This is America: Baltimore, MD

Must be just like the Wire right? Well it was looking a little bit that way, until, from below an underpass  we heard the roar of a Jackson guitar fed through a couple of distortion pedals into a Marshall stack and the cannon barrage of double bass pedal. What the hell? As we walked closer we saw crusties, and gutter punx, and nu-metal heads, and drifter looking kids, and some classic metal fans. Continuing to follow the noise of destruction, the rank smell of piss and body odor and general hygiene disavowal hung thick in the air like fog. What the fuck was this? It was Maryland Death Fest (said throatily and while holding up both hands in metal signs). It looked pretty awesome honestly, and oddly enough, wasn't the only hardcore festival we'd accidentally run into on this trip. Other than that we saw a row of strip clubs, and the touristy part of the wharf. That was Baltimore for me.

This Is America: NY/NJ

 New Jersey named all their rest stops on the New Jersey Turnpike after famous people who lived or worked in New Jersey. Vince Lombardi is my favorite I think.

A View To A Graduation

Final Boston White Wall Series

This is America: Miss Mamie's Casino.

This is Miss Mamie's Casino. It is attached to a gas station somewhere in west Louisiana. At first, I couldn't believe that this would be a casino. Perhaps it was a liquor store, I thought. But it was in fact a video poker casino. It was perfect for crusty people to live the dream by smoking and drinking and playing video poker in a dimly lit room at 2 P.M.

This is the first in a series about my trip across America. I am moving to L.A. and am driving there. It will be a series of dispatches about transitioning from East Coast Boston, to West Coast Life.

Grab Bag and Fire - Saratoga Springs, NY

Grab bag is a game where you take random nips, put them in a brown paper bag and take turns grabbing a random one and taking it. I didn't partake, but it looked miserable, like playing Russian Roulette.


And of course more fireworks.

Fun Day At Skidmore - Saratoga Springs, NY

Pre-Fun Day - Saratoga Springs, New York

Roman Candle Duel

The Great North East- Bill Burr In New Hampshire, and Skidmore in Saratoga Springs, NY

Bill Burr

Mostly, there were a lot of fireworks.



(and for the nerds like me, 3200 speed Tri-max. I borrowed some from my friend's dad and was shooting in California. Hun't Photo messed it up and then gave me a free roll of it. Not my favorite cause it can get real grainy real fast, but great in low light)