Charleston: Sunrises and sunsets, hiking with alligators, and kayaking with dolphins

Charleston has been a beautiful place to live for three months! Our goal in coming here was to enjoy the beach in the off season and spend some time in Charleston's historic downtown. Goal accomplished! We were able to live a block from the ocean, spend quite a bit of time downtown, and find some other added bonuses in the between time. Here are some of the highlights:

Water sports and wildlife

Unlike much of the west coast and northeast where a well defined shore separates the ocean and land. The ocean around Charleston seeps and flows into and around the area creating all types of rivers, tidal creeks, marshes, inlets, black-water swamps, and harbors. Most of the driving in the area is done on bridges and elevated roads. This allows for many ways to enjoy and explore on the water, and beautiful views of the surrounding area.

We bought a second kayak and explored the harbor during low tide. We dragged our yaks down the trail at Palmetto County Park to explore the tidal creeks along the inter-coastal waterway. The amount of diverse birds we saw from storks and egrets to snipes, willets, sanderlings, and oystercatchers was stunning. The dolphins and alligators are

Denver: Final post and rating

Anyone who has talked to us recently knows Denver has been our favorite city. But I've had trouble explaining why. Denver is so much more than the 16th Street Mall. More than beer, marijuana, and the Rocky Mountains. It's kind of like dating where it sometimes takes getting to know someone to really appreciate what you've found.

Conveying everything we've found and learned to like about Denver is too overwhelming . It amounts to hundreds of small high-quality realizations instead of a small number of sensational experiences. Even though it's great to visit, Denver is the kind of place that's even better to live in.

After living in each city, we've been giving it a personal rating to track our opinions and decide where we want to settle. Read this if you're unfamiliar with our ratings. Previous city ratings: Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno.

Denver

Culture: 8

Union Station

Denver has a vibrant art scene on par with much bigger cities. There are multiple art districts. Each district with its own character and collection of small working studios. The largest, Santa Fe Arts District has 100+ galleries.

The music scene is equally dense with more concerts and music venues than Austin. It wasn't uncommon to skip a great concert because there were so many other things going on. Red Rocks gets the fame, but there are a number of other great outdoors venues.

Street markets, festivals, dog bars, cat cafes, costumed bike rides, coffee houses, book signings, comedy, theater, independent theaters, local

Denver: Home sweet home #5, bison on the loose, a redneck bus tour, and frisbee with the dead!

Third week in Denver and we're starting to get an idea of the city. Denver is similar to a scaled down Chicago in that all types of small, but vibrant, communities exist outside of the main downtown. We've done a lot of driving to decide where we want to spend time, but we keep learning about more areas. Then there are all the nearby cities-- Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins. All of Colorado's top 10 biggest cities are two hours away or less. Many are so close that it's hard to notice when Denver ends and another city begins.

Couple more notes to add to first impressions of Denver:

-- Austin, TX should keep the title "live music capital of the world" due to its public funding of artists and SXSW, but Denver actually has more music venues. Denver lacks the concentration of open-front bars and venues that makes places like Austin's 6th St so dramatic, but fans of live music won't be disappointed.

-- In California we experienced the spring transition months ago, but here we're back to winter. It isn't cold during the day, but a lot of the landscape is still brown and grey and many of the mountain attractions are still closed because of all the snow. Looking forward to full on spring!

-- I was disappointed with the limitation of the rail system until I found this map showing rail current projects. In a few years, the system will be much larger. It won't help while we're here this time, but it's good to have something to look forward to. The free 16th Street Mall Bus has been so successful they're adding more free downtown buses in a couple weeks. Need to go to the airport? Use one of the special bus stops downtown to take you there.

Some of what we've been up to:

Banjo Billy Tour! What better introduction to a new city than a Colorado style bus tour? From the bus's decorations and sound effects to the attractions and trivia, this tour was fun and helped us decide what we wanted to see more of. The bus showed us sites like Cheesman Park, Colorado Capital, Molly Brown House, Brown Palace, and the Botanic Gardens. Plus, it was on Groupon, so we got a good deal.



 
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge: We only had an hour, so we went into the museum/welcome center and drove the safari-like roads and dirt paths through the refuge. We definitely plan on heading back to do some hiking. Four or five bison were feeling itchy during our visit and decided to leave the fields to scratch themselves on road signs so we got quite the close-up.


Ghosts at Cheesman Park: Every city we've lived in has spun their data to create a park brag of some type. Denver brags about having the most parks within city limits. With over 200 parks, most Denver residents are close to a good park. Many of these parks have one or two lakes and

Until later, California! Good riddance, Fresno! Final evaluation...

San Francisco from Marin Headlands

Big Sur

California has been amazing! We did and saw so much, but it feels as if we only got a small taste of a much bigger meal. We saw California's deserts, sequoia forests, redwoods, vineyards, mountains, beaches, and rocky coasts. We did everything on our list from a lengthy road trip down Route 1 to a quick stop in Napa Valley for a wine tasting. We spent multiple weekends in San Francisco and got to see San Diego, L.A., Oakland, Alameda, Sausalito, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Monterey, Visalia, Exeter, Yosemite, and the Sequoia National Park. We bought bikes to participate in California's bike-friendly culture. We ate California produce like it was a limited time offer and downed quite a variety of craft beers. We saw harbor seals, sea lions, dolphins, coyotes, vultures, and elephant seals.

We did a lot, but I'd definitely like to go back for some longer backpacking trips or even long-term living in San Diego.

A big part of why we're traveling is to experience different cities/regions and eventually decide where we want to live permanently, so after living in each city, we've been giving it a personal rating.  Here is how our evaluations work. Here are previous city ratings: Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas.

Fresno Skyline -- Brian Zera

Fresno is the first city to fail our evaluation. With its poor economy, gangs, valley girls, sprawl, and smog, Fresno is great because of all the nearby things that got us out of Fresno; but we never want to live here.

Fresno has its interesting subcultures and attractions. I wrote about some of my favorites in previous

Los Angeles: Poo!

It's interesting how stereotypes and bits of information about places find their way into the minds of people who have never been to these places. Growing up on the East Coast, I was always interested in San Francisco. It wasn't that I really knew anything about the city, it was the icons (Golden Gate Bridge, steep streets, cable cars) and reputation (open-minded, progressive, tech communities) that made it seem special.


Los Angeles has similarly strong, yet simple, stereotypes and icons attached to it. Before visiting, my mental file included: movie industry, second largest city in the country, superficiality, beaches, gangs, happening nightlife, pollution, skid row, and traffic. Most of these aren't favorable, but we'd heard negative things about Chicago before living there and we really liked it.  Maybe Los Angeles is just as misrepresented?

One day itinerary for Los Angeles:

Griffith Observatory

Hollywood

Getty Center

Beverly Hills (drive through)

Venice Beach

Santa Monica

We planned our visit to avoid traffic and see as many attractions as possible before heading out in the evening for San Diego. As far as seeing a lot in a small amount of time in a city that's known for its car culture and traffic, our plans worked great.

First stop: Griffith Observatory.

It was right off the highway in our southward direction of travel and I'd read that it offers great views of the city and Hollywood sign. I'd first heard of the park when Kevin Bacon told a funny story about it on Conan; apparently Bacon lives nearby.

Griffith Observatory was indeed a beautiful building with expansive views, a planetarium, and interesting exhibits. The smog that filled the air didn't help the view of downtown, but there were plenty of photo
 opportunities with the The Sign. Still not

San Diego: Wow!

We don't have much longer in California, so we've been taking advantage of each free day. During the last month we've visited and re-visted a number of California's cities and national parks. I'll do some catch-up posts on each trip before we head out.

Last weekend we went went to San Diego for the first time and were very impressed! Their slogan should be "San Diego: Wow!". The city was immaculately clean without being corporate. It felt safe even without heavy patrols and cameras. We found so many great restaurants, hangouts, and parks without even trying. And, traffic, despite spring break, was completely tolerable. It's hard to accurately judge a city from one weekend, but research proved that San Diego really is one of the safest, most-liked cities in the country. The major complaint from residents besides cost of living is....wait for it.... potholes! I can deal with potholes.

We started the weekend with an early morning kayak cave tour at La Jolla. La Jolla is a few minutes drive north of the city and home to a nice mix of cliffs and beaches, shopping and outdoor activities,  art and wildlife. The bay has been made into a protected underwater park with man-made reefs for animals, divers and snorklers. Instead of tacky stores, the waterfront is left to parks and trails.  The San Diego's Museum of Conteemporary Art is in La Jolla (with a satellite location downtown). Hoards of sea lions dot the cliffs.

Despite jokes about conflict and marital counseling, we decided to share a kayak. We watched nervously as couples capsized in the surf and were flipped by big ocean waves, but team Barnett held strong! We had a great time and managed to coordinate our paddling. Marriage was saved!

For lunch we headed to the less touristy North Park area. If you see a large cluster of vegetarian restaurants on a map, it usually means that area is pretty cool. This is how we stumbled upon North Park. Definitely worth checking out if you want to get away from the artifice of Old Town or the bustle of the Gas Lamp District. North Park is home to interesting shops, cafes and restaurants mixed with gyms and local hardware stores.

Fresno: Underground gardens and Time Cop III. Things to do if you find yourself in Fresno, CA

The top reason for living in Fresno seems to be the many things there are nearby to get someone out of Fresno. Talk to the locals about things to do here and they'll talk about Yosemite, wine country, and the coast. Ask about things to do in this city of half a million people and the answers are most often laced with negative. If something is suggested, it's most often the large generic shopping areas that cover mile after mile along the newly developed northern part of the city.

In Fresno's defense, it lacks a metro area. It took me some time to realize why a city this size could have so few options of interest. Other cities have suburbs that double and triple the size of the city. These larger populations add to the culture, economy, and chance for interesting sub-cultures. Fresno is surrounded by agriculture. The sparsely populated Sierras block visitors from the east, and to the west are coastal cities: San Fransisco, Oakland, LA. If you're looking for a fun time and live between Fresno and San Francisco-- which way are you going to drive?

Of course, Fresno's problems aren't this simple. Other cities across the country fight decentralized sprawl, loss of personality to incoming chains, and competition with other neighboring cities. I don't know enough to explain why so many Fresnoians seem happier packing into shopping malls and Starbucks while abandoning the more interesting districts; but it's definitely the norm.

But enough Fresno trashing! There is enough of that from the locals and elsewhere on-line. Here are some of the fun things we've found to do that we haven't seen elsewhere in our travels. These are things Fresno can be proud of.

Valley Animal Center: We've been to public and private dog parks across the country and, though I'm sure they exist, haven't seen anything this developed. This no-kill shelter with discounted care and immunizations offers this huge play park with multiple areas including a pool and agility course. Bailey loves playing here and the brief temperment test all dogs must pass adds to our comfort as owners.

Lindsay riding a Harley

OH WOW! Nickel Arcade: Unlike the penny arcade at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, the games at OH WOW! aren't quite antiques. For someone my age this means nostalgia galore. All versions of Time Cop, driving games, pinball machines, and 8-player X-men. At 5 cents a game, anyone can fulfill their childhood dream of playing Time Cop or X-men all the way through. It does get crowded with kids and there can be a wait for certain games, but it's open late-- go on a school night. Do note: If there are small kids around, save jokes about upside-down "OH WOW!" entry bracelets for later.

Mia Cuppa Cafe': Heralded as the city's main cultural area of interest, the Tower district has been a disappointment. Picture Philadelphia's South Street or Chicago's Logan Square at one thirtieth scale. The district still has some of the best in Fresno, though, and Mia Cuppa's is one of them. The wood booths in one of the four seating areas in this large cafe are a great place to cozy away for writing or conversation. Other Tower District shops worth checking out

Chicago: Towering views, lively fountains, beaches for dogs, and boat-shaped restaurants

We've officially explored outward in all directions from our apartment. We have yet to make it to areas further north like Wicker Park and Lincoln Park. We still haven't made it to the ethnic neighborhoods that we want to see like Chinatown, Little Italy, or Greek Town, but we still have time! Here is what we've been able to do recently.

Buckingham Fountain (above): This huge fountain is not only impressively large, it's also refreshing on hot, windy days. You can see in the picture that the wind is blowing the water to the right. We were able to ride the bikes through the mist after miles of biking for a much needed refresher.

 

Willis Tower (FKA Sears Tower): I can't say I ever want to do this again. The lines to get into the tower were around the block (go early!) and the skydeck itself was crowded and disorganized, but I'm glad we did it once. The glass cubes in the picture were added in 2009. Despite One World Trade Center surpassing Willis in pinnacle height, Willis still has the highest top floor, so this is one of the highest urban views you can

Dallas: Final post and city evaluation

If you aren't familiar with our evaluation scale or why we've creating our own when so many are available, read this first! While in each city, I've been writing about what we like, don't like, and what we've found to experience. All posts on Dallas can be viewed by clicking the Dallas tag at the top of the page.

A few favorites:

Dallas: So what is actually bigger in Texas?

Dallas: Thoughts from the Dallas Museum of Art

Dallas: Downtown lights of Reunion Tower and Omni Hotel 

Dallas: Manatee Eating Lettuce, Modern Art, and Bull Riding

The Scoring

(1-10 with 5 as average)

 --------------------------------

Dallas

Culture: 5
Environment:  9
Vegetarian Restaurants: 4
Cost of Living:   8
Transportation/Infrastructure: 8  
Climate: 6
People: 4
Pass/Fail: Pass

Notes: I can genuinely say I miss Dallas. It's clean, dog-friendly, fairly inexpensive, and eventful. The economy is doing great and there is room for growth. It gets really hot, but that's what A/C is for. You don't have to shovel your car out from under piles of heat. Though it didn't seem particularly progressive, we were sometimes surprised by pockets of genuine culture, art, and some of the best vegan food ever.

We ranked Dallas lower in certain categories, but the city's growth should naturally resolve these. A solid foundation is being laid in Dallas to create one of the best places to live in the country. I'm looking forward to seeing what the city Dallas becomes five years from now.

Philadelphia: Final post and city evaluation

Dallas: Manatee Eating Lettuce, Modern Art, and Bull Riding

I'm still planning a few posts involving Dallas, but this will be the last about what we've been doing. We're about to pack up, take a quick vacation, and move to our next city! I could stay here longer. Much of Dallas is like a good poem. I could enjoy many of its parks and environments regularly and still want to return to them. This doesn't mean I want to live here forever though, just that I don't feel entirely ready to go. Here are some things we've done recently.

Luche Libre Wrestling (above): Cinco De Mayo festival! We were enticed by one of the biggest festivals at nearby city hall. It had everything from big name performers like Nelly to Luche Libre Wrestling. The event was entirely free and was tied to the immigration march of thousands of people through downtown. Si Se Puede!

 

Arboretum and Botanical Garden: A short drive or bus ride from the downtown area, the arboretum was a beautiful experience. If you're not particularly into intentionally sculpted landscapes or interested in the labeled trees and flowers, I'd recommend exploring White Rock Lake first. Walking around the lake is just as beautiful in many ways as the garden. Avoid $10 parking by walking from the nearby lake parking or taking a bus.

Crow Collection of Asian Art: Right next to the Dallas Art Museum and just as free. If I had known how small it was, I would have stopped in much sooner, but I kept putting it off because of time I thought I'd need. Now I want to go back and we're out of time! A Tantric art exhibit grabbed my attention as it related to a book I'd just finished. Interesting exhibit for people of all maturity levels as it can be viewed spiritually/abstractly, carnally, or both.

 

World Aquarium: This "Aquarium" has everything from ant-eaters and monkeys to snakes and panthers. Instead of a bunch of tanks or even just a bunch of really big tanks, multi-level green

Dallas: So what is actually bigger in Texas?

During our three month stay in Texas, I've kept an eye out for big things. It wasn't intentional as much as an unavoidable result of the unforgettable slogan, "Everything is bigger in Texas". See something big in Texas? It must be because, "Everything is bigger in Texas". It almost gets annoying. 

There are a number of tourists traps in Texas that capitalize on over-sized objects, but that's not just a Texas thing, ridiculously sized anythings exist in states all over the country. What is bigger in Texas that might have led to the creation of the saying, Everything's bigger in Texas", that wasn't merely a result of the saying? Besides, state-pride, I'm honestly not sure.

What's true about Texas is that it's expansive. The feeling comes not only from a large amount of flat land and the size of the state, but also the way its roads and cities are designed for expansion. This, coupled with a spirit of independence, confidence, and state-pride, makes Texas feel big. The attitude is great when it comes to passing an 85 mph speed limit increase law, but not so great when twisted into small-minded egotism.  Besides that, what's actually bigger is a lot more boring than you'd think.

Highway Intersections:  Within minutes of entering Texas from the east, I noticed the intersections or "highway stacks". Not only are many of them stamped with a Texas icon, but they're massive. I've seen plenty of these large "spaghetti intersections" in other cities, but in Texas they are everywhere. Many are in the middle of nowhere. Supposedly it's cheaper and less complicated to build these stacks than to regrade.  Pictures don't do justice, but below is the High-Five Interchange outside of Dallas, the first of its kind ever built. 

Dallas Airports: After research, I learned that the Denver Airport is larger than DFW, but having never been to Denver, DFW felt huge. After going through the toll-booth to

Dallas: The Art Museum @ Midnight, Revolving Restaurant Views, Roller Derby, and Daiquiris from a Drive-Through.

It's been an eventful week in Dallas! Yesterday we tracked, on foot, a hit-and-run driver from the scene to further downtown where her battered car was being pushed from the road by some friendly citizens and the safety patrol (who didn't know what she had done yet). Wednesday night, Obama stayed in the Omni across from our apartment for the dedication of the new Bush Library. Early in the week, police cars and camera crew raced down our street every couple hours clearing the way for the driver and camera crew filming an Infiniti car commercial. There is a lot going on that we only saw in passing: Jazz festival, Earth festivals, and Taco festivals. Here are some of the other things we've been doing in Dallas, lately:

A View From Reunion Tower: The tower's observation decks are closed for renovations, but the restaurant is still open. Not wanting to bother with reservations and expensive non-vegetarian Wolfgang Puck food, we took the elevator up and got a drink by the bar. This was

Cost of travel per mile: Train vs. car vs. bus vs. boat

To kickoff 2013, my wife and I took a trip from Philadelphia, across Long Island, and back through Bridgeport, CT. We paid as we went, sometimes pleased by the ticket price and other times, surprised.

I was glad to pay around $30 to get from NJ to NY City but surprised to pay almost $37 for us to get to Montauk on the Long Island Railroad. Similarly, I was happy to pay only $64 for us to get all the way from Bridgeport to Trenton, NJ in the wi-fi and comfort of an Amtrak train, but shocked that a taxi wanted $148 for a trip halfway across the island. We traveled 15 miles across the width of Long Island on a public bus for only $3.00 in change, but paid $36 for 18 miles to Bridgport on water.




Some of this surprised me and some of it didn't. Obviously, it will cost more to travel on water than land, but what I learned from tracking miles and cost is that ticket price biases your assessment of value.

I paid a lot more for a LIRR ticket, but the island is a lot longer than I thought (118 miles). Driving appears extremely cheap, but if you add parking it came out to $1.03 a mile which was more than any other mode of transportation on the trip and that isn't factoring in any costs for insurance, repairs, or the car.

At one point in the trip we were stranded in East Hampton for four hours when the LIRR exchanged trains for bus service between two stations and the bus driver missed the transfer. I looked into taxis in place of the $34 we were paying and were quoted $148. It would have been cheaper to rent car or u-haul for the day (I know because I looked), but both were still over $100.

Total transportation cost? $97 each.
(unless you include parking for  leaving our car in NJ, then it was about $116 each)

Here is a general breakdown. I used the closest road miles and estimated cost so it's ballpark, not scientific.

Per mile:
Driving = $0.06 ($1.03 with parking)
NJT = $0.25
LIRR = $0.16
MTA Bus = $0.10
Ferry = $1.00
Amtrak = $0.26

Philadelphia: Museum of Art, Kung Fu Necktie, Sketch Burger, and drinking Philly style

 

This is our third and final month in Philadelphia. Over the past couple weeks, we've taken trips out-of-state and revisited some of our favorite restaurants and attractions, but there is still plenty to write about.

Philadelphia Museum of Art: I went early to avoid the crowds and bypassed the Rocky Statue. This wasn't my first visit and I was going mainly for the Duchamp/Cage/Cunningham/Johns exhibit. It didn't disappoint. In addition to the citywide live performances ongoing since October, chess was a focus I didn't expect. An entire gallery room was dedicated to chess documents, boards, and art pieces created by the artists. One board (display only) played different sounds based on the players moves to create a new song with each game. Boards were also set up for play on the second floor of the main hall.

New Year's Eve Fireworks: Fireworks are shot from a barge on the Delaware River at 6pm and midnight on NYE. This is the view at midnight from the fourth floor of our building. If you go to the earlier set, go early or don't go at all. Traffic comes to a complete stop up and down the river due to inadequate parking around 5:30.

Ballroom Spies @ Kung Fu Necktie: Not much to say about the venue, but the band rocked and I had my first Citywide Special. "The Special" is just what it sounds like, a drink special, but it's not exclusive to one bar. You can ask for the special at bars all over Philly and you'll receive a can of PBR and a shot of Jim Beam for $3. Another fun tidbit, ask for a lager

Tourism: The joy of traveling light

In celebration of my birthday, my wife and I took a train trip through four states using three train lines, a ferry, and a couples buses. We stayed in Port Jeff and Montauk (Yes, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, end of the world, Montauk).

Besides some backup socks and boxers I threw in my wife's bag and what I normally carry on me, I brought my cellphone, eyecare, and paper/pad -- that's it!

Why? Simplicity. I always wanted to try the life of a hobo without baggage and this was the closest I could get for now. 

Leaving the house for a four day trip without a bag made me feel like I was forgetting something, but I soon got used to it. It was glorious! 

Philadelphia: Seaport Museum and Holiday Parade

Highlights from another week in Philadelphia:
(Other posts here: Week One / Week Two / Week Three)


West Chester Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade: This was surprisingly entertaining. The streets and restaurants were crowded, but not impossibly packed. We found a great restaurant after seeing lines in the street into downtown restaurants by looking for something a few blocks from the parade route. We didn't have trouble finding sidewalk space to watch from. The parade moves in a rectangle so it's possible to stand  at the intersection where the parade both starts and ends to see everything twice.

Even stormtroopers celebrate Christmas!

Evil elves attack!

Philadelphia: Weekend in the city!

Due to the warm and sunny weekend, we were able to walk around the city and see the sights. Feel free to email me with questions if you're thinking of visiting. Last week's post can be found here.

Some highlights--

Benjamin Franklin Bridge: Amazing views of the city and Delaware River. If we did the walk again, we probably wouldn't walk all the way to Camden; we'd stop halfway. It got a little shady there, ending in traffic and a tollbooth with no easy way to switch walkways.

Rittenhouse Square: Great energy. The park was full of people enjoying music, recreation, and relaxation.

 

Philadelphia: Magic Gardens and South St. Vegetarian

Lindsay and I spent a good part of yesterday on South Street checking out some of the restaurants and sites. The south end of the street with its cafes, pizzerias, bagel shops, and other restaurants is across from our apartment.

Some highlights:

Magic Gardens: I'd never heard of this small gallery and a few others I asked about it since going haven't either. It's definitely worth checking out for locals and tourists alike. It felt like stepping into someone's psyche à la Jennifer Lopez's The Cell (Apologies to the artist Isaiah Zagar for the reference). Staff was friendly and photography was allowed.  B1G1 admission is available online for signing up for their mailing list online.

Review: Pennhurst Asylum Tour

Last night, my wife and I left Philadelphia and headed to the "Pennhurst Asylum" a seasonal haunted house attraction built on the campus of what used to be the Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Spring City. Pennhurst was built in 1908 and closed in 1986. What sets Pennhurst apart from other "asylums" is its size. The aerial view shown above is only part of the entire campus and until recently, this entire campus was covered in overgrowth and forest making it a formidable property to explore. All furnishings and tools from chalkboards to eating utensils were left when they closed the gates leaving eerily picturesque scenes like the one below

Labels and signs take away from the experience

 On a recent vacation to New England, my wife and I visited Purgatory Chasm in nearby Massachusetts. Without degrading the experience or beautiful and interesting landscape (see pictures left) I couldn't help but think about the human/land interaction I saw around us.

The first thought involved that of site establishment and labeling. When I was younger, I would spend weeks working at a summer camp in the Catskills. During free time, I would break the rules and leave the camp with friends, striking out across the mountain wilderness. The Catskills were full of cliffs, caves, and rocks, more pronounced than that offered at Purgatory Chasm and other sites having official names, maps, and picnic areas. Sites that are official are often created based on economics, demand, and availability and named to attract attention and interest rather than being particularly unique. What is the effect of hyping nature in this manner? Why did a small nook created by falling boulder have to be called "Devil's Crib" instead of "A little nook under a rock". Why note it at all? The result is an enhanced experience at the cost of a twisted reality and influenced perception.

The second thought on this issue is one that often comes up in postmodern studies relating to representation. Any location has multiple existences: The true place as it actually is, the place as it is interpreted by individuals experiencing it, and the place as it comes to exist in view of a society or group.

The first existence is unknown to us do to the limits of our senses. The second existence is what we create in our minds depending on what part of the place we see, from what angles, and what is going on in the place at the time we are there (weather, crowd, time of day). The third existence is a combination of second existences along with evolutions created by photography, conversation, and writing. People who have never been to the Eiffel Tower, for example, have a sense of the place that will be entirely shattered once they actually visit it. A similar existence is shared by many people who have never been to the Eiffel Tower due to photographs and movies.

The difference between second and third existences is most evident to those who have had the opportunity to travel to many of these sites. My first experience was with the Sacre Coeur in Paris. The Sacre Coeur presents an image of religiously inspired strength and solidity, but the reality is an amusement park line, noise and crowded masses of tours. It is targeted by hosts of peddlers. As people worship, a shuffling line of tourists moves much like at an amusement park. It was depressing. I've experienced similar at popular sites around the world. If tourists were honest, they would admit how many of the popular sites were miserable to attend. Most however, won't be honest because they either don't want to admit they were hustled and are afraid to admit the emperor has no clothes, or are just so overwhelmed at being somewhere so often talked about and pictured that they don't care how miserable it is. These people have accepted the third existence to such an extent that they disregard reality. Here are a few comparisons as examples.