Round Three: The Great Northeast Brewery Tour

It's been a busy winter. Definitely the busiest I can remember. Since January 15th, when Voyageur Press published my third book, I've been up and down the East Coast from Maryland to Maine and back. Snow and ice stymied my plans here and there, but overall it's been wonderful meeting so many people who want to learn more about craft beer, and I've enjoyed returning to many of the breweries Bethany and I visited during our research for The Great Northeast Brewery Tour. In fact, it's been so much fun that I'm hitting the road a third time at the end of the month, beginning in Newburyport, Massachusetts. 

Once again, for details about times and locations, please check out the book's Facebook page or follow me on Twitter. See you in a few weeks!

• Friday, March 21, 2014 - RiverWalk Brewing Company (Newburyport, MA) 
• Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - BRIX Wine Shop (Boston, MA) 
• Thursday, March 27, 2014 - Moat Mountain Brewing Company (North Conway, NH)
• Friday, March 28, 2014 - Oxbow Brewing Company (Newcastle, ME)
• Friday, March 28, 2014 - Elements: Books, Coffee, Beer (Biddeford, ME)
• Sunday, March 30, 2014 - Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge (Annapolis, MD) 
• Thursday, April 3, 2014 - Thomas Hooker Brewing Company (Bloomfield, CT)  
• Friday, April 4, 2014 - The Spotty Dog Books & Ale (Hudson, NY)

More Northeast Brewery Tour... Touring

Nearly a month has passed since Voyageur Press published The Great Northeast Brewery Tour. The reception has been positive so far, and I've kept busy with appearances at bookstores and breweries and interviews with reporters in Connecticut, Maryland, and New York City. Snowstorms and the "Polar Vortex" teamed up to challenge my promotional efforts, but even extreme winter weather couldn't keep people away. (I'm guessing that thermal underwear convinced those on the fence to venture out in spite of the low temperatures.)

Well, in defiance of the cold and Punxsutawney Phil's pessimistic prediction, I'm hitting the road again at the end of February. This time I'm traveling as far north as Maine, and I'll also be returning to Philadelphia to the south. And while I will have copies with me, I'm more than happy to sign books that you've already purchased. I've listed the confirmed events below, but more information can be found on the book's Facebook page. Keep track of news and reviews by following me on Twitter, and stop by any of these places to say hello:

• Saturday, February 22, 2014 - Rising Tide Brewing Company (Portland, ME)
• Sunday, February 23, 2014 - Cape Ann Brewing Company (Gloucester, MA)
• Sunday, February 23, 2014 - Portsmouth Book & Bar (Portsmouth, NH)
• Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
• Thursday, February 27, 2014 - Lucky's Last Chance (Philadelphia, PA)
• Friday, February 28, 2014 - The Hop (Beacon, NY)
• Friday, February 28, 2014 - Crossroads Brewing Company (Athens, NY)
• Saturday, March 1, 2014 - The Green Toad Bookstore (Oneonta, NY)
• Saturday, March 1, 2014 - Hopshire Farm and Brewery (Freeville, NY)

Why Travel Never Gets Old

"When you cross the country, you are always crossing a new country, a moving destination." I read a good chunk of Robert Sullivan's Cross Country while staying with my parents in Maryland last week, and this particular sentence stopped me in my proverbial tracks. As I paused to reflect on the journeys I've repeated thus far in my life, I also considered how this idea summarized one of my favorite things about travel: its inconstancy.

Sure, there are places that have been designed to essentially deliver the same experience to people no matter how many visits they make, but I suspect that even in those cases, the destination has, in one slight way or another, moved. The restaurant you always visited on vacation may look the same, but perhaps a new chef has changed the menu since you were there last. Or could it be that the landmark you relied on to remind you where to turn is gone?

At home we often miss the smallest changes to the landscape, prone as we are to routine. But when we retrace routes we've taken before, unfamiliar sights and sounds contrast with the topography captured by our imperfect memories, causing us to view the scenery anew. This happened to me nearly every time I drove back and forth from college in Ohio and again during a return trip to Norway several years ago.

On my first visit I'd spent most of my time with a close friend who showed me around Oslo, introducing me to some of the places that made the city dear to her. One such spot was Cafe Amsterdam, an unassuming brown bar just around the corner from the National Gallery. Fondly remembering a long evening of conversation over dark beers, I tried to find it again one afternoon while wandering the city on my own. When I turned up at the address however, I was met with an unpleasant surprise—Cafe Amsterdam no longer existed. While my first instinct was to mourn the bar's disappearance, I stopped to reconsider. This wasn't a loss, but rather an opportunity to continue exploring Oslo. A chance to begin looking for a new destination.

Remaining Focused

It's Christmas Eve and evidence of "The Blizzard of '09" still blankets suburban Maryland as I post some disappointing news. Back in September, I applied for a comic book self-publishing grant in the hopes of offsetting some of the expense of producing and distributing Captain Cartography. Unfortunately, I learned late last week that my proposal was not selected by the review committee and I won't be receiving any financial support from the Xeric Foundation.

While this is a setback, it doesn't spell the end for our spatially-gifted hero. In the time that has elapsed since I submitted my proposal, I've given more thought to the idea and continue to seek out and read comics that inspire me to keep writing. Plus, the advice and encouragement I've begun to receive from educators will help me relate my storyline to teaching standards as I move forward with the project in 2010. It may take me longer to develop than it would have with some funding, but I'm not giving up. Not yet. After all, I'm in this for the maps, not the money.

Good Enough For Grandad

It isn't easy to admit, but after some careful research I've come to the conclusion that I'm getting old. This only bothers me in so much as it may require changes to my lifestyle. Not many, I hope. I don't plan to stop going to see live music anytime soon, but the ability to drink craft beer twenty feet from the stage in a small venue seems better and better when the alternative is often overpriced domestic lager at a huge club where good views involve a degree of jockeying and jostling that I don't care to be bothered with anymore. In other words, I'm glad their current tour brought the Squirrel Nut Zippers to the Ram's Head in Annapolis on Monday evening.

Announcing early on that they would be doing some "Southern Gothic Ventriloquism," the octet kicked into high gear almost immediately and rarely paused for more than a few moments during their ninety minute set. With the exception of a cover of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More," they stuck to originals, the bulk of which appear on Hot and Perennial Favorites, their second and third full-length albums. Billing this cross-country trek as "The Antidote for the Latest, Greatest Depression," the band cheered the audience with a riotous blend of blues, jazz, boogaloo, calypso, and ragtime. Singers Jimbo Mathus and Katharine Whalen harmonized well and Chris Phillips played his trap kit with flare, but for my money, the horn section stole the show, especially on whimsical numbers like "Prince Nez" or "Suits Are Picking Up the Bill." Some people in attendance, in spite of the average age at the Ram's Head that night, found it difficult to sit still; by the end of the concert they were literally dancing in the aisles. After a show like that, I've changed my mind. Growing old could be fun after all.

Charmed, I'm Sure

Of course it's only coincidence, but as a Maryland native preparing to visit my family at the end of the week, I took particular interest in the most recent "36 Hours" feature from The New York Times. Assuring skeptical readers that the majority of misfits in Baltimore are wacky artists, not drug dealers, the Gray Lady then recommended forays to neighborhoods like Hamden and Fell's Point.

I'm of a like mind when it comes to the charms of my home state's largest city—there's a lot to see beyond the Inner Harbor. But while I agreed with some of their suggestions (the house beers at The Brewer's Art for instance), I would steer first-time visitors to a few spots the newspaper of record didn't mention.

First off, if you're going to spend any time in Hamden, do yourself a favor and fuel up at Cafe Hon before setting off to explore the rest of 36th Street. The prices are reasonable, the dishes are filling and the decor is only tacky if you've got something against pink flamingos and leopard print. After that, if art appreciation was part of your plan for the day, consider The Walters Art Museum in addition to, or even instead of the BMA. The exhibitions are quirkier and span a greater period of time, and like the more popular collection uptown, admission is free. Finally, Fell's Point. Much has changed since I started coming here in college, but fortunately The Sound Garden has stuck around. Look no further for the best new and used music, video games, and movies, along with the chance to catch an in-store performance by a touring band.

I've never stayed in a local hotel, but if necessary, I'd turn to the listings in the new Moon Baltimore. Their advice is usually trustworthy and often brutally frank plus, in the case of this handbook, it's dispensed by a local writer.