Vagabond Tales and What You Read
So I’ve been wondering what you have really enjoyed reading about in my travels and what sort of stories should I continue to tell.
For a while I wrote quite detailed summaries of almost each and everyday of my travels but that can get quite tiring from my own perspective and I don’t even know if you are really interested in reading about it.
Lately I’ve been thinking of a few different formats for my travelogue posts.
Travel Exploits
These are the ridiculous tales from the road, whether it’s a 22 hour bus ride from Atlanta to Austin, my first day in Seattle where I never came home, or riding a horse for the first time. These are the highlights and the hijinx on the road.
City Reviews
Overall reviews and descriptions of the cities I’ve been visiting. Particular highlights and things to do in the city when you visit and maybe a rating system of some sort.
Cafe & Restaurant Reviews
This is where I write about the various venues of food I visit as I travel. I love food and I really enjoy writing about my experiences with it. They’ll highlight service, menu, price, etc. and I’ll give you a breakdown of things you really want to try when you get there.
Business Reviews
I detailed Lash’s Place recently as an example of an outstanding business that I’ve come upon in my travels. These could be anything from people I’ve come upon who have businesses that resonate with me to services that I think are useful for the vagabond life.
Vagabond Vistas
Landmarks, vistas, and tourist-like things that stand out in the places I visit. Short and hopefully media rich (when I get a camera).
Life on the Road
More philosophical and introspective discussion about living on the road, out of a suitcase, and how to deal with the lows and highs of a vagabond life.
Which ones have appealed to you in the past?
What would you want to read about in the future?
What kind of travel writing do you enjoy?
Do you enjoy more pictures in the posts?
Please let me know. Post your favorite posts in the comments and answer the above questions.
The Death of a Suitcase
Alas 6 months into my vagabonding trip my trusty Jaguar rolling garment bag has met it’s end.
It has seen over 19 cities and town in the U.S. in just the last 6 months not counting numerous layovers on buses, planes and trains. It has crossed the U.S. coast to coast 5 times logging around 20,000 miles of travel on top of intermittent use in prior years on various dance weekends.
While it has weathered the road well it just hasn’t stood the test of continuous abuse that long term travel puts on objects. I mean the bag is probably older than I am considering it was borrowed from my parents. The fabric is starting to tear and is worn in a number of places, zippers don’t close, and the final straw was the handle snapping my last night in New York City.
Since then I’ve carried the 40+ pounds to Seattle and now down to San Francisco and it’s time for a new bag. I’ve settled on this bag by Victorinox. The 22″ E-Motion 4.0 Trek Pack Plus recommended by world travelers like Tim Ferriss for it’s durability, functionality and ability to be carried on planes. It can be wheeled around, converted into a backpack or split into a regular pack and a daypack.
Not only is this bag exceptional but it will force me to downsize more. This is not only the death of a suitcase but the death of excess. I will be moving from many items that I don’t necessarily need to only those things that are truly necessary.
I will be undertaking the 100 items challenge. The goal to cut down all of my possessions to 100 things or less if I’m not already there. If I’m already there I’ll let you know but I’m not certain I am.
If I were just a vagabond I think this would be easier. I would afford myself only the simplest of clothing but being a lindy hop instructor I do on occasion need a few items of formal wear. Add to that the three pairs of shoes I carry for dancing (Keds, Florsheim dress shoes, and tap shoes) and the weight of being a dance instructor adds up quickly.
So as both a birthday present to myself and from my parents I’m buying it. If you feel like chipping in I’ll do my best to visit you in my travels and if you want I’ll give you a half hour private lesson in Lindy Hop no charge except for your donation.
Lash's Place
Now I’m accustomed to getting great service from my hair dresser or barber. I think that’s mostly because I’ve known most of my hair dressers personally before I ever arrived. I didn’t expect this.
Yesterday I hopped on Yelp to find a local barber or salon to cut my hair for something resembling a reasonable price (anything over 35$ and it better come with a beer and a movie). I found Lash’s Place.
One of the principle features of this establishment was it’s exceptionally long history in San Mateo and the services of one tattooed hair stylist who seemed pretty hip. I called for an appointment, cause isn’t that what you do when you get a haircut these days?
The man who answered turned out to be Lash, the owner of the establishment. He seemed surprised I had discovered the place, especially being from out of town, and slightly surprised I was calling for an appointment. We settled on 4:30pm. Apparently the offer even came with “as many glasses of wine as I wanted“.
I arrived a little early, having had to make a run to the bank, and the place was full of sports paraphanelia, articles on the history of the barbershop and two barbers chairs. Lash’s in the front and the younger tattooed stylist in the back. I settled into a chair to wait with a magazine while Lash finished up with a customer.
When he was ready he greeted me with a warm hand shake and ushered me into the chair.
Almost the entire time he snipped away at the mangled mess that was my unkempt hair we chatted about a variety of topics: my travels, what I did for work, where he had traveled, some of his customers who had traveled and on and on.
He told me about his long time friend Richmond who traveled to south east Asia performing dance routines on rollerskates for 6 years down there.
A regular of his wandered in about halfway through my haircut. The man, whose name I forget now, was a basketball coach for some private school about an hour and a half away. He had driven over an hour and a half to visit Lash for a trim.
At this point he broke out the cups of wine, it was a chilled white, nothing high end but definitely refreshing. The three of us chatted while Lash finished up buzzing and snipping away until I had a polished haircut worthy of any reputable character from a 1940’s film.
The basketball coach sat down for his trim and Lash poured me a second round of wine. We stood around chatting, Lash cutting hair, me sipping on wine when lo-and-behold (sorry for the expression) Richmond showed up.
I chatted with Richmond for a good twenty minutes about his travels in Asia, his booking agents, the bars in Korea and Thailand, venues he performed at and so on. Truly an exceptional character and he encouraged my travel to Korea.
All in all, one of my favorite experiences so far in California this trip. I’m definitely going back to Lash’s the next time I need a haircut here and I may just swing by to visit and sip some wine anyways.
