Lansing, MI

Apologies first. Sorry Michigan, even though I can attribute some of my negativity to fatigue and weather, your capitol is my least favorite so far.

I was exhausted from packing and loading the truck. I was also very anxious for the new life that awaited in Boston. Yea, new life! But, wait let's stop in Lansing on the way?!

In mid-December 2004, Emily, my moving helper, and I left Madison, WI to drive a Uhaul towing my car across Illinois, Michigan, Canada, and New York to someday arrive in Boston.

Always with the 50 goal in mind, we took a slight detour to Lansing. This was probably the only time I would get through Michigan without making a special trip. Getting off the highway and navigating the Uhaul with the car in tow was not easy. Driving the whole way was terrifying, but navigating city streets was the worst part of the trip. All I could think was - who am I going to kill with tons of my belongings... oh and where do I turn? Sigh.

As the picture shows, it was an overcast winter day in Lansing. There wasn't a lot of lush landscaping like other many other capitols. The city had engulfed all the extra space. I considered getting out of the truck and spending some time in Lansing to improve my mood, but the time was getting late and the weather was uncooperative. Besides, where would I park this behemoth? Bye, Lansing.

Providence, RI

I took a trip to Amherst, MA to check out UMass in hopes to apply to their graduate program. I entered the town and immediately knew that Amherst was not the place for me to be living. Instead of staying the night as I planned, I took off for Providence.

I had never been there and was shocked at how close everything was in New England. In the Midwest, I would probably still be driving to get there. I fell in love with Providence, despite the highway that barrels through the middle of the city. I walked around RISD and Brown in awe of the architecture and the creativity. Lucky for more, Providence is a quick trip from Boston... and Anne has a favorite bakery to there to visit.

Albany, NY

At the end of working a long conference in Catskill under stressful conditions, I was so excited for a vacation to visit friends. I decided to use the opportunity to visit Albany on the way to Boston.

Albany had one of the most distinctive buildings I have seen so far. I was expecting white walls and a dome. This is definitely not that. I asked a woman to take my picture in front of the building. She didn't seem keen on the idea, and the picture lopsided and missing part of the building reflected that. Other than her, I didn't run into a soul down there.










Adjacent to the Capitol is a large plaza with tons of government offices and overlooks the freeway - yuck. Albany was a little good (capitol) and a little bad (industrial development). I think my mood was deflated due to the rough week I just finished and the promise of relaxation and good friends still a few more hours of highway driving away. I got lost several times and spent about an hour in Troy trying to get back to Albany. Sigh... back on the road...