Falconeer's New York expedition

[Teleku]

No it's not just a college town. It's a hippie town with tons of bookstores, record stores, cafes, very expensive european food grocery stores, punks, and alive as hell. Have anyone of you ever been there? I haven't seen enough America to judge, but this place is beautiful.

Yeah, there's a lot of places like that around the US, glad to hear you like it.  Probably more a shock for you considering some of the random ass towns your visiting, but there is so much more to see.  One nice thing about the country, no matter what anybody says, is the insane diversity we have from town to town, and region to region.  Even with things like the downtown situation people mentioned before.  There are many places with totally dead downtown, but the next town over will have a thriving fun downtown.  It's pretty much impossible to generalize anything across the whole of the US.

[Margalis]

Too bad you're on such a city-based jaunt, you passed over the cool finger lakes region, with the glens and great hiking and boating. Some nice parks in there, my favorite non-adirondack part of the state.

QFT. Buffalo and Rochester are complete shitholes and have been for decades. Why anyone would voluntarily visit them is beyond me. Especially when you could instead go to Ithaca, Watkins Glenn, etc.

No it's not just a college town. It's a hippie town with tons of bookstores, record stores, cafes, very expensive european food grocery stores, punks, and alive as hell. Have anyone of you ever been there? I haven't seen enough America to judge, but this place is beautiful.

Visit Cambridge, your head will explode.

[Falconeer]

Heh! My friend here WORKS at Zingerman, got huge discount and she's an awesome cook! I am having an amazing time.
Also, I met this guy yesterday from Athens, GA, and he was saying that's nothing like AA and that's why he moved.

[Engels]

These 'renaissance' towns go through boom and bust periods. Seattle -used- to be this awsome mecca of free thought, indie music, community activity, etc. During the 90s. After 2000, it pretty much stalled and has yet to really recover the spirit. Everything is technically still there, but the music is blander, the cafes are a bit more empty, and folks have stopped moving here.

I imagine the same happend with Athen GA. Back in the late 80s, it was an awsome place for culture and music in the south. REM comes from there, as does Pylon and other musical goodness. After that happened, like everything, it got overhyped, burned out and probably went back to being what it was before. A sleepy college town in the south.

[Falconeer]

Also, I missed hashbash but Punk Week is coming in three days 

[Lantyssa]

Now that's tempting.  Way too long a drive though.

[Paelos]

I imagine the same happend with Athen GA. Back in the late 80s, it was an awsome place for culture and music in the south. REM comes from there, as does Pylon and other musical goodness. After that happened, like everything, it got overhyped, burned out and probably went back to being what it was before. A sleepy college town in the south.

Pretty much. The hippies totally took over in this decade and decided to make nothing but shitty jam bands. The last decent band to come out of Athens is Widespread Panic. Also, the Georgia Theatre burned to the ground this year, which totally sucks. Most of downtown Athens is now completely overrun with bars that pack in 18 year-olds to the walls.

However, it's still has many excellent features if you know what you're doing. The Globe is a bar that's been around for 20 years, and it combines the comforts of a European pub with the classical art and style of an old Southern tavern. Almost 100 types of beers, 50 different single malts, a solid wine list and a full bar. It's all good. Also, right across from downtown is North Campus, which (having been to Harvard) is eerily similar to Harvard Yard. You'd have to see pictures to understand why, but they were designed within about 30 years of each other.

The Mayflower in Athens is probably the best southern breakfast joint in the state. It's been run by the same family for 60 years, and the biscuits&gravy will melt your face it's so good. For lunch, the Grit is one of the cooler joints in the town. It's a fully vegetarian restaurant that does no-meat substitutes for regular things like burgers and sandwiches, but they also do indian, italian, mexican, and middle eastern creations. I love meat, but this place amazes me each time I go. For dinner, Last Resort Grill is always featured in Southern Living as one of the best in the state. The style is an upscale Southern grill that uses local ingredients to make dishes like pecan-encrusted trout, salmon and grits, slow-cooked beef short ribs, and hangar steak.

Also, gameday tailgating at UGA is among the best in the country. Thousands of RVs, converted trucks, massive tents, full smokers, open air BBQ pits, full liquor bars, HOT southern girls wandering around in their favorite tight red and black outfits. It's a riot. I've been to Boston College, I've been to Arizona State, I've been to Texas-OU, and I've been all across the Southeastern Conference. The only thing that comes close to it is the crazy-ass Cajuns during a night game in LSU.

[Margalis]

Boston College, Arizona State and Texas-OU.

One of these things is not like the other.

[Strazos]

Please to be explaining how "HOT southern girls" are differentiated from "HOT girls" to someone who normally tries their damnedest to stay out of the region.

Nothing personal towards Southern people necessarily, but your weather sucks. And there's no skiing.

[Righ]

Pretty much. The hippies totally took over in this decade and decided to make nothing but shitty jam bands. The last decent band to come out of Athens is Widespread Panic.

Apples In Stereo, Of Montreal, Elf Power? None of them are jam bands. 

Also, I missed hashbash but Punk Week is coming in three days 

Punk week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps0_j2UP6hw

[Paelos]

Please to be explaining how "HOT southern girls" are differentiated from "HOT girls" to someone who normally tries their damnedest to stay out of the region.

Nothing personal towards Southern people necessarily, but your weather sucks. And there's no skiing.

They have hot girls in the north? I haven't noticed yet.  

Also, the weather sucks in the South? Apparently you haven't been to Georgia where it's 88 degrees in the summer, and maybe 45 in the winter.

[Paelos]

Boston College, Arizona State and Texas-OU.

One of these things is not like the other.

If you mean Texas-OU, you're right. The game starts at 11 so there's no tailgating period. Compared to Georgia-Florida, it's an absolute shame.

[Margalis]

I was referring to BC and hot girl quotient.

[Sky]

They're hot because your weather sucks. All the cool girls are in the north. 

[Righ]

Or much further south.

[Falconeer]

I just drove a few miles in a brand new 2009 Camaro SS

[Oban]

I just drove a few miles in a brand new 2009 Camaro SS

Sitting in the driver's seat while the car was being towed to the nearest repair shop does not mean you were actually driving.

[Teleku]

Please to be explaining how "HOT southern girls" are differentiated from "HOT girls" to someone who normally tries their damnedest to stay out of the region.

Nothing personal towards Southern people necessarily, but your weather sucks. And there's no skiing.

They have hot girls in the north? I haven't noticed yet.  

Also, the weather sucks in the South? Apparently you haven't been to Georgia where it's 88 degrees in the summer, and maybe 45 in the winter.

88 degree's with humidity which makes it feel like 120.  100 degree's in California feels better than 88 degree's in Georgia.

[Sky]

Degrees.

[Teleku]

Yo'u ca'n hav'e m'y apostrophe's whe'n yo'u pr'y the'm fro'm m'y col'd dea'd hand's!

[Samwise]

Also, the weather sucks in the South? Apparently you haven't been to Georgia where it's 88 degrees in the summer, and maybe 45 in the winter.

88 degree's with humidity which makes it feel like 120.  100 degree's in California feels better than 88 degree's in Georgia.

Never mind that 88 degrees is too fucking hot even if it's a dry heat.

[Strazos]

I've been to FL in summer. It's gross down there.

[Lantyssa]

Pretty much all of the Gulf Coast is like that.  It gets a little better inland, but not much.

[Falconeer]

I am in Williamsport, huh, Maryland?

Now that I am here, what do you guys think of Rockville?

[schild]

I am in Williamsport, huh, Maryland?

Now that I am here, what do you guys think of Rockville?

I think it's one of the many towns I was happily ready to leave behind. Same goes for Bethesda, DC and College Park. What the FUCK are you doing in Maryland?

[Falconeer]

Begging for a job at Zenimax?

Neh, just trying to get to Washington after a day ruined by Avis' incompetence...

[Abagadro]

Begging for a job at Zenimax?

Neh, just trying to get to Washington after a day ruined by Avis' incompetence...

If you make it into DC go to Rockland's BBQ on Wisconsin Ave in NW. Also the Brickskeller over by Dupont Circle.

[JWIV]

Rockville is strip mall hell coupled with the suburbanite mentality that Fridays is the pinnacle of restaurants.   

[Sky]

We got an Appleby's a couple years ago, and the 20-30s all go there. The sad thing is we have some really great restaurants here and most are cheaper with better food and service. Most people are drones. Luckily, there are enough older folks with taste to keep the other places open.

[Falconeer]

A word of advice: never go to Brookpark, Ohio. Never.

[Paelos]

I'd stay out of Ohio in general. Except Cincy which doesn't totally suck.

[Montague]

I'd stay out of Ohio in general. Except Cincy which doesn't totally suck.

Columbus is nice, as is certain parts of Cleveland. Everything else is either farmland or rust belt decay.

And Falc if you want real winter come up to Fairbanks in a few months. When it gets to -50 I can show you our boiling water freezing in mid-air trick.

[Falconeer]

Sucks to be back.

Pictures will follow at some point in the future.

Meh.

[schild]

Half of us will trade with you in a hot second.

Don't you ever bitch about leaving the east goddamn coast and ending up back in ROME, MAN.

[Falconeer]

Mmm well, if you put it like that...