Me-go: Around-the-World

Traveling Through 2013

   

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In my travel roundup of 2012 I was hoping to travel a bit more internationally this year. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It’s funny too, as I finally broke down and was approved for the Global Entry program. A big bonus of the program is qualifying for the TSA Pre-Check line when flying participating airlines.

I stuck with mainly United again this year—once you get status on an airline business travel becomes so much more enjoyable. Last year I made status based on miles (Australia put me over the edge), but this year I made it on segments (New Jersey and Detroit aren’t far, but each flight counts as a segment). Whereas I had two trips booked last year at this time, it’s looking like a Chicago January for me in 2014.

January: Brooklyn, New Jersey, Atlanta, New Jersey, New York

2013_12_1Jan-1My first time in Brooklyn, and a view of the unfinished World Trade Center

2013_12_1Jan-2Another first—Atlanta—where I rode the metro and visited the aquarium

2013_12_1Jan-3After working in New Jersey I stay in Manhattan for a few days

February: Detroit

2013_12_2Feb-1There’s never much to show when working outside of Detroit so here’s a shot of my winter biking adventures

2013_12_2Feb-2The short flight to Detroit does provide for great views of Chicago

March: New Jersey, Minnesota

2013_12_3Mar-1Odd weather left the view of Manhattan fro Jersey City radically different day-to-day

2013_12_3Mar-2Flying in early allows me to meet up with New York friends and draw at the FIT museum

2013_12_3Mar-3Minnesota is still awfully cold in March, the bike up to Chicago’s annual Traveler’s Century Club meeting was much more pleasant

April: Chicago

2013_12_4Apr-1An entire month at home!

May: Pittsburgh

2013_12_5May-1With May came weather good enough for long bike rides, helping out with the local Kidical Mass ride, and outlandish Mexican wrestling matches

2013_12_5May-2I worked in the hotel inside Pittsburgh’s airport for days, but managed to get out and take a bus to the Warhol Museum before flying home

June: New Jersey, Minnesota

2013_12_6Jun-1Every once in a while I’m upgraded to First Class

2013_12_6Jun-2David was in town from Canada, so we managed a Sox game and a concert in Millennium Park

July: New Jersey, New York, New Jersey, Brooklyn

2013_12_7Jul-1

2013_12_7Jul-2The Turrell exhibit at The Guggenheim was excellent, although incredibly crowded

2013_12_7Jul-3This trip was a big museum stop for me—both The Guggenheim for Turrell, and The Met for the Punk Fashion exhibit

2013_12_7Jul-4I saw Belle and Sebastian and Bjork in a rain storm at Pitchfork Music festival but managed to get hit by a car biking home

2013_12_7Jul-5Working in New Jersey 8 times this year, I finally bought myself a MoMA membership. This visit I stayed a few days at the end to visit with a friend in Brooklyn

August: Detroit

2013_12_8Aug1A friend and I took our bikes out to the suburbs to bike the beautiful Fox River Trail

2013_12_8Aug2Detroit again—this place and I don’t get along

2013_12_8Aug3Summertime in Chicago is grand—free concerts, block parties and garage sales

2013_12_8Aug4View of the city on a bike ride past the Planetarium

2013_12_8Aug5The annual seersucker bike ride to Jackson Park

September: Detroit, Denver

2013_12_9Sept-1Sooner or later I knew I’d end up in a Detroit ER…

2013_12_9Sept-2On the bright side, after the ER I headed to visit my sister in Denver for the Tour de Fat

October: New Hampshire, New Jersey, Austin

2013_12_10Oct-1Chicago’s beautiful lakefront

2013_12_10Oct-2New Hampshire was another first for me this year

2013_12_10Oct-3I visited both MoMA and PS1 on this New York visit

2013_12_10Oct-4My first time in Austin was nice, but wasn’t the amazing place everyone had talked up

November: Miami

2013_12_11Nov-1The Guy Fawkes tweed ride is the best ride of the year, but the ride home from Bridgeport is brutal

2013_12_11Nov-2Once in the hotel I didn’t leave, and I managed to kill my computer. Maybe South Beach next time around?

December: Detroit

2013_12_12Dec-1A snowstorm kept me delayed in dreary Detroit an extra day and a half