Episode V - Finding Freedom

People always seem to want to find themselves and most want to do that through travel. They think that traveling to new, preferably exotic, places will be the answer to the dullness that is their everyday lives. And I have to say, that I agree to an extent. Traveling is great, but it will only illicit a real change if you travel outside your comfort zone and if you travel alone. I realized late last year that this was exactly what I needed to do and I picked Portland, Oregon as my destination.

Now I know that Portland may not seem like much of a destination but when you factor in the 14.5  hour drive, excluding pit stops, and doing the entire drive alone – it doesn’t seem so small. This was to be my first solo road trip and I was equal parts exhilarated and horrified. I was going to drive through all of California and most of Oregon to reach my haven, what some have called, “The place where the 90s never left.” And they would be mostly correct.

In case you didn’t know, Oregon is where the hippies and hipsters  migrate to and Portland is the hub of that culture.  While I don’t particularly subscribe to either of these lifestyles, there is something freeing about the pace of life in Oregon. It is definitely a place to reset your clock and refocus your priorities, which is exactly what I needed to do. However, I knew that if I didn’t do this right I would end up talking myself out of this trip. This.could.not.happen.

In order to motivate myself to go I had to establish a system, having steps involved is always good and usually works.  I decided that I needed to make plans and promises not only to myself, but to others. The point of this was to make sure I made enough plans and promises that if I were to break them I would feel awful. In my mind this would ensure my going. I felt this was a foolproof plan and this is how my experience went.

Steps To Activating Your Wanderlust

Step 1: Declare it. I told anyone and everyone who would listen about my plans. As much as I wanted to seem spontaneous I also wanted to be held accountable by more than just myself. And this worked, many friends asked about my trip and some were even jealous, wanting to go on this grand adventure with me. But I was determined to have this be strictly an adventure for me. Within a few months I had planted the seed and I was feeling great.

Step 2: Lodging. While spending money on a room in some cutesy hotel is probably a good motivator to not cancel your travel plans I knew I would need something stronger than that, plus I was on a budget and looking for places to stay in Portland wasn't at all appealing. When I made the decision to travel to Portland I immediately contacted my awesome cousin Jason who lives there. I told him that I was coming and he was completely on board and willing to have me stay at his place. I was eternally grateful and at the same time bound to my promise of arriving at his place on a predetermined date. This was a chief motivator for me as he was great at providing a countdown to my departure.

Step 3: Gas/Transport. More so than having money for fun I had to be sure I could get from my home in Long Beach to Portland then back again. I decided that I needed to calculate my mileage against the price of gas and get an estimate of what I would be spending. There are many websites that you can do this, I chose GasBuddy . It has you input where you’re starting, where you’re ending, and the year, make, and model of your car. Once you put in the information it gives you the total cost of your trip along with how many times you will need to stop for gas and where those gas stations are located along your route.

It wasn’t an exact science, but it was what I needed. At the time of my trip, October 2015, the cost round trip was and estimated $120.00 with two stops on the way there and two on the way back. I found this totally doable and I would have spare cash for any adventures while in Portland. It was becoming more real.

Step 4: Purpose. This will be different for each individual, but it’s good to know your purpose behind your trip, even if your purpose is to have no purpose. How spontaneous in your travels do you want to be? Is just getting to your destination enough to motivate you? Do you want/need to plan activities once you get there? This is the difference of simply visiting Portland, Oregon to looking for things to do in Portland, Oregon.

For me, deciding to make the trip to Portland was spontaneous, but once that was decided I tried to plan everything else, from checking on events happening in and around Portland, agreeing to take a tour of my Cousin’s place of work, Laika Studios , and spending one full day in Powell's Books. Even though I had plans, I feel that just getting to the destination would have been enough, everything that followed were perks.

Those were basically my steps and you know what, it worked and I had the best time. If you are thinking of embarking on a soul searching, life changing travel escape, I say do it. Do it and do it now. Pick a location, follow the steps, and get in your car or on a plane and just go.

Up next…The Road to Portland

Episode IV: Getting Scared on a Hayride

There are a bunch of people around you and you can take comfort in the knowledge that no matter what happens, you are not alone. After you scan your bracelet you are directed to a chain link cage in which you along with many others are packed in. You definitely get comfortable with your neighbors, those standing right beside you. You all look around at each other with excited horror.

Your tractor pulls up and the gate to the chain link cage is opened as you are now told to climb on board, but you don’t get to sit until everyone is in with you. You get as comfortable as you can manage sitting in poking straw, it’s just enough discomfort to keep you on edge. That’s when the workers pull on the strings and you along with everyone else are covered under a black canopy. You don’t see anything as the tractor pulls away, but to where?

You hear noises, you know they are just out there beyond the fabric and suddenly the fabric is gone and you have entered their world. You are there watching the horror unfold and you can’t leave. This truly is one of the best Halloween events and it’s in Los Angeles.

I’m talking of course of Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. It is one of my favorite things to do in October and I will probably make a habit of returning each year for as long as it runs. I’m not going to lie, it is probably one of the more expensive events in LA, but I feel that you get exactly what you pay for which is four attractions, three of which are amazing! A horse skeleton carousel, the photo area where you get to take amazing pics of yourself being tortured, and the Theater Macabre where they have audience members reenact scenes from your favorite scary films.

How the tickets work is you can decide to pay for just the Hayride or all of the attractions. I always go full out as I enjoy each attraction. You also have the option of getting VIP which allows you fast pass access to each attraction. I have yet to see the need for the VIP, but I’m hoping that this place gets a little more popular as I feel it is truly one of the best around.

The first stop for me and my friend was the House of Shadows. Similar to a maze and an escape room rolled into one. As you enter into each room the doors are shut behind you and in order for the next door to open you have to follow the instructions. The longer you take the longer the monsters in each room have to play with you, so don’t take too long.

After goofing around in the photo op area and watching a bit of the show from the Theater Macabre our other friend arrives.

We headed for the line for the Hayride itself. This is going to have one of the two longest lines at the event, but it is worth it. We came on a Saturday and I’d say that the line wasn’t any more than 45 minutes, which isn’t bad. Last year the line was a little over an hour and it was a week night. In all fairness I think we went closer to Halloween last year.

I’ve always said that the hayride is definitely more of a horror production than anything else and it really does not disappoint. This year’s theme was the real life Boogyman, well known serial killers, from H.H. Holmes to the Zodiac Killer to Jack the Ripper. They all came out and chased our tractor and it was fantastic. The hayride takes about 20 – 25 minutes to get through and you really don’t mind as you are entertained throughout. Just be sure to follow the rules that they have so that everyone enjoys the experience. One lame person can ruin it for you very easily.

From the Hayride, we head to the Dark Maze. Now this is what scares me to death every year.  The maze is dark, I mean pitch black no light what so ever and it’s a legitimate maze, you have to figure out how to find the exit. Last year you went in with a group of about 10-15 people and one person was given a lantern; this was your only light source. I screamed the whole way through, but I loved it.

Well this year, there was no group, there was no lantern, and instead they told everyone that we had the option of wearing a scary clown mask yourself before entering; thus ensuring that we never knew who exactly the monsters were. My friends wanted us all to separate, I wasn’t a fan of this idea, but if I wanted to go in I had no other choice. I grabbed a mask and took the plunge.

My strategy was simple, find normal looking people and follow them and it worked. I got to see every part of the maze this way and was able to find the exit in a safe amount of time. Honestly, I wasn’t as scared of the maze as I had been last year. I even had fun hearing my friend scream in the distance of the maze.

The last piece of the event was the attraction called Trick or Treat. This is probably the most boring of the attractions and can really be skipped if you would prefer. I simply went through because I wanted to do each attraction, because that’s just how I am. It was a series of going door to door and saying trick or treat as something presumably scary would come out at you. Not all that scary if you’re like me and need a bit more than that to illicit a scare, but it was still fun.

I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy going to this event and will more than likely make a point of returning each year. I truly feel that it is worth it and you should too.

Hayride Only (limited number): $30

General Admission (All Attractions): $43

VIP Admission (Front of the line/All Attractions): $59

Parking is free, but it can be a bit of bitch as it’s located in Griffith Park. Recommend getting there early to score a decent spot.

Episode III: October Scares On A Ship

I believe that most things are better experienced at night and I especially believe this during the month of October.  Truly, the only reason I wander in daylight at all is to make an appearance at my day job. But at night, oh the night; it’s when amazing things can happen.

You’ll find me most nights in October at haunted mazes throughout Southern California.  I have my favorites and I have the ones that I go to purely out of friendship obligations, but that doesn't mean that I don't have a good time at all of them. And each one has their own appeal that makes them enjoyable.

I kicked off my 2015 maze season with an excursion to Queen Mary's Dark Harbor in Long Beach, California. It runs from October 1^st through November 1^st from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

I had only gone once before two years ago. I remember that it was good that first time I went and I had a blast with my friends. Was it one of my favorites? Not really. Did it scare me? Meh. I remember mostly scaring myself that night (that actually happens a lot at these things). It was a case of making a wrong turn on the ship and ending up in a completely dark hallway. That was really scary!

I do believe that if you venture out to Long Beach and go to Dark Harbor the mazes worth going through are the ones located on the ship itself.  Usually there are about 3 and if you get there late (like I usually do) you probably will only have time for 1, maybe 2 of them.

You see, despite my lack of interest in this particular set of mazes, a lot and I do mean A LOT of people come out for this. It will be packed and you will wait in line for mazes between 30 minutes to an hour. There really is no getting around that aside from buying the Fast Fright Pass which gives you priority to enter the mazes. Think Fast Pass at Disneyland, but for Halloween mazes.

They have separate lines for Fast Fright Pass holders and when I was there it appeared that those lines would take you 20 minutes tops to get to the front of the maze. If you really want to hit every maze this is truthfully your best option.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there aren’t many “street” performers. Meaning, most of the monsters are in the mazes. Don’t expect to be scared much outside of the mazes.  I will say that they do try in this regard, but it’s still pretty weak when you compare it to the all-time scare park, Knott's Scary Farm. In reality though, most other places can’t compare to the street performers at Knott’s.

Aside from the mazes you could check out the Freak Show. This does cost extra, which is why I’ve avoided it the 2 times I have gone, although I do hear it’s not that bad. So again, if you feel the need for a little freak you can spend a little extra and enjoy a show.  I guess I also don’t worry too much about this aspect of Dark Harbor because of how little time is allotted to get through all of the mazes, especially with how long the lines are. It really does present a quandary.

I find the allotted hours of 8:00p.m. – 12:00a.m. to get through all of the mazes is a bit of an insult when you count how many people arrive for this event. I would give it the limited time in its early years, but as its popularity has grown so too should its hours of operation. I realize that I might be being too harsh, but these are my opinions and they are coming from someone who makes a point of enjoying these hauntful events every October.

I would say that it is still fun to visit, just not on my top priority list if there are other options.

General Admission: Starts at $24

VIP Admission – For Guests 21 and older: $94

Fast Fright Pass: About an additional $29 on top of your admission ticket

Parking - General: $20 - VIP $30

Episode II: The Artistry of Horror

Darkness looms and the scary emerge as Halloween creeps ever closer.  We are already deep into the Halloween season with many a frightful activities have been underway for some time. As for myself, I like to start as early as possible and this year was no exception.

The first stop was the opening night of Freaks: An Exhibition of Artworks by Clive Barker and Gail Potocki. Opening nights are the best, because you get to be among those that experience first and more often than not, the night’s festivities are free.

In a word, chilling.

Along with the artwork, the space offered its own dark ambiance. Though it was small it offered a lot, to the creepy hallway you walked down upon first entering, to the tiny dining room set up towards the back complete with an eerie chandelier hanging above you. And the artwork filling every crevice in between.

The pieces have a way of entering your mind and taking through a journey to a completely different world, a different dimension even. I’m not going to lie though, I loved all of them, and I even wish I could have afforded to purchase a few of them. Future purchases for sure.

After the mist that was Clive Barker, it was nice a few weeks later to come up to the murky surface at The Last Bookstore, or as it was called that night the Last Spook Store: A Horror Story Art Show.

A collection of classic horror novels such as Shelley’s Frankenstein, King’s Pennywise the Clown, Lovecraft’s Nyarlathotep, and many more are captured by 31 artists into 31 original pieces of art. Again, it was opening night and this was definitely a popular event.  It wasn’t shocking as most events at this location are very popular.

There was a line down the street when the doors opened and I decided after seeing that to grab some food to kill time waiting for the line to die down. It was Carl’s Jr. because I was so hungry and it was the closest thing walking distance from the store. It was awful, but my hunger did not care.

By the time I got back everyone else was already inside and I mean EVERYONE. It was so packed, but not in an overbearing way. Well, the body heat wasn’t fun, but other than that, totally fine. The space can handle big crowds, which is incredible; however, it could be the use of a second floor.

There was a bar available, in which I did not partake, more due to my lack of timing (I wanted to check out everything else, alcohol could wait) A stage was set with a band already in full swing, in full female Ghostbuster’s gear and they put on a show.  

I never thought I would see a mosh pit in the middle of a bookstore and now I can put that on my list of experiences. Honestly though they were lucky that the shelves were on wheels and just kind of rolled out of their way. And of course, no Ghostbuster’s show is complete without an appearance from the State Puff Marshmallow Man. Thankfully, it didn’t get messy.

As the show continued, I wandered upstairs, viewing the amazing artwork along the way and it was more than just paintings. It really can best be described as everything was art and it was glorious. And to top it all was the Labyrinth of books which I have dreamed about seeing and now I finally got to walk through it. It was like entering a meta version of your book dreams, at least that’s how it was for me.

Continuing along the other wall were more artists selling their wears and willing to enter engaging conversations about their pieces. From the beautifully classic, to the utterly bizarre, you really could find a piece of art for anyone in here.

One of the pieces that I particularly got a kick out of was this.

If you don’t know why I love it, then you never will.

When the time came everyone reluctantly left the store and submerged themselves back into the dirty Los Angeles streets. As for me, I eventually found my way to some alcohol along with two of my friends who made the nights adventures that much more worthwhile.

Both nights were great and it makes me want to reach out and explore more of the artistry that the Los Angeles area has to offer. Or it could be that this truly is my favorite subject matter and I simply want to see more artwork like what was displayed. I know I will forever be a horror buff and the fact that I enjoyed every second I gazed upon those unique works, proves that it will most definitely never go away.  And that is fine by me.

Until the spiteful spirits come knocking again.

Ep. 1 – I Go Where I Want: It Just Happens to be Down the Street (continued)

I write the second part of the beginning of this blog on my lunch break, in the heat, just sitting close enough to an open door to feel the A/C blasting inside to the outside. Because Fuck You to energy efficiency.

Anyway, I knew that this whole coming out into the world after hiding from it my entire life was going to be hard. Of course being newly single, my friends immediately jumped on the idea of me joining a dating site. Because to them, being single means meaningless hook-ups. Wasn’t really what I had in mind. Not that I wasn’t open to meeting new people or going on dates, but I wanted it to be more than just a hook-up.  This is why it took a few months for me to really truly try and get out there, dating wise.

First was Tinder. Ladies, if you want a one-night stand/I don’t care situation, this is the site! Me personally, I used it to work on my flirting. I really had no intention of meeting a guy from there. I think the reason was deep down I thought I would still meet someone organically and in some small way I still think that.

Alright, I suck at flirting. Worst EVER! But man did I have fun trying. Honestly if I ended up pissing any of those guys off I just remind myself that not one of them was particularly nice, most were just plain creepy as fuck. Most dick pics sent to me per capita than any other site. Not a lie. Some samples of what I encountered:

Next was Plenty of Fish (PoF). I tried this one because my cousin told me it’s how she met her boyfriend at the time. There were some…nice guys I guess, but all were pretty much creepy in their own way and no one seemed to want to meet me. Why do guys act that way? Seriously, coming from a woman to the men out there, just act like yourself. Dating is already exhausting, let’s not play games too.

In the end I had heard through others that yet another dating application might hold the key, OkCupid.

In a drunken state one Saturday night at a friend’s house I created my profile on OkCupid. I was so beyond really caring at this point. The other sites had worn me down and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to get out and meet a complete stranger somewhere. I found it depressing and I really believed that nothing was ever going to come out of making myself as appealing as possible on the interwebs.

I was asked on a date within a week of making that damn profile.

In total: I’ve met two guys on PoF and two guys on OkCupid and to this day I still only talk to and see one of them and he is quickly becoming my best friend and the man I dream about. (Sorry, went a little sweet and corny there…it happens)

Even though I did meet one person on one of those sites clearly this wasn’t the answer. I deleted Tinder and PoF (I keep OkCupid because of reasons) and I just decided to explore my new town.

It’s what I ultimately wanted to do. Meeting in person is so much more fun than through electronics. And even though I haven’t met anyone this way, I realized I didn’t have to go out of my way to meet someone or that I needed to meet anyone at all. I just needed to be me and step out my front door and walk down the street, my street.

Ep. 1 – I Go Where I Want: It Just Happens to be Down the Street

I walked into a spider-web today. Not that this has anything to do with what I’m writing about or why you’re reading this. Although, it could be why, I really wouldn’t know. I haven’t met you so frankly your intentions for clicking a link that sent you to this particular place in the interwebs are completely foreign to me.

I at least know why I’m here and that’s a feet in and of itself. Basically, I am me, I like to do stuff, and I want to do more stuff. Seems simple enough, except you need to add the part where I want to share it, but not just share it oh no, I want to write about it, all of it.

Up until this point in my life I was the quiet introvert among my friends. Sure, I was loud and unruly around them, but get me around strangers and it was like I shut down. And I mean shut down. I always made the excuse that I was a listener, not a talker.

I can tell you now, that was a bold face lie. Granted, I am a good listener and I will listen to all of my friend’s issues, no problem, but I also do very much like to talk.  I had just gotten so used to being quiet that I thought it’s just how I was. I had the life and friends I had and I figured I wouldn’t need anything or anyone else.

I’ll admit here and now, I was wrong.

After a seven year relationship that ended with an amicable divorce I moved out of my comfort zone. I live a crazy thirty minute drive from anything or anyone that I am one hundred percent used to. I’m talking everyone that I have ever known for the last ten plus years of my life. I realize to most this isn’t the King Kong of drastic changes to a person’s life, but for me it was and I sure as hell didn’t intend on wasting it.

I quickly tried to move onto step two of the new me plan. (In case you missed it, Step one was up there somewhere.) I had to get out and meet new people. I needed to make new experiences for myself. I looked at me and saw that I was still in my twenties and had plenty of time to sort out my life. I hadn’t waited too long, I still had time. I am in the process of convincing myself that I can and will get out there in the world.

I am not kidding when I say I am shy as fuck and this whole idea of mine was going to take some time and some serious work.

To Be Continued…