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Author: steveahenry

Maine. Vacationland.

Maine. Vacationland.

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
-Stephen King
Stephen King

Fanta selfie in Maine

It is highly ironic that such a beautiful place produced one of the craziest authors of all time, Stephen King. Why wouldn’t he write about the beauty of his hometown of Maine and what a wonderful place it is to take a vacation? Maybe he didn’t want to be bothered by all the tourists.

After driving in to New Hampshire, I took a quick dash over to Maine. And when I say quick, I mean quick. 4.6 miles. 10 minutes.

NH to ME
Regal Cinema in New Hampshire (where I saw Batman: The Killing Joke) to The Kittery Outlets in Maine. 4.6 miles.

Since I did not spend much time in Maine, I wanted to share three of my favorite book-to-movie Stephen King adaptations.

The LangoliersThe Langoliers:

Most of the passengers on an airplane disappear, and the remainder land the plane in a mysteriously barren airport.

The first time I saw this movie on television, it freaked me out. I was glued to my couch from beginning to finish. One of my favorite actors is in this movie, Dean Stockwell. He was the sleazy “manager” guy from the gun range in the Beverly Hills Cop movie with Eddie Murphy.


Thinner:Stephen King's Thinner

Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke) is an obese lawyer who is cursed by a gypsy to lose weight…and lose weight…and lose weight…

Thinner is so worth the watch. It’s creepy at its best and just makes you wonder what would happen if you were in this guy’s position.

My favorite part about this movie is when he hits the gypsy. He was getting some head while driving and not paying attention and then all of a sudden, BAM! Hahaha. What a way to make a mistake. Stephen King is a genius.

Make sure you check out Thinner if you can.

 

Shawshank

Shawshank Redemption:

Two imprisoned men (Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
New Hampshire The Beautiful

New Hampshire The Beautiful

“I like my life alone. I mean, I love being with friends and I love kissing and loving someone to pieces. But it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t ultimately start judging you and your choices. Men like to squash you. I just want someone who’s happy with himself, happy with his life. He doesn’t have to squash mine.”
-Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman

New Hampshire is very green and very beautiful. If you ever have time for a nice little vacation and want some serious peace and quiet, come here (in addition to Maine and Vermont).

Side note: I’ve seen more Volvos in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine than any other states I’ve visited. What’s up with that?

Driving from New Hampshire to Vermont was 100% eye candy. I can’t stress that enough. It feels a little bit like driving through Tennessee and Arkansas but even better. New Hampshire and VermontThe trees. Vegetation. Summer breeze. Sunny skies.

The funny thing is, if you look at both states next to each other, it looks like a rectangle split diagonally down the middle. Maybe they were related a long time ago and got into a really bad argument.

Mark Hamill - The JokerThe drive up from Massachusetts to New Hampshire was also beautiful until about 30 minutes before arriving to my hotel. All of sudden, a huge storm of rain fell from the sky and visibility was close to nothing. I made it to my hotel ok and you would think I stayed there, right? Nope.

I had a ticket to go see “Batman: The Killing Joke“ so there I was, back in the storm, driving 17 minutes to see Mark Hamill as the voice of the Joker. He slayed as The Joker and Kevin Conroy was great as the voice of Batman. I love animated features.

The plot behind The Killing Joke animated feature: As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime (Joker) attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness.

I enjoyed the movie very much. I didn’t think it was spectacular but everyone did a good job. The sub plot between Batgirl and a misogynistic mobster was great. So was the “romantic” relationship between Batman and Batgirl. I think that I’ve been so used to seeing Batman and Joker go at it, it was nice to see some different plot lines for a change. I hope they keep adding interesting non-Batman/Joker sub plots when they make animated features in the future.

Crazy night. Crazy storm. Crazy movie. Crazy villain.

The perfect way to retire for the night before traveling to Vermont the next day, right?

Massachusetts Drive-Thru

Massachusetts Drive-Thru

“It’s just better to be yourself than to try to be some version of what you think the other person wants.”
-Matt Damon
Matt Damon

Selfie in Massachusetts
Selfie at the Massachusetts Welcome Center.

My initial plan was to visit Boston and M.I.T. once I arrived in Massachusetts. But that didn’t happen. Instead, I circumvented downtown since I did not have as much time and headed to New Hampshire. I had booked a movie time in New Hampshire to see “Batman: The Killing Joke” in the theater. There’s no way I was going to miss that. This animated feature was only in the theater for 1 or 2 days. Limited showings.

https://youtu.be/SnTSqgJPVl8

Look how I sneakily circumvented downtown.

Map of Massachusetts

I’ll leave you with another quote from one of my favorite actor/directors who was born in Massachusetts.

Life, like poker has an element of risk. It shouldn’t be avoided. It should be faced.
-Edward Norton
Edward Norton

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

“A year or so ago I went through all the people in my life and asked myself: does this person inspire me, genuinely love me and support me unconditionally? I wanted nothing but positive influences in my life.”
-Mena Suvari

The drive into Rhode Island was pretty boring and quiet. It was in the middle of the day on a Monday and downtown was beautiful with old-school style buildings.

Providence, Rhode Island reminded me of Boise, Idaho but with 9 more black people. I think I saw 2 when I was in Idaho, not counting my reflection.

Goodnight.

Rhode Island State House
Chilling in front of the Rhode Island State House. Beautiful building.

 

Rhode Island State House
Downtown at the mall. It was as boring and empty as you are picturing it.
New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

(on why she hasn’t been working recently) “I’ve been famous since I was a teenager. There are a lot of empty spaces in that. I just feel like I’ve been filling in the cracks a little bit. I feel very fortunate, very free.”
-Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan

Yale University is an American private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701 in Saybrook Colony as the Collegiate School, the University is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The school was renamed Yale College in 1718 in recognition of a gift from Elihu Yale, who was governor of the British East India Company. Established to train Congregationalist ministers in theology and sacred languages, by 1777 the school’s curriculum began to incorporate humanities and sciences. In the 19th century the school incorporated graduate and professional instruction, awarding the first Ph.D. in the United States in 1861 and organizing as a university in 1887.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_University)

Whoah. With this kind of history, I could not drive through Connecticut without visiting one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the US. Yale University. Wow. Although it was summer session and the campus was mostly empty, it was a beautiful place to visit. The buildings definitely had an old-school feel to them and are not very contemporary, which makes the place that much better in my opinion.

I had some fun on the campus, shot a video for my Instagram account, took some pics, ate some thai food and bought a souvenir t-shirt. Good times.

FUN VIDEO:

 

YALE PHOTO GALLERY:

Lady Liberty, New York

Lady Liberty, New York

“I’m very proud to be black, but black is not all I am. That’s my cultural historical background, my genetic makeup, but it’s not all of who I am nor is it the basis from which I answer every question.”
-Denzel Washington
Denzel

I first moved to New York in 1986. After growing up in the Caribbean, it was the first major city I ever visited. And I remember her very well. She was big, busy, beautiful and smelled like piss. Not sure who came up with “The Big Apple”. The apples I ate never smelled like piss.

I still don’t know why but my parents never took us to any major New York attractions. My best guess is because my dad hates “crowds” and “spectacles”. Unlike me, the entertainer in the family, who doesn’t mind them at allThe Bull in New York. My dad also hates going to the movies. The closest we ever got to a crowded activity was attending a Yankee game in the Bronx.

Class trips during my two years in New York consisted of visiting apple orchards in upstate New York. Maybe that’s why I’m not that into apples. I ate my fair share when I was 11 and 12 years old.

Two years living in New York and many years of visits but still, never saw the Empire State Building, World Trade Center or the Statue of Liberty up close.

Being an immigrant, I was always fascinated by the Statue of Liberty: the gateway to the new world. I finally purchased my tickets, asked my friend to go with me and had a wonderful time hanging with Lady Liberty.

It’s a crazy process to get to her. The ferry that sails over to her left from Battery Park. I stayed at a Holiday Inn in the financial district, which was an easy 15 minute walk to the ferry dock. It’s no joke once you get to the dock. If you ever go, be prepared for really long lines with airport-like security. There was even a sign that said there would be “airport-like security”. Hey, at least they warned us.

It was hot too. Really hot! Mid 90s. The kind of heat that makes you wear big ass hats and not think about your outward appearance.

After security, you stand on a dock and board one of the ferries that takes you to Lady Liberty. Once that thing leaves, it’s a great ride and your 360-degree view is The Big Pissy Apple. It was great.

Ferry view of New York

Once on the island, my friend and I grabbed a device that provided an “audio tour” but it was useless. Audio Tour goofy face under Lady LibertyWe learned nothing, there were no headphones and you were better off googling what you wanted to know or reading information posted around the island. You literally had to hold this thing up to your ear.

Quite honestly, Lady Liberty was beautiful and majestic but if not for her history, I actually thought it was a waste. Yeah, I know, imagine… for a long time I wanted to see something marvelous and when I finally did, the climax was mediocre.

People watching was more interesting. I wanted someone to drop their iPhone in the river so bad. It never happened but hey a guy can dream.

On the way back, the ferry did a mandatory stop at Ellis Island, which I had no interest in. Eventually, passengers filled the boat and we went back to Battery Park.

So yeah. The Statue of Liberty was anti-climactic but the day was beautiful, the views were great, the sweet sausage hot dog I ate on the ferry was delicious and I had a great time hanging with my buddy Marylou. Have a nice day.

Marylou and I on our way to Lady Liberty

Alice in Chains. Yes, please.

Alice in Chains. Yes, please.

“There are times you can’t really see or even feel how sweet life can be. Hopefully its mountains will be higher than its valleys are deep. I know things that are broken can be fixed. Take the punch if you have to, hit the canvas and then get up again. Life is worth it.”
-Queen Latifah (Dana Owens)
Dana Owens

Atlantic City, New Jersey was surprisingly fun. I always make jokes about Atlantic City being the fake Las Vegas but I had a helluva time.

Alice in ChainsThat probably had something to do with my buddy, Dean Delray. Dean was in town performing with the rock band, Alice in Chains, doing 20 minutes of comedy before the start of their rock concert at The Trump Taj Majal. How freaking cool!

It’s an epic opportunity for him to be touring with them this summer. And a wonderful coincidence that New Jersey was the next state on my ultimate road trip checklist.

Can you believe it? First off, I got to hang with my buddy, Dean. Again. I saw him a few weeks ago in Denver and we did comedy together at Comedy Works. Secondly, I met Alice in Chains, a great rock group and even better group of people (they love golf as much as I do). And finally, I knocked another item off the bucket list by seeing them perform, which was my first time seeing a rock concert LIVE. It’s hard to believe that but it’s true. From beginning to end.

As if that wasn’t epic enough, I hung out backstage with everyone, ate some great food and stayed at the Trump Taj Mahal for the night in a killer suite. Thanks again Dean. You rock dude.

Dean and myself in Atlantic City

Check out the view.

Scotland, Calm. Paris, Madness.

Scotland, Calm. Paris, Madness.

“I never trashed a hotel room or did drugs. I understand if you get caught in a fight, but to take it out on a room that implies some psychiatric disorder. The way I was brought up made me think about the person who has to clean up afterwards.”
-Sean Connery
Sean Connery

My primary purpose for visiting Scotland was to see The Open Championship at Royal Troon. I wasn’t disappointed. What a majestic place, beautiful golf course and amazing golf tournament. I loved it immensely.

Troon is a nice, quaint, small little town in Scotland. To get there from the city of Glasgow, you have to take a train for about 30 minutes. It’s a beautiful ride with golf courses and magnificent vistas left and right.

My observations about Scotland are below. I stayed in the city of Glasgow, visited Edinburgh for one night and also flew to Paris for a day while over there. I needed to see the Eiffel Tower again … for the 3rd time!

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

  • There’s Wi-Fi everywhere! Between coffee shops, bars, restaurants and the city centre, you’re always connected. On my way to Royal Troon golf course, I connected to Wi-Fi at the train station. Blew me away!
  • We flew over a few golf courses on the way to Glasgow International Airport from Philadelphia. It was a nice teaser for what was to come.
  • I personally think that all airplanes should land on a golf course. But that’s just me.
  • On the flight to Scotland, I saw plenty of cloud cover. It rains a lot in the United Kingdom so I wasn’t surprised but these clouds looked real pissed off. Haha.
  • I stayed in Kelvingrove. A nice little area west of the city of Glasgow and very close to the University of Glasgow. It was nice, quiet, warm and peaceful. Nice place to go write a book or retire. Kelvingrove will see me again for sure.
  • There’s no shortage of places to eat or drink. There are bars (or pubs) on every corner and you can find all sorts of cuisine, including: African (Calabash), Indian (Curry Pot), American, Soul Food (Gumbo) and English of course.
  • Everyone is warm and sincere.
  • There are regular taxis, uber taxis, trains and bus transportation available in the city. If you get lost in Glasgow, you’re an idiot. It’s a small city with plenty of options.
  • Quick tip about dining: most kitchens tend to close around 10pm. The bars are open though. Surprise, surprise.
  • Hmmm, what can I say about driving on the left side of the road if you’re not used to it. Relax, don’t panic and always remember: STAY LEFT! Even when you’re turning RIGHT!
  • The women are nice and have sexy accents.
  • The more drunk a Scot gets, the worse they are to understand. I had a 10-minute conversation with a drunk woman where I nodded my head after every sentence. I had no clue what she was saying. Zero. No wait, I understood her name: Karen. That’s all I got.
  • Nigerians dress like Kanye. Different. Flashy. Loud.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

  • Beautiful city. Bars everywhere.
  • Visit the Edinburgh Castle. You’ll thank me later.

NEVER HEARD ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS IN SCOTLAND

  • kale
  • vegan
  • modeling
  • audition
  • headshot
  • race/racism
  • green juice
  • smoothie

I DID HEAR

  • Brilliant!
  • Enjoy the golf!
  • Fancy
  • No bother

PARIS, FRANCE

  • Ever since the terrible tragedies in France, they’ve beefed up security at the Tower. In 2009, I took a photo directly underneath the tower. On my visit, it was barricaded and there were security personnel everywhere.
  • I took a taxi back to the main metro station (Gare Du Nord) and traffic was madness. There was no order. People made turns wherever they wanted to. I’m glad to be alive.
  • The city was very busy. July is a core tourist season for Paris so if you think about going, plan for long lines, annoying summer heat and crazy traffic. It’s worth it but just be prepared.
  • The Holiday Inn in Montmartre is amazing. They even offer a customized cell phone in your room that you can use to navigate your way around Paris. This includes food, transportation and free phone calls.
Philadelphia: City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia: City of Brotherly Love

“If you’re not willing to work hard, let someone else do it. I’d rather be with someone who does a horrible job, but gives 110% than with someone who does a good job and gives 60%.”
-Will Smith
Will Smith - born in Philadelphia

WELCOME TO PENNSYLVANIA: STATE OF INDEPENDENCE

Philadelphia. City of Brotherly Love. Who came up with that nickname? What love are they talking about?LOVE art in Philadelphia It definitely depends on who you ask, what day of the week it is and the area where you live. This is the same with “Los Angeles: City of Angels”. Ha. Even Angelenos laugh at that nickname.

I grew up here for close to half of my life. Pre-teen years to college graduation. It’s always nice to come home to Philly but quite honestly, I can only spend 3 or 4 days here at a time. Most of the friends I grew up with have settled down and have families now. Trying to meet with people is tough. So, I come home, chill with my family and then go back to my life in the sunny City of Angels.

It’s so hard to digest the fact that many of the amazing friends I had in middle school, high school and college have just disappeared over the years. It hurts a little. My stepmom and I had a deep discussion about this and she mentioned that it happened to her as well. Best friends she had in New York withered away over the years. People grow up. They have lives. They have kids. Families. Wives. Husbands. New friends. Life happens.

A few years ago I used Facebook and tagged 4 0r 5 of some old high school friends to try and have dinner in downtown Philadelphia. I picked 3 different places, 3 different times and 2 different days. The post started out very positive and then all of a sudden, there was nothing. Everyone stopped responding and the meeting did not happen. Ever since that day, I made the decision that if folks wanted to see me, the ball was in their court.

I have about 2 or 3 friends left who I do see every now and then when I come home. I focus on them and give them my time when we can catch up. I’m not hurt anymore. I’ve wised up and accepted the fact that people have their lives to live. My stepmom is one of the wisest people I know and I definitely thank her for helping me to understand how that works.

With that being said, my friend Marylou and I went to see, The Secret Life of Pets at the Plymouth Meeting Mall. Secret Life of Pets movie poster - Kevin Hart from Philadelphia stars in it.The movie started out super slow but all of a sudden, it turned into a funny and cool ride. Man, Kevin Hart killed it. When you see the movie, you will see what I mean. Either the bunny character he played was perfect for him or someone wrote it tailored to his personality. I was dying with laughter.

Marylou was one of my best friends in college and we lost touch over the years. She got caught up in her life and I got caught up in mine. But after reconnecting a few years ago, it’s like a continuation of the college days. Great conversations. Cool times hanging out. Great dinners. I’m glad she’s back in my life. Our friendship will last forever.

As usual, it was beautiful to see my family. We had a small get-together for my brother’s birthday celebration and it was filled with delicious food, laughter and silly banter. My family is simply the best. I love them dearly. They make me laugh out loud like crazy. My brothers are my gems (Junior and Patrick). I helped raise them. I was the first to go to college in my family and they followed in my footsteps to obtain college degrees and live happy lives.

I’ve always been torn with the city of Philadelphia. Growing up here, people used to start fights with me because I had a Caribbean accent. Weird, right? At one point, I walked to middle school with a huge stick in my hand determined to battle whoever wanted to fight me. I grew up in the days when folks held you up at gun point for your Michael Jordan sneakers and snatched your gold chain while you were waiting on a train platform. Ignorant behavior. Still happens today. Even while I was writing this blog, my manager posted an article about an asian man getting robbed and beaten up in the Fern Rock area for his valuables. What the fuck, man?! 2016 vs 1992. No freaking difference.

I know Philadelphia is a great city. I’ve lived here long enough to know that and of course, I’ve seen greatness and love aside from all the crime and negativity on the news. It’s not the place for me though. I love to visit but it stops there. My life now resides in Hollywood as an entertainer.

I do thank Philly for giving me some edge while growing up. It can be a tough, little city and I carry all the lessons learned from my past experiences with me wherever I go. See you on my next visit.

Happy Birthday Patrick!
Brothers in Philadelphia - Yay

Delaware. Endless Discoveries.

Delaware. Endless Discoveries.

[on acting]
“The darker, more complex and emotional the part is, the easier it is for me. But I don’t take any of that stuff home with me at the end of the day.”
-Elisabeth Shue
elizabeth shue

Selfie at Univ of Delaware

I did not stay long in Delaware so there’s not much to talk about. It’s a beautiful state and you don’t have to pay sales taxes on most retail items. Growing up, I always thought that was a joke but it wasn’t. And THAT aspect of Delaware, I do like very much.

Besides that, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything else going on in Delaware. Oh wait … it’s a good place to set up a business but yeah, that’s it. If there’s more, let me know. No one ever RAVES about Delaware. It’s just kind of — there — in the wind. No one ever goes, “Dude, you gotta go to Delaware and check out ____!”, like they would about Las Vegas, New York or New Orleans.

With that being said, here’s an interesting list I’ve compiled throughout my trip that I think is fun.

Hope you enjoy it.

SO FAR MY…

Favorite States:

  • Colorado
  • Texas
  • Louisiana
  • North Carolina

Favorite Cities:

  • Las Vegas, NV
  • Denver, CO
  • New Orleans, LA

Favorite Places To Eat:

  • Akira Sushi in New Orleans, LA
  • Waffle House in Biloxi, Mississippi
  • Bojangles in Charlotte, North Carolina

Favorite Party Stop:

  • New Orleans, LA

Favorite Comedy Club:

  • Comedy Works in Denver, CO

Cheapest Gas:

  • Tennessee (1.76/gallon)

Scariest Drives:

  • Leaving New Mexico and heading into the mountains of Colorado after sunset with a lightning storm looming in the distance
  • Crossing the West Virginia-Virginia border at 1:30am JUST to get my selfie

Creepiest Drive:

  • Back roads of Alabama (I swear you could feel the racism swaying from the branches.)

Coolest Sights:

  • Edward Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama
  • The White House
  • The Linq Wheel in Las Vegas
  • The back roads of Tennessee and Arkansas (beautiful trees)

Most Asked Questions About My Trip:

  • What’s up with the Fanta?
  • Where’s the dinosaur?
  • Where are you??

Longest Drive:

  • Louisiana to Mississippi to Florida to Alabama to Georgia to Tennessee (~11 hours).