Blogs from Rochester, New York, United States, North America

New York state. Not to be confused with New York City. I'll be headed there next week. Today, with Mark, we were going to do a little bit of touring and photo shooting. Artistic photography, with an edge. From this I would learn something. I need to invest in a better camera than my simple point-and-shoot. So firstly, we drove to Letchworth State Park. A beautiful park in New York state, considered the Grand Canyon of the North-East. This is where we saw quite a few waterfalls. A very photogenic area. We tried out some of our 'art' here. The area was beautiful at this time of the year. I think I'm glad I came during fall. Or autumn. I'm developing a bit of an American vocabulary here. Bright yellow tree leaves were fallen everywhere. The ... read more

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) While I don't think it's absolutely necessary to SCARE oneself, I think of this quote as stretching the limits and going places I have never been--literally and figuratively speaking. Take my travel radius for example. Myrtle Beach (SC) - Minneapolis (MN) - Bar Harbor (ME)...that's about to be fixed! I have no idea what to expect. For the first and last time (...sorry Canada, you don't count in this instance), I will set foot on foreign soil with not one iota of experience and few preconceived notions. I'm quite curious! We'll also be finding out how 'well' I can speak Spanish verrrrrrry shortly. ;) Ciao for now!... read more

Three weeks til this Rochesterian gets to soak up some rays! I can't believe we leave in just a few short weeks. The time there will fly as we have class or excursions every day but one, I believe. Looking forward to spending some time on the Mediterranean before embarking on the rest of the travels!... read more

1 Spain meeting down, 1 to go this Sat. My GISP (Graduate International Studies Program) co-conspirators and I will also be discussing our itinerary post-España! * I know who my roommate will be. * I know who my Spanish professor will *not* be. * I think the professor who is not going with us thinks the world is out to get us. I'll be ok. Really. * I will not wear stilettos and trip on the cobblestone streets. I promise (that I won't trip on cobblestone..). * I also promise I will not blow up my hair from using a flat iron from home with the converter plug.... read more

Growing up in the winters of western New York is good practice if your desire is to be reincarnated as a Santa in a snow globe. I was there for work, and family, and also especially to meet some of of my old classmates and teammates from some 40 plus years ago, survivors of an all boys Jesuit prep school 1961-65. It was fabulous, seeing so many of them again. It was exactly as if I had wandered back to 1965 in the Senior Hall, and we were all wearing Halloween outfits of what we might look like at the turn of 2010. Our charismatic and colorful host, John B, was an Orson Wells kind of guy. He lives with his family in a Dickensian manse swallowed in snow and girded with lights, having designed a ... read more

I've showered, cleaned the fish bowl, packed my cell phone and charger, packed the retainer, transferred money, packed the laptop, and am now fully dressed other than my socks and shoes. I'm about ready to go. Unfortunately, I have to drive myself to the airport, so it makes the trip a little more intimidating being completely by myself. However, in a way it is better because I don't like goodbyes, even if they're temporary. The trip is only supposed to be about 13 hours, which is remarkable compared to my last time overseas with the total travel time being 21 hours. I managed to get a good flight for one of the cheapest prices! Go figure. At about 12:30pm, I will be taking my first plane to the Atlanta airport. Once I am there, I will ... read more

So I've been working on getting my travel blog up and running again, seeing as I am going to NYC, Germany, and Italy within the next month. As I have been transferring stuff to this new blog, I saw the last time I wrote an entry: NOVEMBER. I was in Leeds until January 9th, which means I didn't post anything for about two months! And let me tell you, there was PLENTY of stuff to talk about and pictures to share. To my redemption, though, I did manage to post some pictures on Facebook while I was abroad, but I totally slacked on my writing. My goal is to not repeat that mistake with these upcoming trips. As I prepare myself for my multiple departures, I want to officially update this blog. I may not be ... read more

Here we are still at home. And in one month we'll be on our way back. This trip log is for visiting Megan And Chris in California = La Jolla at UCSD Scripps. We are flying Continental and staying at the Best Western on Fay in La Jolla.... read more