Things to do in Ithaca, NY
Three years ago when I moved here, practically everyone I met volunteered things to do in Ithaca, so as not to be bored. They felt it vitally important to share with every newbie—and potential former Ithaca resident. I kept hearing the exact same three things from the different people who live here. Someone would say “ohh if you like Mexican food, we've got the best Mexican downtown it's called Viva …Gimme Coffee has the best coffee…of course you’ve got to go to the famous Ithaca farmers market .” These things always came up as a tri…
Why did I Choose Whitby?
Because, I have never fallen as quickly or thoroughly in love with a place, since first visiting Puerto Viejo over a decade ago. Sunset over Whitby Rail Station, January 2025 I hopped off the train and strode purposefully toward the pier,toward my lodgings for the next four days. The seaside resort town was awash with the amber glow of sunset, and I had minutes to spare before oranges gave way to purples, then blues, then black in the night sky. 50 meters from the station, I turned around, grinning at the world and snapped my first photograp…
Summer Holidays 2: Antigua or Bust
I really thought it a good idea to take a challenging summer class in conjunction with a 2 week stay in the Caribbean! HA! In truth I had no intention of taking a class when booking travel in February. Instead, I’d have spent a mentally taxing spring, fulfilling the myriad requirements needed for my first year as a speech-language pathology grad student. But alas, I didn’t learn of my acceptance into 2 programs until after I’d given up on it (and subsequently dropped all spring courses)... , I had to pick up those classes fairly quickly this …
Start of Festival Season
It's Here, Finally... Back when I lived in Baltimore's queer hub, the Mt Vernon community, the Flower Mart was hailed as the official start of festival season. One weekend in May, Mt Vernon place/Washington Monument exploded in plants, music, and food. A view of the Washington Monument from our seat in the grass, at the 2023 Flower Mart. Friends and I would walk over from my apartment, usually hungover, to enjoy Flower Mart. It was the gateway...afterward we could then look forward to: the Pow wow (now being re-tooled as a better…
Walking in Baltimore
It has been raining for days on end, but I had to pause by this chain link fence and dogwood for a quick photo (there's a cemetery on the other side of that fence, 20 yards back) I have my own problems with this city, but most are not larger than the problems that abound across the United States. Generally, I take things lightly and look for the beauty in whatever surroundings I'm in. As it turns out, it's possible that my brain may be hard-wired to be awestruck (more about that in a later post). Needless to say, walking through t…
On Socials