San Antonio

Another layover in San Antone. Tis time I took advantage by going to see The Alamo, and walk down River Walk. This was one of the most amazing places I've seen. Shops and restaurants, and bars all along a river that is basically under the city. It's like an enormous subway mall with boats. A very pretty place with great architecture that reminded me of something you'd see in Venice or parts of Europe. Again, would have never thought Texas, and San Antone would have something so great. Go Texas! Now off to Cali!!!

Austin, Texas

After a hellish trip through the bayou, on in to Texas, and layover in San Antonio, I've reached Austin, Texas. My man Sam picks me up from the station and we go straight to the nearest Tex-Mex restaurant, TC's or something. Had a few tortillas mixed with a few different filling, one of them being brisket. Never had a Texas brisket taco. It was a first, and also super delicious. After a tour of the downtown area, a pre mapping of the scene, and stroll through the University of Texas. We headed up to the Lake Travis Area of Austin. This was one area that I never thought existed in Texas. The hills were large and the valleys steep and filled with large houses that looked like castles. It reminded me of what areas near Monaco looks like and areas in Greece near the water... Here's a pic of Sam and I overlooking Lake Travis:




Austin definitely lived up to its name. It IS the live music capital of the world. There's no comparison. There has to be at least 50 live music venues all going off at one time. Then, at least half of those venues have 2 or 3 stages inside. It's quite ridiculous. It just so happened to be the Rally Of Texas biker rally in Austin this weekend. So, it felt like Daytona bike week mixed with the craziest Rock & Roll scenario that you could imagine. I'm not joking when I say it was insanity. It's a very beautiful city filled with a lot of weird and beautiful stuff, not even including the politics, which is a whole'nother story.





I think I got a lot accomplished here. Lots of good food, tons of great venues, and good peoples all around. I'm now gonna start judging people on how they are in a BBQ situation. Austin passes with flying colors! ;) Very giving and friendly people all around. I am now planning on coming back through Austin because we must tour through there. It would be stupid not to. Off to San Antonio and LA I must go, for now. Boston wins, leads Series 3-2...

New Orleans....DAY 2 and 3!!!

I awake early and start to walk the entire city. I grab breakfast/lunch from a local deli, a Muffaletta and some Boudin, and plan to eat when I get on the train. I take the "long route" around the French Quarter and go see Congo Square and Louis Armstrong park. This is the place that allowed Jazz music and all of the music that came from it, to be created. It's great to see the place that I'd been learning about in my music history class. Unfortunately the park is closed for renovation, but you can still see and feel what this park is all about. There's an entrance to the park that makes you feel like you're entering Disney World. Very elaborate. It also felt like I was entering Bonnaroo, which for those of you who don't know, Bonnaroo is a music festival that was created by NO musicians that takes place in Tennessee. Both entrances are similar and make you feel like you're at a place that is very special..

I then made my way, and start running to the train station, after I notice I'm pretty far away and might be late. So I'm hustling, and then start running, and miss my train. Oh well, I'm stuck In New Orleans!!! Which is far from a bad thing. Why does it suck though? I now have to wait till Wednesday for the next train, I don't get to see my friend Sam for long in Austin, and since I checked my bag in early, my clothes are headed to San Antonio. Sounds pretty bad, but was no problem...

All that a side though, I'M IN NEW ORLEANS FOR TWO MORE DAYS!!!! I get over the fact that I missed the train pretty quick and head through the warehouse district of NO. I stop at the first coffee shop I see to grab some coffee and a local publication. I end up meeting a girl who's there using the internet to book gigs for her band "The Local Skank" http://www.thelocalskank.com/, a popular ska band from NO. So we start talking about music and the scene, and come to find out, this might be the band The Recipe plays with when we come to NOLA. Perfect situation. Everything about them fits! Great music, connected in the scene, and a Co-ed band that has the same vibe as The Recipe. We love them already!



I then part ways with a good contact, and head back to the French Quarter to meet with my friend Paula from Orlando. She's in town helping her boyfriend, H.G. Breelind arrange vocals on his record he's producing. Little did I know I was about to walk in to the best situation anyone in NO could step in to. H.G. lives in the French Quarter in a building that houses an art gallery, a gold plated Miles Davis statue, a small recording studio, and three floors of living space. The most beautiful place you could possibly have in this location. So we crack a bottle of wine and start talking music, and NO, having a good old time.

After a few studio sessions and some good conversation, we head to the Frenchman Street district of NOLA. This is where the locals of New Orleans hang out. A lot of the real local musicians have residency gigs on this street. You can see Kermit Ruffins, Trombone Shorty, and any of the Marsalis or Neville families on any given night. We hop through a few different clubs and end up walking all the way back to the French Quarter, which isn't that far, but a very interesting walk to say the least. Not once did we feel in danger and there are plenty of places to stop in between. Bars and restaurants all along the way and still open for business.


^Cafe Negrill, Frenchman Street^

The next day I end up booking a room in the same hotel from night 1. I just do the typical tourist destinations including Cafe Du Monde, and plenty of local eateries. I ended up getting caught for a few hours in a long thunder storm, with tons of rain. So I eat and listen to some live day time Jazz music. Very wet. Only in NOLA... That evening I walk down to Frenchman Street looking to get some business done. I hear some killer jams coming out of a small alley way and decide to check it out. It ends up being the Joe Kennedy trio, which was as good as seeing Harry Connick Jr.

^Elevator Shaft from HG's place^



^Miles^

New Orleans...

^Train in to NOLA^

Off to New Orleans... I met a great guy from NYC named Ed who loved music. I gave him the new CD's. We get to N.O. around seven and I jump out the train and start hustling. I walk from the station all the way to the French Quarter. Bookin'... I get to my hotel, The St. Ann, which is one block off Bourbon St. and one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever stayed in. Too bad I can't spend much time in it. Off in to the madness I must go...

I start the night by having dinner at Oceana. Not bad, great seafood. I then walk all of Bourbon and get turned off by its insanity. Meanwhile a little earlier, Jessica Pawli texts me saying, "If your in NO, go see my friend in Uptown." So I thinks, hell yes, something different. So I took a cab Uptown, which I've never really took advantage of in my past visits to NOLA. I'm glad I did though, because uptown is a really nice and different side of N.O. The Maple Leaf is THE spot, where the Joe Krown Trio, with Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Russell Batiste are playing. It was really good music, very inspiring, and funky as hell. I end up meeting all of these people in the joint, one happens to be the sound man named Jayhoo, so I start talking to him about music and why I'm traveling. I give him a few CD's and he asks if I'd like to hear the Recipe CD played in the club after the band is done. I tell him "hell yes, I hadn't referenced the CD on a club system yet." It's a good thing we did, because the Recipe CD needs another mix or two. Before the band is done though, this place feeds everybody, for free. The biggest, one room, small setting, seafood boil I've ever seen. For FREE! I was blown away, but still very hungry for it's yummyness. It seemed that the few Recipe songs that were played, got a good response. Few people were shaking around and nodding their heads, which is a good sign. I was just shocked to hear it in this environment.


^Joe Krown Trio^


I head back to the French Quarter and walk down Bourbon one more time. Still insanity at 3am, and no look of it stopping. I'm glad I decided to grab a few drinks for the road and thats why I'm now sitting by the pool at my hotel, smack in the middle of The French Quarter, catching up on some Hotel investment relaxation, then hence, here is the blog. It is late now though and I need to get up to see the rest of the city early tomorrow before I catch the train. G'night for now NOLA, and off to Austin, Texas tomorrow. Boston wins game 2...

Atlanta

The next morning I wake up in ATL. I decide to start moving right out of the station. I grab some quick breakfast, check in to a hotel right across the street from the train station and head out with my friend JL to meet up with some friends at Summerfest in the Virginai Highlands section of Midtown ATL. Tons of music, art, and carnie food. Yum. Saw the Bob Schnieder band, which was pretty cool. Then we missed Tonic to go to another festival called "Artlantis". Same situation but much smaller and more indie. Cool bands, great art, nice young peoples. We end up doing some heavy bar hoping in the Little Five Points distric, stoping in The Perter, which was amazing, The Euclid Yacht Club, which isn't how it's name sounds, and a few other places. All great foods and drinks! I pass out early because the train to New Orleans is early the next morning, and off I go again. ATL is a really great town. I miss it and kind of wish my opportunity, and time I spent there, went a little better. Oh well, next... ;)

D.C. by day...

^ Joop and I with his New Sexy Yellow Rental... Yum. ^

Yeah, so I've been slacking heavy on the blog and keeping up. Pretty typical, but I really haven't had the time, or access to the proper internet connection. Whatever, silly excuse. Anyways...

Washington DC is such a vibrant city. You instantly get a crazy sensation when you first step foot in the city. I ended up spending the first night in DC with my good friend Sean Joop. He's working for the Government pulling off some crazy undercover brother, behind the scenes business. Anyway, we just took it easy, caught up, Joop cooked some deliciousness that had been marinating for three days, well worth the wait, watched Goonies, joked around like we's little kids again. Very good times...
We called it a night early cause people gotta work in the morning and good night we went. Lakers take game 1...


Next morning I take a rush hour trip to Andrews Air Force Base with Joop, then hop the metro right outside of it, while he goes to work. I start the "sites" day out by getting all caught up at the Amtrak ticket window fighting for a ticket. Apparently my reservation didn't work, whatever, same B.S.. After having to call corporate
Amtrak multiple times I finally won and they got me the train ticket. (Note for future travelers: Make reservations for each stop asap...)

I had myself some Breakfast and headed in to the city, starting with a quick trip to the Sirius XM building. I was hoping to have a tour, but they don't like my kind around there, so I just kept walking... Joop, fresh off his James Bond mission to some small country embassy down on Massachusetts Ave, picked me up from Sirius XM and dropped me in front of the Verizon Center, where the Wizards and Capitols play. Craisins are delicious. I decided to walk to the National Mall from there, stopping in a few places on the way.


First stop, The Recording Industry's Association main headquarters to see what they had to say. Turns out they didn't have much to say. It's probably because they just didn't like me, because I talked security in to letting me up there just to look around. Pretty funny. So after this receptionbiatch basically kicked me out, I took my business elsewhere.

I then stop in to the Ford Theatre where Lincoln got shot, which was a very nice place, then walked over to the house where they dragged Lincoln to die, so he would "die in a respectable place". Or so says an usher from the theatre. I guess it's because he was at a comedy show. Doesn't mix... I finally make it to the mall and decide to walk it in its entirety. From one end to the other, and back... The Freer Art Museum, Smithsonian Art, History, and Air & Space Museums, The Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, (Which by the way is astonishing), Reflection Pool, Traffic, some random park with a lake, The Capitol Building, then right in to Union Station to catch the train to ATL. It was a very hot, sunny, and sweaty day, but also educational and very much worth all of the rush. After a few slices of Sbarro's pizza I instantly pass out with the subtle vibrations of the train...

En route: Washington DC, Day 1

So after missing my first train out of town, (partially my fault) I finally got on my way to Washington D.C.. It was a pleasant trip. A lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I spent the first few hours just sitting in silence and soaking up the fact that I'm on this trip, which is somewhat of an extra long vacation. It still has not sunk in yet. In between this extended deep breath I decided to strike up conversation with the guy next to me, who I'll eventually and accidentally, be laying my head on his shoulder when we pass out later in the night. Well, I didn't ended up passing out on his shoulder, but we did talk it up for a bit. His name was Marcus. He was a young man of African American decent. From Raleigh, North Carolina. The guy looked exactly like Michael Irvin, and was just as large. This kind of gives you the idea of two big dudes like us sharing that small little space for 19 hours.

Since I'm pretty antsy and can't really sit in one spot too long, I decided to spend the majority of the time in the cocktail car. This is where they serve food and drinks, and people seem to have the most conversation, by playing cards, reading newspapers and all types of different interaction. By the time I was finally able to fall a sleep, I went back to my assigned chair and ended up cuddling with Marcus... ;)

The over night sleep was horrible. There is no possible way to sleep comfortably. I did get a really good stretch when Marcus got off in N.C.. This was short lived, because all of a sudden I'm being slapped and woken up by a lady when we reached Virginia. Guess I was hogging her new chair. Oh well, time to cuddle with her now...

Just before we reached D.C. I met a poet from NYC named Claude. This was my type of dude. Typical Def Poetry type cat from New York, who was also a crazy New York Knicks fan. He thinks the Lakers are taking the series in 6, I told him he's crazy and it'll definitely be 7. Just talking to him though, almost inspired me to stay on the train and take it all the way to NY. This is something I'd originally planned, but decided not to do. Maybe I'll do that on the way back to Florida. Anyways, we arrived in D.C., I handed Claude a Cadillac Recipe CD, told him to burn it and pass it on, then I said goodbye. Off to the nations Capital I go, to talks some politics and see some history...




^Richmond Virginia^