Category Archives: United States Travel

Immersive Experiences in New York City: Hero NYC and Astra Lumina

Welcome to the New York City section of my blog, also known as my “Amateur Learns Aperture” series, where I go outside my apartment to find things to photograph in order to learn how to use my camera.

There are several different immersive light shows in New York City right now.  I am not sure if this was always a thing, since I did not leave my apartment in many years.  Or maybe these have existed this entire time.  I love all of it.

Hero was such a great time.  This one is located under Rockefeller Center, right at the ice skating rink.  I was fortunate to catch the Northern Lights show on its last weekend.  But per their website HERE, they have a new show coming soon.

You start out by watching an introduction video and then you enter the space.  My ticket was for 7:00 on a Friday and it was not at all packed.  I had some rooms to myself as I walked through them.

Continue reading

Introducing New Series: Amateur Learns Aperture in New York City, Part One

Welcome to part one of a new series, where I write about leaving my New York City apartment to venture outside and learn how to use my camera. I almost titled this “Bites and Sights NYC” as I will indeed be visiting some New York City attractions and sharing photos of cute restaurants, so the name fits. But I liked the idea of maybe working the amateur photography in the title so the intent here is clear.

My brainstorming session went like this:

Me: New camera, who dis?

Me: No

Me: Learning ISO taking photos like whoa?

Me: NO

Me: F-Can’t Stop, F-Won’t Stop?

Me: SHUT UP

Me: Photography school, shooting things that are cool?

Me: STOP TALKING

Me: What about Amateur Learns Aperture?

Me: WHY WON’T YOU…Wait. that’s not so terrible.

I am doubling down by also attempting to improve my mental health by not wearing pajamas in public while doing these things. This is increasing the amount of laundry I have to do, which is a downside. Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: I Hate the Chelsea Tower at Cosmopolitan

Good morning Las Fucking Vegas!

I wake up at Treasure Island at 9:45.  I am out at 10:45.  I am not staying here tonight but since I am burning them, I booked the comp for tonight so I did not have to check out until I felt like it.

Reservations at all restaurants are still needed in Vegas during this trip.  I was able to score one for 12:45 at The Pantry at Mirage.  I cannot wait until the days of going to eat when you are hungry are back.   I hate having to keep track of time for meals.

I stopped at Starbucks, and then went to my Ultimate X video poker machine.  Lost 2 $100 bills before hitting this:
Also hit this:
Continue reading

Amtrak: Omaha, Nebraska

Ah, Omaha.

So many people asked me why I wanted to go here.  This includes my Uber driver from the airport, the nice guy who checked me into my room, and my former manager who grew up in Omaha.

Plain and simple, I wanted to get closer to having slept in all 50 states.  Much like most of the stops on this trip, this was the perfect time to do this.  I am not on vacation.  I am simply traveling around and working remote.

Omaha was the sole reason I packed gloves.  It was supposed to be in the 30s here.  Imagine me arriving and finding it 70 degrees outside.  What the hell Omaha.

I stayed at 402 hotel.  Poor 402 hotel.  I arrived and walked into the lobby, immediately hit with beautiful cool air from the air conditioning, wiping away the 70 degree weather I had not been expecting.  The lobby was cool, clean and wonderful.  That’s where it all ended.

I am told the hotel had recently had a flood and the elevators aren’t working.   Cool.   Came to figure out that the flood had been months ago and there is zero action being taken to fix the elevators.  Honestly, I am not even convinced they were really broken as I could swear I could hear elevator dinging from my room a couple of times.

First bonus:  The room smelled like pee.  And would not cool down.  I ended up taking the air conditioner filter out and wiping off the thickest layer of filth.  Then I sprayed it with my “I am traveling for 30 days in a carry on sized bag” Febreeze.   Killed two birds with one stone.  Cool air, no pee. Continue reading

Amtrak: New Orleans

I left Birmingham in the rain.  The train to New Orleans was relatively empty.   It was very nice to stretch out.

After arriving in New Orleans, I got an Uber.  The driver didn’t pick me up in the correct spot. I know I was in the correct spot because I saw quite a few people getting picked up there. I had to walk and find her car.

Then she could not find the address of my apartment.  I don’t blame her for this.  But it was pretty chaotic because she kept driving around.  The streets here are weird and there can be 2 street names parallel to each other.   I finally told her to let me out at an intersection that Google maps said was a 2 minute walk to my apartment and I found it.

I was staying at Sonder Suites.  I was supposed to check in yesterday and did not because I had to stay another night in Birmingham to be at an important work meeting today that I did not trust my hot spot for (there is no WiFi on Amtrak west of Chicago) and who wants to be talking in a work meeting on a train like an asshole anyway?

My apartment was non refundable, no changes, so I could not change the dates.  I did have a tiny fear that since I had not checked in last night, it would have voided me out of the system, but it did not.  You do not speak to any actual person with these types of stays.  They email you a code to the building and a code to  your room.  No reception desk, nothing.

My room was really nice.

Continue reading

Amtrak: Being Stranded in New Orleans

As I am continuing to post about this trip, I decided to break off my rant about being stranded in New Orleans from my actual post about New Orleans.  My New Orleans recap will be the next post.

So for the New Orleans portion of this trip, I worked for a few days and then I had planned to spend Saturday here to have a full day to check out the city.  I lost a portion of that after getting a call from Amtrak.  My next train is to Memphis.  That train is cancelled.

I am told I can go to Jackson, MS to catch the train.  It is not running between NOLA and Jackson, but continues on my route from Jackson.  How do I get to Jackson?  The woman on the phone said I had to get myself there.  Wait, what?  There is no way this is a real fucking phone call.   You are doing NOTHING to get me to Jackson?

I have never heard of Jackson in my life.

So Google it is.

Continue reading

Amtrak: High Point, NC to Birmingham, AL On the Toilet Train

You read that title right!

Here we begin on leg 2 of my 30 day Amtrak USA Railpass.  If you are new, you can find my itinerary HERE.

I last left off in High Point, NC, which you can read about HERE.  My next leg takes me to Birmingham, AL.  Hotels in Alabama in general are very expensive, maybe due to hurricane damage in New Orleans?  Birmingham had the cheapest (although still expensive) choices so Birmingham it is!

Since my train is leaving at like 1:00 AM, I have the realization that I boarding a train in the middle of the night and people will be sleeping, stretched out into an empty seat next to them.  The Amtrak website shows me the train is 70% full.

So you know what?  Fuck it. I am going to purchase a sleeper ticket so I can have a room to myself.  WOO HOO.

My train is an hour late but I get to the station on time anyway.  I figure I may as well sit outside and smoke, rather than stand outside my hotel room and smoke.

I get to the train station in time to catch the train at the originally scheduled time, ignoring the delay.  I cannot get down to the platform.  The stairs are locked and the elevator is not working.  There is someone inside the station.  I try and ask him if he will unlock the stairs when the train is coming.  I don’t know that he knows the elevator is not working.  I knock on the locked door and see him.  He sees me.  He actually starts shaking his head “no.”  I have not asked him anything, he is too faraway from the door.  But refuses to come to the door, or open the door.   So I throw him my ever reliable middle finger and walk to the nearby bench to sit down and talk to my cute little stuffed dog about how much I fucking hate this person. Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: Let the Degeneracy Begin!

Welcome to a long overdue Las Vegas trip report!   Let’s face it, I am the world’s worst blogger who (at the time I started this post) was posting maybe ten posts a year.  Now that I am getting around to actually posting it, I am averaging zero posts a year. As a matter of fact, I am such a horrible blogger than when my account came up for renewal almost a year ago, I didn’t even notice my credit card had expired and my blog went away.  Thank you the lovely Ms. Geri for contacting me about that.

This trip was to kick off 2018 without wanting to slit my wrists after returning from a month long trip to Myanmar in December 2017.  I had decided that in 2018, I was going to take more frequent and shorter trips.   So why not start off with Las Vegas?

I changed my dates a couple of times.  I finally settled on January 26 through February 3, so that I could double dip and use my Boyd offers from January and February.  I filled the middle in with a three night offer from El Cortez (which I booked for two nights, and stayed only one) and a two night comped stay at Cosmopolitan.

I also booked a one night MyVegas room at Excalibur so I could use some MyVegas buffet rewards that require a stay.  I had zero intention of staying there.  People really have opinions on whether or not this is ethical.  I personally don’t care.  I had the points, I booked the room.   “This is why all the good rewards are gone!  People book rewards and don’t play!!!”  I promise you, I gave MLife more than enough to cover the one night stay at Excalibur.  As a matter of fact, this comped room was an offer I got sent based on that degenerate play.  It was not a MyVegas reward.

I armed with a Member Rewards Book from Las Vegas Advisor, an American Casino Guide, and a bunch of MyVegas rewards.  I get six rewards because I have bought a lot of chips.  I redeemed them for free plays and buffets.

I like to try new things on every trip.  And by “try new things” I really mean “go degenerate in a casino I have never been to before.”  This trip I would like to visit Skyline.

I am also going to be trying French Toast Pizza. I saw a photo of it online and have been determined to get there, still have not.

This sounds like a good place to start the actual report.

January 26, 2018

I found a penny on heads at the airport. It seems to be a new thing that I excel at. I used to also be really good at having an empty middle seat.  I am one of those people who obsessively check the seats on flights before I board them. I am aiming to have an empty middle seat which is everyone’s dream correct? Right before I went through security, I checked and yes, the seat next to me is empty.

For one time ever we finally board on time. I don’t think this has ever happened when I’ve left in the evening from JFK Airport. Of course the door should be shutting anytime now. Okay how about now. Hey maybe shut the door is now. Isn’t everyone on this plane already?

Enter the stragglers. One of which is seated right next to me in my empty middle seat.

The plane takes off a little bit late. I was having issues with my headphones. You know how sometimes you have to twist them around to get the earphones to actually play in your ears between the sound of static? That’s what was happening to me. After about 15 minutes I finally got the headphones in the perfect place where they were playing in both ears. And then the guy next to me has to get up and pee.

Although it was not his fault, I was still very annoyed at the fact that I had just got my headphones perfectly positioned to work, and now I have to move them so that he can get out.

This happened seven more times.

Obviously this person had some sort of issue.  His son or who anyway who I assume is the son, offered to switch seats with me so I can have the window seat. In retrospect, I should have said yes with the caveat that I want the aisle back before we land. Then I could have had a window seat, a working headphone jack, and still have been in the aisle to run the fuck off the plane.  Wait why did I not do this?  God dammit. Now I am mad at ME.

We land in Las Vegas.  I bolt outside hoping to catch the WAX that left about two minutes ago, but maybe it was delayed.  Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.  I sit down on a bench to wait for the CX bus.  I look down and see a penny.  But it was on tails.  No, go away YOU.

Some guy comes and stands next to my bench.  The only thing he has with him is a clear liter sized plastic bag, with his liquids and his passport. Not quite sure where his luggage was. I put my headphones on to listen to Frank Sinatra’s “Luck be a Lady Tonight”.  I hate this song but it has found it’s way into my ritual of winning.  I took my headphones off when the bus pulled up and the driver got out and lit a cigarette. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the CX bus or the WAX bus. So I asked him. That opened up a door for him to talk to me and ask me to hang out with him later. No thank you.

I got to the Fremont Hotel at 10:44. I checked into my room, which is room 416.  I do not have any room photos but here is my view:

Fremont now has security guarding the elevators.  They have zero emotion or expression and sometimes you need to ask them to push the elevator button as they stand basically blocking it.  I think this is supposed to make you feel safe.  In the room I noticed a little sign that they would be checking rooms with a Do Not Disturb sign for longer than thee days.  I didn’t notice if anyone had entered my room.

I put my lucky penny that I had found in the airport in my bra before running outside to play.

I stopped at Dunkin Donuts of course. Then I played at Binions. I lost $100 pretty quick on my video poker machine that on my last trip gave me a Royal Flush followed by Aces with a kicker. I had $10 free play and I lost that too. I move to a Buffalo slot machine and lost yet another hundred. I’m only supposed to gamble $100 total tonight. So since I’ve already lost twice that, I obviously put another $100 bill in another Buffalo slot machine and hit a bonus for $432.  Wahoo!

I played some more video poker and got a really weird hand. I got four nines on the draw.

I played Buffalo again I hit a $118 bonus which included this beauty:

I probably would have stayed and played forever but I am absolutely exhausted. I do my swipes for the Motherlode promotion at Binions before I head to bed.  I had enough points for three swipes. The first one I got a free gift, the second I got $15 dining credit, the third was yet another free gift. I did not even try to redeem the gifts, I am not interested in lugging crap home.

I was in bed by 2:40 am. Despite my big wins, I end up only $90. Because degenerate.

Questions or comments?   Please leave them below.

If you want to go to the next page, click here.

Atlantic City: Ultimate X Video Poker Porn

Ah, Atlantic City.  The opposite of Las Vegas.

Back in July, I went to a fest in Philadelphia.  As always, I make a stop in Atlantic City for a few days to kill time before I need to be there.  This trip I stayed in Atlantic City Tuesday – Friday.  I left Thursday for Philadelphia and came back Thursday night.

I only kept notes from my first night and the final tally, so this will be mostly photos and less text.  Although Google wants you to use more words in order to rank higher in Google searches.  So maybe I will just ramble a bit about things like…Google searches, to please Google.  Because GOOGLE.

I arrived with a reservation for the Dennis Tower at Ballys.  I did not want to stay in the Dennis Tower.  Hell, I didn’t want to stay at Ballys either.  But it was the only hotel coming up with all three nights comped.  The guy who checked me in upgraded me to the Ballys Tower.  Thank you kind sir for saving me.

Ballys Atlantic City hotel room

I loved the view.

Ballys Atlantic City ocean view room

Continue reading

Las Vegas Trip Report: The Sky is Blue But there is a black cloud hanging over me

I was asleep at Planet Hollywood in Vegas when I am awoken by this loud as all fuck noise.  At first I think it is my phone.  I jump out of bed to make it stop, why is it so fucking LOUD.  But it isn’t stopping.  I turn on the light and realize it is the fire alarm.  It is 3:00 am and the fire alarm is going off, louder than anything that was ever loud before it.  It is so loud.  SO. FUCKING. LOUD.

I don’t know what to do.  Obviously you are supposed to do something, like leave your room.  But I don’t want to.  I am comfy in my jam jams and just want my heart to stop palpitating.  The alarm is not stopping.  There are no announcements.  I know to not call the front desk, I will be one of a million.  I peek out the peep hole on my door and there is nothing out there.  Fuck I guess I will get dressed and go downstairs.

As I am putting my shoes on, it stops.  Then comes the announcement that it was a false alarm.  Then that announcement begins repeating a million fucking times.  Holy shit.  I came to Vegas to win a million dollars but the real million dollar win will be me inventing a system for hotels where their guests can push a button to acknowledge they heard the first 75 announcements that it was a false alarm.  Then it can fucking STOP IT ALREADY.

Continue reading