Well.... have fun there.....
<goes back to studying in central Europe>

Heh, I might actually be going to Europe for a little bit as well; though that leg would be with other people and its a lot more 'locked off'.

Is Poland considered central Europe? I don't know my Europe :s.

Look, I advise you to avoid this place.... really, in a perfect world, I'd be happy, but I'm not given the right to have joy, I have to study, no time for anything till summer, so.... just forget it, I'll live

O.o there seems to be a huge gaping hole in this conversation.
-ehm, goes back to minding her own damned business_

I admit I am a bit nervous that I might sound really mean, but college is a horrible awful time for me. No friends to hang out with... just going to school, doing my best to get good scores, but still getting Fs. It drives me insane. I already have a huge fear cause my best friend might visit me this summer for a week and I wonder how that'll fit along with my exams, this is why the idea that pseudoart7878 would also come along makes me frustrated. I know I should be happy, I know I should be wild about this sort of thing, but my entire life seems like an awful nightmare at times.
Learn this programming language!
Now learn this one!
This one now!
Hear how I bitch at you for forgetting a programming language you didn't use in 2 years!
I demand that you learn this to become a computer technician, even if you don't want to be one!

I fight so that this can someday end and then I'd be able to enjoy the incredible luxury that is "having people that talk and want to be friends with you" everyday, but for now it's still the journey through the desert.

I do sincerely apologize to anyone whom I may upset this way...

Heh, you don't have to worry about having upset me.

Especially since this just seems to be a matter of miscommunication. I wasn't trying to invite myself over to your place, or trying to imply anything similar. I don't tend to do that as its quite rude and presumptuous. And anyway, as I said, that leg of the trip is quite locked off so I doubt I would be able to meet up even if you wanted to. So don't worry, I'm not about to interrupt your studies :).

Though FWIW as a side note, you shouldn't feel obliged to be happy and excited to meet anyone... There are plenty of people on here who I talk do but wouldn't particularly want knocking on my door.

Sorry to hear you're not having much fun ATM though. I hope your hard work starts pays off some more for you.

I do keep wondering when it'll pay off and if ever at all...

I know what you mean about our need to spread nerdiness more throughout the calendar year, very much so x.x

Let's see here... Sadly I only really know the west coast. From what I've heard, the beaches in florida in general are worth a visit. Last year's trip to New England was a lot of fun. Massashusetts is incredibly rich in history. If you can make it for the fourth of july (our independence), you'll get the chance to see one of the most top rated orchestras perform, the Boston Pops. Martha's vinyard is stunning, and though the food there is pricey, it can be worth it. A drive through the smaller towns like Ipswitch and Hammleton (both of whom compete for the most horses per square mile in the nation) is incredibly charming, though there are some towns that are so small that if you sneeze you'll miss the entire downtown are XD There's also so much to do in Boston, and Salem is incredible. Tourist Trap gallore, but so worth the visit. Also, don't miss the chance to enjoy True new england clam chowder, or maine lobster XD

Seattle area, well, Spirit and I will have you covered, work schedule allowing. Central/northern California has the vinyards and you can on a wine tasting tour. There's also a college in San Fran with an amazing planetarium and geological exhibit, but that might just be me. Pier 39 in San Fran is also worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. Mark Twain's Cabin is in the San Andreas area in Cali, but I don't know if you'll be there for the Frog Jump, which is a Huge deal there and what Twain's 'Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' was based off of. There's also Sutter Creek and Sutter Mill, where the first gold was struck in Cali, and I -think- you'll be in time for either the Amador Fair in Jackson or Lumberjack Days in West Point. Both small town stuff but a lot of fun. There's also Black Chasm, which was what the underground city in the Matrix trilogy was based off of. Ooo Red Trees National Park in Cali is stunning. Portland in Oregon is lovely (with no sales tax XD) and Mt. St. Helen is breath-taking. So is Mt. Rainier. There's also the Boeing Museum of Aviation which is worth a good day of exploration, Point Defiance Zoo, and Northwest Trail. Ooooh, and the rainforest here on the west coast. It's considered a temperate rain forest, but it's a true rain forest none-the-less.

Don't forget D.C. And there's also Las Vegas's strip. New Orleans is a bit of a must, and if you can afford to try for one of the Disney's, either World in Fl or Land in Cali. Honestly ANY big city during the fourth of july is a great idea, but my favorite would be Boston. And of course there are things like Mt. Rushmore, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Broadway, Space Needle, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Park, and that's all I can think of without using Google o.o

Amtrak is a great way to get around when hitting up multiple areas in the same state or area, btw. Hope this all helps some :3

Spirit's wondering what you're looking for in the American Experience.

To get a good feel for the American People, the best way is to drive across country through all the small towns and big cities. That, can get insanely costly though.

There's also American Nature, or the Culture, or the Experience.

Seattle, Vegas, Northern Cali, Hollywood, Texas (dallas), Louisianna, Florida, then D.C, then hit New England, where you could go north to Maine for a unique experience (nothing like it in America, like going to Finland in a lot of ways), or west to NY, which is more of an American experience. All of this is great for culture. And he says there's Nothing like New York.

Wow, thanks a lot for investing the time to write all that, it's fantastic information and I'll have to update my itinerary XD

I hadn't even considered that I will be there on Independance Day... I hope I don't get welcomed to earth Will Smith style XD. Martha's vineyard and Salem sound like must sees, and I can't believe I had left Boston off my list. I'll aim to be there for ID upon your recommendation. Actually I was considering going to AC which is (vaguely) in the same area at (exactly) the same time so it might or might not work out. But squee, I just noticed that the road between the two cities passes through Scranton.

The planetarium in SF sounds awesome, I'm totally down with space. Actually, come to think of it, I've never been to a planetarium before. I've been to a couple of observatories and a radio telescope, but never a planetarium. Plus I just realised that when I look up at night, it will be the first time I have seen the stars in the northern hemisphere... wow, it's going to look so alien to me XD.

And wow, thanks for the hot tips on the west coast, I have never heard of any of those places and yet they sound awesome. Particularly Black Chasm, I have only done spelunking a few times but I've always loved it (even if this does seem kind of mainstream). According to the website, that's the time of year to be going XD. Also, I grew up in the gold rush regions of Victoria which occurred around the same time as California, so it would be interesting to compare the similarities and differences between the two.

I went to pier 39 a couple of months ago, it was pretty cool. I didn't know it existed, I just decided to go for a walk and after a few hours I stumbled on it. It was actually pretty funny, it was my last day there and I was silently pouting about leaving San Francisco and not ever seeing Alcatraz or the golden gate bridge, and then I got to the end of the pier and bang XD. It was torturous walking past all the chocolate and churros stores though. Sometimes, late at night, as I lay in bed... I can still smell them...

To answer your question on what sort of experience I am looking for... as annoying an answer as it may be, I guess its everything. I'll be going for a long time. I am planning on hiring a few cars and going to some small towns as well, as I have had friends recommend doing similar things, particularly around the south where they apparently arent used to tourists. But I also want to go to a bunch of museums (particularly sciencey) and get a dose of nerd culture and learnin. And of course meet people along the way. I imagine there's a rich and diverse vein of culture to experience between French Canada and New Orleans XD

Thanks again for the tips, and sorry about the long reply. I got a bit excited :s. its awesome to have your insight onto the matter. I can't wait to meet you guys, I'm really looking forward to PAX and Seattle. And Trader Joe's XD.

XD you never have to apologize over long replies sweets. They're fun to read on my way to work. I'm just glad we were able to offer up some places that have struck such interest for you.

I didn't even think about it either, but our night sky is going to look so different for you! Definitely take the opportunity when you're in one of those small towns with so little light pollution to have a good gander. When I was living in the mountains in West Point Cali, there were nights so clear and clean that I could see the cloud of the Milky Way, and could nearly get dizzy with how many stars were out. I'm sure that'll be even more fun after you visit the planetarium and can spot constellations you've never seen before.

So when are you leaving? How long will you be in Seattle for?

Oh cool, I had always heard that the milky way wasn't overly visible from the northern hemisphere, but it sounds like you have it covered XD. I've never seen the big dipper, which I seem to think is the most famous of the constellations I couldn't see as a kid.
I am originally form the country (as in, paddocks bordering all sides, with the nearest town half an hours drive away kind of country) so the night sky was always bright, and you could always clearly see two other galaxies (though not Andromeda, as that's Northern. Something else to look forward to XD). I used to be obsessed with space and spent many hours just looking up and counting the falling stars. I used to be able to point out all the planets and several stars, but I doubt I could point any of them out now. I've been in the city for a while.

I am leaving earlyish next month, and will be in Seattle at pax (obviously). As for how long I will be there... I donno, my trip is kind of free like that XD. I think I will travel south towards California afterwards. I have a vague route planned, but nothing is committed.

Ooh, you're coming to America? Hope ya' have fun. Already sounds like you're gonna be hitting up all the sweet spots on your trip. The only thing I could think of regarding here in Colorado would be to go hiking through some of the mountains. Snow's not exactly active in the middle of the year here. Gotta wait for winter.

Either that or enjoying some of our recently legalized pot, but I wouldn't know how that works being a few months off from underage.

I did just get back from New Orleans, so I would suggest heading there for a bit. Big fun city, lot of stuff to do. Probably a lot more than I got around to, to be honest.

Sorry I can't offer more. Usually stuck at home quite often. Only places I've been to stateside a recurring amount of times would be Disneyworld or Kentucky for visiting family. Most other spots have been out of country. *sighs* I need to get out more.

thanks man, as I said I needed some reasons to go inland, so hiking through Colorado mountains sound awesome. I could even swing by South Park :p. If you have any reccomendations for particular areas/scenes to go hiking around then I would love to hear them, but if not I will just have to find out for myself on the ground.

I've been convinced to see New Orleans (though I will miss out on Mardi Gas), and reading your journal, I will have to try some King Cake for myself, even though I have NFI what that is. That's the point though, right? XD

Thanks for the contribution man, you've offered some pro tips. Though FWIW, I wouldn't feel undertravelled if you've been out of country. I had never left my own until about a year and a half ago :s.

Iunno. These days I've been too busy to go hiking. College and all. If you're not in the middle of a class you're being a waste of space. South Park is just down the road though. If you wanna visit, I feel the need to say, yes, Casa Bonita actually exists. And it's awesome. Don't know if you've actually seen that episode, I've honestly yet to see it myself, but it seems to be a common question/issue brought up whenever someone finds out I live nearby.

And yeah, I really had no idea what King Cake was either. But don't be worried. In fact don't build it up at all. It's really just a very sugary cake with cinnamon and Mardi Gras coloring. The one I had tasted kinda like a donut. A very sugary cinnamon laced donut. With icing. The real point I think is to find the plastic baby baked into it. Good luck apparently, though I kinda wonder what tradition isn't these days. :P

Haha, taht's awesome. I have decided that I am goign tohave a meal at Casa Bonita in South Park Colorado. And then take a picture of it. I have several friends would would love that. Thanks for the tip XD. BTW, it was a good epesode. Though it was only one epesode, so I'm suprised to hear its a common question. I'd be more inclided to ask if there really was a city wok.

...they will put a plastic baby in my cake?

Err... maybe? I'm not sure, I never ran into it. It's baked into the cake and found inside a single slice, the person finding it getting good luck for the rest of the year, that's the extent of my knowledge. Just be sure to chew up every slice so you don't miss it. Honestly I don't even know if they do it with every cake, might just be a Mardi Gras thing.

Also while in New Orleans you apparently need to pass down Bourbon Street at least once. Bit on the chaotic side between all the bars and clubs, but still. It's just one of those things, you know? Though I will say, be careful when you do.

Well, RainFurrest's pre-reg close, but its like 40 for the whole weekend at the door

I know; I am sorely tempted. I'll probably have to fly back to Seattle by the time its on, but I think I can manage that... I'll have to see.

Are you going man?

Yes I am. I'm just debating whether to sleep in the truck or commute each day, or find someone with an extra room/couch/floor

yeah I have a similar question. I'm wondering if I should get a hostel or try and find a random on the internet to share a hotel room with.

Hmm, good question... I never though about Hostels...

About 40 a night after tax; though from what I understand the link train stops at midnight so I will have to leave 'early'. Tgats the only pitfall I can percieve.

Hmm, that would suck