Maryland.

Maryland.

“If your man can’t really see another woman’s beauty, how the hell is he gonna see yours?”
-Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith

I love the state of Maryland. It’s harbor. Downtown. Great proximity to Washington, D.C. The people.

I spent the night here and that was it. From reading my other blogs, you could see that I was on a mission to get to my brother’s birthday celebration in Philadelphia before sunset. And that’s what I did.

Trust me, over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun in Maryland. She’s a great place to party, chill and lounge. Next time.

I won’t leave you empty-handed though. I want to share some eye opening moments that I’ve realized on this trip. I hope they can help others to open their eyes as well.

Steve's List of Eye Openers
1. America is big as fuck! Huge. Vast. Amazing. Beautiful. Don’t believe what you see on TV. Experience the country for yourself. It’s not as small as you think.

2. Fear is CREATED. By YOU! It’s usually manifested in your mind because you think something is going to happen that will hurt you. Don’t create something that is not there. Let things happen and then deal with those things.

3. Driving in the open road is freeing. It opens your mind. You have a lot of time to think. Freedom is the best gift we have besides life. Make time for an open road drive. Even if it’s for an hour or two. Just do it.

4. Massages should be a natural part of life, like taking out the trash. Once a week. If you leave your trash unattended for too long, there are consequences. The same with your body. It needs to be treated well and on a regular basis. Go release the toxins from your body and totally relax for an hour. You deserve it. Your body deserves it.

5. Southern hospitality is real. People look you in the eyes and say hello to you. They care. It’s a culture. You feel it. It’s great. It’s love. Spread this thing the best way you know how.

6. I’m a recluse. I like being alone. I love people and I hate people all at the same time. Ain’t that a trip?

7. Stay in the moment. With today’s technology, it’s so easy to MISS moments because you want to snap a photo, share a video or upload something for notoriety. The moment is much more important than that. Live it.

8. Treat yourself to a vacation or getaway at least once a year. In corporate america, I always hear of people who have not gone on vacation for years upon years. Either because they are workaholics or don’t want to lose their jobs. Why are you working then? Always reward yourself.

9. Don’t get into a relationship with someone if you don’t want to be in a relationship. Our human instinct is one of the most powerful things we have. Use it. Don’t fall into complacency and accept misery. Life is too short.

10. Eat healthy for a week. You don’t have to be a health nut but one week a year, just eat fruits, veggies and drink water and see how your body reacts to that. One week.
West Virginia – Late Night Creepiness with a side of Bugs and Courage.

West Virginia – Late Night Creepiness with a side of Bugs and Courage.

“Failure is a great teacher, and I think when you make mistakes and you recover from them and you treat them as valuable learning experiences, then you’ve got something to share.”
-Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey was born in Welch, West Virginia. He is the epitome of the long, tough road to success. He’s been through it all as a comedian, an African-American male, host, businessman, producer … you name it. So, I guess it’s appropriate that for my West Virginia fanta selfie, my story turned out to be one of determination and courage.

West Virginia - Virginia border
West Virginia – Virginia border

After having a little too much fun in North Carolina, I found myself behind schedule trying to get to Philadelphia (an 8 hour drive with stops in D.C., Maryland and Delaware) by Sunday morning.

My boy Sam and I partied it up in downtown Durham and had a helluva time dancing to some old school hip hop. The DJ was great. Big thanks to that dude.

But now, imagine driving the next day on the I-95 North, which I’m sure Steve Harvey has done many times, at 1 o’clock in the morning and you NEED to get a selfie with some sort of West Virginia signage.

You plan on spending the night in Maryland due to it being so late but before that, you REALLY want to get this West Virginia selfie out of the way because it’s 1 hour off the I-95 freeway path.

So what do you do? You drive to the West Virginia-Virginia border, which is in the doldrums of darkness, farmland, bugs, lakes and plenty of unknowns and BRAVELY snap the photo below!

Creepiest selfie taken this trip. Snapped at 1:30am at the West Virginia-Virginia border.
Creepiest selfie taken this trip. Snapped at 1:30am at the West Virginia-Virginia border.

In my Kevin Hart voice:
Kevin Hart in The Secret Life of PetsI WAS ON A MISSION PEOPLE!

A huge shout out to my car for providing the creepy-like lighting for this photo and the many bugs crowding my headlamps (not shown) that were all trying to escape West Virginia and fly into my car.

And now that I’ve really had some time to take a look at this photo, something stands out to me: “Wild and Wonderful”. It was wild as hell trying to get that photo, driving in the wilderness but it feels wonderful now that I’m okay and can look back and laugh at that crazy decision. I could’ve easily done it early the next morning but that would’ve been too easy.

Mr. Harvey would’ve been proud, don’t you think?

Nah. He would’ve been like…Steve Harvey Meme

 

1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE

1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE

“The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.”
-Barack Obama
President Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue surprised me. It was more of a festive radius of fun, tourists and security than a tight, tensed up secure neighborhood.

Let me just quickly mention that downtown Washington, D.C. is a clusterfuck of traffic, crazy road signs and tourists walking everywhere. You have to be very careful how you drive and where you park. I arrived on a Sunday so it wasn’t too bad but I cannot imagine being in this city during peak hours. NO THANKS! Los Angeles is bad enough.

First observation. The Secret Service outside the White House, Dwight Eisenhower Building, the United States Treasury building and other areas were very friendly. I didn’t expect that at all. There were a lot of them but for the most part, they were very courteous to anyone who had questions or just wanted to say hello.

Second observation. There were a group of young guys playing street hockey ON Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s just a big, wide, very well-paved street with 1000s of tourists trying to catch a selfie with the White House. How about some street ball out there? Would the Secret Service be ok with that?

Third observation. The Washington Monument resides in what looks like a huge park and was not too far from The White House. The place was gigantic and super fun. Kids playing everywhere. Softball games. Picnics. Tourists taking pictures. I lived on the East Coast for 14 years and never once thought of going down in that area to inhale the ambiance. It was great. I am very happy I went there. Minus the clusterfuck, well done downtown D.C.

Here’s a slideshow of my visit.
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Virginia is for speeding tickets. Not lovers.

Virginia is for speeding tickets. Not lovers.

“I honestly believe there are good things happening in this world, and I’ll spend most of my time trying to find them and bring them to light.”
Jesse L. Martin
 Jesse L Martin

Anaconda Thrill Ride in Virginia
Anaconda Thrill Ride in Doswell, Virginia

My memories of Virginia consist of the beautiful city of Richmond, Virginia Beach being a very nice place to visit in the summertime and Anaconda!! Anaconda is the first roller coaster I’ve ever ridden. It is one of the craziest thrill rides at the King’s Dominion theme park in the city of Doswell. Whether or not it’s worth the ride is a matter of opinion. I rode it because of it’s crazy loops and corkscrews (thereby the name, “Anaconda”) but the ride can be a little rough and bumpy. Either way, it’s a thrill for sure. Just don’t eat anything heavy before you try it.

Virginia’s motto states that, “Virginia is for lovers”. Lovers my ass! I’ve always taken issue with this. While working in North Carolina in the late 90s, Virginia was more like the “speeding ticket” state for me. If you have a conversation with anyone on the East Coast who has driven through this state, I guarantee more than half of them have been issued a ticket there. If they weren’t, they know someone with an unpleasant story.

The state troopers in Virginia are pros at popping up out of nowhere to give you a ticket. They’re freaking ninjas I tell you. Ninjas! They should change the motto of the state to: “Virginia is for speeding tickets.”

This blog was another short and sweet one but I do want to share one of my ALL-TIME favorite scenes from my ALL-TIME favorite movie: Coming to America. The scene is being led by Frankie Faison, an amazing actor from Newport News, Virginia who has had (and continues to have) a stellar acting career. His next project is Luke Cage, a Marvel superhero series being produced for Netflix.

Enjoy!

Feels Like Family

Feels Like Family

[to Barack Obama in a mock interview, 2014]
“What is it like to be the last black president?”
-Zach Galifianakis

North Carolina feels like home anytime I visit. Next to Antigua, Philadelphia and now Los Angeles, it’s one of the places that have had a profound influence on my life. The friends I have there are amazingly special and I don’t even think of them as friends anymore, to be honest. They are family.

Thank you.

North Carolina must’ve known I was coming because this was on the welcome mat.

Don’t ask me how I knew I could snap a video of the lightning. It’s something I learned back in the Caribbean when I was a wee, young lad. Basically, you can tell how far away a storm is by counting the time in between thunder claps. I just figured since I saw lightning once, she would show up again and she did. She showed up a few times.

North Carolina did not disappoint. First, I spent some time in Charlotte with my buddy LaShawnta. We caught up on the last 5 years that we hadn’t seen each other and indulged in some Mexican food, Reggae music, dancing and drinks in downtown Charlotte. It was great to see Shawn again. I was happy to learn that her and her son were doing well. Being a single parent is hard work. Respect.

The next city I visited was Durham. This is where I worked for IBM for 3 summers and then a year after college. This is where I had my first pregnancy scare (turns out she was lying but still…). This is where I started reading Terry McMillan books to learn more about women. Hahahahaha!! Ahh, the things we did when we were young.

Great memories indeed.

I caught up with a great friend of mine, Tangie. We were super cool when I lived in North Carolina hadn’t seen each other in AGES. Seeing her made a brother feel good. It had been so long. She had a husband and two beautiful kids. Seems like everyone had kids. I think if I stayed in North Carolina, I would’ve had a couple myself. Perhaps I dodged a bullet there. Perhaps not.

Later on, I also caught up with my boy Phil and his wife, Yolanda. My “other mom and dad”. Their kids were freaking grown and talented. I hadn’t seen them in a few years. So beautiful. I was proud. Phil was my friend and mentor while I interned at IBM for 3 straight summers. I rented a room in his house and over those years of working at IBM, we developed a great friendship that saw us clubbing together, competing on the basketball court and of course, talking trash whenever the day called for it.

Finally, I caught up with my boy Sam. I briefly stayed with Sam while I worked at IBM as well and we’ve been friends ever since. durham-motorcoSam and I ended up going out to downtown Durham on a rainy night to party, hollered at some beautiful ladies and danced to some old school hip hop. Just like the old days. Salute!

Sam brought me up to speed on the “gentrification” of downtown Durham and even mentioned the word, hippies. I cringed. I never thought I would associate hippies or gentrification with Durham, North Carolina. This shit was real. When I think of Durham, I think of Northgate mall, the bad road that leads up to that one triflin’ ass (but funtastic) strip club and IBM. Now that’s a great neighborhood!

Huge thanks and nothing but love to my buddies in North Carolina. It’s good to know I always have family there.

South Carolina. The ‘You’ll probably get pulled over’ state.

South Carolina. The ‘You’ll probably get pulled over’ state.

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.”
-Viola Davis

South Carolina #selfie
Fanta selfie at the South Carolina Welcome Center.

South Cakalak.

I didn’t spend much time in South Carolina. Didn’t need to. Quite frankly, it’s the drive-through state. Other than cheap gas and working freeways, there’s not much there for a brother like me.

In the late 90’s, I worked for IBM in North Carolina and had my share of being stopped while driving through The Palmetto State. It was probably my fault. I was young. I was a green, yet anxious driver. And I’m pretty sure I was speeding.

South Carolina State Trooper
South Carolina State Trooper

But the attitudes and the way the state troopers pulled you over were different. They were more intense. Calculating. Those experiences made me hyper-aware whenever driving through South Carolina and perhaps that was the lesson I needed at such a young age.

Another golden nugget I remember about South Carolina was the sound of the drawls. We’re talking crazy, unintelligible accents comparable to Jamaicans, Scots and Irish folks. One of my buddies, Ren, who worked with me at IBM, was a South Carolinian. Sometimes, it was like talking to a hardcore, patois-spewing, native Jamaican. You couldn’t understand diddly squat. And there was no app to help you with that.

One time… in band camp… sorry I couldn’t help myself.

But seriously, one time I found myself in a Wendy’s drive-thru in South Carolina and couldn’t understand one word from the female attendant. I think my order ended up being something completely different but I didn’t dare go through that drive-thru again or ask for clarification. I ended up eating what I was given. And then went on my merry way.

I guess it was nice not to be stopped by any law enforcement this time around but that’s probably because I was driving the speed limit. Minus 1 mph.
Hello and Goodbye Kentucky

Hello and Goodbye Kentucky

“What I suffered physically was worth what I’ve accomplished in life. A man who is not courageous enough to take risks will never accomplish anything in life.”
-Muhammad Ali

From Chattanooga, Tennessee, I drove to Red Ash, Kentucky. Sounds like Red Ass, doesn’t it? Boy, what a name!

WHOAH - GOOD ONE!
The drive took about 3 hours. I spent maybe 30 minutes in the state of Kentucky. Once again, in the spirit of time, I was just tagging her. I wish I had more time to explore Kentucky, especially because I had a friend living there but it was off to North Carolina for some nostalgia and fun.

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Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, Tennessee

“I don’t have to work. I could stop and never have to worry about paying the rent. I’m working for the joy of doing it.”

“If you live a life of make-believe, your life isn’t worth anything until you do something that does challenge your reality. And to me, sailing the open ocean is a real challenge, because it’s life or death.”

“Stillness. It’s what I learn from the actors I work with. That’s all, and that’s the hardest thing.”
-Morgan Freeman

An old friend from Penn State University in my college days was from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gamaliel Young. This dude was super smart. Engineering major. Competitive as hell. He carried a 3.8 GPA his entire college career. Impressive.

CHATTANOOGA
In the lobby of Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Lookout Mountain

Chattanooga served as a great breather for me after having been through 5 states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Georgia). I stayed at my usual Holiday Inn Express & Suites and this one was located in the Lookout Mountain area.

Lookout Mountain is a mountain ridge located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southern border of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain was the scene of the “Last Battle of the Cherokees” during the Nickajack Expedition, which took place in the 18th century, as well as the November 24, 1863 Battle of Lookout Mountain during the American Civil War.

(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lookout_Mountain)

I don’t have much to say about Chattanooga since I only spent the night there but if you are ever in this city, visit the following sites: Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain, Tennessee Aquarium, The Walnut Street Bridge and Tennessee Riverpark.

Chattanooga, Tennessee is a beautiful city even if you’re just passing through. There’s plenty of eye candy to see, including lakes, rivers, waterfalls and mountains.

Peace out Gamaliel!

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Georgia Peach.

Georgia Peach.

“It’s funny, a lot of people think I take myself seriously because I come off so serious sometimes. But it’s not that I take myself seriously, I take what I do seriously. I came up around people who took acting seriously, who cared about acting, cared about the theater and, in the ’70s, made movies that said something that mattered. I came up with those people, and I was a kid. Their ethos and credo became mine.”
-Laurence Fishburne

image-sand-clock-hourglassSometimes, time is not on your side. You wake up one day and decide, hey, I have a dream of driving across the country and I’m going to do it. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take but I’m going to plan for it and execute it to the best of my ability. And then, you’re doing it and while it’s happening, life happens. Time happens. Things happen and your goals have to be adjusted.

My original goals still stand true. Drive across the United States and visit all 48 contiguous states. Do some comedy along the way. Visit old friends. Make new friends. Write a blog about each state, even if it’s one sentence like, “I was here. I ate some grits. I left.” And have fun.

But at times, life does intervene with your plans and that’s pretty much what happened with Georgia. I partied a little too much in Vegas. I needed an extra day to decompress in New Mexico. And I had to catch up on some well needed sleep in New Orleans. My brother’s birthday get together was coming up for the weekend and I needed to get to Philly in a reasonable amount of time. Consequently, Atlanta had to be removed from my itinerary but I still needed some way to quickly visit the state without losing too much time.

The original plan was Alabama to Atlanta, GA to Tennessee to Kentucky to South Carolina and then North Carolina before driving up my favorite freeway; the 95 North (to Philadelphia).

Something magical happened though. As I was plotting my Google Maps route from Alabama to Tennessee, I noticed a piece of golden goodness. A very small but significant Northwest portion of Georgia was in between Alabama and Tennessee.

meme-saywha

Yes, to save some time, I could drive from Selma to Chattanooga AND pass through Georgia, without visiting Atlanta. A savings of 1.5 hours. It doesn’t seem like a lot. But I had been on the following path since 9am (and not trying to drive late at night): New Orleans to Biloxi to Pensacola to Selma to Chattanooga (10.5 hours).

Check out the golden gem:
Screen Shot 2016-07-11 at 9.14.46 PM

I stopped at a McDonald’s in Georgia and the ladies behind the counter had some sexy accents. One thing about me: I LOVE ACCENTS! And Georgia is full of them!

I bought some food to eat in my hotel room in Chattanooga and left the establishment just a tad smitten by their Georgian voices. I took this pic in the McDonald’s just near the state line. Can you tell how sleepy I am? I desperately needed some rest. Including Atlanta in the trip before Chattanooga would’ve probably been a detriment.

McDonald's in Georgia
Tired and hungry as hell in a McDonald’s just past the Georgia State Line.
Sweet Home Alabama

Sweet Home Alabama

“The more you try to look sexy, the lamer it is, so you just have to commit to the comedy.”
-Channing Tatum

Welcome to Selma, Alabama.
Welcome to “Bloody Sunday”.
Welcome to History.

closer selfie with bridge
It felt like I drove through Alabama for days upon days upon days. After Florida, I was determined to head to Selma and walk over the Edward Pettus Bridge where “Bloody Sunday” occurred. And that’s what I did. It was beautiful. And eerie.

During January and February, 1965, Martin Luther King and SCLC led a series of demonstrations to the Dallas County Courthouse. On February 17, protester Jimmy Lee Jackson was fatally shot by an Alabama state trooper.  In response, a protest march from Selma to Montgomery was scheduled for March 7.

Six hundred marchers assembled in Selma on Sunday, March 7, and, led by John Lewis and other SNCC and SCLC activists, crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River en route to Montgomery. Just short of the bridge, they found their way blocked by Alabama State troopers and local police who ordered them to turn around. When the protesters refused, the officers shot tear gas and waded into the crowd, beating the nonviolent protesters with billy clubs and ultimately hospitalizing over fifty people. “Bloody Sunday” was televised around the world.

Martin Luther King called for civil rights supporters to come to Selma for a second march. When members of Congress pressured him to restrain the march until a court could rule on whether the protesters deserved federal protection, King found himself torn between their requests for patience and demands of the movement activists pouring into Selma.

King, still conflicted, led the second protest on March 9 but turned it around at the same bridge. King’s actions exacerbated the tension between SCLC and the more militant SNCC, who were pushing for more radical tactics that would move from nonviolent protest to win reforms to active opposition to racist institutions. On March 21, the final successful march began with federal protection, and on August 6, 1965, the federal Voting Rights Act was passed, completing the process that King had hoped for.

Yet Bloody Sunday was about more than winning a federal act; it highlighted the political pressures King was negotiating at the time, between movement radicalism and federal calls for restraint, as well as the tensions between SCLC and SNCC.

(Reference: http://www.blackpast.org/aah/bloody-sunday-selma-alabama-march-7-1965)

Those Alabama back woods are some of the most beautiful and creepy you will ever witness. You can drive for hours in the midst of trees, lakes, forests and more trees. I thought Arkansas so far had the most trees but Alabama wins by a long shot.

My imagination loves to travel and I couldn’t help but think … this was the best and worst place to be a slave. The best, because if you tried to escape, you could use the trees as a shield and hide. But the worst because there’s no one in the back woods to help you. I saw a few houses within hours of each other, traveling along the town roadways. Can you imagine being in those woods, trying to escape to freedom and not have any navigation?

The Emancipation Proclamation could’ve happened and the Alabama back woods would’ve been the place where, as a slave, you would’ve never found out. It was freaking creepy. I tried not to think this way but it was tough. I know my history.

Alabama. Beautiful. Sweet. Tainted. Historical. Creepy.

After a long, quiet drive, I finally got to the Edmund Pettus Bridge where Bloody Sunday went down.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge is a bridge that carries U.S. Route 80 across the Alabama River in Selma, Alabama. Built in 1940, it is named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a former Confederate brigadier general, Democratic Party U.S. Senator from Alabama and Grand Dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. The bridge is a steel through arch bridge with a central span of 250 feet (76 m). There are nine large concrete arches supporting the bridge and roadway on the east side.

The bridge was declared a National Historic Landmark on March 11, 2013.

(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Pettus_Bridge)

I walked over the bridge and then back to pay my respects. I also took some photos and tried to imagine what it was like back in 1965. If you visit these two towns, you would shake your head immediately. There’s hardly anything going on. They are both super quiet. Quaint. It doesn’t seem like anyone living there is trying to hurt a soul. Just live their lives and provide for their families.

I salute the men and women who were brave enough to stand up for what was right and fight for the voting rights of blacks.

Racism is ignorant. I think it’s the worst disease this country has. It’s up there with greed.voting rights act approved At least they keep getting close to a cure for HIV. And they’re working diligently to battle cancer. But racism? It is a part of the foundation that built this country. A poisonous foundation. It’s tough to cure that kind of ill but all we can do is keep trying.