Monday, August 30, 2010

Book

Top, a crop of a photo I took in Provincetown:

Bottom, the book I'm reading:
Another shot:

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche - Personal Itinerary Planner

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche - Personal Itinerary Planner

Well, this took me FOREVER to sort through all the crap for the good stuff!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Going to Provincetown? Watch Out for Great White Sharks

From here.Add Image
Large groups of seals have become more prevalent in the waters off of Cape Cod in recent years, and that has attracted predators like Great White Sharks, though this is the first one spotted this far north in Massachusetts this summer.

A family at the beach on the Provincetown/Truro border between High Head and Race Point Beach watched a Great White Shark attack a seal and got most of it on film.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Boston and home

Went to the hostel which was beautiful, I can really recommend the HI Downtown Boston Hostel, I liked it in some ways better than my expensive hotel room. I got the bed, it was the lower bunk in the window and right in front of the air conditioner. After being out in the August heat for a week I was hot and my feet were killing me and I couldn't wait to get into bed with the A/C blowing directly on me.
I walked over to the movies and saw Pirahna 3D. It was okay, could have been better. One thing that annoyed me was all the female nudity in 3D, I really don't even need to have a woman's butt in my face in 3D.
From there headed over to Fenway. The ticket was cheap and had said "Obstructed View" which made me a little nervous. As you can see before, I could see everything except the batter and the catcher:

So that vantage point could have been better.

I met some nice ladies beside me and talked to them until the middle of the 9th inning, the score was tied and I had had enough, my A/C bed was calling me and the game really isn't as much fun when you go by yourself. I think I would rather have gone to the theatre actually.
I got back to the hostel and someone had turned off the A/C. Get my scissors! I didn't know if people would be made at me if I turned it on, but there was no way I was leaving it off after looking forward to it all day. I turned it on low and lived with that.
In the morning, rain for the first time in my vacation. I got up a little late and went to the beautiful Calamus Bookstore in Boston, one of the country's few remaining gay bookstores and got a coffee and spent about 2 hours browsing and looking at everything in the store. It was so nice to be able to take my time and relax.
Once at the airport a crazy four hour delay due to drizzle and I got home about midnight. Home sweet home!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

P-town, last day

The parade was great!
On the way to the parade we passed this house:
It's a loft of the second floor with the bed right there facing the street and a sky light open to the night air, it would feel like you were sleeping outside, and with the cold air from the ocean, I thought this was really cool.
Parade grand marshals Margaret Cho and Bruce Villanch.
Miss Richfield 1981.
Two porn stars from the recently bankrupt Colt studios.
Are these real?
Went back to the hotel to have a rest and noticed the tide was out. There's a 12 foot difference in water level between high and low tide, so the ocean basically leaves:
The theme of the parade was "Jungle Fantasy" this year so there was jungle themed items all over. One blow up monkey got ran over by a car and a little coffin was made for it by somebody:
Afterward we went to a play 'Darrin Brockovich' but the door was closed, the theatre locked and the show had been cancelled! This was a surprise as we had only bought our tickets the afternoon before, you'd think they would have said something.
After drowning our sorrows in chocolate banana cupcakes, we made the long walk back to the hotel.
Friday morning we went and had brunch at my new favorite restaurant Tiny's, a place that serves local food only and is run by hippies but you can really taste the freshness and the food is AMAZING!
I had an egg scramble with feta, bacon and scallions served with cantaloupe and homemade bread. Yum.
From there a little more shopping and then back to the hotel to recharge. There is pedicabs all over so I picked an especially cute boy and he said it was $10 to the hotel, a bike rental was $25! I had him stop so I could pick up an iced coffee and we were off at the speed of lightning. The wind was whipping past and I felt like royalty sitting in the back zooming past all the peasants. Plus the cute guy pedaling had his butt in my face and his Calvin Klein underwear showing so I gave him a $20, well worth it! The only way to travel.
After recharging we walked to the bookstore where Christopher Rice was signing books. I read his first book and wasn't too impressed so I didn't really want to spend $30 on his new one, but when we got there they were sold out of the new one and only had cheap paperbacks left. I grabbed the last one and he signed it and I got a photo with him so I can tag it as 'famous people' on my blog. The book sounded good.

From there off to the theatre to finally see Darrin before Miss Richfield at 10, which was one of the reasons we came here so we had to see her. I asked how long the show was and he said just over two hours which means we would miss Miss Richfield! At this point I asked for a refund, he said he would have to get the manager and I had Alberto hold the door. "No one is getting in or out of here unless we get our money back!" he said and I dissolved into laughter. I kept saying "Give me my scissors, I'll cut a bitch!" to quote Kathy Griffin or "Hold my hair!" which is what black women say before they fight to get their friend to hold their hair extensions so they can rumble.
We got our money which was great but now meant we had time to kill. After the worst meal ever which I don't even want to mention over to the line for Miss Richfield.
On the way we stopped by the ocean and I used my camera's self-timer feature for the first time to take this picture:
We were very early but eventually a line formed behind us and we talked and joked and made some friends. There's a kind of understanding when everyone is gay men that you share a common experience and most people are friendly and jovial.
The Richfield show was great, not as good as the last one we saw but definitely worth the price of admission.
Woke up early, checked out and am now on the ferry to Boston. Game tonight at Fenway, Red Sox vs. Blue Jays and I want to try to go to the movies before to see PiraƱa 3D. Flight tomorrow at 6:30, Pearson at 8pm, should be home by 10 pm. I will NOT feel like going to work on Monday!!!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

P-town Wednesday

Sitting and waiting for the parade to start in P-town. Yesterday we went on a whale watching tour around noon, saw many whales. At one point the boat was surrounded by whales.

Humpback whales, they come up to the surface to breathe and stay for about a minute or two, then dive back down to eat. We had a group of about 5 near our boat, the older ones are about 40 feet long and the babies about 20 feet. The size of them was amazing, as they swam past the boat they take your breath away. It was hard to photograph them and I don't think any of my pictures will do the experience justice - they only stick their tail out of the water for about a second as they're diving down.




Slept on the way back which was nice then off to dinner - we had found a restaurant that serves all local food, grown within 100 miles of here. I expected an elegant experience but when we got there it was all cafeteria style and run by hippies, which was a lot for a $25 entree. I looked at the menu, they were out of the pork and mostly had seafood crap but I saw a steak special and ordered that. A quick 40 min later and I had the best meal I've had all year. Steak with mushrooms and shallots, roast potato with some of the shallots on them and grilled zucchini. A fresh made lime juice on the side and I was in heaven.
I found a new favourite store:

Off to another show after dinner, a drag queen named Hedda Lettuce, which I found disappointing but Alberto enjoyed and then the LONG walk home. The shows have 'pullers' that pull the audience off the street, I really enjoyed this one named Jarrod, he was quite funny, funnier in fact than the show he was promoting.

An excellent relaxing day and I got quite a bit of sun of the whale boat, so I'm tanned and happy.

P-town Tuesday

On Tuesday I knew Alberto was coming in so I didn't want to stray too far from the hotel. I went out at low tide and walked across the rocks, which took about an hour, I couldn't wait to be off those rocks! Once on the other side I found a remote beach but the tide had just gone out so the sand was wet and also none of it was packed so there was no opportunity to sit down anywhere.

Decided to walk over to the lighthouse, but did you know that walking on loose sand is hard? After every step you sink, it's like walking in deep snow and I was over it long before the 45 minute walk to the lighthouse was done.
I soldiered on and once there, found the stupid thing was locked.

From there a quick 2 hour jaunt back across sand and jagged rocks and I was home! These look like rocks but they're all clams at low tide. The seagulls were in heaven having a feat. Millions of clams....

Some lesbians took my photo so I could prove I made the walk.

Once back it was time for a nice nap.
I woke up and went for a walk and got this photo:

The building used to be a fire hall and the front part was converted to a porch, very cute.
Alberto showed up about 8 and it was wonderful to see him again, he's such a nice honest person so we hugged and laughed and then ran to our 8:45 show, which tonight was 'Naked Boys Singing'. I had seen the show before on DVD, my friend David produced it and at the end of the movie there's a note in remembrance of him during the closing credits.
Anyway, we got there late so we paid premium price for VIP seating and somehow ended up in the front row - they were practically in our laps which was good. The show has been running for 11 years and it's begging to show. A song tribute to Robert Mitchum, really? Does anyone, including me, have ANY idea who he is?

Dinner was a portabello burger, a grilled till it's crispy portabello mushroom cap with caramelized onions, red peppers and feta cheese - heaven in a bun - and off to the hotel, the longest walk back of my life!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Provincetown - Monday

Having fun.
Here in the late 1700's, they built like 35 houses on a tiny island. It was too cold in the winter so they floated the houses across the ocean to the mainland, about 15 of these houses still are around. They all have these blue plaques to show they were one of the originals.


Downtown Provincetown.

Me with porn star Gus Maddox. It always amazes me how much smaller stature these guys are in real life. Also I want to go back and tag all the photos of me with famous people on this blog at some point, I have met quite a few.

Here's the Pilgrim Monument from this morning. The Mayflower landed here first and the pilgrims stayed for five weeks before moving on to Plymouth.

Many many steps to walk up!

View from the top. Okay, but that was a lot of steps!

Pilgrim plaque.

There's these rocks into the ocean by my hotel and they go so far you can't see the end of them. I decided to try walking them, there's a lighthouse in the distance, thought maybe I could get there.

This is after about 20 minutes, looking back. There's crabs on the rocks birds have taken from the water and eaten along the way. Plus the rocks aren't that easy to maneuver but I'm passing middle age ladies with kids so I keep going.

Looking back, this is as far as I got. This kid passing me said the tide was coming in about 20 minutes from then and the path would be under water in parts. Now jumping from one jagged rock to another in a foot of water in the middle of the ocean is not my idea of a good time, so I hoofed it back.
The tide also screwed me yesterday morning, I went out to swim in the ocean and noticed there was no ocean. I was like "That's strange, I know I left it here...." It took me about 30 minutes to figure out the tide was out.

This is the lighthouse, still in the far distance after about 30 minutes. Will try again tomorrow morning when the tide is low.

That's all for today!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Saturday, August 14, 2010

On the boat

I'm on the ferry now to Provincetown. I didn't catch the name of this boat but I believe it's called "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye". Talk about a vomit comet! It's so windy on the deck you have to hold on tight with both hands. I took off my glasses lest they blow away - like I need that again! Onward!
Only one more hour of the journey. Luckily there's 2 washrooms for the 200 people to throw up in. When I went to gag in one the water from the toilet splashed up onto my face. Good times!

Boston

In Boston on my iPod waiting for the ferry. I am sitting in a Dunkin Donuts beside the craziest woman in the world.
I got off the plane a few minutes late and ran to my taxi. I thought I might be late for the 2 pm ferry but figured I'd try and maybe the magic of being on vacation would get me there on time.... No.
Got there at 2:03 and missed it. I had to walk to the other ferry terminal, you'd think it would be close, especially as I have the largest, heaviest bag in the world. But no, it's over a mile away down 40 side roads in a place no one has ever heard of.
I get here, it's in the middle of nowhere, and sit down beside Grandma Moses who proceeds to talk my ear off, she is talking still. The police walked in and she's explaining how I shouldn't be nervous as they're here for people's safety.
Help.
Looking forward to the ferry. I should get there by 7, and I have a play at 8, it's a 35 minute walk from the hotel. Let's hope my vacation magic gets me there on time too.

Friday, August 13, 2010

South Pacific - review

The music was amazing, and these actors were clearly hired for their voices, with the possible exception of the Lieutenant, who may have been hired for his chest. Best chest I've ever seen in my life.
That being said, the acting is not there. The lead man, the French count, has an accent as spotty as a leopard. He missed lines, stuttered his dialogue, and the only emotion he was able to convey was pain, as if he was constipated.
The female lead is detached to the point of aloof, when she sings of her love for the Frenchman, we don't believe it. She sings of being happy and gay with the enthusiasm of a visit to the dentist. I thought perhaps it was part of the plot, that she was only pretending to love him and using him for his money. But I was informed at the break, no, she really does love him, she just can't act.
During the singing of "Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair" the lead actually washes her hair, causing her makeup to come off and her hair to be pulled back for the rest of the first act. This showcases the huge microphone in the middle of her head that was previously hidden and makes her look like an alien. With no make up, you can also see her age, about 45, playing a girl of 20.
Combine all this with a VERY dated show, there's a reason it has never been revived, and a non-sensical go-nowhere plot, and I left after the first act, at a whopping 1 hour 45 minutes long.
Steer clear.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Vancouver-Victoria

Friday September 3
Plane leaves Pearson at 5 pm and arrives in Vancouver at 18:54.
We go to our hostel and walk around exploring the neighbourhood on Friday night. To get to the hostel I have a complicated sounding set of instructions.


Saturday September 4
First full day in Vancouver, time to get to some places that may not be open on Sunday or holiday Monday.
Granville Island has a fantastic market and is a great place to stop for breakfast, a short walk from the hostel. It seems close to the Maritime Museum but who would want to go to that?
From there a bus ride to the Univeristy of British Columbia and the Museum of Anthropology, open 10-5. This is also very close to the world famous nude beach Wreck Beach and something called Totem Park.
A trip back to the hostel to refresh, a nice meal, and spend the evening on a salsa cruise, which I'm still not sure if I'm going.
As a matter of fact, I'm not. I found a play about baseball and cute boys - going to that instead.

Sunday September 5
Stanley Park is a must with a view of Lion's Gate Bridge.

The Aquarium in the park is open 9:30 to 5 every day of the year and I found some discount coupons.
There's also a Petting Zoo.
At night, Vancouver Lookout is open 8:30 am to 10:30 pm and is located right on the water.


Monday September 6
Holiday Monday, and with the threat of everything being closed, a day trip to Whistler sounds good.
Leaving downtown (1150 Station St) at 8 am and arriving (4368 Main St) at 10:30 by Greyhound, there are returns at 4:30, 5, 6:30 or 9 pm. 4 day advance purchase is $46.80 each, non-refundable is $54.00.
It really looks amazing. It's called Whistler-Blackcomb and I can't find any further directions so I hope it's easy to find!



Tuesday September 7
Walking past the market, maybe grabbing a bite, we see the VanDussen Botanical Garden, open 10 am to 9pm. There's also a conservatory close by.
Very close to this is the Vancouver Holocaust Information Centre, open 9-5.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is close to the hostel and is open to admission by donation Tuesdays from 5-9 pm.

Wednesday September 8
Back to the market for breakfast? Sounds good.
Then the Vancouver Museum is open 10-5 pm.
A nice dinner for our last night out? Vij's Restaurant is the #1 rated in Vancouver, and I love Indian food.

Thursday September 9
The Vancouver Fringe Festival begins today. I wonder if I can sneak in a play?
Make our way to Victoria today.
Take transit to Tsawwassen, ferry to Swartz Bay and then a double decker bus to Victoria.
Staying at the Blue Ridge Inn.
The Art Gallery is open to 9 pm on Thursdays.

Friday September 10
Miniature World is open from 9 am to 7 pm and looks fun!
What about the Bug Zoo?
Beacon Hill Park has the world's tallest totem pole.
The Craigdarroch Castle is open 10-4:30.
Market Sqaure and Chinatown are also both downtown and sound great.
The Royal BC Museum is open 10 am to 10 pm on Friday and Saturday nights!

Saturday September 11
Hatley Castle could be a fun little trip, 15 min drive away but only open 10:15 - 3 pm.
Fort Rodd Hill is also there and open 10-5:30 pm.
You can drive there or take the #50 or 61 bus to Western Exchange and walk 2.2 km along Ocean Blvd.

Sunday September 12
Leave Victoria at 12:15 pm, arriving at Pearson at 7:40 pm. It looks like our airport is right beside our hotel!