M. van Zanten - Writer of Fantasy and Science Fiction

What can I say about Las Vegas? It’s a place of blisteringly hot madness and decadence, and I liked it (if only for a little while), but it helped that I spent most of my days touring outside the city. I am not a gambler, so that takes away much of the appeal the city has, at least to me.

If I ever return I think I would try one of the hotels, rather than a hostel. Specifically, rather than the hostel I had this time, which was one of the worst I ever stayed at. Staff was nice, but the kitchen was too small, every building (rather than rooms each dorm was a small building with beds and a bathroom) was packed with too many beds. The bed I had was the lower bunk in an alcove, affectionately nicknamed ‘the cave’ by one of my roommates, and I agree with that assessment wholeheartedly.

I’ve also never felt as unsafe as I did in that neighborhood.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 9 – Las VegasRead More »

This blog post is about the number one spot I really wanted to visit on the west coast of the United States: Yosemite National Park. And I apologize in advance, but this is going to be a long post.

TLDR version: Highlight of my time in the US, hands down.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 8Read More »

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” – Mark Twain (supposedly)

The human body is an interesting thing, it can get used to pretty much anything, which is something I experienced close hand after arriving in San Francisco. I got off the train in Emeryville to a crisp 17 degree, grey, overcast, morning. And I was freezing. My body had gotten used to temperatures twice that high, with 28-30 degrees being very comfortable, and 30+ being the norm. To suddenly go somewhere so much colder was a shock to my system.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 7Read More »

Portland, Oregon, is either the largest small town, or the smallest big city, and from the moment I got there I knew I was going to love this place more than I did Seattle. I think it’s the small town feel of the place that did it.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 6Read More »

Like I said last time I was glad to reach Seattle, if only so I could shower and change clothes. Alas the fates conspired against me with a late check-in in the afternoon. I could leave my luggage at the hostel, on the edge of Chinatown / International District, but that was it. The Starbucks didn’t seem to mind my unwashed state, especially looking at the rest of the clientele. They may have tried to fancy up the place by calling it the International District, with a big Chinese gate and dragons on lampposts, but like any other Chinatown I’ve ever visited this was clearly the poor area of town. And at night it got pretty sketchy. When people, such as tour guides, learned where I stayed at they were quick to warn me off from going around there at night. I didn’t need the warnings, my situational awareness passive is pretty levelled up by now.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 5Read More »

Leaving Chicago I went on the longest train ride so far, Amtrak’s Empire Builder all the way to Seattle. This was a two day trip spent almost continually on the train – I did go outside on two longer stops, for just a few minutes, but that was just enough time to stretch my legs and get some fresh air before it was back on the train again. Long distance train travel has a way of really compressing the world to a microcosm. There’s your seat and your seatmates around you, with the occasional journey to the observation car and the dining car.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 4Read More »

When I travel long distances within a country I try to do so by train. It may be slower than an airplane, but you don’t have to go to an airport and its security (though at some places Amtrak tries to be like an airport and they really shouldn’t). Best of all, you actually see something of the country you’re travelling through other than clouds. You also have more legroom than on a plane or a bus, at least here in the US you do. As such I took the train from New York City to Chicago, exchanging one big city for another.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 3Read More »

Some more of my photos from when I was on the east coast of the United States this year.

Links:

• New York City and Seaside Heights, New Jersey: https://goo.gl/photos/QYKq5u3ejsBHTnKN9
• Chicago: https://goo.gl/photos/sqAFxmVpwukVKHDC9

After New York I went to Seaside Heights in New Jersey, perhaps best known for the TV show Jersey Shore, all though that is not why I went there. I was looking for a combination of the ocean, beaches and national parks that was close to New York City. And that place was Seaside Heights! I took a bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Not a lot of people use this bus connection as far as I could see. I think there were six other people on the way there and there was only me on the way back a few days later.

The town of Seaside Heights lies on a barrier island with a bay on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other and is part of the huge stretch known as the Jersey Shore. I wasn’t there for long, since I extended my stay in New York and had to get back to New York for the weekend as well, but I think I spent my time quite well.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 2Read More »

The ride through Upper New York State from Montreal to New York City was beautiful. The landscape changed all the time, going from forests to mountains, lakes, fields and brief outposts of civilization. And then all of sudden, without warning, you find yourself in New York City. I didn’t do much on the train other than stare out the window, which is how scenic trips should be.

Ah, New York City, the place on the American east coast I somehow always find myself coming back to and I still love it. When I was there two years ago I did most of the touristy stuff, so this time around I could relax a bit more. At least that was the idea. In the end I found myself going through long days and short nights. That’s just how life is in New York City.

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American Manifesto, Volume 2, Episode 1Read More »