Motels in the Era of Covid

You're on vacation and loving life. You're free. Good times await with family and friends. But you have to get there first. That's a big problem for me. I hate flying because I get motion sickness. Riding the interstates of death in America requires many risks, including whether to stop at a motel for rest. I used to sleep in rest areas more often but after getting jumped a few years ago I've been more leery of that. So if I don't make the trip in one drive, even if its 15 hours or more, than I tend to get a hotel. I get to clean up and see some interesting sites in cities around 'Merica like El Paso and Tucson. This summer I was heading back to Texas from the Chicago area and decided to stay in southern Illinois, and the constant rain and threat of long delays driving through St. Louis, convinced me a hotel layover was needed. After checking in to the motel my room reeked of something chemical and being a very sensitive man I asked for another room. A woman in the lobby interjected herself into my situation and eventually queried "So you're a pussy?" Maybe she wasn't asking. It's weird to have to talk to an adult the way I talk to my middle school kids and redirect their behavior. But I did eventually get a good room on the third floor. The first pic below shows one of the few vehicles in the parking lot during the day. What is an "escort service"? I'm just guessing here, but either motels are turning into brothels to make money or some of them always were and I was too naive to know it. I went to the local brew pub, but it was closed due to the ronas. Thank God the Buffalo Wild Wings was open. I forgot how theme park these modern eateries are. 

Bike Lanes Expand in the Covid Era

Congress Avenue in downtown Austin is busy and I would usually avoid biking through, except its the pandemic and cars have retreated. The city has put up signs and lanes for bikers in multiple neighborhoods and I've seen a few. But why would I even want to bike around these places? If the city says stay indoors and social distance then why would I want to use these public spaces? And many people aren't using them. Public theater for those in charge. I think the people out and about like me are actually being safe and I am glad to see them and I would love to see more of us. It's crazy to go about your life in the world and see people as threats to your well-being. Everyone is potentially a threat with the virus and how do we keep that to a minimum? How do we recreate our expectations? I hope more people bike and figure this out. 

Total Run Down In Madison

 I went back to my old college town of Madison, Wisconsin and it was incredible. It seemed like a totally different place than what I remember. It's not just that half the windows on State Street are boarded up, or that the street feels weirdly empty even though plenty of folks still traverse it. My brother and I stopped in on our way back to his home and he had warned me it was messed up down state street and that there was interesting scenes. I was intrigued and wanted to see it for myself. I had considered staying over if it felt good. The moment I started to walk around the campus and State Street area you got the feel of a dying city. The first jolt came with the closing of the Student Union terrace overlooking the lake. It was usually full of people in the summer. Even in the heat of the day. At night it can burst at the seems. We used to have friends who worked the bar and got us cheep beer. No mas! I wasn't surprised after seeing the lockdown conditions in Madison, but I didn't anticipate it. I guess I'm still thinking like its six months ago. I have been to different cities and Madison was the worst, at least the downtown area. I observed a melee of street people with violence and no cops showed up. I've seen that before but cops were regularly patrolling the street. Now it feels unsafe and out of control. If you want to know what it's like to experience no cops than all you have to do is go to these protest zones in Portland or Seattle or Madison or wherever. Consumer capitalism is incredibly ugly with the commercial look and feel of materialism and spiritual death. This protest version of America is not only more ugly but its also a more destructive force.

Tear 'Em Down

Statues have always been political. Why did a group of powerful people decide to erect a big stone sculpture in the middle of a community? Why did they put into public space a monument to remind us of something important? These are relevant questions to ask about statues, and the answers are part history, part culture, and part politics. People who want to tear down some controversial statues seem to only care about the "ism" that the statue represents, whether that's racism, imperialism, sexism, or the other modern sins. I've been teaching students and conversing with friends about the controversial and political elements of statues for decades. I've found these controversial monuments serve as great opportunities to think about our history. When they disappear, those learning opportunities might disappear as well. When you see a statue of Cit Karson in the middle of park in the Mountain West I think it's appropriate to consider the experiences of groups of people who were not the "victors" of history the way Kit Carson was and the people he represents - Anglo-Americans who exploited the wealth and resources of the West for there own economic and political aggrandizement. I don't think Carson was a rich man, but he paved the path for other Americans to come along and get rich off the backs of the poor and the dispossessed American Indians. He fought against Mexico and Native American groups to secure USA sovereignty in the Southwest. Wikipedia describes his life with this - "Christopher Houston Carson, better known as Kit Carson, was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime via biographies and news articles, and exaggerated versions of his exploits were the subject of dime novels." His story is a fascinating one even if you don't like what he did. Why aren't we calling for other statues to be built and erected to give us the stories of the people who were left out of the glorification of Kit Carson? His statue has not been targeted for removal ... yet. Let's build and not tear down. 

Sorry, We're Closed

Traveling in the summer of covid has been the strangest experience vacationing ever. There have been many firsts during this pandemic, including living under a dictatorship. Traveling this time I dealt with the real challenge of getting something to eat on the road.  I didn't want fast food so there were only a couple of sit-down restaurants. And a couple is accurately numbering them. Luckily, they were good, including my favorite - Las Animas Grill. These pics show many of the storefronts on Trinidad's Main Street that were closed down or restricted their operations. Like much of the economy, it's on pause until ... what? Trinidad already has so many storefronts and businesses that are gone and run down areas. The saving grace of the town recently has been the pot industry. The 420 shops had no shortage of customers, and the places with the cheapest weed available had waiting lines. Good onya. Keep the money flowing so Trinidad doesn't collapse even more. 

Empty Public Spaces

Wandering around the disc golf course in Pagosa Springs I asked myself if I preferred places many people don't like so I just don't see many other people, or if I like places others don't like because I know they won't be there and I can relax hoping they won't show up. Am i trying to avoid people, or do I simply like unpopular things? I got up early on a Saturday morning to avoid a crowd at the disc golf course. Most of the people I saw were hiking or biking the park. I saw three disc golfers. One popped in behind me, and I mean right behind me. I assume he was trying to follow me but he couldn't do that well. I eventually saw him exit the course after doing about four holes and getting lost. He happened to be right in the wrong fairway for my 18th hole shot and I waited for him to move. I probably just sipped some water and punch and fixed a turned over bench while waiting for him to move along. I was amused and annoyed by him. But I was sad to see him leave cuz I wanted more people to be out there like him and then he just left. I'm sure more disc golfers journeyed to the course during the day as I saw yesterday. But so many public places lack a human presence. It's bittersweet. I like not being bothered. I miss the company. Wandering around a bike path I noticed the same kind of atmosphere in public areas I don't go to myself, like fishing or picnicking. Almost no on is there either. Of course some public spaces overflow. In Austin that used to be Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool. But most public spaces remain empty as you see in these pics.