Thinkin' Incan

I went with my friend Andrea to help her look for Asian markets in the ethnic area of Atlanta last weekend, and we found a great international market that carries both Asian and Hispanic foods. This was a great find, because the (fabulous!) international market near my house has very a limited Hispanic food selection. While there, among other fun finds, was a shelf of Inca Kola (La bebida del Perú!) that was calling to me. Having just finished a bottle, I've been reminiscing about my summer spent working in Peru a few years ago.

I'm behind on the blog, and I've not got much time now, but I thought I'd share a memory. Actually, now I can't find the pictures I wanted, but here are a few random ones:

This is Las Pampas, the shantytown outside Lima where I worked half the time (collecting poop in a cup, but that's another story).
That is actually the well-developed part of town... there at the base of the hill are power lines and a few brick buildings. The farther you climb up the hill, the worse it gets.

I lived in a neighborhood in Lima near the NGO office. "La casa de gringos" housed anywhere from 8-17 people at a given time, all working on various projects with this NGO. This was the extra room built on the roof of our house (affectionately deemed "Little Pampas", see the resemblance?), where I bunked for a few weeks before a bed opened up in the main part of the house.

As you don't see from these, Peru is a beautiful country, and I have actual pictures of more fun and scenic things somewhere, but I can't find them right now... Anyway, point is I'm ready for another good travel adventure. I think one may be on the horizon this Fall. Stay tuned.

Charleston.

Since the 4th of July fell on a Friday this year, I had a nice long weekend off of work, and it seemed like a great chance to get out of town and explore this Southern world that I live in now. I'd heard great things about Charleston, so some friends and I decided we would make the trek to coastal South Carolina.

This was also my first beach trip in two years. I didn't get to the beach last year before moving from Boston, and then I was too busy settling into Atlanta to get out. I don't have pictures of the beach, but I do have a very sunburned left foot to show for it. I clearly managed to put sunblock everywhere except one foot, walking sunblock advertisement that I am.

After some sun and relaxation (and crabcakes and hush puppies), we went into town to look around. Settled in its current location in 1680, Charleston has quite a history, as it was a player in both the American Revolution and later the Civil War. Charleston was also a major hub in the slave trade, as it was one of only two ports in North America where slaves could be unloaded for quarantine before being sold.

I have a fondness for all things Colonial since living in Boston for six years, and Charleston was no disappointment, with its historic buildings and cobblestone streets. Downtown Charleston has some absolutely beautiful historic neighborhoods. Originally built in the mid-1700s, Rainbow Row marks one section of row houses near the waterfront.

Quoth Wikipedia: "After the Civil War, this area of Charleston devolved into near slum conditions. In the early 1900's, Dorothy Pocher Legge purchased a section of these houses numbering 99 through 101 East Bay and began to renovate them. She chose to paint these houses pink based on a colonial Caribbean color scheme. Other owners and future owners followed suit, creating the "rainbow" of pastel colors present today. The coloring of the houses helped give the area its name."

You can tell the really old buildings by how much the foundation has settled over time. This one was particularly noticeable, as the door has obviously been cut down a few times to fit the adjusted door frame.

The mansions at the tip of Charleston in the Battery Street area are a little younger (1800s), and much more extravagant. I am in love with the porches on all the houses:


Charleston is also where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, though we did not have time to get out to Fort Sumter. We did, however, get to the USS Yorktown, a retired WWII aircraft carrier that is anchored across the river from downtown Charleston.
On board is a museum of naval and maritime history, and you can also climb through all of the sections of the ship, through the 'guts' of the engine room and the brig and the living quarters, up to the mission room, the navigation rooms, and the flight deck. In the hangar bay and on the flight deck are dozens of retired fighter planes from WWI to near present-day, and one you can get inside.

Finally, we went to Magnolia Plantation which has some beautiful gardens, but unfortunately we were not there long before we got chased by a major thunderstorm.
There was plenty more to see and learn about Charleston, and since it's only five hours away, I may need to trek back. Though, I will think seriously about doing it again in spring or fall when it's not quite so hot and steamy!

An Ode to Public Transportation

I was riding MARTA (the Atlanta subway system) the other night from downtown and had to chuckle at the lack of train-riding efficiency around me. It was crowded after the movie, and some people chose to wait on the platform, while in my opinion, there was plenty of room left in the cars. (Plenty of room I suppose, though, if you have ever been on the Green Line of the T in Boston during rush hour on a Red Sox game day. If so, you know a well-packed train.)

On the ride home, I found myself thinking about many years spent riding public transportation... something I've been prone to think about lately given the time I spend in my car and the rising price of gas.

(The following meditation on mass transit brought to you by our friends at Sesame Street. Buy a token now for a ride that's super-wow!)


This year in Atlanta has been the first of my adult life commuting to work or school without public transit. Recall also that I spent 4 of those years in Tucson, AZ, a town not known for stellar public transit. I have now used public buses and subways in at least 5 countries and 9 states (that I can think of at this moment).

Yes, public transportation can be a headache in many ways. There were times I have been near tears -- packed in awkwardly with heavy groceries or waiting for a very overdue bus at night in sub-zero wind chill. It also did once take me almost 3 hours to get the 5.5 miles to work after the blizzard of '03 (yes, I could have walked it faster... it's a long story).

After one year of car-dependence, though, I conclude that I would take the headache back. Traffic is horrid in Atlanta, but even if it weren't, I would much rather ride the daily commute than drive it.

It is true that because I drive everywhere, I can navigate around Atlanta better than I could in other places I have lived. For example, I remember the first time someone offered to drive me home from a church activity after moving to Boston. Gratitude quickly turned to embarrassment when I realized I didn't actually know how to get home... unless she could get to my bus route. After listing a few landmarks, she was able to get close enough that I could navigate the rest of the way.

However, I feel less connected to my city now than I have in other places I've lived. While some of that is likely for other reasons, I do think much is because I live my life in bubbles -- I have a house bubble and a work bubble and a church bubble and a friend bubble, and then I now even travel between all of those separated from the rest of the world in a car bubble. Tucson, for example, may not have a great public transportation network (thus the majority of people who used it were either poor/elderly/handicapped and didn't have cars, or they'd had their licenses suspended), but I got to know and love the city in a way I wouldn't have otherwise.

Transit is also fodder for the best stories. But, this is already long. How about you? What are your favorite bus or subway tales?

Yes, I live in the South.

That was made abundantly clear last weekend. I spent Saturday with friends out at Stone Mountain, east of Atlanta (NB: a very large granite boulder, really, for those living in the West with real mountains). It is also the self-proclaimed Mt. Rushmore of the South, with three "Confederate heroes" carved into one side (NB#2: that would be Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis for you yanks).

We spent the afternoon melting in 97 degree temperatures (plus humidity! HOTlanta!) having fun at their little theme park and also took the tram up to the top of the mountain. Here's an example of the view of surrounding (very flat) Georgia.


Then at night, we had a picnic and watched the laser light show they put on during the summer on the side of the mountain. Although the laser show looked very much like we had wandered into someone's late 70s acid trip, it was ultimately a celebration of all things Southern. The show was set to such songs as "Georgia on My Mind", "Sweet Home Alabama", "We love country and we like it loud", etc.

And, lest you were still unclear that you lived south of the Mason-Dixon line, it was capped off with a moving rendition of Dixie and the Battle Hymn of the Republic (Elvis, of course), during which laser outlines of our three confederate heroes charged again on their horses.

Yes, I live in the South. Ya'll are welcome to visit anytime!

Another gem.

This one is much tastier: Cupcake Hero.


I think I am behind the curve on the cupcake gig, but I really didn't get it until recently. A friend introduced me to the joys of Cupcake Hero and now I am smitten with cupcakes (or buns, if you're Irish... or at an Irish/British/German/New Zealand/American Lost-watching fête).

Thursday was Key Lime Pie cupcakes. Now to decide what to try next. I think I'm curious about the Root Beer Clove variety, but there are oh so many choices...

Simple pleasures.

This made me laugh: Utah's latest public health ad campaign.


(If you didn't already know, I'm a total disease nerd... you should see my bookshelves.)

If you could have a superpower, would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?

This was posed during some very deep (clearly) dinner conversation the other day. I picked flying, as did most, but there was one tempting vote for invisible. After all, you could watch people all you want without the awkwardness that might come with bald-faced staring. That's not too far off from the blog world, though, right? I see you, but you don't see me? Plenty of uninhibited people-watching. I have many friends on blogs these days, but as the number grows I only feel an increasing sense that I would be somehow cheating by keeping up on your lives in near anonymity without anything to reciprocate.

So, here I am. As you can see below, I had good intentions once upon a time. I've decided to try again. I make no guarantees as to longevity (or content). Maybe one day I'll fully embrace all this new media stuff.

Oh, and I guess I still pick flying. I can find other ways to be invisible.