"Find this ritzy ski resort a little snobby? Aspenites are working on it," reports the Associated Press. "A city tourism initiative announced this week seeks to shake off Aspen's unfriendly reputation, according to the Aspen Daily News. The "Adopt a Tourist" promotion has city officials asking residents to volunteer to play host for visiting tourists. City promoters say the effort aims to put a more welcoming face on a town sometimes hostile to visitors. A sign behind the bar at one popular watering hole asks, 'If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?' The adoption program was the idea of Paul MacFarlane, a St. Louis native who moved to Aspen two years ago. He was inspired by seeing locals stop to help tourists read a local map on a downtown street corner."
"Yes," writes Post blogger Edward Troy in comment #7, "this was a free speech veil covering for corporate political advertising. yet we are not free to yell fire in a movie theatre, nor are we able to incite riots -- very subjective."
"Within one hour of skiing Powderhorn in Grand Mesa, Colorado, my wife said: 'I love this place,'” writes Post blogger Michael Conniff. "This revelation is no small thing in our little world because my new bride—we married in May 2009—had lost her mojo when it came to skiing and I’m the one to blame.... After a year or two in Colorado, she stopped getting a pass and literally stopped skiing, with me shouldering plenty of blame for same. I won’t say I had to drag her to Powderhorn but what’s the point when you live just outside Aspen, with Ajax, Highlands, Buttermilk, and the massive Snowmass all reachable within the time it takes to listen to a long-play single?"
Posts filed under 'Travel'
Within one hour of skiing Powderhorn in Grand Mesa, Colorado, my wife said: “I love this place.”
This revelation is no small thing in our little world because my new bride—we married in May 2009—had lost her mojo when it came to skiing and I’m the one to blame. She had learned in Ohio before skiing Vermont, and she used to love it, and do it better than well, but as I grew slightly better and much more aggressive I would take her through ungroomed terrain that became the height of her misery and perhaps even a metaphor for our marriage.
After a year or two in Colorado, she stopped getting a pass and literally stopped skiing, with me shouldering plenty of blame for same.
Continue Reading January 30th, 2010
The phrase--sweepıng down the plaıns of Anatolıa--may not resonate wıth you. But ıt's one that's often used to by wrıters descrıbıng the advance of Alexander the Great and the Macedonıans, the Persıans, the Romans, the Moghuls and every other army that passed through what ıs now Turkey on a mıssıon to conquer the world.
Yesterday on a vısıt to Hıerapolıs--a holy cıty ınhabıted by the Romans ın the fırst and second century AD--the ghosts of horseman and theır charıots could be felt below the cıtadel and the defensıve walls of what was once a cıty of more than 100,000 people.
Continue Reading October 8th, 2009
I am now thankfully at the tail end of a trip from hell through New England—and no, it was not because of the godawful BoSawx fans now popping up like bowling pins amidst the dark clouds of Calvinist doom that perpetrate the primordial landscape.
It’s for another goddamn good reason, as they say in Beantown. It because I’m allergic to New England.
My father and uncles and aunts were bred and buttered in Danbury, Connecticut, AKA the Hat City. I went to a small Catholic prep school in New Milford, Connecticut; went to college in Boston and stayed on in local newspapers for a total of nine years; then spent fifteen years more in the friendly confines of Burlington, Vermont. Most of my life, adult and otherwise, has been in New England.
In all of this time, in all of these years, not once did I ever get allergic to anything ever. In the last week we’ve been to Boston, Danbury, New Milford, Burlington, and back to Boston and I am so allergic to some as yet undefined thing I don’t think I’m ever coming back.
[INSERT SNORT, SNEEZE, AND WHEEZE HERE.]
Not that I really wanted to come this way in the first place. As I once said to my Mom: “Mom, if this is Brooklyn, you can have it.” As far as I’m concerned, Mom, you can have New England. It’s not only small but small-minded. It’s not only crowded but a place where people think they can cow you by being louder than a Braintree banshee. And you have to stay up two hours later to watch the West Coast games. How stupid is that?
I can’t wait to get back to Denver, Aspen, and the West—the wide open spaces and really cool place, the wildlife, the rivers, the mountains, the light. I won’t be allergic to anything once I get off the plane at DIA.
As for New England, a strong allergy medication might help but secession is always an option. Maybe this is a gift, a semi-perfect excuse never to come back to this freakin’ waseland ever again.
Who needs New England? Even the Pilgrims could see it for what it is now.
Continue Reading October 6th, 2009
I had a lengthy conversatıon wıth an Iranıan gentleman who spoke Englısh a few days ago. He lıved ın Tehran and was ın Turkey on a classıcal musıc tour and was clearly well educated. When I told hım I was Amerıcan the subject quıckly turned to polıtıcs.
From hıs perspectıve: The recent Iranıan electıon was clearly fraudulent but those who contınue to protest are doıng so at theır perıl and to no avaıl. He personally beleıves Amnıhıjad ıs dangerous and a fool, but he has too much control of the country for anyone else to depose hım.
Continue Reading October 5th, 2009
Well it has been a long time since I posted…actually a year ago I was working Hurricane disasters across our country. Fast forward and today I am one of the many searching for jobs in this country. Since last fall I have been laid off three times. It doesn’t get easier with each lay off. In fact every time I hear that a company is laying off employees it is just a reminder to me that the competition is growing.
Anyway between applying for jobs (I’m averaging 10 applications a week) I have been helping out organizations as needed. Last Spring I assisted the Aspen School for the Deaf in their spring cleaning and the last few months I have been training for the Challenge Aspen marathon. For those of you who do not know Challenge Aspen is a non-profit based in our valley whose mission is to provide recreational and cultural experiences for individuals who have mental or physical “disabilities”. Challenge Aspen participants gain self-confidence and courage and the lives of their family members and friends are often changed from their time in our valley, as they are all encouraged to share in all of the activities provided by Challenge Aspen. (www.challengeaspen.com)
The biggest struggle I have faced is raising money for the marathon. I have reached out to over 300 people and I have only collected $545.00 as most people I know have been hit by the recession. I need to raise $2250.00. So I am humbling reaching out to you. Instead of going out for lunch or dinner this week how about taking the money you would of spent and sponsor me in the Challenge Aspen marathon. Or instead of buying that retail item take the money and sponsor me in the Challenge Aspen marathon. All donations are tax-deductible and all the funds raised go directly to support the programs at Challenge Aspen. It is easy to sponsor me for the Challenge Aspen marathon all you need to do is go online to www.challengeaspenmarathon.kintera.org and click on sponsor a participant and enter my name (Rochelle Obechina).
For your information the marathon I have been training to run is The Marine Corps marathon. The Marine Corps marathon will be held on Sunday October 25th in Washington D.C. The Marine Corps Marathon is a perfect fit for the Challenge Aspen as a portion of the funds I raise will go to C.A.M.O. (Challenge Aspen Military Opportunities), the newest program division within Challenge Aspen that supports veterans with disabilities
Please know that your donation will not only change a life it will support a local organization. Again it is easy to sponsor me for the Challenge Aspen marathon all you need to do is go online to www.challengeaspenmarathon.kintera.org and click on sponsor a participant and enter my name (Rochelle Obechina).
October 4th, 2009
It may have been the Turkısh techno musıc and the beer, but after a whıle some of the men started to joın our sıde of the boat and trıed to communıcate. Turkısh ıs very dıffıcult - and none of them spoke Englısh. One older man had been a guest worker ın Berlın so we muddled through a bıt of conversatıon ın German.After a whıle we started takıng pıctures and they ındıcated they wanted copıes so we exchanged e-maıl addresses.
Continue Reading October 2nd, 2009
She told me that when Saddam was in power there were kidnappings and torture, but these events were isolated and somewhat predictable, because they were focused on those who politically opposed the ruling party, so most people lead fairly "normal" lives. Now she says the random violence is so pernicious and deadly that most Iraqis are afraid to go to the market or anywhere outside their homes.
Continue Reading October 1st, 2009
Last night I went to a performance of the whirling dervishes in a waiting room at the main train station where the Orient Express used to come and go. It began with five musicians playing mournful tunes on a round-backed guitar, two flutes, a hand drum and cymbals. After 15 minutes or so the dervishes entered wearing tall felt hats and floor-length black capes over their long white skirts. They took off the capes and bowed to a priest before beginning to twirl--with their heads cocked to one side and their arms out--one palm facing heaven, the other facing the earth. Members of this Muslim sect find union with God, Love, through their spinning......
Continue Reading September 29th, 2009
Turkey is the first 3rd world country I've been to with no street dogs. There are street cats, however, hundreds of them, and the locals feed and play with them.
This morning I visited the spice market, an immense L-shaped covered bazaar crammed with small shops that sell much more than spices. To wit: blue and white glazed Turkish tiles, cheese by the gram, dozens of kinds of shiny olives, saffron from Iran, coarse apple tea, sardines, sticky pistachio candies, evil-eye charms, perfume vials, and yes, mounds of scarlet, deep green and mustard-hued spices.
Continue Reading September 28th, 2009
Living in white America as I do, it's good to be reminded of the incredible diversity of people living in this world. Walking through the streets of Istanbul today I encountered an astonishing array of world citizens--in addition to Europeans from every country,there were Russians and slavs,Chinese and Indians, and Muslim women wearing a wide range of clothing--young Turkish girls in jean and t-shirts, others like flocks of birds wearing flowing floor-length black robes and head scarves that revealed only their eyes, many older women wearing shapeless long black raincoats and scarves that covered their hair and framed their faces, and still others who wore scarves that covered their heads and were pulled down under their chins to form a "V." All were accompanied by a males in Western clothes--mostly jeans--who walked ahead of them.
Continue Reading September 25th, 2009
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