April 2024
I heard the blues a’calling so I hopped on a plane and flew to Seattle for a spring break trip. My friend Kasey moved back there in recent years and it was time to visit and recharge with friends. We went to two hockey games and 4 thrift stores/antique shops. Seattle is like the parts of Brooklyn that face the East River and New York Bay. There are boats, manufacturing, tall buildings, hustle and bustle… and the bonus of evergreen trees and snow capped mountains. Having visited during a truly spectacular spring weather display, I can see the appeal! Had I visited when it was cozy, rainy vibes I might not have!
If you have been reading the bulletin since its inception, you’ve seen my transition back into my current Jock persona. Jock Era 2.0. The main reason for the trip, besides being together, was to see some dang hockey! The games did not disappoint. We went to a major-junior level WHL game, featuring: the Everett Silvertips and Kelowna Rockets. It was a great game, one of the best I’ve seen, really. The Silvertips conducted 15 penalties. They were so fucking scrappy; it riled Kasey and I up. (This woman likes to boo and barely even know what she was booing for!) The Rockets were in and out of the box all night. The whole game was competing special teams and real wild ride.
There is something so wonderful about minor league and amateur level sports. The crowd is wild, the players are spectacular. Passionate. I grew up going to Triple A baseball games every summer. Columbus Clippers fed into the Yankees at the time and our neighbor’s dad was the former General Manager. We were always VIP at the ballpark, a treat that continues today as I am still acquainted with the Assistant GM. (As many of you have experienced, one of my character flaws is being a name dropper and my baseball connections are among my favorite flexes, ha!) When you travel, fitting in a local sporting event is a great way to experience a city and its people. The minor league is such an approachable way to do this. Catching a local high school game would also be a treat!
At our second hockey game, Seattle Kraken vs Buffalo Sabres, we spent much of the time zooming around the arena, high as a kite, searching for non-alcoholic beer. We came to find that there were only 3 cans total in the arena. Did my friend Nicole and I share one over ice because it was thee last can ever and a warm display from the counter? You bet your sweet ass we did! It was SURPRISINGLY REFRESHING. My grandpa Ernie liked a Natty Ice on literal ice and dammit he was right about this. Enjoy a shitty beer over ice and call to thank me. He also liked Carlo Rossi Paesano on ice, but that’s on you if you drink that.
In this April edition of Bart Bulletin I hope to equip you for this spring and summer travel season. Will you enjoy a staycation? Will you travel to far lands? Only a few hours to visit family? I got you. Even for a small trip you can make special memories.
Souvenirs
My top souvenir right now is a baseball hat but THE MOVE when traveling out of town to see local sports is to hit up a charity shop and buy team gear so you blend in. The man I sat next to at the Kraken game assumed I was a real local until I revealed I was actually in disguise. He ungraciously demanded my team return my favorite player to Seattle since he played his major junior years for the local team. I told him to fuck right off. It was a pleasant exchange. He spent a great deal of the game texting with an undisclosed person who at one point texted him that “daddy knows hockey”. 👀
Unfortunately, Daddy did know his hockey and spent most of the game yapping to anyone within hearing distance. May knowing a sexy text secret from a stranger be a souvenir you stumble upon during your travels.
More useful souvenir tips- buy a pantry item and remember the good time you had on your trip as you enjoy consuming it. Coffee beans, hot sauce, dates, olive oil are all things I’ve brought home from the road. I still buy chapstick from this farm in Maine after I picked one up on my first visit to Portland.
Gear
A managing migraine tip that could be useful to you even if you do not suffer from migraines is to bring your own pillow when you travel. It will help you to fall asleep faster and have more restful sleep. As a foam pillow convert for many years now I was able to find a travel version of the exact pillow I use on my bed. It has the bonus of being a perfect shape to squish in between the layers of my suitcase. I never have to worry about it fitting in my bag! I should also shout out pillow cube which is my new obsession. The knee pillow is especially cool and they have a promising travel pillow as well.
BYO phone holder for a rental car - don’t get caught without directions when you’re in a new area and bring along a phone holder. It’s been a crapshoot in terms of apple CarPlay with these rental cars. I’m a fan of the pop socket mounts.
Have I shared these before? They’re eye masks that heat up like hot hands. They’re so relaxing! Great when you do suffer from headaches but so cozy while traveling.
Listening
Make a playlist for your trip- that way when you revisit the music you have a memory of that time. Add songs as you are on the trip that come up in conversation or that you hear out in the wild.
Music that has been hitting my playlists this past month:
Waxahatchee- Bored- Katie’s got a new album and it’s great as usual. This was a pre-release track and has been the most appealing to me. I found a Waxahatchee shirt at the Value Village in Lynwood Washington for $5; hell of a score!
Guster- Maybe We’re Alright - a band I have centered vacations around, has a new album coming out. I am really digging this track. Looking forward to the whole album and seeing them in Maine again this August. (Hoping to see Arcadia this time around too).
Steve Monite- Only You-have you see the Amex commercial featuring this track? Such an earworm. I wish I was able to roller skate around my apartment.
Justin Bieber- U Smile- child Bieber’s voice is a real trip. I think this would be a great karaoke song if the room is filled with late 20s, early 30 year olds. They would go nuts. I recently enjoyed listening to a bunch of his music as I enjoy the wild rollercoaster of feelings on display of a man scorned by my girl, Selena Gomez.
This Delighted Me
I went to the Lakers v. Cavs game this past weekend with my Alumni group and we spotted Jimmy Goldstein on the court. What an eccentric. People who regularly wear rhinestones are a special breed. Knowing he made his fortune by exploiting poor people in trailer parks ads to his charm. What a villain!
And that eclipse, how cool was that! Even if you were outside of totality it was something to see!
I hope this late arrival to the bulletin delighted . I’ll get to work on May’s release right away! -Bart