Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Long StRaNgE Trip: Part 1

Wow! Took about 2 whole days to recover from my road trip. For those of you that don't know, I went "on tour" with Furthur and saw 7 shows in 10 days. I left Rochester at about 9am on 4/5/12 and caravaned  to Boston with my friends Katy and Kyle.

On the Mass Pike, finally. 

Once we got into Boston, I was on my own to find the venue because Katy and Kyle headed off to hang out with some friends. Thanks to my trusty GPS, I got there with no problem, despite Boston's wonky roads.
Day one of the two show run at the Wang Theater, and it was a bright and sunny (almost warm!) day. I found a $20 prime paring spot with all the other tour vendors about a half block from the venue. Perfect!!

Beantown, here I come! 

The parking attendant was super cool and let us vend in the lot. By 5pm, that place was hopping! Ended up making just enough to cover my ticket to the show, tolls and parking. I consider that a WIN! I went into the show right at showtime (7:30pm) and they took the stage about 5 minutes after. As I was walking up the isle, I ran into my friends from Connecticut, and that's where I spent the rest of the show, and what a stellar show it was!! (here is the set list

Furthur Boston: Night 1 


After the show, it was a wild, chaotic scene. I usually don't sell my wares after because at that point most people are not looking to spend their money on a necklace.  If I really work hard at it, I might make $20-$40 in the hour/hour and a half after the show, but at most venues, it doesn't take long for the cops to start moving people along (especially in a big city like Boston) Plus I was tired as hall after a long day of driving, selling, and dancing. I just wanted a place to lay my head. 
The original plan was to stay at my friend Katy's brother's house. Unfortunately, due to bad timing and miss-communication, I ended up having to sleep in my car outside her brother's apartment in Jamaica Plain. 


my 2008 Fit
Being on the road, plans change all the time so I was well prepared for this scenario.  This is not my first rodeo, I had built a comfy bed in the back of my Honda fit, and with the heat on low, I slept pretty good that night. 
The inside of a Honda Fit with the seats folded down








Believe it or not, I can actually stretch all the way out in the back. (Part of the requirement for purchasing the car was a flat back area with no lumps or bumps from the folded down seats. I actually laid down in the back of the showroom floor car to test it out. The Toyota Yaris failed that test miserably)
In the morning I got myself a nice french toast breakfast and listened to the locals in the booth behind me talk about some 'wicked good' sports game.
I ended up meeting my friends a short time after, took a nice hot shower and a nap, then it was off to day 2 at the Wang....





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