Week #6- Some Great Album Names

The county of the U.S.A. is amazing. The fact that it spans the width of the whole continent. The fact that almost every type of place can be found here. Considering I took a plane ride from the farmlands of South Jersey from the sprawling metropolis of Philadelphia to the deserts and mountains of Phoenix. It just amazes me that I am still in the same country in such a drastic change of scenery.

This will be my second year in Phoenix. I had a lot of great journeys last year; here is a list of some of them. Hiking South Mountain, Chiricahua National Monument, Grand Canyon, Walnut Canyon, Tubac Glowing Balloon Festival, Tonto Natural Bridge, Watpaki National Monument, Casa Grande, Superstition Wilderness, Canyon Lake, Phoenix Botanical Gardens, and Sunset Crater. And those were just the trips to other places in Arizona.

This week has been weird. The adventure was truly flying from Philly to Phoenix (that kind of sounds like an album name) even though flying isn't much of a journey any more rather than a task that needs to get done. I remember when it used to be an all day event; where if you were flying somewhere it was a big deal and that was your event that day. This one was much different, so let me recount the journey after I got off the plane.

So my friend picked me up from Sky Harbor Airport which is easy to get into but impossible to find your way out of it. So after one full loop around the place we finally figured it out. We are looking a place to live so we drove all around South Phoenix which is an odd place. Every three blocks it changes scenery.

First you're driving through a nice new development, then farm land, then a sketchy neighborhood, then a nice shopping center, and then a weird empty field, then back to the nice neighborhood. Its like that all over Phoenix which confuses me but makes me believe that all the places are a mesh of everything and all types of people.

Then we stopped for lunch at some Popeyes, which is a fast food journey (another good album name) nothing special there just some fried chicken, fries, biscuit, and a drink. We kept looking, and used a lock box to let us into one which was pretty awesome. We are looking for more houses today and hopefully gonna find the one we will move into! That will be a whole separate post for next week!

Anyways after that he dropped me off at the apartment and I relaxed for a bit and then decided to go somewhere so I walked up to the South Mountain, played some pokemon on the way and then went to Tempe Town Lake. This is an awesome park which is situated in between the college city of Tempe (home of Arizona State University) and the Salt River which has been dammed off to make it like a lake setting. They have places to walk, grassy areas (rare for Arizona), a splash pad, Arts building, and boat and board rentals on the Salt River. This place is great on a normal day because you can go and skate, grab some food off of Mill Avenue and eat it at the park, and rent a paddle board and enjoy the cool water. But that day was different; I would say close to 200 people were there just walking around playing pokemon Go. It is officially a cultural and global phenomenon. I didn't think it would blow up like it did! But it is pretty phenomenal to see and to know exactly what everyone is doing.

The next day I had to work (boo) and then I came home and got packed up and went to a smaller park called Kiwanis Park in Tempe just south of Baseline Rd. Again many people playing pokemon. It was nice to walk and have a clear loop that I could walk around enjoy the grass, water, birds, and people watch. I also brought my skateboard but wasn't feeling using it.

That's pretty much the small journeys I've had so far in Phoenix and Tempe (mainly Tempe). I'm closer to Tempe even though I technically live in Phoenix. Anyways on to the next section.

FOOD!

Ry's Bagels (aka Don's Bagels)- Ry's Bagels used be named Don's and if you go to it you will still see a sign out front saying "Don's Bagels" so to me the name never truly changed. It is the best bagel place I've ever been to and it's in little ole' Glassboro, NJ. It has never disappointed me and I almost always get something different. Homemade Bagels of various flavors, homemade cream cheese of various flavors, breakfast sandwiches, sides, coffee, and lunch bagel sandwiches are just a few things on the menu. My two favorites are buffalo chicken on a cheddar bagel or pork roll egg and cheese on an everything bagel. This time I went with the pork roll egg and cheese but on a specialty bagel. Well actually it was just a plain bagel in the shape and color of a pokeball (keeping with the pokemon theme here) Delicious, unique, and perfect as usual!

Mike's Seafood- Before I left for the desert, the last thing I truly wanted was a legitimate seafood dinner and then hang out with my friends. That is exactly what I did; but it was much more exciting than I expected. Mike's is in a place in Sea Isle City, NJ called Fish Alley with all the other fish markets and restaurants. Mikes is a more casual place than the others. It's open air and right over the water on the bay. If you're on the right side you can see the fishing boats pulling in and out of the docks. I ordered the captains special. Fried scallops (my favorite), crab stuffed shrimp, fried flounder, fries, and cole slaw. It was a pretty normal night with the family with a storm brewing in the distance. That storm however was heading right in our direction. Now remember the place is open air; that is a very important part of the experience. Since when the storm finally made it to us and it started raining all the tables on the end were getting soaked and came into the middle. We had a few people join our table to escape the rain. The lightning and thunder was intense especially the one that was directly overhead so there was no delay. Anyways the storm was past within five minutes and everyone dried off their tables and returned to their meals, hopefully not waterlogged. It was an amazing experience to see everyone just accept the storm was here, move away from the edge, and when it was over just go back to their tables and continue their meals without anyone making a fuss or complaining.

Green Mix- I drove past this place every year last year knowing it was there and never stopping. Now I regret doing that. This place is great! Salads, Rice Bowls, Soups, and Sandwiches. It's healthy, delicious, and not expensive as I thought it would be. I was extremely surprised with it and will diffidently be going back again. I had a brown rice bowl with broccoli, red peppers, onions, chicken, a fried egg, and some sweet thai sauce. It was delicious and just enough to fill me up but not make me feel full. I will diffidently be going back for more in the near future!


Well that's the journey this week! I hope you all enjoyed. Next week might not be as adventurous but I will have some stories to tell I'm sure. Anyways follow us on twitter, facebook, and Instagram for more awesome info and pictures throughout the week.

I'm gonna try a new thing this week. Comment on this post, tweet at us, or post on our facebook page a topic and I will write a haiku about it! Please keep it PG but it can be anything within that rating! Hoping to get some good stuff from you guys! Don't disappoint me!

All the Best, Ross

Week 5: Another Philly Trip?!

So again with Philadelphia. It was a day off from work and a few of us wanted go off site, see some cool stuff, get some good food, and of course play some Pokémon Go. Even though the trip was essentially based on where we could go to catch Pokémon, the game took us to pretty amazing places. Every pokestop is of some significance or a historical site and gives you some information about the site. So as you're walking around the city and stopping at places for items, you are getting more information about the places around you. It is a really interesting part of the game that I was not expecting. Here are some of the places we were drawn to in Philadelphia...

Washington Square: A small park just off of Independence Mall is an amazing quiet place away from the main touristy area. It is where the tomb of the unknown soldier from the American Revolution and is dedicated to George Washington. This place had so much to offer and was so peaceful and serene due to the solemnness of the tomb.

Independence Mall: If you want my thoughts on this place please look back on previous weeks!

Old City: An interesting place in Philly. It combines the history of Philadelphia with the modern look of the new apartments and shops. A very interesting place with lots of cool restaurants and shops. One of those shops being....

Rocket Fizz: An awesome shops located in between the Betsy Ross House and Ben Franklin's gravesite; this amazing little shop has so much to offer. Candy, collectables, and of course lots of soda. Four coolers filled with countless types of soda with all sorts of insane flavors. Flavors tried were Red Velvet Cake, Rice candy, Martian Poop, and my personal favorite Grass flavored. It was an interesting stop to our next destination...

Reading Terminal Market: Is the perfect place to eat if you have no idea what kind of food you want. The options are endless. Eat in indian food, soul food, cheesesteaks, Chinese, or crêpes. Take on the go some ice cream, soft pretzels, or candy. Get your meat or fish for dinner that night. Since we were eating in; I had to go with a Dinic's roast pork with provolone and broccoli rabe. A Philly favorite!

Rittenhouse Square: Another great spot in Philly was my final destination before I had part ways from the group. Rittenhouse is sort of like Washington Square but more artsy and less solemn. There was more going on there but it was also later in the day. There were people everywhere (90% playing Pokémon Go as we were) but everyone was conversing, chatting, walking, moving, and being more human I've seen humans be human in years. It was a refreshing change of pace from the city in a little park with statues and fountains scattered throughout.

And that is where I ended my trip. I walked back to the 8th and Market station and headed on home back to the dirty Jersey. The blog is not done however, I still have one more adventure for you!


Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway was one of the first pieces of literature I read on my own when I was younger. I was at the beach, it was a short book so I decided to read it. I read it when I was little and enjoyed it. The simple prose, the information about the sea, and the character of the old man himself was intriguing to me. When I read it again this year it was all of that and so much more. It was cryptic and symbolic without forcing you to realize it. The references to Christ are subtle but there and it doesn't feel like he's forcing it, it just happens naturally. Even though the prose was simple, it never felt watered down or dumb. It just felt natural within the context of the story and character and conflict between man and the sea. Old Man and the Sea gets 6 out 7 stars.


And that's Week 7! Good stuff? Maybe! I don't know you but I know I had a lot of fun reading and exploring. If you have any questions, comments, or rude remarks please feel free to comment! Or you can contact us on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages! I would like to hear feedback of any sorts!

                             All the Best, Ross

Week 4

Art is an amazing thing. It's something some of the first humans felt the need to do. They felt the need to find water, food, sleep, draw, and play music. Being one of the oldest and arguable a basic need of the human spirit; the world we live in sometimes doesn't lend itself to expressing art. The place I am in does all of that and creates a tiny community of artists surrounded by swamps and farms.

Everything about Appel Farm in Elmer, NJ allows that basic human need to thrive and flourish. Old arts like singing songs from around the world, dance, percussion, drawing, painting, acting, writing, and ceramics. And newer arts like video, photography, recording arts, rock band, and comics. All of these things mesh into one amazing community that supports all types of kids and adults to bring out their creativity.

The art is all beautiful; but the surrounding area is a rural beauty. It's right outside of a town called Elmer which is unique itself. The town is your generic rural town next to a lake but the beacon in the center of the town is the abandoned mill. It's a unique centerpiece to the typical rural town.

It's not a physical journey with an end destination and finding new places on the outside. It's an internal journey with broadening your artistic horizons by listening and experiencing all types of art. Hearing someone pour their hearts onto the stage through poem or song, use every ounce of physical and emotional energy into a dance, or seeing something through someone else's eyes through their art or photography.

It's an amazing place where art is alive and thriving, everyone accepts everyone for who they are, and everyone supports all of the art happening at the camp. Inspired by this art; I'm hoping to branch out and try some new and different things and think differently about the trips and journeys in the future. Art is all around us all of the time; at Appel Farm it comes to the surface of your consciousness and you embrace it.

For my birthday I received some new types of beer. Each one has unique flavor and character. I'm not going to rate each beer, just give a little blurb about the character of each one. Let's see how it goes.

Crabbies Ginger Beer- A zesty and sharp hard ginger ale.
Crabbies Orange Ginger Beer- A beer non-beer fans will enjoy.
Holy Grail Ale- A boring ale with an entertaining bottle.
Delirium Nocturnum- A frothy drink with an extraordinary bottle.
Weihenstephaner- The oldest brewery in the world has the most classic tasting beer in the world.

Please let me know what you think of these beers, or if you liked or hated this section! Just trying new things and new journeys of taste!

Album Review Time!

California- Blink-182 Don't get me wrong, I think Tom Delonge has one of the most unique voices in rock history. Without his voice in Blink-182's music I thought it would feel off and disorienting. I was sorely mistaken. Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) has been doing great things with the band's sound, passion and new character. It still has that same boyish charm but has a more mature sound as well. Songs that really step out are "Bored to Death", "Los Angeles", and "California". They just stick out to me as the tracks that define the album. My personal favorites however are the interludes/outros. They just add a little character and humor to the album that Blink-182 is known for. And of course Travis Barker's drumming is the driving force behind the album and gives it the energy it needs behind Mark Hoppus's voice. California gets 4 out of 7 stars.

The last section of this week will be on my initial thoughts to the mobile game phenomenon Pokemon Go! As you know, Pokemon is my favorite game franchise of all time. The dream of every Pokemon trainer is to have Pokemon in this world. This game makes that dream a reality in an interesting, and different ways. The mechanics of the game (evolution, leveling up, moves, and gyms) are different but the core values of the game are still there. Exploring the world, catching new types of Pokemon, and trading with others all stay the same. Even though the game is still glitchy they just now have figured out how to support the masses of trainers catching pokemon. With all that being said, I cannot wait to have some time to go out into the world and go on journeys centered around this particular game; adding a whole new dimension onto how I travel and explore.


Well that's the week! No traveling this week just new music, tastes, games, and artistic exploration. I hope I didn't disappoint and if I did, please let me know! Constructive criticism is always positive unless you're mean about it. So don't be mean about it. Anyways follow us on Twitter @A_A_t_Journey Instagram @a_a_t_journey and like our Facebook Page "All About the Journey for more pictures, information, and other fun things! Also if you enjoy this blog you're friends and family probably will too! So please share with it! Let's build a community and share stories about each other's journeys. Maybe we can start a friend's journey section! Let's see what we can do with this! It's a big blue sky, lets see where it can take us.

                                    All the Best, Ross

Week #3

The world is a big plaice. Everyone knows that but only some people don't truly understand that fact. I felt like I did so much this week and went to so many places and still missed so much. This week consists of New Castle, DE, Baltimore, MD, and Washington DC. Even though these places are all within a 3 hour drive from one another, it's amazing how different they all felt. Every place had a different vibe and look and personality. Even though I spend from an hour to 6 hours in each place; I only saw a fraction of those places. The world is truly amazing and expansive. Even if I didn't see all of Washington DC; I felt like I did because I went and experienced it to the fullest of my abilities. Now with all that being said, let's get started!

We started our journey leaving Sea Isle City, NJ and driving through the marsh lands of New Jersey and then the forests of New Jersey and then the farm lands of New Jersey (it is the garden state you know). Finally we went over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and got off at the New Castle exit. When we got there and parked the car I was very confused. The only other time I was in New Castle I was in elementary school. I remember it being a field by the Delaware with a few colonial buildings. When we got there I was pleasantly surprised! It was a town! It was really neat! One half of the town was what I remembered with old colonial buildings in the center of the town; but the rest of the buildings looked like they were moved from South Philadelphia. We also walked around by the bay and I began thinking to myself "I could see myself living here". I rarely get that feeling but I truly could. It seemed like such a great small community with historical charm and a nice place to walk around in. The only problem is it gets really cold there in the winter; and after living in AZ I do not like the cold. Anyways! Lots of cool buildings there but my favorite was the library that is now the New Castle Museum! Great old building in the heart of the town!

We left there feeling good about the trip although small and drove down to Baltimore! Now the restaurant we were meeting my sister at is probably the most interesting restaurant I've ever been to! It was called the Paper Moon Diner. I was expecting a regular old school diner but again I was pleasantly surprised! Entering the multicolored exterior we come into the foyer where the walls are covered in Pez dispensers and old CD's. Every inch of the whole place is filled with old toys, dolls, action figures, and trinkets. It was so interesting that I barely even looked at my food when it came out. I got a California Quesadilla with tomato and avocado and it was great. Not the best but the company and ambiance made it great. Here is a picture of our favorite piece in the place! Just to give you an idea of what this place is like. 

So we were off again! This time to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. We parked by the Federal Hill park which is a great area! A great place for families, runners, or a nice picnic overlooking the harbor. Now the harbor is an interesting place. It's one of those places that is super touristy but at the same time it isn't. There are the touristy things like people taking thousands of pictures, families getting ice cream, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Cheesecake Factory, Hard Rock Cafe, and street performers. But at the same time there are amazingly unique things there too that are the complete opposite of a tourist trap. Federal Hill Park, Baltimore Aquarium (the best aquarium in my own opinion), Baltimore World Trade Center, Lighthouse, various ships, and of course the Domino Sugar sign. 

Now next to the lighthouse, there's an awesome stage called Pier 6 which is one of my new favorite venues. We sat on a bench on the outside and watched people walk by, listened to the Jazz Festival, and watched some guys flying drones around. We walked a little bit further finding the Katyn Memorial in a traffic circle a surprisingly peaceful place in a city setting; and then Little Italy. But after that, we walked back towards Federal Hill Park with the city lights reflecting off the harbor. 

Going into Washington D.C. on Independence Day weekend was a little scary to me. I was expecting traffic to be atrocious; but again I was pleasantly surprised! We got into the city, found a spot and walked to the mall right by my favorite building, the original Smithsonian! It's a castle. An amazing red castle which clashes with the other white buildings of the city. 

Now I could post pictures and go through our walk around DC for hours but I wont. We did a lot. There's a lot to do there; so I'll give you a list of memorials and monuments and tell you my favorites and why. We did usual ones Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWI Memorial, Korean Memorial, the White House, Ford's Theater, and the Capital Building. My favorites however were the World War II memorial and the Albert Einstein Monument. 

The WWII memorial was great. tucked below the ground it was quiet and peaceful and everyone was super respectful. All 50 states were represented and my grandfather's name was on the New Jersey column. Two fountains were in the center between the rotunda's representing the two sides of the war Atlantic and Pacific. Everyone there was peaceful and respectful and it's now one of my favorite places in DC.

The other favorite was the Albert Einstein Monument. Across the street from the Vietnam memorial is a statue of Albert Einstein sitting and writing about his theory of relativity. The ground his is on is a map of the stars and a few signs with information about his life. Another great stature and monument that is completely underrated because it's not remembering a politician or soldiers in a war. 

The last leg of our journey took us to a restaurant a few blocks away from the national mall called Harry's. It was an awesome spot to sit and eat and take in the sounds of the city. We sat outside and I got a lobster roll with fries and an Oreo as a special treat! It was perfect meal for the end of the day!

Now I have two more parts of the journey. A movie review and a game review. The movie review is a relatively new movie but it was my first viewing of Jurassic World. The game is a personal favorite of mine, Pokemon Heart Gold. Both of these are small journeys that I don't necessarily go on but are journeys in their own right and I would like to share them with you, if you're interested. 

Jurassic World was a good movie. Characters were all great and didn't feel generic at all, the dinosaurs look amazing, and the action was great as well. My favorite characters were Owen (Chris Pratt), Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio), and Lowery (Jake Johnson). All of these characters felt really genuine to me; they didn't feel like the generic action movie tropes even though they were. I just felt they had their own personalities on top of the character types. My issues with film were the first 20 minutes of the film. Every conversation felt cryptic and foreshadowing. It felt like they are trying to shove symbolism down your throat to make more room for action. My other issue was it was a little too long. Some of the action sequences were unnecessary at times and it could have been shorter. So with all of that to think about, I give this movie 4 out of 7 stars. 

Pokemon is my video game franchise of all time. It's their 20 year anniversary and I have played since the first year it was introduced in the U.S. In honor of Sun and Moon coming out soon (and Pokemon GO); I have been playing through the games in order to get ready for generation 7. I finished Pokemon Red (digital download on DS) last month and I just finished Pokemon Heart Gold. Now this game is my personal favorite. It's a remake of one of the best sequels of all time (in my own opinion). You get to go back to the world of the first game and battle your character! It's just great. Anyways here was my team (if you know or care about Pokemon).... Typhlosion, Quagsire, Ampharos, Bellossom, Crobat, and Heracross. The team was good but wasn't great, I could have used a psychic type for Bruno (that Machamp gave me trouble). Anyways I give this game 7 out of 7!

Well those are the journeys this week. Hope you enjoyed it! Please comment, like, and subscribe! We also have a Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter. So please follow us and support us for more information and pictures! 

                                               All the best, Ross