By Drew Adamek
I never thought I would leave the small town I grew up in; as far as I knew the rest of the world only existed in the television. Other cities, other states, were strange, exotic, distant and unreachable places I would only ever read about.
So I’ve kept track of all the cities I’ve slept in and the most memorable night spent in them as a reminder that the world is a lot larger than I can conceive. I love having stories about these cities; I feel like a romantic drifter in a ’40s novel sometimes (especially since I rarely leave the house now). This list isn’t inclusive; it only includes memorable trips.
Here, then, are the (large) American cities I’ve slept in:
1. Chicago.
The once and future home. No need to explain the greatness of this overnight (a lifetime’s worth).
2. Milwaukee.
I had my first heartbreak in this town. I still think about crying on the beach every time I return.
3. Detroit.
I went to a Rosicrucian baptism for my godson. First time I was scared driving through a city.
4. Minneapolis.
Spent an uncomfortable night on the couch after I discovered that the girl I was hitting on at work was my roommate’s girlfriend.
5. Indianapolis.
I slept overnight in the Greyhound station with a hippie chick and a chain-smoking Buddhist monk. We only talked about movies.
6. Cleveland.
Awesome rock ‘n’ roll moment: Watching Metallica get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Jimmy Page/Jeff Beck jam session with my dear friend Meghan.
7. Pittsburgh.
Almost ended up living here instead of Massachusetts. We were so excited to be out of D.C. that Pittsburgh seemed like the greatest city in America.
8. Philadelphia.
Meghan, Steve and I went to the last Dead Milkmen show and ate Philly cheese steaks four meals out of five.
9. New York City.
My brother and I saw Iron Maiden at Madison Square Garden. It was a childhood dirthead dream come true.
10. Boston.
I went for a business meeting but left all of the material I needed on the airplane. Most uncomfortable meeting of all time. I was afraid the boss was going to make me pay for the room.
11. Baltimore.
The wife and I left to escape the St. Patty’s Day party the douchebags upstairs were throwing. We got stuck on a floor of douchebags throwing a St. Patty’s day party.
12. Richmond.
Got stuck in a hotel because of a Chicago snowstorm. Best barbecue I’ve ever had.
13. Fort Lauderdale.
I slept in a tent next to the highway with an incredibly resourceful scavenger named Richard. A giant spider crawled across my face one night; I bought a ticket home the next morning. I still wonder what happened to Richard.
14. Miami.
Mr. Richard and I went to a jai alai match. We lost all of our bus money back to Ft. Lauderdale, so we had to sleep in a park next to the bus station. We collected aluminum cans the next day until we had the bus money to get home.
15. New Orleans.
Shortly after Katrina, I worked on a documentary for the Weather Channel. I have never had so much fun with my co-workers as I did on that trip. I also spent a night on a shrimp boat in the Gulf.
16. Los Angeles.
I found my cousin sprawled out on the floor of his apartment; Meghan and I had to rush him to the emergency room and we spent the night in the lobby of an L.A. hospital.
17. Albuquerque.
Celebrated our engagement in an awesome mansion at the top of a mountain. Got to have drinks with Terry Brunner in a rundown, roadside bar.
18. Phoenix.
My cousin was moving to L.A. The rental truck broke down in Phoenix and we spent the night waiting for the tow truck to show up. My cousin’s lizard was in the cab with us and, without air conditioning, stunk the truck up to high heaven.
19. Little Rock.
I ran away from home with a friend of mine in my teens. “Somehow” we got separated and I ended up with his car without him. Spent the night talking to the police about his whereabouts. (He was fine).
20. Hot Springs.
Same trip, the friend and I (before I “somehow” ended up with his car), spent the night in a laundromat. I was still young (14) and had no idea that such clear racial tensions existed in America.
21. Nashville.
An ex-girlfriend was looking for her father. We drove to Nashville to discover that he had moved a year before. We didn’t have enough money for a hotel, so we spent the night in a Waffle House drinking coffee and dozing off until the sun went up (I still don’t know why we didn’t leave right away).
22. Atlanta.
I got hired to drive a truck to Florida. I stayed in a highway hotel and only remember it because it was the first time I saw the “Unforgiven” video.
23. San Francisco.
I went to see Metallica open for the Stones. My last trip as a single guy.
24. Seattle.
Had the most amazing room because of a booking error; the concierge told me that the Beckhams had stayed in that room.
25. Tacoma.
The toughest day of shooting I’ve been on.
26. Las Vegas.
We did things I am not proud of in Las Vegas.
27. Austin.
I saw one of the Bush twins on Sixth Street.
28. Oklahoma City.
On the L.A. moving trip, the truck first broke down in Oklahoma City. It was so hot we didn’t leave until the sun went down.
29. Biloxi.
The city felt like Europe 1945 – after Katrina. I drank out of the spit cup of my shooter, mistaking it for my Diet Coke.
30. Washington, D.C.
I am hoping that I can go the rest of my life without having to do that again.
31. Springfield, Illinois.
Eighth-grade trip. I just found out this morning that my roommate for that trip, the fat kid with a suitcase full of junk food, passed away. That was the first time I saw soft-core porn: Chained Heat. R.I.P., TR.
32. Madison.
We promised that we were never going to talk about Madison again.
33. Flagstaff.
My best friend’s wedding. My roommate in the hotel room had the worst gas I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter.
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Submit your own list or comment on Drew’s.
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Other Lists By Drew Adamek:
* Today’s Syllabus
* Shit My Dad Says
* Work Weirdos
* Things I Miss About Chicago
* 20 Albums I Wish I Had Never Bought
* Their Chicago
Plus:
* Fan Note: Me & Metallica
Posted on March 2, 2010