The Spider Bite Chronicles, and Other Chilling Tales of Solo Road Trips

I am sure that several of you have been wondering when the typical "Beth" style adventures will happen. That time is now, my friends.

After going to Baltimore, I made my way back into Virginia to stay with my other cousin in the heart of D.C. I have always loved visiting family in Virginia, but if end up moving there I will not be living in the Alexandria/Delray area without a roommate. I wanted to see what it would be like to live in the heart of the city (walking distance to the monuments) and being able to see what the day-to-day grind would be if I were to move into the district. Parking was probably the most stressful thing of staying there.

I drove in while my cousin was still at work, so I went to a coffee shop around her house called Compass Coffee. When I ordered, the man behind the counter struck up a conversation with me about my elephant shirt. I said I loved elephants, he casually said that his parents owned on. I freaked out. It turns out he is originally from India and rescue elephants are as common there as pet deer are here. That's clearly where I've gone wrong in life; I don't live in India. It turns out this young man works operations at this coffee shop and offered to give me a tour sometime of the coffee roasting process. It didn't end up happening this trip, but hopefully next time I'm in town I'll have the chance! That would be a huge benefit for when I eventually open my own coffee store.

Afterwards I headed to Rebecca's to settle in for a few days. We walked to a ramen restaurant and caught up on everything that's happened since Wes's wedding. After I finished my sob story and slurped up my noodles, we walked back to the apt and settled in for the night.

Although a lot of this trip's event have been with my hosts, staying with Rebecca and Sebas really forced me to go out on my own. DC is a city I am comfortable enough in to be able to bound out on my own, and with all of the free museums, it would be a waste for me not to take advantage of it. It's sort of fun to be a tourist in a familiar city. I decided to venture to the city zoo, since the weather was fantastic and I had just been reminded of my intense love of elephants. Public transportation is such an advantage in major cities. I metro'd to the zoo and walked close to 8 miles that day. There's a reason I stayed fit in Ireland! #walklife. One of the things I absolutely love about doing things like this myself is having time to capture the shots that I want to. So many people love to rush through or criticize me for not hurrying up or taking too many pics. But with me going through on my own, I got these amazing gems.

Rebecca cooked amazing food that night and we watched the second round of presidential debates. The next day Sebas took me to one of his favorite coffee places that I never would have been able to find otherwise called La Columbe. Sebas drove there to get some work done, and the plan was for me to walk from the coffee shop after we were done and start my day. Then, I got a call from CVS saying my prescription was ready. The only problem was that it was ready in Enterprise, where I was not. Not a big problem; all I needed to do was walk to CVS right around the corner! But, I left my wallet at the apartment about a mile away... Poor Sebas packed up and drove me back home so I could grab my car and wallet and handle the CVS mess.

Afterwards I went into the heart of D.C. and visited my favorite museum, The Museum of Natural History. Most of the exhibits were the same as they were when I was there 4 years ago, but there was a great IMAX about the National Parks. Watching that made me want to jump in the car right then and plan a trip to hit every single park. Alas, I had dinner plans with my hosts before I went on to the next stage of my journey. I spent a lot of time just enjoying being outside. The sculpture gardens were phenomenal ( and a good Pokemon hub) and it was the perfect time to sit under a tree and read a bit. Also, singing Hamilton in front of the National Archives. That was a thing.

      

 

That night we went to a place called Union Market (http://unionmarketdc.com/) which is basically the coolest food court I've ever been in. That is where I tried my first raw oyster, and I will say, it wasn't half bad! For dinner I ended up getting homemade pasta with lamb ragu that was the equivalent of heaven in my mouth. I wish I hadn't been so full from our appetizers of oysters and clam chowder.

The next morning I hit the road early to head out to Fairfax where I was going to have dinner with my family friends, the Reeds, whom I hadn't seen in about a year and a half. I was walking around the mall out there when all of the sudden my phone buzzed with a text from my bank asking if I had spent $129 on Lowes.com. I promptly responded "NO" and spend the next hour trying to sort out who got my credit card info, and how I was going to get a new one on this trip. They also apparently ordered things on BestBuy.com. I'm not sure what they got, but if it's nice I'll take it!

Long story short I met them for dinner cardless. I had to giggle, because I knew things like this would start happening at some point in time on this trip. Mom handled the news like a champ and worked hard to get my new one to me since the bank needed to mail it to the house, and the Reeds treated me to margaritas, so all was well for the night! Getting to catch up with them was refreshing for my spirit. They have known me almost my whole life, and know me as well as my family does. It's so powerful to have people like that in your life, who can help ground you when you feel like you're floating in a million different directions. I also got to meet their newest additions to the family and remind me how muc I definitely want kids in my life, even int heir fussy, drooly moments, children are beautiful creatures that remind me that innocence is magnificent.

That night I headed to my friend Jethro's place in Silver Springs. He has known me since my first year of teaching and has seen a lot of my uglier moments. Silver Springs would be another possibility as far as moving if I were going to go somewhere like D.C. Several people commute into the city, and with the new metro line being completed out that way, it would be an doable commute. Thursday night he had a friend over and we all hung out and caught up on life, which is a lot when you haven't seen each other in over a year. The next morning he went to work and I took his friend to the airport. She and I got into some very deep discussions on the way there, including talking about depression. I know several people would not open up about their mental struggles upon just meeting someone, but for me, it's a healing tool. I believe that talking about it makes it easier for others to accept it and understand the way I work. It also helps people stop seeing it as a shameful thing that needs to be hidden. The more people talk about it, the more people can feel comfortable in seeking help. Okay, soap box moment over.

I didn't sleep that Thursday night. My mind spiraled into a rather bad place. Thoughts and feelings of worthlessness crawled in and it was hard to fight them off. I felt a lot better after video chatting with one of my friends, but still couldn't seem to turn my brain off to sleep. It's always going to be a battle, and I think that's the part that's the hardest. It's never just gone or cured. It's managed, much like diabetes or asthma or several other life-threatening but common diseases. It's something that needs to be seen in the same light. It can be very defeating when an "outbreak" occurs, and frightening to remember just how bad you can feel. That being said, after I took Sophie to the airport I took a bit of a nap to try to catch up on some sleep. When I woke up, I discovered I had bug bites all over my hand, a spot on my back, and a spot on my hip. Needless to say, I was itchy and frustrated. They began to swell and become incredibly red. You guessed it, they were spider bites. I despise spider bites. I almost think I would rather have bee stings, because they hurt but only for a day or three; they stay swollen, certainly, but the spider bites burn, itch, get hot, and ooze for days at a time. It has now been a week and 2 days, yet I am still itching. The worst!

That evening Jethro and I went to a hip little food joint in downtown Silver Springs. I heard him talk about his new school and for just a moment, I wondered what it would be like to teach in a school like what he was describing. Just a moment, though. I got over the nostalgia quickly on that one. I think I will always be too emotionally involved to teach. I miss the kids, though. After dinner we walked to a theatre that was having a horror film festival. Why on earth I thought this would be a good idea is beyond me. it was a French film about the war, and in the blurb about the movie it said that "strange things began happening." Turns out people just disappeared and that was kind of it. We stared at each other at the end of the film and just went, "what did we just watch...." We purged out minds afterwards by watching comedy skits.

I ended up sleeping until 2pm the next day as a result of the lack of sleep the night before. It was a slow day since he had work to do, and it was a rainy day. Perfect to sit and relax after the busy-ness of the city for the past week and a half. Some beer and take-out Thai food topped off the evening, and all of the sudden it was time to hit the road again. Silver Springs was nice, and certainly has things going for it.

Sunday I was heading to Durham, NC, about a 5 1/2 hour drive from Silver Springs. I decided to break the drive up by stopping at Kings Dominion because for some odd reason, I had an intense urge get some adrenaline and ride roller coasters. I made great time there, found a parking space and entered Kings Dominion. Mistake #1 was not finding a map. I roamed around for about 25 min just looking and seeing all of the rides that were down due to the winds. Finally I decided to jump into line and get started riding. One thing that I don't like about King's Dominion: no timer for how long the wait times are. I managed to pick the only line in the whole park that took 2 hours. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet people around me and share life stories, but everyone around me also told me that this was the worst line they had been all day and had been on about 4 rides already in a 2 hour span. Typical for me, no?

I finally made it to the front of the line as the sun was setting. I knew this would be my only ride at the park, but it was definitely worth it. It felt so freeing to be soaring through the air and the wind whipping my face. I screamed and laughed for the whole 2 min ride. It was interesting to think that those 2 minutes was worth the 3 hours I was at the park.  Time is a funny measurement, because that moment was so freeing that I forgot how the 2 hour wait felt. I trekked on to North Carolina that evening. I will have to write about that tomorrow.

This is the phase of the trip that I really became okay with being alone, doing things alone, exploring alone. I also learned that as much as it sucks, sometimes it's best to be alone, no matter how much you may want a different outcome. It's letting me gravitate towards things that are authentic to me, like riding roller coasters, reading, eating Thai food, and being open to new artistic experiences.

Wandering Winston-Salem and Bounding Around Baltimore

So the past two blogs have been incredibly personal and reflective on my own growth, which was great and very helpful for me. For now, I'm spinning a more light-hearted tale re-caping my adventures from Winston-Salem and Baltimore.

I made it to Winston-Salem late afternoon Saturday, and Caitlin took me to a local Mexican place, where we caught up over some margaritas and far too much queso. The next morning she took me to some of her favorite local spots, including a cafe that sells art from an old cigarette vending machine. A word to the wise, buy the token from the server first so that you don't forget to do so and end up with no cool artwork :( The place was called Mary's Gourmet Diner (http://www.marysgourmetdiner.net/) and was delicious! The decor inside was cute and eclectic, which thrilled my inner hipster.

Afterwards we went to a farmer's market in Greensboro that had very typical farmer's market items- vegetables, homemade soaps and pottery, flowers, and some unique foods. We went home and regrouped afterwards, and then Caitlin took me to her favorite coffee shop where I got a butter beer latte because I'm obsessed with Harry Potter and if you didn't know that already I don't know how we're friends. One of the days I was there I managed to meet up with my cousin, Anne, for a quick lunch date and reconnect with her. I am lucky to have family members that are close enough with me to be able to bond over some tough life experiences.

A majority of Winston-Salem was me resting and napping, and my darling plant, Planty, having play-dates with all of Caitlin's porch plants. He rather enjoyed himself, quite honestly. We did make it over to Salem college for a walk around the cemetery and the campus. It was beautiful there, to say the least. Having tea on the back patio, however, was the highlight of Salem College. I managed to capture some photos of the tea, and the lady who was running the place even helped me position them to be able to get better photos while she was pouring. It was kind of her! I appreciated the artistic endeavor, and moreso appreciated being surrounded by people who encouraged that endeavor for me. Often I feel pressured to hurry up and take my photo and move on. Many people have criticized me for living behind the lense and not living in the moment. What they often don't realize, however, is that the photos are how I feel comfortable engaging in the experience. I may be looking through the lense, but I am seeing the world from a different perspective, remembering the experience through bits and pieces pieced together in a beautiful way. It's easy for me to become overwhelmed by the whole picture at once; photos help me process and remember the parts I see as the most valuable and memorable. I am happy and comfortable behind the camera. I am learning to be more accepting of this trait and no longer allow other's opinions to defer me from this joy. 

 

Caitlin and I also shared a magnificent meal my last night in Winston-Salem. We also watched the first round of presidential debates and baked slice-n-bake sugar cookies. We drank wine and took naps and altogether had a perfectly wonderful time. 

After I left Caitlin I made my way north towards my cousin in Baltimore. One true problem with solo road tripping- without a selfie stick, how do you really get the perfect selfie? 

I always anticipated that Baltimore would be overwhelming. It is a major city in the north, after all, and I have never been drawn to the busy hustle and bustle of a place with high buildings and an industrial population. I have been to Chicago and New York and never felt a pull to them; when I was in those cities I always felt pressured to be on the go the whole time, there was always something to miss out on if you weren't constantly out and about. Down-time doesn't feel like an option in the city to me, so I knew Baltimore would be an interesting experience. 

I ended up loving the experience. My cousin lives a bit outside of the city and Baltimore felt more like Nashville; always an experience to be had, but at a calm and steady pace. There are pockets all around the city that each have their own vibe and feel, but all of them felt relatively safe and relaxing. It also probably helps that my cousin(s) (since I consider my cousin's wife as a relative as well) have a solid group of soccer friends that made me feel welcome and at ease in the area, as if I could easily start again there. I wrote about this earlier, but Sherry and Wes really helped me see that when you move somewhere, the experience will only be what you make of it. They have found ways to get involved in what makes them happy, from soccer to local eats to grocery stores and places to watch the game with friends. That, of course, required them to know what they, themselves, enjoy from life. I am piecing it all together as I go. Some things I know I need are space from the hustle and bustle, an active arts and theatre scene, and things to get involved in that are low-risk but high-reward on the friendship level. Baltimore certainly offered that. 

Sherry and Wes treated me to a Korean food court and bakery my first night there with one of Sherry's friends from teaching. As I listened to their classroom conversations I realized how much I do not want to go back to teaching. I had been wavering for a while, but it's confirmed now. It is not my thing. The next day I discovered that cat's aren't really as terrible as I think they are. Their cats Gigi and Fernando are purrrr-ty great, if I do say so. We braved the pre-hurricane rain and went down to Hampden to do some shopping and site-seeing. Again, my inner hipster was thrilled with the main street cute shops and places to eat. I purchased some gifts from the stores and then we headed over to a brewery that Wes and Sherry had never been to before. This particular brewery stands on the former location of the Oriels stadium #5 and has part of the old left field wall still standing. I guess you could say we were out in left field... ha.... ha.... 

We just went for drinks, but ended up taking a tour run by the owner and his son. I had never been on a brew tour before, and it was an enjoyable experience, to say the least. Our group was small enough that we were all able to laugh and joke about side-topics while hearing about the different brews that were crafted in the back. One of the most interesting parts of this particular brewery is that they only make 1 or 2 beers of their own. The rest are made by other brewers who "rent" space, so to speak, in their brewery. 

I had a pint of ale from the Raven brewery in honor of Poe, along with a few other pints. Then it was time to head back to the apt to grab Sherry's car and meet the group for a rousing evening of jousting and jeering at Medieval Times. Sherry put together a huge soccer gathering to celebrate a young lady in the group who was having a birthday, so the celebration occurred there. I had not been to a Medieval Times since I was in 4th grade when the school went to California, so my inner child was thrilled. It is definitely a place that you need to go to with the right people. If they aren't going to boo the other knights or wear their crowns with pride, you need to re-evaluate your friend group. The red knight sucks and the acting is terrible, but it is still one of the funniest experiences ever. 

Afterwards the group went out for birthday karaoke. I managed to solidify my bond with people by singing my heart out to things like "Africa" by ToTo and "Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang (not my choice- I was signed up for that one, but I killed it because I know that song shamefully well). The next morning we went to grab breakfast back in Hampden at a cafe designed in a 1960's-70's style called Cafe Hon. I highly recommend this for dining. Afterwards we went out to their soccer game and I had a great time taking action photos of the team. The sun finally made its debut and we enjoyed its warmth through the game. We decided that crab cakes were a necessity for my last night in Maryland. I was so happy with this decision, as was my belly. Sherry and Wes took me to a grocery store afterwards called Wegmans, which is an equivalent to Whole Foods and makes my heart just as thrilled as Whole Foods. 

All-in-all, both experiences were fantastic and made me thrillingly happy. Thanks to my hosts <3