American Reality Radio - Episode 2 from 1998

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My trip to Boston and Chicago in May/June 98 was to be the first of three such visits to America that year. Just as in 1992 I took a hand held tape recorder with me to capture what my camera couldn't. As with the recordings I made six years previous, I had no idea that these tapes would ever become a 'Reality Radio'. Although I had planned to some day compile them into something more than just a labelless cassette in my dusty tape collection.

For the New England leg of this particular trip I stayed with my friend Anne and her apartment mates at their place on Cabot Street, Beverly. The inset picture on the right shows us at some place on the North Shore which I don't think we ever figured out what it was called. (Pictured is from the left: Amy, Erin, Anne, Me and Erin's visitor John Mark.)

The ten days I spent falling in love with New England felt more like ten months. This was my first real vacation for some six years and it felt great to hand out with new people and see new places. You can read some emails I sent back to England at that time.

[Montage, 98] As my time in New England came to an end I felt kinda sad, but with a mix of excitement because even though I was leaving New England I on my way to Chicago. A city with sky scrapers aplenty!

Some peoples idea of relaxation is to go and lay on a beach getting sun soaked. As relaxing as this is, its not really a pursuit of mine.

I am rarely happier than when I am exploring. Be that a new city or some experience like flying or driving a race car. For me this is relaxation. If I had the money I'd fill my vacations with loads of extreme activities and stuff that would probably leave me needing a vacation to get over the vacation!

Chicago was a fabulous adventure. A jungle made of concrete and populated by suits scurrying from one deal to the next. At times I felt like I was moving in slow motion with the city around me moving in fast motion.

If you asked me to tell you what it is I like most about America I probably wouldn't be able to tell you what it was. I don't think there is any one thing I can say that would sum it up. Perhaps it's just because it still is the undiscovered country to me even after traveling many thousands of miles all over the states. Maybe it's because it's so different but in a way that is comfortable? I just don't know. But whatever it is, I am not bored of it, and I can't foresee a time when I will ever become bored of 'the new world'.

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