The effort to travel is there… part 1 (45/100)

It’s January 1st and I caught the resolution bug, but this one doesn’t require lots of sleep (though that would be amazing) and cough syrup (seriously, I need to stop coughing), it requires getting up-out. Here are the (realistic) places I’d like to hit up this year in order of how ever they pop up in my head:

1. New York City — I’ve never been to the NYC. I’ve listed to the Wu and watched a lot of movies but I’ve never actually been to the city that has inspired millions of songs. It’s where Lindsay would like to live after she finishes graduate school, and since I don’t really mind where I live, as long as there’s an Internet connection and a computer, I’m game. She talks a lot about Brooklyn, I think a lot about Yankee fans and wearing my Os cap every. damn. day.
2. Los Angeles — There are three reasons for why I’d like to go to LA. One, I need a vacation that feels like visiting a completely new place without all the annoyance of not having your familiar car. Two, I’d like to take some meetings with friends and friends of friends about projects. A few years ago I was convinced that we would end up out here. I had an in with a Disney cartoon show and until they hired some scabs, I was actually being considered. Three, the last time I was out here, things got tainted by some people I no longer like to be around. I’m looking to create memories of the city that are based in positivity. Something like driving out to the Getty, making jokes about the sheer number of lingerie shops on Hollywood Blvd and thinking about how the water would feel before catching TB or Hep C.
3. Anaheim — Yeah, this is a lot like LA, but I’m told that Anaheim is actually 50 miles from LA. Who knew? I was invited to be on a panel about modern depictions of monsters at Wonder Con and I really, really, really want to attend, talk and sell some books. Plus, I hear they have oranges there!
4. Denver — I wrote this book called Tethered and released it last year. It takes place in Colorado (mostly Denver) and we used to live there. I really, really don’t like Denver. It’s a beautiful city with the kind of attitude that leaves me wanting to flee and the obsession with beer and pot that gets annoying fast. But my book is set in Colorado, so I feel like I should at least try and sell it there. Get a table at Denver Comic Con, drum up some sales and support, maybe convince my former editor to write an article about me in the Westword.
5. Seoul — After living in Seoul for two years, I feel like a big part of me begrudges being separated from it’s culture, food and people. While I’d never work there, the work culture is largely toxic and I’d like to keep my sanity, I would move back in a second. It’s the perfect combination of a modern city with history, the WiFi flows like soju with the intense conversations I crave.