A new road trip plan (attn Jeff, Jenn, LarryK)

[sylvar]

(crossposted from email)

Jodi's faculty mentor suggested some other schools for us to see, and by dumb luck, they all fit into the same time slot we'd already planned for.

We're going to be staying with friends and CouchSurfing hosts as often as possible. If you have any suggestions about people who could let us sleep in their spare room, living room, garage, or even driveway, PLEASE tell me (reply to this post; if you want to reach me by email, vaxer@hotmail.com is best, as I can see that account from my phone).

Our itinerary:

Sat Sep 23: Chattanooga TN (we have a place to stay)
Sun Sep 24: Aurora IL (we'd planned to arrive the following day and have asked if we can arrive a day early)
Mon Sep 25: Madison WI (we don't have a place to stay)
Tue Sep 26: Kalamazoo MI (we'd planned to arrive the following day and have asked if we can arrive a day early)
Wed Sep 27: Ann Arbor MI (LarryK, can we stay with you?)
Thu Sep 28: Columbus OH (we don't have a place to stay)
Fri Sep 29 through Sat Oct 7: Pittsburgh PA (we have a place to stay, and I'll be in Salt Lake City for part of that)
Sun Oct 8: College Park, MD (we don't have a place to stay)
Mon Oct 9 and Tue Oct 10: Raleigh-Durham, NC (Jeff and Jenn, can we stay with you?)
Wed Oct 11 and Thu Oct 12: Atlanta, GA (Atlanta vaxers, can any of you put us up for two nights?)
Fri Oct 13: we finally come home.

There's more detail involved; we will visit, but not sleep in, East Lansing (Michigan State University) and Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU).

Let me hear from you all! Any suggestions are great. Restaurants, areas of town to see, places where we can safely sleep, anything we should know, just reply to this post.

Thanks!
Ben

Comments

[guaharibo.livejournal.com]

Chris and I aren't strictly *in* College Park, but we are a 30 minute drive from it so if you'd like to stay with us you can.

[guaharibo.livejournal.com]

Although if the idea of driving any further makes you sick to your stomach there are plenty of places right down the road (like a few blocks) from UMDCP (which is where you are visiting I'd assume) on route 1.

[sylvar.livejournal.com]

That might turn out to be a very good option -- and I'd love to see you guys, so can you send your address and phone number(s) to vaxer@hotmail.com?

[loucheroo.livejournal.com]

Um Ben? Do you actually expect Jodi to be able to SEE any of these schools? It appears you'll only get an hour or two at each place before moving on. Is that enough time? Won't they all blur together?

Ann Arbor is a happy place, by the way :D

[sylvar.livejournal.com]

I'm figuring three or four hours, and the important part is going to the campus, seeing how accessible it is, and speaking with a professor and a few grad students -- all of which can definitely be done in two hours or so.

I know Ann Arbor as the home of Superpatron Ed Vielmetti and super-elected-official and Political Graveyard curator/programmer Larry Kestenbaum, which makes it a happy place for me. Why is it a happy place for you?

[loucheroo.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid you're overplanning. Maybe she can figure out which schools she'd be willing to cut from her schedule... JUST IN CASE it turns out to be too much.

I know that I'd have a nervous breakdown at even the thought of the trip you're planning

[sylvar.livejournal.com]

Well, if you feel like it, call Jodi's cell phone now and then to say hi and find out how we're doing. It would be nice to hear from friends!

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

If Jodi has any interest in NCSU, I will be going on campus Monday morning or could give a tour Sunday. I'm afraid I don't know much about the campuses of other schools other than their general locations.

Let me know which schools you are interested in and we'll try to find sites of interest which are close to them.

Places to stay

[ethenerror.livejournal.com]

Well if you need a place to stay there is always motel 6. I mean its not the prettiest place, and nicole and I wouldn't stay there (yuck!)... but it is cheap for people on a budget road trip. Some other ideas would be to fly to the mid, east, or west airport hubs (the flights are pretty cheap right now... also depending on what your credit is like you can get free miles with most cards). Once you fly in, you can rent a car and visit the surrounding colleges. That way you don't have waste the miles on your car (unless you lease.. which in that case who cares. You know what I mean :)

Just out of couriosity why are you visting so many colleges? I mean you can only go to one right? No offense, but you could have cut your costs in half by just making a list of your top 3 possibilities. Has she applied to all of these schools? Isnt that like $50 a pop in some cases... man when I was a student I couldnt even come up with $5 for postage.

Best of luck, Cheers! Oh and when you get to pittsburgh you should call Nicole we would like to finally have that dinner... The weatherman says clear skies for that week!

Columbus

[(Anonymous)]

Ben -- look up Bob Gale when you get to Columbus -- q!

ATL

[tealfroglette.livejournal.com]

Flying biscuit for any meal of the day says toad, frog, flip and alton brown. See picks from anyone on flickr 'flying biscuit' or at flips traveling-flip at flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/49882485@N00/252435391/

Three dollar cafe and OK cafe (okay is just off I-75 on north side).

Burrito Art (best) and tortilla cafe IF in mex. mood.

Sevenanda (like mother earth) Grocery and Felini's pizza in little five points area. YUM!