The manager of Tom’s Garage has obviously been watching Coyote Ugly. Apparently he liked it enough to make the female bartenders dance on the bar disk. He got a few things right; the music is right, 80’s rock music; the girls are young and sexy; the crowd is young, drunk, and enthusiastic. The manager forgot a few crucial things though. He forgot to instruct the girls to have fun. They look like they’d rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else. He also forgot to dress them accordingly. How could he expect anyone to go wild over baggy shirts and pants? Finally, he [View Full Entry]

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After a tough game of beach soccer, it is customary to go for a post-game analysis at the closest place that serves beer. Ok, maybe not, but that's the outcome of this particular game of Swedes versus locals. One local joins our little group of Scandinavians. He's not from California. Moved out there to catch a break. Pretty much like everyone else in LA. "So what do you do for a living?". "I'm a professional bum" is his rehearsed and completely unshy answer. It's almost with a sense of pride he tells that he used to sleep on the beach or [View Full Entry]

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Bright lights, big city. New York City is it. As long as you don't drag your feet behind and go with the flow, you'll be fine. Regardless of your opinion about big cities, Manhattan will take your breath away. It's very much like on TV. Yellow cabs, huge department stores, poor people, rich people. Of course there is more to it than that. But why seek the sidestreets when Broadway is right there...? Madison Square Garden wasn't destroyed by Godzilla, and it wasn't destroyed by terrorists. Game on. Rockefeller Center is almost like on TV just before Christmas. The giant Christmas [View Full Entry]

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The day started off as an above average day. Michael Jordan announced his comeback with the Wizards. Given the tedious tasks at the bank, this was likely to be the most exciting news during the day. Not so. Late morning, after a few hours of updating customer records in my little cubicle, the news reached the huge office space without windows. 50 or so cubicles all of a sudden came alive and spread the word. The lack of television sets caused a lot of confusion and insecurity of the validity of the rumors. "They bombed World Trade Center". "...and now they [View Full Entry]

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Gameday in Los Angeles. Game six of the final series LA Lakers - Philadelphia Sixers 2001. The setting is ideal for a good time. Warm and sunny, party on the rooftop in LA. Barbecue and beer. The excitement of the game does however not mount to any hights. The Sixers have nothing really to put up against the Lakers. Shaq, Kobe, and the others land the second consecutive NBA title in LA. The Spanish guy co-hosting the party shares my grudges against the Lakers. Right after the final bell rings he opens the window and screams in despair: "Philadelphia!". Despite the [View Full Entry]

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Razzoo’s is the name of the nightclub. One of the most popular on Bourbon Street. It’s usually crowded on weekends. So also today. A couple of guys start fighting on the dance floor. Probably over a woman. The music stops. The performer on stage asks the crowd ”Quit fucking around or get the fuck out?”. ”Get the fuck out!” is the chant. Out they go. Isn’t democracy wonderful…? [View Full Entry]

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Not really a huge fan of the man from Ireland, Mr. Morrison. Been around for a while, so naturally he's had a few good songs. And Jazzfest is about music, so why not give it a shot...? Jazzfest is also too hot to be running around, so our little party of four decide to wait around with the crowd by the stage where Van the Man is performing. No assigned seating, just spread your blanked in an empty spot, sit, and remain seated. Moving out too much of a hassle, being in the smack middle of tens of thousands of people. [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to Miami, Bienvenido a Miami. That is probably the reasoning of the cleaning lady. We have been driving for 15 hours. Still we can’t get any rest, since our hotel room isn’t ready for another two hours. Finally we get the keys to our room. The door is wide open. There, in the bed, sits the cleaning lady and a male figure, who probably doesn’t even work at the hotel. They are watching a soap opera in Spanish. Very hastily they leave the room with the excuse ”We were just fluffing the pillows.” How very considerate. No harm done though, [View Full Entry]

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If you're a Cuban, hit the shore and swim 90 miles north. If you're a tourist, get out of Miami and drive 3.5 hours south. We belong to the latter category; the tourists who have heard of this "must" when in southern Florida, this legendary trip to Key West. Surprisingly, the road isn't all that exciting. Movies display this romantic voyage on the highway on the water. In fact, it is merely a regular highway between and through the 40 or so islands - keys - before the final destination. Key West, the southernmost point on continental USA. This key makes [View Full Entry]

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In numerous American movies and TV-shows, young kids go to Florida for spring break to party. A few decades ago the in-spot was Fort Lauderdale. They got tired of the drunken kids. Daytona Beach jumped on the bandwagon and said "We'll take them". So, now the hot spot of the east is Daytona Beach. Accordingly, it has to be visited. Arriving there daytime is about as exciting as driving on Interstate 10. In other words, no visible action anywhere. The kids are probably asleep. Taking a closer look at the site, it turns out that they are, in fact - kids. [View Full Entry]

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