 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[spring break '04] |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
[navigate] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
i hope you like these, 'cause it took me flippin' ages to create this page with all its associated paraphernalia. and no, right now i don't care how you spell paraphernalia. mind you, the excessive expenditure of time and effort is probably my own fault for not having a very efficient system for doing this kind of thing. yahoo! photos was calling to me, and sounding very tempting, but i resisted.
click on a thumbnail to view a larger image. if you are using a dial-up connection the large images may take a few minutes to load. please be patient. |
|
|
W4?
galleries
delicatessen
die erste strasse LINKS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
First stop on the trip was a motel outside Cincinnati, just over the Ohio/Kentucky border. ("I'm looking for the Colonel... Mr. Sanders!") I always thought Kentucky was in "the South" but shockingly it is only about four hours drive away from Cleveland. However, breakfast at a Waffle House revealed just how far south four hours can take you! Anyway, we drove on to Nashville, TN, where it was raining bucketloads. We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, which was fun. Oddly enough Neil Young was notable by his absence. Anyway, we aslo saw an arena called the Gaylord Entertainment Center, which amused us much more than it probably should have. Finally, pictured left is what I can only assume is called the Optimus Prime Building. |
|
|
|
|
|
That night we drove on to Memphis and the next day, Saturday, we spent the day seeing the sights and enjoying the pleasant weather. Pictured left is Elvis' front room. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The king had all the essentials on his desk - a Bible and a Guinness Book of Records. |
|
|
|
|
|
"Corporal Presley reporting for duty." (Unlike George W. if you believe the rumours?) |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
I didn't know Elvis played racquetball - every day is a school day. His court at Graceland now serves as a display for some of his stage costumes and other memorabilia. (If he can have a racquetball court, can I have a squash court? They aren't even as big!) |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This rather terrible photo of me at least proves that I was there. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
I don't want my own private jet or anything. Just one measley squash court! |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The picture of his pink Cadillac didn't turn out so good, so you'll have to make do with this fetching purple one. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
One of Gibson's three factories is in Memphis. It's where they make their semi-acoustics, including BB King's Lucille. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
It was pretty fascinating to see round the factory and the guitars at various stages of completion. The quality control was pretty intense. They cut up and throw out so many guitars for minor imperfections. Seems like a waste. I could have taken a couple off their hands if they wanted. Or at least they could sell them under a different name. I guess that contributes in large part to the fact that they only produce 35 guitars a day, and that each one takes about four weeks to complete. Anyway, just outside on Beale Street we went for lunch in a place called BB King's Blues Club where there was some pretty cool live music. |
|
|
|
|
|
"Oh-ma-va-an, somewhere in middle-America." Outside Sun studios to be precise. Before leaving Memphis we took a drive across the Mississippi into Arkansas, just to add another state to the list we visited. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
I achieved the artistic blurred effect through clever use of being in a moving vehicle at the time! I'm trying to remember if this was the sun or the moon... I guess it must have been the moon, 'cause it was evening and we were driving south through Mississippi, so the sun would have been west, i.e. to the right of the car rather than left... right? |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
A street-car named Desire. Well, close enough. We arrived in New Orleans about midnight on Saturday night. The traffic was pretty crazy and navigation was troublesome to say the least. The city skyline looked very pretty, and the whole place seemed much bigger and busier than I had been expecting. In fact it put me in mind somewhat of New York. Anyway, we thought it would be a good idea to drive down Burboun Street. We were wrong! Drunken pedestrians everywhere! We finally got parked somewhere in the French quarter and went for a feed at TGI Friday's. At this stage we didn't know where we were sleeping - we'd only booked a hostel for the following two nights, not really knowing when (or if) we would make it this far. Anyway, it seemed everywhere was booked up, so we finally ended up maybe 15 miles out of the city centre at a... Travelodge (?) in a room with no hot water that looked like a crime scene. But for $34 between three of us what do you want? |
|
|
|
|
|
See mum? We did go to Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets, as we French speakers say. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A more accomplished photographer than I could have got some very tasteful shots in this above-ground cemetry, which we visited as part of a bus tour of the city. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
This steamboat on the Mississippi had some clever device for playing tunes which was very amusing at first, but after half-an-hour or so became rather irritating. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
This guy reminded me a bit of Clarry. Pleased to see he's a John Kerry supporter. I'm starting to think Kerry might be a genuine old-fashioned Democrat! |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Joan. (Of Arc, that is.) |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This kind of picturesque scene was pretty typical. |
|
|
|
|
|
I didn't know the DUP had a presence in New Orleans. (Look closely at the inscription.) |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incriminating evidence of our visit to one of the most decadent streets in the world! Even on a sunday night it was more happening than Belfast on a Friday! There were some pretty cool places, like one bar with a Hendrix cover band, some cool jazz places, and a place called Pat O'Brien's with a piano bar as well as a tastefully landscaped beer garden. (I thought Irish-Americanism was just a northern thing?) Anyway, there we indulged in the house special Hurricane. Not the three gallon one though. $100 was just a bit too steep. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
This was on the footpath outside the shop where Dave bought his new axe, so I thought he should call her Bridget. Inside the shop, incidentally, was a used Louden. It just all seemed right somehow. What didn't seem right, however, was the fact that such a musically oriented city would have only two musical instrument shops. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
We left New Orleans on Tuesday and en route out of Louisiana we stopped to take a guided swamp tour, which was very worthwhile. This floating house amused me. I always thought the flag on the left was the state flag of Texas (either that or the flag of the Dukes of Hazard) but it seems that actually it is the Confederate flag. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
"No wake" is about right. This, and all the other aligators we saw, seemed kinda sleepy still after the winter. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Another nice shot of a gator. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The stuff hanging from this tree is apparently a member of the pineapple family.
After the tour we drove through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama before finally stopping for the night in Atlanta, GA. We got breakfast there and then drove straight on to Washington D.C. via South and North Carolina and Virginia. I may have missed one or two states, but I don't have a map handy. |
|
|
|
|
|
We had some fun upon arrival in the capital. Namely, we thought we'd grab a quick drink somewhere. We found a little place with a parking spot right outside and thought "this will do." However, as Andrew took the longest pee in history, Dave and I slowly came to the realisation that we'd stumbled into a bar for people of... an alternative sexual orientation, shall we say. So out we piled up the street to a much more agreeable studenty-type place with a guy playing Dylan covers.
But c'mere. There's more. We headed out of the city again to find a motel, as had become our custom, and stopped at a Comfort Inn. When we got to our room we noticed that there was a "Do not disturb" sign on the door. Housekeeping probably just missed it, we thought. Once again, we were wrong, and the occupants seemed most upset at being disturbed! Say no more. Anyway, we were reassigned to a different room (worryingly, without being given a different key) which is where this shot of Dave grinding his axe was taken. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The next day, Thursday I guess it was, saw our highly immature "no respect" tour of the capital. It honestly did seem really funny at the time. Bear with me. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
No skating. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
It still amuses me that all this gesture means in the States is "peace", "victory", or perhaps even, "two". |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Lincoln Memorial called for an abrupt end to our disrespect... |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
...but you know Dave's crazy! Just can't keep the rules. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Seriously though, we need to change gears for the next couple of pictures. They are of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
I was particularly pleased with how this one turned out, with the Washington Monument seen in the reflection. |
|
|
|
|
|
So from DC we drove to Baltimore, Maryland and crashed with Andrew's friend Trish, which was great. We also met up with other friends of Andrew's and went bar-hopping. Hopping, that is, from one place to another that wouldn't let us in because we had someone under 21 with us. Not that I minded. We got to see more of the city that way. We got a nice view of the moon from the harbour actually. Sorry I don't have any pictures from this portion of the trip, but if you give me a while I might be able to dig up one or two from Trish. |
|
|
|
Next stop was Philadelphia, where we picked up Lynsey. We also found the most expensive car park in the world. The city seemed to have a rich architectural heritage, but I say that without knowing anything about it. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
We didn't have a lot of time in Philly, but enough to pay a visit to the Liberty Bell. I really tried to appear interested, but this picture suggests I was less than successful. At this point I was regretting leaving the warm south behind. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
So finally we made it to New York and this time decided to drive right into Manhatten, which didn't seem too bad really. We had a bit of a mix-up at the hostel, the details of which I will not bore you with, but basically we all ended up suffereing from lack of sleep the next day (Saturday.) |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Lynsey certainly livened up proceedings. Her enthusiasm for Central Park was unbridled. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Noodle - Steffi-boy came to mind. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
We got a nice clear day to look over the city from the Empire State Building. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
We went out for dinner in Little Italy with another of Andrew's friends, Mike, and then stayed at his house in Brooklyn which was a good chance to catch up on sleep. The house must be worth a fortune! It reminded me of the Huxtable residence from the Cosby Show. Mike and his mum looked after us well and sent us out on the road with plenty of food for sustenance. |
|
|
|
|
|
This photo is for mum's benefit. A dog hanging out a car window at a toll-booth... somewhere. Possibly New Jersey, or failing that, Pennsylvania. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
441 miles doesn't seem like too much. The only problem being that by the time we made it back to Cleveland it was on the fourth (yes, 4th!) time round the clock! |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
What Spring Break trip would be complete without returning home to the snow? |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
St. Patrick's Day doesn't quite qualify as part of Spring Break, but close enough. Here myself, Joe, Darice, Andrew and Dave enjoy a pint at the Claddagh Irish pub. Or to be strictly speaking correct, in their temporary beer tent. |
|
|
|
|
|
[dave's photos] |
|
|
|
The following pictures are � 2004 David McNair, used by permission. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
What a cool looking place to buy a guitar. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
"Yeah, I see what you mean brother!" Honestly, I was just smelling a basil leaf we picked while on the swamp tour. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This water tower in... North Carolina maybe(?), is certainly much easier on the eyes than most. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
A common sight by the side of America's highways. I mean, what's the idea? Bring in a bunch of truckers, get them all liquored up and aggressive, and send them out on the road again?! |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Beautiful picture, taken by the Korean War memorial in Washington, DC. |
|
|
|
