A Frank view of New York

(HARRISONBURG, Va.) —  When I look back on New York City, where I was almost a month ago, I see a blur of people, street food and jolting subway cars. It’s a happy blur now. But when I wrote my last blog posting about the city, I was at odds with it and couldn’t understand [...]

More fake blood and pop culture references, please

(LURAY, Va.) — It’s one of those slow nights in the middle of nowhere. All around me are green, rolling fields and cows and farms, but even at 5:30 p.m., it’s too black outside to see any of that. It’s also eerily silent, and I’m kind of into it. It reminds of why I moved [...]

Broadway boogie woogie

(JERSEY CITY, N.J.) — Why am I treating New York City like an attractive ex-boyfriend? I can’t really figure this out. Here I am in one of the most interesting places in America, and something is holding me back from really digging in and loving it. The city is full of pungent smells and bright [...]

I do

(JERSEY CITY, N.J.) — Since I left, I have been re-reading John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charlie like a bible. I have been taking in the pages slowly, five or so at a time, while treating them like mini lessons on travel, writing and life. According to him, while you’re on a trip, you don’t really [...]

Say Canandaigua five times fast

(CANANDAIGUA, N.Y.) — Before I write anything else, I must write this: Wegman’s. I have seen the light and it is the miles of food aisles in this regional grocery store chain. Trying to explain the beauty of this place, I can only think of anecdotes, such as the entire beer section dedicated to Pacific [...]