Texas: A Modest Proposal

Since Barack Obama’s reëlection, we’ve been hearing from a bunch of people who are so upset that they want to secede from the Union. Not surprisingly, this sentiment is centered largely around Texas, where there is a widely-held but incorrect belief that the state, unique among the fifty, reserves the right to secede at will.

Revel, the New Joint

Revel Atlantic City, the new joint in town, sure looks nice, but I’m struggling to find the cool.

Screw You Guys, I’m Going To Canada

When the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare,” Republicans took to the internet, declaring that they were moving to Canada to escape the socialist tyranny of universal health care. I decided to go to Canada to see how it’s working out for them.

The Highway of the Beast

Drive the Highway to Hell.

Abandoned America: Cuervo, NM

The town of Cuervo, New Mexico, began in 1901 when the railroad came thorough. Then Route 66 came, and the town’s population peaked in the 1940s at over 300. And then the Interstate literally came through town: right through the middle of it, ripping up roads and tearing down houses. It’s dead now.

Cross-Country Route Planning

It’s a topic people ask me about more than perhaps any other: if you’re planning a cross-country road trip, what route should you take? It’s also a topic where you’ll find a lot of bad information out there. You’ll hear from people who have done only one route, whose opinion of the other choices is based on hearsay or speculation. People who have done it once or twice, possibly in a hurry, whose experience is skewed by conditions that don’t apply to your trip.

End of the Trail

What do you do when you reach the end of the trail? Turn around and go back, of course.

Beverly Hills Cop

I knew what I was going to call this picture before I even released the shutter.

Down Rodeo

While in Los Angeles, I finally got to do it, after all these years: roll down Rodeo Drive with Rage Against The Machine’s “Down Rodeo” pumping out of the stereo.

Blessèd are the Porn Slappers

If you’ve ever walked the Las Vegas Strip, you know them. They stand in long lines, handing out stripper cards, the little advertising cards with pictures of girls and a phone number, promising entertainment right in your hotel room.