon once.

I'm always going places.

Washington, DC // Reflection Pool

This is the part where I got smart, and realized I could draft posts on the airplane.

DC's Metro make my heart soar.

So as I type this, I am flying somewhere over mid America.

I like the way that sounds.

And typing on my iPod touch (this technology is almost four years old) makes me feel particularly poetic, because this is where I write stuff sometimes.

Nonetheless, I digress.

I'm flying home from Washington DC. I haven't been on an airplane since the day before yesterday, and my next airplane ride is a whopping 10 days away.

DC was good. As with any two-day conference, there is a lot to process and digest, but I feel it moreso after a conference with USAS. At least I have a good concept of where USAS-ASU will be directing attention this year. Also, there was a gorgeous party last night, and I exercised my right as a 21-year-old and purchased a box of wine (not Franzia--who do you think I am?) and enjoyed drinking that out of Starbucks cups on the roof of an old townhouse in downtown DC while talking about Zines with my friend Alyssa.

I'm really digging all this travel, but I kinda miss my cat, who I've actually only had for a week anyway. Her name is Hayduke, after the Edward Abbey character.

But, again, I like this solo travel because it gives me time I stop, think, write, listen and contemplate.

home. Phoenix. love.

I've stopped a lot and double checked directions. Paid more attention to my surroundings (and not just to stay safe--to be in the moment, in the space I'm in). I've thought a lot about minimalism, gypsy living, just how long I can go without a shower. I've written a little bit about flying and landing. (I realized this flight I am now on is my tenth flight this year. Tenth. That means I (or others who have graciously assisted me) have spent at least WELL more than 1k to spend at LEAST 24 hours midair in this beautiful metal contraption that never stops astounding me.) I've listened to other people, their stories. Accepted them where they are at (just like I do for cities). I've also listened to a lot of new music, courtesy of Zia, Stinkweeds, an friends. Architecture in Helsinki (not Helinski, as I spent most of my life pronouncing it), and have been jamming out to Bon Iver's new track (no shock, there) as well as Anberlin's final album. As for contemplation, I've been thinking about everything. I remember praying in June/July while I was in Oakland or Portland, and asking God for energy and endurance, particularly for this upcoming school year. And I think I've got it! I'm so ready to do border reporting. I think it's really what I want to do in the long run. I mean, it's got me fired up like nothing else. Think back to that Cuba post.

And I'm pretty confident everything else will just fall into place sooner or later. I'll get a job after graduation. It'll all be fine.

And if there's one thing I've learned this summer, it's that I will always be up for traveling. After a summer of unemployment and a lot of travel, I know a lack of money will basically never stop me from adventuring.

That being said, bring on the $200 bridesmaid dress and trip to Pennsylvania!

Edit: written on 8/10

The adventure never ends.

It's true, the adventure is really never over.

I'm back to housesitting adventures right now, and this particular stint has involved a wild animal entering the house, prickly pear spines being spilled on the floor, a water pipe leak beneath the floorboards, and a massive, massive thunderstorm.

As well as margaritas.

But, even moreso, I still have two more airplane-inclusive adventures ahead of me before school begins in three weeks, as well as at least one road trip.

I can't believe it! I've already

• Gone to Georgia, Pinetop, Oakland, and Portland
• Met my penpal, Oakland/San Francisco strangers, and a handful of sweet people in Portland
• Seen The Mountain Goats, mewithoutYou, Blitzen Trapper and S. Carey

And now, I have a trip to Washington DC in a week (yeah, I just had my ticket booked TODAY), a turnaround trip to Tucson to see Iron and Wine (Sam Beam is my 2nd favorite singer in the whole wide world) and then a trip to Pennsylvania right when school starts (cue wedding bells!)

Rumor has it, I'll be returning to Portland before 2014 comes to a close as well, not to mention a handful of trips to the AZ/Mexico border for some reporting.

Portland

Have you read part one yet? I was in Oakland before Portland!

Little 35mm love from Oakland.

Hello, blogosphere.

I’ve been without internet ever since I got back from Portland. My roommate cancelled it because she’s been housesitting (as have I) and she didn’t really see a need to pay for it if she (we) wasn’t around.

I'm not upset that the internet is gone, I'm just upset that she didn't ask me.

So I’ve been typing this on Word for the past three weeks and have now uploaded it so you fine folks can read about my time in Portland.

I'm a big fan of Portlandia, but moreso, I'm a fan of Portland.

A place with towering historic buildings, few vacant lots, plenty of public parks and a city-wide free restroom program? Sign me up.

But really. Portland feels like home (and by home, I mean downtown Phoenix) to me. The only differences are

1.     Portland has a lot of apartment building infill

2.     A lot of people smoke in Portland

3.     Bikers actually wear helmets in Portland

So, basically, Phoenix, but filled with more...er, free spirited individuals. That is me trying to avoid the h-word. Here's the lowdown on my time spent there.

Amtrak

I took a train from Oakland (well, Emeryville) to Portland. It was my first Amtrak experience, sans-Surfliner when I was a wee kiddo. My mom was super nervous about the whole ordeal.

"I want you to keep your wallet on you at all times."

"Are you sure you don't want to fly? What about homeless people."

"If you can upgrade, do it."

Ah, mom.

The train ride was inspiring. The Coastal Starlight left the Emeryville station at 11 pm, which left me chugging along through the north Bay Area at night, with yellow industrial lights shining through my window seat and Explosions in the Sky streaming through my earbuds.

Geri

I'd like to describe it as romantic.

At least until I had someone sit down next to me. The moment disappeared when I realized I had to sleep in a chair all night, which was uncomfortable to say the least.

On the bright side, Geri, the lady I sat next to on the 17 hour ride, was incredibly nice. We spent time talking about how it takes a very particular type of person to be a nurse, how weird it is to be an only child, and I concluded my little photographic adventure with her.

Portland, NW

If you don’t know, Portland is divided into quadrants. There is NW, SW, NE and SE, which makes navigating really easy once you understand it.

I was able to do a good bit of exploring in Portland. Unlike Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco, I had a tour guide.

I spent the entire week I was in Portland with Rhea, my mentor and former youth pastor. She and her husband moved up there a little over a year ago because they wanted to start a family.

Rose Garden + Rhea

Now, she is pregnant, and she and Brandon are living in a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a dog and a cat (which is actually the spawn of Satan, and I generally like cats).

The apartment was our home base when we were running around eating ice cream at Salt and Straw, walking to or from McMennimans, hiking up to and around Washington City Park and whatever other crazy adventures we embarked upon.

Speakeasy hidden here.

I also had the chance to see my friend Sydney in Portland. She moved there (from Phoenix) the exact same time I was coming to visit, so we went out one evening, found a speakeasy (ok, hidden underground bar) and ate pizza, drank beer and listened to live music. It was really disorienting seeing her in Portland, since the entire time I’ve known her we’d both been in Phoenix.

Portland, SW

blueberry+bourbon+basil

My favorite part of SW is the combination of doughnuts for grownups from Blue Star, and really good coffee from Heart. Rhea, Brandon and I spent a lot of time walking around the day we went to find out whether Rhea’s baby was a boy or girl. And later, we went to a park and had a gender reveal party (which was actually in NW but whatever, I’m grouping it here with the day of doughnuts and good coffee.)

Portland SW also includes (I think) the Saturday market. I remember going with Whittley and Becca two summers ago, but I liked it more with Rhea. We took time wandering through stalls, but also didn't take forever. We also split an elephant ear and I didn’t vomit (which happened last time I ate one of those.)

Portland, NE

I wasn't surprised when I found out Rhea was involved in two different churches. One of the two, Door of Hope, is fairly popular and just relocated to NE. We spent a good bit of time with people there, beginning with Church in the Park on Wednesday night. It was really encouraging to see a bunch of people--families, children, teens, older adults--gather in a public park with food and picnic blankets to worship God and listen to a pastor. 

The other really nifty thing that happened in NE was a $3 Blitzen Trapper show. If you aren't familiar with their music, Blitzen Trapper is a modern folk-rock-country band from Portland. They are fairly popular, and a $3 show was a big deal. We saw them on a whim my first night in town, and it was a great pacesetter for the rest of my time in Portland.

Portland, SE

We ventured to the Hawthorne District my final day. We tried the night before, and arrived after most everything was closed. It had been a long (and really hot) day, and it took a lot of energy to leave the apartment.

But the drive across the Willammette was all worth it for the sticker I bought at Powell's Hawthorne. I'd been on a mission to find one of those little Oregon outline stickers with the green heart in it, and I finally found one.

We also stopped inside the Hawthorne Goodwill. It was by far the fanciest Goodwill I have ever been to. Usually I enjoy thrift shops because it is so difficult to find good things (read: deliciously out-of-style but still in style things), but this Goodwill was teeming with upscale resale. It was thoroughly amazing.

--

To be honest, I can’t believe I’ve been back for three weeks now. I’ve been back for longer than I’d been gone!

Coming back to Phoenix was weird. It seemed like nothing had changed in the good ol’ PHX, but a lot changed within myself while I was away. I realized that I want to be a border reporter (think: Arizona/Mexico, Dominican Republic/Haiti, Cuba/America, etc). I also realized that I enjoy spending time by myself, especially in a new atmosphere. I have a tendency to accept places as they are, and not wish for them to be any different. I also really like traveling alone.

I actually already have plans to go back to Portland in October. One of my best friends (Brenna, she was in Colorado on my birthday last year) is moving to Portland, and I’m joining the caravan of people moving her up there.

Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco

I've been asked before "How do you travel so much? It seems like as soon as you're back from one trip, you're planning another one."

The answer is prioritization.

Traveling and exploring are high on my priority list, right up there next to breathing, eating and loving people.

That's how I ended up in the Bay Area.

I had a few very important things before I began planning this trip

Marcos, whose extra bed I slept on.

1. A jar of money
2. An offer from a friend (to sleep on his floor "If you ever make it out to the bay area")
3. A desire to travel to the northwest

and, well, the rest is history.

I found myself at the Oakland Airport one morning at the end of June, and spent the following days exploring the Bay Area.


Oakland

I think, for the most part, Oakland has a bad rap. It's really not as terrifying as everyone thinks it is. I mean, we did accidentally drive through east Oakland on the way from the airport to the house, but we survived. It was fine.

My favorite part of Oakland was the people. It was my home base for the five (six?) days I stayed there. Much of what I did in the Bay Area, I did alone, but I got to spend a few evenings with Marcos, Adam, Jess and Chris and they were spectacular. These times were spent outside, with fire and pipe tobacco and craft beers, which, in my opinion, is the best way to spend time with people. Not to mention Jess picked me up from the airport when I arrived and took me to the train station when I left.

Adam, Chris, Jess. Sweet people.

The walkability (which I also found in Berkeley) of Oakland was pretty sweet, too. It was an easy jaunt from the house to Telegraph, where I was shown a really cool store (East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse) that sells pretty much any and every odd, end or craft supply you will ever want or need. I bought a box of old photographs, a Beanie Baby trading card (Nannook is my homie) as well as an ancient DC Talk and more recent Jack Jonhnson CD. The grand total was less than $2. Easily the coolest store I have ever seen.

Other things I enjoyed about Oakland:

• Hidden alleys with coffee shops and succulents (I'm looking at you, Temescal Alley)
• Organic ice cream in flavors like geranium, allspice and rooibos (Tara's is taaaasty)
• AC Transit! I got to use a public transit bus system for the third time in my life

Berkeley

The Berk was cool. I had a really difficult time not calling it "Beserkeley" in keeping with The Princess Diaries. The first day I ventured into Berkeley, I took AC Transit from Oakland (read: North Oakland) and underestimated how long it would take to get to my stop. Once at my stop, I didn't know how to request for the bus to stop. So I ended up waiting two more stops and then had to walk half a mile or so to the UC Berkeley Art Museum.

The museum architecture is stellar.

No matter, though! I got to wade through crowds of (what were presumably) incoming freshmen and prospective students walking around with their parents! I laughed inwardly at the young'uns who have no idea what college is about to be, and pushed on toward the museum.

Once I arrived, I sat, wrote, read a book outside, sketched and then finally went inside.

Nothing about this trip was rushed, which I enjoyed. I got to sit and do whatever the heck I wanted.

Inside, there were a few really sweet gallery exhibits. Long story short, one was about color (intriguing. Very intriguing. Made my eyes happy) and the other was by a Texan artist named Forrest Bess. His art was very surreal, his story was very...strange. Look him up.

My second jaunt into Berkeley was a little more well organized. One of Marcos' co-workers drove us in so we could get lunch before he had to go in to work, and we hit up a delicious Mexican restaurant. It definitely wasn't street food, it was heavy-cheesy-bean-and-corn Mexican food, but man. I had the chilaquiles and they were good. Afterwards, we went to Savers and I got two shirts that walked out of the '80s or early, early '90s. They look really good on me (IMHO), but I still have to cut the shoulder pads out. My mom is going to hate them.

Post-Savers, we walked the mile-or-so to Artís Coffee, which is in the swanky part of Berkeley. (Right? Who knew Berkeley had a swanky side? It's like Scottsdale, but really close to water!) Marcos went to work behind the bar (he does coffee things. I think it's cool.) and I went to virtual work behind my laptop for a few hours for my internship. After that, I tackled the AC Transit system and took a bus home.

San Francisco

I didn't know it when I booked my ticket to go to the Bay Area, but I was visiting during Pride. Which was cool and all, but I don't. like. crowds.

That made enjoying San Francisco a little difficult.

I like the acoustics of stations.

Taking the BART from Oakland to San Francisco was also a little difficult. I overshot the BART station by a few blocks (which is a lot on foot) because Google Maps told me to turn left on 39th street, when in reality it was 40th street. Whatever, Google Maps. Whatever.

When I finally got into the city, I got to do a few cool things. I visited Four Barrel Coffee and had the La Cabaña pourover (the slow bar barista couldn't talk about anything else--I guess that's called passion?) and sat and wrote, read, and shot photos for a while. I actually had someone approach me and ask if she could take my photo because "Photographers rarely have their photo taken."

I was pretty stoked about that. Of course I said yes.

Afterwards, I stopped by a little empanada shop I passed on my way to Four Barrel and ate (an empanada, duh) and watched the World Cup. Because why not. It was delicious, too.

That same day, I went down to the Embarcadero and saw the piers. I read somewhere online (Yelp, maybe) that Pier 14 was a beautiful place to see the city from. While I found Pier 13 and Pier 15, I didn't exactly find Pier 14. I did find the Exploritorium and a really sweet view from where Pier 14 should be, though, so I'm calling it good. Ultimately, I would have liked to see the view at night, but I didn't really like the walk from the BART station to the house, so I tried to keep my exploring to daylight hours.

Cue that Journey song. Lights.

My second trip into San Francisco was on very short notice. It was Sunday, when Pride was in full swing, but I had two really sweet (free) tickets to see La Traviata at the San Francisco Opera (thank you, Alex, you're amazing). The catch was that I wouldn't know if I had the tickets until one hour before the show started. Adam (Marcos' friend) and I, clothed in more fabric than the majority of San Francisco (Pride dresses you down. We were dressed up.), braved the massive crowds and made it to the opera in time to be seated during the first intermission. That's right, it took us an hour and a half (give or take a little while) to get from Oakland to the opera.

The opera itself was rather wonderful, and I'm happy to say I've now witnessed San Francisco Pride. But I honestly never want to witness it again.

The best part of that second trip into San Fran was probably taking the BART back into Oakland and getting dinner with Alex and Adam. We ate some sort of amazing ethnic food. I'm not sure what it was but I've never been so excited to eat with my hands before in my life.

I want to eat this again.

I know, I probably don't sound too enthusiastic about San Francisco. I'll give the city another shot. Next time I visit, it will NOT be during Pride. I will also have a bike with me, and a better idea of how to ride the BART. Let's just say these two days in the city were a trial run. There will be another trip there.

Other Cool Things

I spent a lot of my time writing and reading. A LOT. It was really nice to kick back and be introspective for a while. I finished reading Prodigal God by Timothy Keller and started reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. When I started reading it, I had no idea AHWOSG was set in the areas I was exploring, so it added an ethereal sense to the novel. It was like I was able to understand the setting in the novel in a brand-new way. Rather than imagining the mountains north of Berkeley, I was able to picture them as they were.

I walked. A lot. I have been walking a lot in Portland, too. I really enjoy walking as a means of transportation, and truly wish I could walk more in Phoenix, but it's just too dang hot outside.

I also did a nifty little photojournalism project. I shot a photo of everyone I met on my way to/in/leaving the Bay Area. Adventuring on my own made me more susceptible (disregard any negative connotations that word may have, I was perfectly safe the whole time) to talking to strangers, and I actually did stop and talk to quite a few. At the end of our conversation (starting with the man at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport [which I am never flying out of, ever again]) I requested to take a photo of everyone I spoke to. And so I did. I'm really excited to get that roll of film developed. Update: Photos available here!

In summary, I really enjoyed the Bay Area portion of my trip because it was a little difficult and a little lonely. As an extrovert who is also an only child, I really enjoy actively being around people, but I also really like doing things on my own, by myself, for myself, and that's pretty much what this portion of the trip was all about. It was great!

And now... I am in Portland, enjoying my time here.

Click here to read about Portland. 

Pre-Adventure Butterflies

My fast-approaching trip is a far, far cry from the road trip I had originally planned.

Basically the only two similarities are Oakland and Portland, and who I am staying with in each place.

I'm no longer driving.

I'm not going with anyone.

I'm not staying for two and three days in each place.

I'll be in Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco for a week, and Portland for slightly less than a week (pesky train ride takes a full day, darn [just kidding, I really love trains.])

What hasn't changed about my plan (at least since late-April, early-May) is the individual aspect.

Allow me to explain.

Whenever I go on trips with my parents (bless their souls for paying) I do whatever they  want. I sit around and read. I participate in board games. I drive and drive and drive and eat and sit and drive and sit some more.

I essentially provide them with my utterly enthralling presence.

But this trip, this trip is mine. I planned it, I have prepared to do what I want to do. Spend time how I want to spend time (at least in Oakland, where I was/am prepared to do everything, alone) taking a lot of photographs, eating food, looking at public art, reading outdoors, exploring abandoned buildings (Treasure Island, anyone?), playing in parks and just enjoying life in a city other than Phoenix.

I'm hoping to spend some time with Marcos, my friend (who I'm staying with), but if that doesn't work out (his car is in the shop and he recently shattered his wrist), cést la vie. L-I-F-E-G-O-E-S-O-N. And I'll be fine by myself.