Shootin'

In keeping with my goal of trying new things, last week I embarked on a trip to New York City's only shooting range with a friend of mine.


Thanks to Living Social, we got a great deal on a visit to Westside Rifle & Pistol Range.  The two-hour session started with a thorough safety course where we were taught to load and shoot .22 caliber rifles (no one is allowed to shoot a hand gun in New York without a permit).  After that, we also actually got to load the bullets into the magazines before entering the range.

The range itself was a lot like you see in the movies, with the wooden dividers and the paper targets that we could wheel out and back in after shooting rounds.  And, of course, we got to wear the protective (and oh so stylish) goggles and earmuffs.

Shooting was just plain fun.  Contrary to what I was expecting, the rifles didn't have any recoil at all.  The surprising part, however, was how hot it got while we were shooting.  But not hot enough to dissuade us from buying a second round (another 50 bullets) to shoot...

While we did the shooting essentially on a whim, it was so much fun that I would actually consider going back.  Conveniently, with our deal we unexpectedly received 3-month memberships to the shooting range, so we're free to go at any time.

The other surprising thing about the shooting was how good it was for clearing the mind.  We of course joked ahead of time about who we might picture in our minds, but in reality I thought of nothing at all other than aiming and pulling the trigger.  It was honestly a pretty great escape from reality for a couple hours.

I have to say that I was impressed with my aim, as was my instructor.

So, go ahead, make my day... :)

So, I turned a year older and had my first art show...

Summer is in full swing here in The City.  For a while we were treated to beautiful weather and tolerable temperatures, but this week the heat started to creep in.  I'm sure it's only a matter of time until the sweltering humidity sets in for good.

A week and half ago I partook in my annual tradition of trying not to make a big deal of my birthday.  This year I opted to visit family down in Charleston, South Carolina.  Charleston really is a beautiful place, and if I had any desire whatsoever to live in the South, it would be at the top of my list.

I spent the afternoon of my birthday getting a tour of Charleston's harbor and waterways on my uncle's boat.  We stopped for a relaxing float on rafts, where I felt a million miles away from hectic city life.  We also got an up close view of Charleston harbor, where I was able to get some great shots of the historic houses along the Battery.

I've had my eye on one of these for over a year now.  It's going for a mere $10 million, so if someone wants to send a belated birthday gift or winning lottery ticket my way, I'll rethink that move to the South in a heart beat.

After showering off the salt water and sunscreen, we headed to downtown Charleston for my birthday dinner at Anson Restaurant.  The seafood here was utterly fantastic (I had an amazing barbecue glazed salmon).  If you ever find yourself in Charleston and want a nice meal, I highly recommend that you give it a try.

Not making a big deal out of a birthday is difficult when you have a younger cousin who is really into celebrating birthdays.  But when that means you get a cake like this, maybe making a big deal isn't such a bad thing:

On the 4th we enjoyed a fantastic fireworks display from the deck of a catamaran after a sunset tour of the harbor.  We had a perfect view of the Cooper River Bridge and the battleship where they launched the fireworks show.

A few days after I returned home from my southern adventure, I took part in my first art show.  

Now, I've had a couple pseudo-shows in the past -- two displays after classes I took and one "art show" hosted by my old law firm -- but this was the first time that any of my work has really ever been on display for the public to see.

The art show was at Breukelen Coffee House in Crown Heights on Saturday night.  The theme was Lost & Found, which was entirely open to artist interpretation.  I chose to show a few photos that I took in a cemetery on my recent visit to Warsaw.  The exhibit will be up until the end of August and all the work is for sale (although for now I'll settle for a showing; a sale would be icing on the cake).

All in all, the show went very well and I'm excited to have an exhibition under my belt, even if it was a small one.  I'm also incredibly grateful to my friends who came out to see the show and enjoy the free Budweiser cans (I still think it was an odd choice, but I wasn't in charge).  It meant so much to me to have support at what was hopefully my first of many showings.  You guys are the best.

And now to continue on with the summer of fun... :)

Reinvention

It's hard to believe that a month has passed since I got back from Europe.  The month of June has flown by.  I recently passed the one year anniversary of telling my job that I was leaving.  June 23 is an otherwise insignificant date to me, but this year it spurred a lot of deep thinking on my part.  The fortunate conclusion of all that thinking is that I can say without hesitation that I was a much happier person on June 23, 2011 than I was on June 23, 2010.

I've spent most of the first 10 months post-job focusing on fixing myself mentally and emotionally - regaining my sanity, relearning how to relax, remembering how to be happy.  All in all, I'd say it's been a great success.  But now it is time to push myself to move forward even more.

With the support and company of a few other wonderful unemployed/underemployed/self-employed friends, I have started the ambitious project of reinventing myself.  The obvious first step was leaving my job.  Now the goal is figuring out how to sustain this new, happier me.

A major focus of project reinvention as been fixing myself physically, now that I've gotten to a good place mentally and emotionally.  I've started going to the gym nearly every day in an attempt to reverse the effects of eight years of eating takeout at my desk.  I've also started doing boot camp classes, because apparently I am a crazy person.  I have yet to see any dramatic results, but I can say that I feel better and honestly have more energy.  The trick will be keeping it up.  But as they always say, having friends with similar goals makes it so much easier to stick to it.

Another significant part of project reinvention has been rediscovering why I love New York.  This is the first summer ever that I've had free time to do things, and I intend to take full advantage of it.  I've already seen and explored lots of new things, but that is a story for another time.  All I will say is that, so far, this is the most fun summer I've had since my first summer here 11 years ago.  I'm having so much fun, in fact, that I've decided to push back my next big trip from late summer to some time in the fall.

I'm also going to try to be better about updating this blog with the successes and failures of project reinvention, both for myself and for any of you out there who are still reading this.

For those who are, I hope that you have been enjoying your summer thus far and that it continues to be great!

Last stop, Budapest

Budapest has blown me away.  I essentially decided to come here as an afterthought once I knew I was meeting friends in Prague, and I clearly underestimated it.  Budapest is beautiful.  Budapest is interesting.  Budapest in incredibly romantic.  Definitely worthy of more than just an afterthought.

This city follows the basic European model of "castle on a hill by a river," but somehow it seems more special than others.  Here the Danube plays a major role and adds to the beauty of the city - what I had expected of Vienna, only to discover that the Danube is merely tangential to Vienna.

The views at night are stunning.

Buda, on the west bank of the Danube, is the historical part of the city, with a large palace and cathedral, and is the classic view of the city.  Pest, on the east bank, is the more modern, commercial part of the city, with some historical sights, as well as loads of shops and restaurants.  And at some places the portions are absolutely enormous.  The most picturesque sight on the Pest bank is the ornate Parliament building.

Today I ventured further afield to a place called Mementopark (Szoborpark).  Like most Eastern European countries, Hungary was once under Communist rule.  Unlike most Eastern European countries, rather than destroying the endless statues celebrating Communism after the regime change, Budapest has chosen to collect them and display them in a park on the outskirts of town.  It was truly fascinating.

And now comes my least favorite part of every trip, when I have to pack everything back up into an easily-checkable bag.  I have covered a lot of ground in the last three weeks, and I have to admit that I'm tired.  After battling language barriers, absurd exchange rates, and a brief but brutal bout of illness in Prague, I am ready for a few nights in my own bed and some clean clothes.

But all in all I am very happy I came on this trip.  Mostly I am happy that I got to see the homeland of my ancestors.  Although it was certainly difficult at some points and more work than my typical trips, I definitely would not have rather stayed home.

And now off to packing and what is hopefully a smooth flight home, just in time for a good old fashioned American long holiday weekend.

Krakow and Prague

I adore Krakow.  Had I known I was going to like it so much, I would have planned to spend at least one more day there, if not two.  The large town square is beautiful and there was an endless variety of things to do, from shops to castles.

I also got to take a day trip, starting with a tour of Auschwitz.  Visiting the camps is heartbreaking, but they have really done a fantastic job of treating a horrific subject with the utmost respect.  The second stop was a a huge salt mine, the most interesting feature of which was a cathedral deep underground made entirely of salt.

Also, unlike the rest of Poland, Krakow was prepared for international tourism.  By that I mean that things are clearly signposted, ocassionally even in languages other than Polish.  As a result, there was a pleasant mix of tourists and locals, but nothing too touristy or overrun.  All in all, Krakow is one of the most pleasant places I've ever been.  I would definitely go back again.

Prague, on the other hand, while also beautiful, had more tourists than I think I have ever seen anywhere.  It was kind of a shock after Poland.  Still, it is a beautiful city.

Even more exciting was the fact that my friends Liz and Colby drove over from Germany for the weekend.  After two weeks of not being able to make conversation, it was a very welcome relief to have friends to talk to and joke around with.

And now I have arrived in Budapest, my final stop on this trip.  One of the most confusing things has been going back and forth between multiple currencies.  Naturally, I chose to visit three countries that are not on the Euro, so keeping exchange rates straight has been an interesting adventure.

The Hungarian currency poses the oddest exchange rate to get used to yet.  At 193 Hungarian Forint to the dollar, prices of things are in the thousands and tens of thousands.  It really feels like playing with Monopoly money.

And now I must rest up to begin exploring anew tomorrow...

Poznan

After Gdansk, I headed south to Poznan, the town of my ancestors.  The train ride passed through beautiful Polish countryside, with field afer field of yellow flowers.

I've spent the last four days in Poznan.  It is beautiful here.  The old town square is the prettiest I've seen yet, with colorful row houses and a gorgeous town hall.

Also, like everywhere else in Poland, there are beautiful churches.  I trekked out to the cathedral on an island just oustide of the old town, supposedly the most impressive church around.

While the cathedral was beautiful, my favorite church was a less assuming place just off the old town square.  The interior was just stunning.  I could have sat and stared at it for hours.

Last night there was an almost festival-like atmosphere in the old town square.  I don't know if it was actually some event that I didn't know about, but there were people everywhere, some in costumes.  There was cotton candy and free museum admission.  It was a fitting last night for my visit here.

And now my time in Poznan  has come to an end.  I'm very excited to get to Krakow, after a one-night stop over in Czestochowa.

I do have to say that this trip would be easier if I spoke the language.  While most of the people here can speak English, they don't do it unless they have to.  And there are far, far fewer tourists here than most places I've visited, so I feel a bit starved for real conversation.  Still, it's all very beautiful and worth the trip.

It also doesn't help that I have what appears to be the worst guidebook to Poland ever written.  Thankfully, I have a separate book about Krakow, so hopefully there will be less trial and error involved...

Warsaw-->Bialystok-->Gdansk

Thus far, Poland has been an adventure.  Above all else, this country is a testament to reconstruction.   As a rule, Poland was mostly leveled in WWII.  Since then they have rebuilt everything.  With astonishing care and accuracy, I must say.  The towns I have seen are beautiful, but somewhere lurking in the back of everyone's minds is the sad fact that everything you are looking at was tragically left in smoldering ruins some time in the early 1940s.

Yet the results of rebuilding are phenomenal.  Things look like they should have.  Much like the Polish people, the cities give a sense that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  I've always been told that the Polish are a hearty people, but having experienced this for even a few days I am now very proud to come from such stock.

Warsaw turned out to be a lot of fun.  I was thankfully connected with a friend of a friend (thank you Kelly!) who lives in Warsaw, and as a result I was treated to a true Polish night out, culminating in vodka and herring in the wee hours of the morning.  The next day, my new friends helped me find my way to the train to visit Bialystok and the Polish primeval forest (Bialowieza).

Except Bialystok was a bust.  In fact, it will probably go down as one of the bigger failures in my solo traveling career.  My guidebook says, and I quote, "gettting to Bialowieza is straightforward."  Well, screw you Rough Guide to Poland.  My hotel attendant informed me that it was impossible to get there without a car.  I trekked to the desolate bus station (described by the Rough Guide as "large" and "modern" - again, lies) and then the train station, but still no luck.  I'm not one to give up easily, but after 2 hours of trying, it was clear that this was not happening.  And so I killed 7 more hours in Bialystok.  It appears that the two activities in town on Sunday were going to church and eating ice cream (seriously, every ice cream place had a 25+ people long line all day).  But at least there was a bizarre festival celebrating police/military to enjoy...

Happy to be done with my day of not seeing the primeval forest and bison (zubra), I headed back to Warsaw to catch the overnight train to Gdansk.  The overnight Polish train was, of course, a whole new experience.  I was smart enough to reserve a spot in a sleeeping car, but was rewarded with the top berth of a triple bunk, a good 6+ feet off the ground.

But I slept surprisingly well.  And after my eventful journey to get here, Gdansk is beautiful.

Better yet, the apartment I reserved for my stay is nicer than my own apartment.

After seeing the town and learning all about its long history with amber (I resisted the urge to create my own Jurassic Park from the samples), I took a short ferry cruise to the Baltic Sea, enjoying fantastic views of the Gdansk shipyards and fantastic weather.

Tomorrow morning I head to Poznan, the town of my ancestors.  Having 2 great days in Gdansk has only made me more excited for it.

But for now, dobranoc.