My travel at the end of 2014 slowed down a bit, but there were still many old friends to be seen and new friends to be made. Here’s to another great year…
All of the pictures are clickable if you want to enlarge them. Feel free to use them as you wish (with attribution). And, as I say every time I post, I am indebted to my friends who let me couch surf and to the schools and conferences I spoke at.
This summer saw me traveling to:
- Detroit, MI
- Provincetown, MA
- New York City, NY
- Raleigh, NC / Blacksburg, VA
- Charleston, SC
- Newport, RI
- Washington, DC
- Milwaukee, WI / Chicago, IL
On deck for next year:
- Geneseo, NY
- Guelph, ON, Canada
- Terre Haute, IN
- Washington, DC
- Tampa, FL
- Austin, TX
- New Orleans, LA
Detroit, MI
(August 14 – 8, 2014)
When I started posting some of these pictures, I realized there were quite a few of ruins and urban decay. It’s a shame, really, because Detroit is so much more than this and yet it is what most people associate with it. Are there places like this? Yes. But are there many amazing things arising out of the city. Absolutely.
I was able to visit my good friend Susan and her husband Alex. If there are better hosts and tour guides anywhere, I don’t know where you’ll find them. Susan quite literally knows everything about this fine city.
The Heidelberg Project is an art installation that grew out of some abandoned houses in downtown Detroit. As you can see from the following images, the artist(s) using found objects to decorate and outfit the houses and surrounding area. It’s an interesting project… and also a little controversial.
Throughout the Project there are these interesting still life scenes. Lots to look at and lots of “stolen moments” to discover.
A lot of the art involves the reputation of ready-made objects. Here you can see trophies littering what is left of a burnt out house.
I always enjoying finding some oddity or strange place in the cities I visit. Marvelous Marvin’s Mechanical Museum doesn’t disappoint. Lots of turn of the century games and mechanical amusements mixed in with more modern vintage video games… all playable!
These next scenes come from the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant. Built in 1903 it represents one the largest factories built in the US at the time. (It’s huge.)
More from the Packard Plant… a little creepy and scary to walk around. Its structural stability is clearly questionable.
Provincetown, MA
(August 23, 2014)
My friend Vernon was in town, so a quick trip down to see him in Provincetown was in order. It proved to be one of the most fun times I’ve ever had there. Just the right amount of weird, nice people, and laughs.
New York City, NY
(August 29 – September 1, 2014)
The start of September saw me heading to New York over Labor Day Weekend. It also gave me the opportunity to knock a few things off my NYC list… including the High Line park. The following are some of the city views from it.
I took in the sunset in a walk along the Hudson River ending up at One World Trade and the memorial. 
The 9/11 Memorial is most beautiful at sunset. The lights come on and you get the pink and gold hues of the sunset.
I
took in the Koons exhibit at the Whitney with my good friends Ann Marie and Todd. 🙂 Super fun people and super fun art. Two of the views below are out of the Whitney’s windows. I was minority obsessed with the angles of these.
OH! And ended the day on a roof top deck in TriBeCa with beautiful views of the city. NBD. NBD.
I’ve always wanted to go to Coney Island and was finally able to knock it off my bucket list with my friend Nick. Ride the Cyclone roller coaster. Check. Hot Dog at Nathan’s. Check. Also caught a “freak show” and got some Rita’s Water Ice.
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
(October 19 – 22, 2014)
October brought me to Virginia Tech to keynote the Residential Curriculum Institute. Awesome to see a school with so much pride. A beautiful campus.
Charleston, SC
(October 31 – November 3, 2014)
I gotta have my foodie weekends in Charleston with my friend Carol. It’s almost become tradition. Our schedule for three days is: brunch, some mini-trip, nap, happy hour cocktails, amazing dinner with more cocktails, sleep, repeat. 
Being Halloween weekend, we decided to check out Charleston’s oldest cemeteries: Magnolia Cemetery. This gave me some absolutely amazing black and white photos.
The level of detail found in the graves and tombs was absolutely amazing. Some like I’ve never seen.
Yummy food.
Newport, RI
(November 11, 2014)
In and out in one day for a conference. Fun lighthouse though, eh?
Washington, DC
(November 20 – 22, 2014)
If you’re lucky on a flight into DC, your plane will take the southward flight path down he Potomac. That lead to this great picture when I came in for the ASHE conference.
Osh Kosh and Milwaukee, WI
(December 1 – 3, 2014)
I had a speaking engagement at Ripon College, but took advantage of the trip to catch up with old friends. My grad school friends, Sara Ann and Steve. Below a view of the Quadracci Pavilion of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
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