Hello hello, internet-land, can you here me?
It has been a long time between posts, and my guess is that those who know me aren't all that surprised. I get a little caught up in things and forget to document, generally to my own detriment. But rest assured, gentle reader, that I am having the most incredible time and my brain can't quite fathom all that I have managed to fit in in the last six weeks.
I write you from Hamtramck, a small Polish community in the heart of Detroit. I am couchsurfing with John, a beautiful North Carolinan who moved up here four months ago. He is a classical pianist and organist who moved here for a change of pace, and because Detroit has a large number of very old organs! FACTS, I love them. He is a most hospitable tour guide and host and interesting to boot. He is an atheist, yet currently as we speak he is working as a church organist a little out of town, and is most likely the man most able to give you the run down on the church's acceptance policies, as he is also a proud gay man. We get on very well and I am looking forward to more hangs this afternoon.
Yesterday was amazing. I got to see all different sides of Detroit with a tour guide who only sometimes made up the facts, ha. There is a huge old abandoned factory called the Packer plant, situated in a neighbourhood where for every operational house there are 3 burnt out husks surrounding. Apparently the cops don't like people exploring it anymore, so we hid our car around the corner, found an opening and went inside. It was incredible eerie, with trash and debris scattered without pattern, graffiti lining the walls and stairwells to no where. Odd to think that those ripped up floorboards had lived so many lives, and seen so many different feet.
We ate incredible Polish food in this basement restaurant in Hamtramck for lunch, where I was mistaken for the waitress on multiple occasions, probably due to my odd dress sense and ridiculous pale skin.
John took me to an incredible rare book store that just had floors and floors of amazing books. I spent 20minutes reading about the feminist influence of local American Indian tribes on the early suffragettes of this country, but unfortunately as I have already amassed a ridiculously heavy collection of books, had to leave it behind.
I was fairly tired and weary from my week in Chicago (still! YOU GUYS.) so we left drinking for a night and went to an incredible old theatre called the Redwood. John volunteers there, playing piano and taking tickets, so we got into see Seahawks, an old Errol Flynn movie, for four dollars. Fuck this place is cheap. Beautiful community of passionate people, generally older, who love their theatre and want to preserve it for all. A small 18 year old prodigy organist played the theatre organ at intermission, and they had an MC who did 50s style advertisements for the local businesses. It was like stepping back in time.
So that is Detroit so far I guess. Up to Toronto next, then Montreal and then hooking back down through the Northeast into Boston, NYC, Philly and DC, before heading back to Chicago to drive down to Fest! I will try and write a full Chicago entry soon, but very briefly, I found a home away from home. I met and looked after Toby in Melbourne earlier this year, and he more than returned the favour, introducing me to all his friends, letting me sleep on the most comfortable couch in punk rock and making my time there all around incredible. His wife Katie is the most rockin' lady you could ever hope to meet, and works at the Gingerman (best bar in Chicago) which is right below their apartment. I spent my days wandering the city, and my nights in the company of new friends. Riot Fest was a blast, also thanks to Toby, and my fellow Jegette, Miss Daisy. This girl hung out with me everyday and didn't get sick of my face! Seriously, if any of you are reading this, there is always a place for you on my couch and for anyone who you vouch for. I miss you so much already Chicago, and I shall see you in about a month!
So you can see internet, that I am busy busy in my favourite pursuit, story collecting. I'll try and put up some photos as well so that you have an idea of my journey so far.
Much love,
Rachel
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