Jaykeb...a Bears fan?

Looks like Jaykeb will be a Bears fan. Did not enjoy watching the Colts too much in their last two games, but the little boy has a smile on his face here donning the Bears outfit given to him by his Auntie Wendy.
Can't blame him, after all, I was a Bears baby too (Born in 1985).

A trip out east: Buffalo and much more

2013 has been a hectic year for me. From being offered two journalism jobs in one month only to see both vanish from sight before I could even start work to caring for an infant who has special needs, this year has taught me a number of life lessons and I am confident I have learned a lot and have become a better person from everything that has occurred.

Photo: The burial site of the famous rapper Rick James got me the most likes on Facebook. Thanks to Ramon for finding this!

While the time wasn't set up for a big trip this year, I am an American traveler and was determined to have at least one educational experience away from home. So in late September, my travel buddy Ramon and I set out for Buffalo, New York - a place I had only been to once, a 1996 family trip to see Niagara Falls.
This time, I was equipped with the magic of digital photography and had the ability to capture memories that will last forever.  

And as always, the trip is not just the destination. For me, it is always more about the journey.

So I wasn't too disappointed when the town of Buffalo turned out to be a flop (save for seeing the graveside of notable 1980s rapper Rick James). The city, about a half hour west of Niagara Falls, was like a ghost-town and made Cleveland and Detroit look like blooming metropolises. The Artspace project has yet to revitalize downtown Buffalo and there were a number of dangerous, run-down neighborhoods we ran in to.The highlight of the town of Buffalo was Anchor Bar, the site of the first-ever Buffalo wing. A good slice of Americana there.

Niagara Falls was of course beautiful even though we could only see a portion of Horseshoe Falls from the American side. The town of Niagara Falls was much like Buffalo, unfortunately.

Tailgating before the Buffalo Bills game in Orchard Park was a fantastic experience and something I finally got to knock off my bucket list. The game was great too, albeit in a "college-like" stadium. The Bills won in the final minutes, but fans should know not to make too much noise when their team has the ball.

On the way home, we stopped in Cleveland and Detroit (like Buffalo, a pair of blue-collar cities hit hard by the rust belt and economic downturn). Detroit has a serious issue with abandoned buildings. About more than half of their structures should be demolished as soon as possible. There is also graffiti on just about every building not in the Downtown district. It seems like the city has spent too much money on statues downtown and the aesthetic look of the area near the Riverwalk and not enough on improving other neighborhoods.

Cleveland was not in as bad of shape, but the overall feel of Lake Erie's biggest city was depressing (and not just  because of their sports' teams contant lack of success).

The best towns on the trip proved to be Erie, Pennsylvania and Fort Wayne, Indiana - Good size towns that are clean and support a happy group of residents. They have no major sports teams of can't miss landmarks, but I will always say Presque Isle State Park in Erie is one of the most beautiful sites in America. We drove along a curve out to a peninsula to see plenty of wildlife beaches and got great views of Downtown Erie.

Overall it was a great trip. Navigation helped us hit all our planned spots and then some too.