When we last left Brian Alexander, who made Tuscaloosa his first stop in a cross-country road trip, he was storming out of T-Town en route to the Northeast. After a 900-mile haul, Brian and his friend, Stevie Long, made it to New York City on July 13. This marked their first stop that was longer than one night as they connected with many of their AmeriCorps friends.
One resourceful friend introduced the two to Groupons, online, deal-of-the-day coupons. The Internet phenomenon, which started in 2008 in Chicago, serves a variety of major markets (including Birmingham, Ala.) and allows users to save up to 90 percent on meals. Making the most of their saved dollars, Brian and Stevie enjoyed some local entertainment.
“In Greenwich Village, we were invited to see an improv comedy show,” Alexander said. “The audience got to participate – Stevie and I tested our metal in a beer chugging relay.”
The comedy group, Friday Night Face Off, offers a show in the same vein as “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Actors compete in word games, whether by continuing a story one sentence at a time or battling with rapped puns. But the show offers a different element as well. In the theme of a Japanese game show, actors are punished for their mistakes. After watching failed participants wince upon impact with paintballs or shocks from dog collars, Brian admitted that he chuckled at the cheerful torture. Stevie had a harder time.
“She hated it,” Alexander said.
After an evening of sometimes-horrific comedy, the two randomly ran into an old friend – in a city of 8 million – and shared stories over drinks.
“The bigger the world gets, the smaller the world gets,” Alexander said. “It was especially funny to see that happen in New York City.”
From New York, Brian and Stevie made their way to another college town in Keene, N.H. There, they got a chance to enjoy nature, vaulting off 30-foot rocks into a river that reminded Brian of Tolkien’s land of the elves.
After their river romps, the pair trekked to Boston to visit more AmeriCorps buddies. The trip was short, however, and the two returned to N.H. to visit Brian’s old friend, Erin “ET” Taylor. The pair, now a trio, ventured up the Maine coast taking in sights of rocky, lighthouse-adorned shores and tasting such local treats as tasty lobster rolls.
Things began to go awry in Canada. Failed communication with would-be hosts caused Brian and Stevie to dig into their pockets to procure shelter. Despite financial hardship, they enjoyed the town, hiking on Mount Royal and managing to avoid the “rude French-Canadians you hear so much about.”
Diverting from their plan to see Toronto, the travelers then headed to Niagara Falls. While Brian took in the awesome sight of water-over-cliff, Stevie stared at the television. As a soccer athlete in college, she had a keen interest in the Women’s World Cup and was especially devastated by the United States’ loss to Japan. She eventually took out her anger on Brian.
“We threw down in the grass off the road,” Alexander said. “She’s scrappy, but I pinned her twice.”
After a brief stop in Kalamazoo, Mich., they reached Chicago on Monday of last week. This marked their longest hiatus as they stayed with different Chicago friends every night of the week. That Thursday, Brian and Stevie parted ways as she flew back to New Orleans and he departed for Minneapolis, Minn. Brian especially misses the spontaneity of his favorite road trip partner.
“She talks to random people so effortlessly,” Alexander said. “That’s what I want to take from Stevie.”
When I interviewed Brian yesterday, he was five hours out of Chicago on a return trip. His money strains are disheartening, but he feels there may be a silver lining.
“Sure, I’m no longer riding that whirlwind,” Alexander said. “But I’ve had opportunities to relax and make certain relationships even more profound.”
Brian, a person used to the company of strangers, even admits that the constant hospitality has been a little weird.
“I guess when you’re a traveler and don’t really have another choice, you really put yourself out there,” Alexander said. “It’s been pleasant to have so many pick up on that.”
Brian is currently in search of funds to complete his journey.
