Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

The northern part of Long Island was cool. Reminded me of a flatter, more open version of Martha's Vineyard.



Hit a lot of traffic coming down, but finally made it to my new home for the next ??? days. Fireworks in the background must be a good omen of things to come.

AntiHero,

I spent the last two weeks reading your RR and loved it!

It's hard to say how much your RR captivated me, even if I could write you in Portuguese. Your trip isn't so different from the ones I used to do here in Brazil. At least in terms of "no-ideal-bike for a long trip" and "no planning at all".

As someone has already said, your RR can be named as "LR" (Life Report). Your writing style is amazing and I think you could produce not only one, but two books: one about the story of the trip and the other one made only with the photos.

I root for your health.

The day was just surreal. I woke up knowing stress awaited. Had to get my ass off of MV, make sure the house was perfect, pack/load my gear, rush to a new ferry location, (shit, petrol light now?), ticket, board, unboard, etc. etc. And then I'm welcomed like family into a stranger's home who immediately aren't strangers at all, then it's off again....board another ferry, repeat. And then I arrive where I need to be 11 hours after I left, cold and starving (thank god for Mary feeding me in MA!). Only arriving where I needed to be wasn't precise enough and I couldn't access my email A half mile of boats and docks is not easy to navigate in the dark while carrying a bunch of gear.

I was pointed in the direction I needed to be by a drunken, gruff, but very friendly, (it's NY, not CA, where everyone freaks out if a stranger talks to them) sailor carrying a bag of trash. The pictures below paint the picture, but what is lacking is what's going through my mind. I think it needs a neologism. The definition would be:

noun
1. ease of mind after exertion or labor
2. relief when exposed to anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs
3. spiritual or mental tranquility, despite the conditions that led to it

asequence (ah SEE qwee ens) would make sense - arriving at a peaceful location or mental state despite the stressful, antagonistic conditions encountered or required to get there.

wait from a sweet pad on MV to a luxury yacht on LI...hmmm life certainly appears to be going a-ok

(AntiHero whistles innocently.)


_

Reminds me of Oakland...

I know it's not Detroit, but it can't be very far behind...

JG

I live right on Detroit's northern border and I work in Midtown, which is actually a pretty decent place to be. Unfortunately, it's only a few acres out of the almost 1,300 square miles that is the city of Detroit. There are nice places in the city, believe it or not, but the sheer size of the city is hard to comprehend - the total area of abandoned property alone in Detroit is about the same as that of the entire city of San Francisco. This, I believe, is Detroit's fundamental problem. It's simply too big. There are maybe 10 or 20 square miles of decent areas in the city, the rest is more or less a patchwork of dilapidated houses and abandoned factories. There's no way the city can provide adequate services to that big of an area, but none of the surrounding suburbs want to take over any part of the city, either. There are other problems of course, like perennially corrupt and ineffectual city politics, and an unwillingness to pitch in on the part of the surrounding suburbs, some of which are among the wealthiest communities in the world.

It's a mess, for sure. I definitely feel for the Detroit police department - they have more on their plates than any police force should have to deal with.

Just wanted to let you know that both of these really struck a cord with me. Do you have a book by Joseph Campbell that you'd suggest? First time I've heard of him and it sounds like something I'd enjoy reading.

Your RR is amazing. Great balance of stories, food, people, and philosophy/deep thinking. And a really sexy bike to top it off.

Will shoot you a PM, Rob.

Been here in NY now for a week. And it’s been a long week, too, sometime time dilates because of boredom and anticipation (think of how slowly minutes pass while waiting to get out of a plane) but sometimes time slows because life is good, really good. The hero of the New York chapter has been, is--and always will be--a man I call Dr. J. The guy is a complete oxymoron, a combination of seemingly disparate, contradictory and exclusionary qualities all wrapped into one. He’s got musculature that puts him in a category of the Incredible Hulk, an intellect that puts him well into Professor X/genius territory, has enough dare-devil and risk-taking stories to last a lifetime (including racing in Grand Am), but also, oh, happens to be a surgeon….you name it and he’s done it. And if you’ve lusted after it he’s probably owned it, too (including a boss GT3 RS). But god damn if he also isn’t the humblest, nicest, most sincere, and unaffected guy you've ever met (contrasts nicely with a NY accent that could easily land him in a role of baritone mob boss in a Coppola Mafia Trilogy). In short, he’s the kind of guy who could destroy competitors as easily on a track (or in a fight) as easily as he could dispatch contenders on Jeopardy. If there was a zombie apocalypse or a hostile alien invasion or WWIII, he’s the guy I’d call first.

Here's the man, with an infectious smile and the kind of laugh that makes others wish they were half as happy (notice Steve Tyler sulking in the background):



We first started talking around Indianapolis after my post about how people adopt a particular persona and outward appearance based on the activities they participate in and offered up his boat to me whenever I got to NY. Being the modest guy he is, the “boat” turned out to be a 3 bedroom/2 bath yacht (WiFi, washer/dryer, kitchen, and a fully stocked bar). It’s a floating luxury apartment, not a ‘boat’!

As if giving me the key to his yacht for an indefinite time wasn't quite enough, Dr. J also decided to take me out to dinner, where I got to meet his wife (our Panamera Turbo chauffeur/DD for the night) and son.

Sometimes you think life can't get any worse and it does. But sometimes you think life can't get any better....and then, bam!, it does.

(Enough oysters and clams to feed an angry swarm of Otters:)



His wife is a charming Naval officer (who, btw, can do more push-ups than most mortals) and his son is a star lacrosse player/quarterback and devoted to academics, too. If all sons came out like this dude I'd be looking for a wife to settle down with.


45 day aged steaks paired nicely with the Turley Rattlesnake Ridge Zin:




(The waiters didn't even blink when the Strider came out before dessert.)

Great night. Great night indeed.

That Sea Ray ain't that bad....you lucky son of a.....Almost as a Ducati.....yes yes you can sleep in it...

Awesome, I wouldnt mind an exterior pic of the boat.

(Exterior pic at the top of the page)

More pics to give you a little bit of an idea of what it's like here:

I assure you that Detroit PD is not the only PD in the nation working 12 hour shifts (or any hour shifts!) that is understaffed. I'm from Detroit and yes, it's hell. The MASS corruption in that city turned it into what it is more than anything else. Chicago is quickly following.

Dr. J seems like he gave U a great NY reception, that most couldn't pull off.

Kudos to ADVers & moto riders everywhere who help they're fellow riders

Didnt see it, I'll blame it on temporary blindness

Yes ADV is a great community, seems like nearly everyone has at least a little Dr. J in them

I'm behind on my PMs, guys--not ignoring anyone! Stay tuned....

Before the spoils of hard work comes hard work. As my own symbolic way of proving that point, I’m going to write the next installment (tonight, by hook or crook!) in advance of posting the next series of pictures. Here’s a hint of what’s to come, though:





Dreams do come true.