Kyleen Welch's new place with her dog Claude near Hampton park!
Mustafa Walker's bus house. And used the Kennelworth Mansion for the kitchen and bathroom facilities.
Awesome
school bus parked near my friends house with a cozy space heater, tea,
movies and strategic board games with plenty of room to accommodate
people for hanging out and a convert-able couch bed for sleeping over.
While visiting Kennelworth I met Zach and Schroder, who had just moved from BUFFALO, NY!
I had actually seen their band at the Vault in Buffalo, before they moved to Charleston.
Here is some of Zach's solo music:
Also, my old friend/ up stairs roomie Kane Nailor, from my first apt. in Charleston was renting a room there.
My childhood partner in crime Kirby Platt's place which was litearlly a block away from the bus.
While there I made new friends with her awesome roomates Brian and Filip.
I especially gravitated to Filip.
He is the most hyper, audacious, and un-pc gay black man I have ever
met. I laughed hysterically every time I was around him. Despite his
super goof ball antics he is very genuine. He gave me some of his
art, cut the split ends out of my hair (he works at a salon), we made
food together and went on some bike rides.
Grace Barns near East Central's somewhat industrial areas.
Moe the MathMagician from couchsurfing had a guest room. I met him at a potluck and he ended up knowing my friend Preston Bernstein.
Cammie Amacher's condo (super fresh) that she literally just bought off of Savannah hwy in West Ashley. While she was working she let me drive her car 2x to go see my parents. I am super greatful!!
While taking bike trips to Cammie's house on the green way.... I met two awesome Earthfare employees. Crosby, a street artist and beer snob who used to live in Rochester, NY. Brian, a super genuine guy who had a sweet touring bike, who within a 20min conversation game me a bible and told me a story story about how he "walked for Jesus".
I am quite satisfied that I got to meet interesting new people and get closer to some old friends while on this trip.
I debated starting up this blog again because it is time consuming and I have to be around an internet source. I have been keeping a composition book with directions, plans, thoughts and experiences. Its an unorganized journal of sorts, kind of like my head.
So my plan for this winter is to escape Buffalo, which I have successfully done so far. However I did not escape the weather in the way I would have hoped.
The Polar Vortex Blizzard in Buffalo delayed my flight to Charleston.
But Im honestly glad I got to experience that.
And because of me delay...... I found out Thursday evening, while having dinner with friends, that my flight leaving Friday the 10th would be the same exact plane that my friends who were traveling to ATL would be on.
I stayed with my parents in Moncks Corner, SC for a week.
I put my bike together and took a couple small rides around town.
While on one of these rides I ran into Mr. McCormic (yes, indeed the spice guy) who was in his mid 90s and had some good stories to share. He was a bike messenger for Western Union.
Visited some family. Talked to my uncle who I have not spoken to in 5 years or so; he is in jail.
Helped my dad do some soldering. That was my first experience with making an electrical panel for some outlets in his music man cave.
Among the many movies and TV shows I watched while at my parents, my favorite so far: The Island. It is the sort of theme I prefer in a fiction movie or book and the ending went well.
Friday the 17th I left on my single speed Bianchi for downtown Charleston, SC
I took a different rout that I had yet to try. 409 to 41 through Mt. Pleasent, SC over the largest cable stayed bridge on the east coast into Charleston.
On the top of the bridge just as it was getting dark I met another older man and his partner. This guy had traveled several times across the US and used to put over 100mi a day on his bike. We chatted a bit about my upcoming endeavor.
He asked, "Do you have a gun?" I reply, "Nah." "Do you have pepper spray?", "No, but maybe I will get some.", The tan wrinkled man, "well then, do you have Jesus?" Me, "I do actually" My thoughts: I am officially in the south!
I hurt my knee on the ride over. It was the most miles I have done since late summer and it was on a single speed with about 60lbs of weight on it. Not the brightest idea, especially with out proper preparation.
I tried to stay off of it as much as I could, and I did not do any long rides (in prep for my trip) as I had planned. I put heat, ice, comfrey, arnica slave, and prayer on it. I bought a drug store brace and I have been doing lots of yoga as well as an acupuncture session. I think I will probably do some more sessions as I ride down the coast. COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE
I was going to have my favorite bike shop RIDEBIKES convert my single speed into a multi, but when they showed me the loner bike that I would be using, I decided just to buy that. I will post some photos soon of my new whip.
I did not leave Charleston when I had planned partly due to my knee, but mostly due to the weather. Everything shut down in the town. Snow and ice!! Though not nearly as severe as Buffalo weather, the two storms I have experienced in the south thus far have knocked out power, shut down bridges, and closed most business.
I intend to take a greyhound some of the way to Miami because I am now running short on time.
So it has almost been one year since my last post.
I have lived in Buffalo NY for a year and 1 mo.
What has happened?:
I worked in a wood shop on the East side of the city 20hr/wk for 6months.
I started by doing drywall and painting.
In the wood shop I patiently made Chop Sticks, Utensils, Cutting Boards, Picture Frames, Bottle Openers, Book Marks and other small trinkets.
In the winter months we successfully sold things at various holiday markets made out of reclaimed wood.
Queen City Market in one of the Karpalles Manuscript Museums
Another homemade and obnoxiously large Halloween costume:
I saw Jeffrey Lewis on my 23rd birthday!!
a friend of mine made me a cake, but it was not really a cake, it was a delicious mound of Plantains called Mofongo.
All winter long I looked for a job.
The catering job I had slowed down for the winter. right before the work ended for the season I got to cater a Christmas Party in someones house. They had a choir singing on their marble staircase.
The thing I enjoy most about catering for Oliver's is that the main events we do are in both of the large art museums and this historical society. I get to see the museums for free, and get paid!
After extreme searching for a job, like it was my job, through the snow, just to find that I should check back in spring. I got another catering gig that was super part time and in May a job at a presidential pub
called Founding Fathers.
There, I serve drinks and food at the tables as well as cook the food I serve. What!!?! Yes, I do both, but its not hard. If im cooking 5 orders and another table comes in, I put the burgers, chicken, whatever on the colder side of the grill and come out and get their drinks. Its a lot to juggle. But fun!
There is free popcorn and chips with cheese, beans, and salsa.
The owner of the bar loves to dish out trivia questions to the customers.
Its a very unique place with a wide variety of customers from businessmen, college kids, neighbours, and regulars, tourists, and a more ritiser crowed that stays at a hotel mansion across the street.
It is the most unsanitary place I have worked. But maybe this was how casual dining in a dive bar looked all along, I just never experienced it before.
During the summer in Buffalo there is a free concert, festival, or large scale city wide even every week. Usually all at the same time.
I did my best at testing each thing.
I saw a Shakespeare play in the park.
I saw Jesus and Mary Chain perform on the water. The crowed is overwhelming.
FIRSTS:
Rode my bike in the snow.
I ate a homemade Perogi.
I booked a show.
I seriously played vollyball.
I became good at making Raw Desserts.
I broke a bone (Styloid Process, at the tip of my Ulna)
I quit cutting my hair.
I attended Catholic and Lutherian Mass
I checked out a service at the Unitarian Universalist Church
I wresteled a girl taller then me and won.
Went on an all night trash picking, dumpstering spree with my current roomate Carrie Nader.
She likes scrap metal, I like vintage things.
Movies I watched: (bad1-10good)
Peewees Big Adventure (9)
Tank Girl (8)
Black Swan (2)
Future of Food- doc. (10)
Secret Life Bees- doc. (9)
Nine Months (3)
Absinthe- doc. (4)
So I am going to attempt to write a quick summary on what I have been doing in Buffalo for the past month & a half. I have not found time to post in a while because I have been busy.
As far as the fun stuff goes I have been doing the normal stuff I like to do like potlucks, yoga, clothing swaps, bike rides (there are a couple non-athletic local ones that happen on a weekly basis), and music.
Most of the stuff I have found through the Buffalo Barn Raisers calender, which I talked about in a previous blog post. One place that hosts many communal events and potlucks is the Nickel City Housing Co-Op.
There are two co-op houses under that name and they both have weekly potlucks and there is even a beer brewing night!
There is a fantastic radical book store called Burning Books.
I saw Cindy Crabb there, the writer of the feminist, story telling series of zines called: Doris. She read sections of her new book.
I went there and saw a documentary which ended up being one I had already seen before, but it is a good one. Future of Food. If you care about food, you should watch it!!
A new documentary that I did not see at Burning Books, but was really good was Vanishing of the Bees
I finally got to see Defiance, Ohio a folk punk band I have liked since highschool. I saw that they were coming to D.C. while I was there, but I missed them. So I ended up seeing them at a house show/ huge venue space called the Funeral Home in north buffalo. This is a good song:
Another one of my favorite songs is "Chad's favorite song".
A saw some awesome local bands at Finger Tapping Festival 2011!!
There were four bands, all which were different in style, but they each incorporated finger tapping.
The last two bands were the best!!You have to check them out: Left Hand of Darkness
In addition to the fun I have been having in Buffalo, I must talk about the quality people I have met while here. Starting with Megan's family. I started doing work exchange for Megan at her wood shop while living in here house. I never knew that this would mean that I would become involved with her family off the bat.
The first week I was in Buffalo, her parents had a neighborhood talent show in the suburbs. They let me come do a split in front of everyone and show them my creepy eye tricks. Other folks shared songs, played instruments, showed off family antique collections, and even electrocuted a pickle! Megan's relatives are fun and outgoing people.
The following week, Megan's mom, Mrs. McNally set up a Crohns and Colitis fundraiser in a Frank Loyd Wright building. Here is a photo of me doing group painting for the raffle.Megans Aunt Judy is a blast to be around!. I have spent time with Judy at her cottage in Canada and had a board game night which was great!
So Megan's family have taken me in, in ways.
Here are my roomates.
Both of them build things.
Megan & Andrea
This is the kitchen
where we spend most of our time
when we are home.
Megan has an artistic bathroom:
Here is the warehouse I work at:
It is a 3minute walk from where I stay.
http://www.reuseaction.com
Megan in her wood shop:
vases made out of reclaimed base boards
an old plainer
At the bottom of the stairs before the offices, there is a wall that I mud, sanded and painted. I noticed some moldy patches at the bottom corner. So I cut out the drywall and filled it with random wood scraps. We did not have any material for the corners of the wall yet, so I continued the wood pieces all the way up.
In addition to my hours each week at the warehouse, I have been doing studies at University of Buffalo for cash. I also got a job for a fine dining restaurant doing catering. I didnt want to do the same stuff again, but the money is good!! And I need extra cash All of the events are off premises, and the staff is friendly.
An awesome fact about Buffalo, is that everything is:
You can find the best things on the side of the road. There are a lot of elderly people here having estate sales and throwing away durable, beautiful, useful, and vintage things.
Here are some random chatchkeys I found
and put on display in my room:
someone threw away the presidents!!
FYI
This is going to be my last "traveltime" blog post for a while. Partly to due to the fact that I am no longer traveling at the moment and mostly to do with me buying a house.
When?: October 3rd
Where?: Annual foreclosure auction
How$?: 1k & the help of good folks who know about houses/ have their own/ build things.
It needs some repair, of course. But nothing more than I am willing to handle. I am thrilled that I am currently in the perfect situation because of the work trade I am doing. I have access to tools and I am surrounded by the knowledgeable people who can assist me. I am also part of a group called East Side House works. Everyone in the group spends a few days a month on eachothers houses!! The best part, once it is live able, all of my friends can come stay/live.
If you feel froggy and wan to come help me tear down some walls, install some windows or just salvage some gems off the side of the street you are more than welcome too. Though I wont be doing a whole bunch of work until it gets a little warmer out. Right now I am just cleaning up the debris and fixing up the major issues in order to secure the house over time as well as make it live able.
I did not purchase the house with the intention of making money off of it in the future, because I wont. Once I put money into it in order to fix it up, it will most likely amount to what I would be able to squeeze out of it. (This is partially because of the area it is in, and due to Buffalo being a dying city) No cash value!!
I guess the appeal to me was being able to own something and have a place that I can do what I want with. As well as gaining hands on learning experience, and having an awesome place in the North East of America for people, as well as me, to stay/visit. There are many benefits of owning a house. And with a couple roomates I dont have to worry about property tax or user fees. Which wont even come to 1k a year anyway.
Thank you for reading my "traveltime" blog. I will most certainly be doing more traveling this summer.
Check out "HouseWork" for posts on the process of my house from start to finish!
The blog will be up soon. I will post the link here: http://www.norashomEwork.blogspot.com
Buffalo NY is a short drive to Erie PA. 90some miles.
My Grandma Jeanette and my mom live there. Born & Raised.
These are from Presque Isle:
Luckily a guy that I work with at the warehouse as well as a lady I work with in catering both have family that they visit there. So between the two of them I am able to catch a ride and visit my family in Erie, PA.
A few weeks ago, the weather was nice so I rode my bicycle part of the way back. My mom dropped me off in Dunkirk and I rode the rest of the 50mi along lake Erie (Buffalo rd. or route 5) to Buffalo.
This is my moms friend Barbie. They have known eachother since high school:
So far I have visited my family two times, each for three days.
The first time I visited Erie this year was on Labor day. I got to go out to my oldest Uncle Josephs cottage in Findley Lake, NY. I had not seen him in at least 10years. And I met my Aunt Janice for the first time!
My Uncle Joseph makes origami; I believe it must be one of his favorite hobbies. Next time I go, I will take some photos of the stuff he has made.
Each time I have visited, I went to church with my grandma on Sunday. We go to two services, first the sunday school that takes place during the contemporary praise and worship. Than we go to the main church for the traditional service. Sunday school consists of around 15 people over the age of 60 sitting around a table and reading and talking about a lesson plan. My grandma, of course, had to brag about me to the rest of the group, which embarrassed me. She told everyone how I went on a bike adventure so people where questioning me for quite awile before and after the lesson plan. Some of the elderly folks that I met where really laid back and open minded, which was definitely a positive thing for me to see. This one couple I met recently went to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a hot air balloon spectacle. Now, if the timing is right I plan to go next year!! HERE
Since I am on the topic of Church. Here is a fancy mural I saw on my bike ride back Dunkirk to Buffalo.
As well as a cool flag I saw in a Presbyterian Church I visited one Sunday in Buffalo.
While I was in Albany, I contacted Megan, over a website called helpx.net.
I am doing a work exchange here. Working 20hrs a week in exchange for staying with my new friend Megan. She is my age and, owns her own house, and has a wood shop. Her business is part of ReUse Action.
So far I have been practicing drywall, sanding, and getting better and using the tools around the shop.
Wednesday, there is a community spotlight at a near by farmers market where I get to display some items we have built and get the word out about what ReUse Action is doing.
There is a community of people in Buffalo who are truly doing things. And if you ever want to come to Buffalo you must check out the Buffalo Barn Raisers
The link explaines it all, but basically it is a monthly calendar that shows the dates of free things such as, documentary screenings, potlucks, bike rides, yoga, city tours, out door activities, & workshops such as: medicinal herbs, beer brewing, harvesting the city (materials), and much much more.
There is a midnight bike ride that happens every sunday with an average turnout of 100 people. Through that I met someone who is moving to Austin, Texas Janruary 1st.
I have decided to stay in Buffalo with my work trade until that date, which I may decide to catch a ride and bike from there (TX) to the west coast.
I know some people in TX, NM, & AZ along the way. I am currently researching ways to do more work exchanges in the south west during the cold season.
If you want my Buffalo mailing address, just contact me.
I left Toronto on the GoTrain Sunday. $20
Four hours later I was in Niagara Falls.
From there I attempted to ride my bicycle to Buffalo. The googlemaps directions told me that I should go though Grand Isle in order to get from Niagara to Buffalo. And it was supposed to only be 15miles.
I arrived at the bridge to find the pedestrian/bike path closed. I could not take the bridge because it was on interstate 190. So I stopped at a gas station to try to find a different way. At this point it was 9pm, because customs coming into the US gave me a hard time and I got lost and had to turn around, bla bla. I did not intend to ride at night. I dont like to when I have never been to a place before. Also, my lights needed new batteries.
The guy at the gas station with the white beard and the turban had a hard time communicating to me the best way to get to Buffalo, but after he drew the map, I felt a bit better about where I was headed. He told me it was over 30miles. BUMMER
Megan, the girl who I am doing the work exchange program with ended up picking me up apx. 7mi. outside of the city. Mainly because, after stopping at a pizza place along the way to see if I was going the correct way, a guy warned me not to go the East Side of Buffalo. And that of course was where I was going. So he made me worry, since I had never been there before. The guy said he would never send his family there because there were gangs!
But it turns out that there are just more black people here than in other parts of the city.
And the East side happens to be the largest part of the city.
But the rest of the city still looks a bit run down as if you were in an under developed or low income area.
But I expected that. This is the Rust Belt. & after traveling in other parts of New York, you realize that NYC sucks the life, money & white collar jobs out of every other could-have-been city in New York.
But it does not suck the culture out!
The very best part about Buffalo, especially east Buffalo, is that housing is very cheap. In fact, if you had a couple thousand saved, you could buy one.
There are two ways you can buy a cheap house:
1. There is a foreclosure Auction every October. and you need to pay 20% upfront and the rest by January.
So just ride around. Look for boarded up and un-mowed places. Than refer to the list. of over 3,000 properties.Oh, and you can buy land too.
2. You could homestead a house. You pay $1 for a house!! yes, one dollar! but you must have 5,000 in your bank and be willing to do repairs on it. You cannot just let the house sit there uninhabited.
A lot of houses are too large for one person. At least 15,000 sq. ft., two story, and need major repairs. Plumbing, Electric, Roof, etc. But there are a lot of older people here, so some are from the diseased and ready to live in.
From what I understand, the same thing is happening in Detroit and Cleveland.
