Leaving the humid heat for more humid heat wasn’t so hard to do… we left Cleveland, OH and headed to Niagara Falls City, Canada. The falls were beautiful and packed with tourists. In such a potentially spiritual place, the coffee cups and cell phones were distracting. Still, we took photos like everyone else. Stopped off in Buffalo, NY to check out Babeville (Ani Difranco’s label, Righteous Babe Records) and Hallwalls Gallery which had an amazing exhibit “Seized” by Steven Kurtz. What was most striking about the exhibit was how easily authorities were able to take over Kurtz’s life with their terrorist suspicions about his art. The center piece was a huge tower of the trash the police left behind after three days of occupying his home. It was disgusting. We were very stoked on Babeville, how they renovated a 135 year old church into performance venues and office spaces… especially how it all runs on a geothermal heating/cooling system. After meeting with Sarah Otto, Anna Kapechuk and Scot Fisher we performed for them and other staff in their parking lot. They were happy to take a break on a busy Friday and we got some free garb. Thanks to Sarah and Anna for taking us to the Italian Festival where we tried our first deep fried twinkie. Salsa dancing, the late night guitar serenades and an amazingly comfortable bed topped off the evening. It was great to talk with them about music/art and we were impressed by their generosity and passion.

Headed to Vermont for a night of camping on the Battenkill in the Green Mountains. We got a great campsite on the river. All was mellow except for a sundown attack of bats. Drove to Boston, MA to check out the Freedom Trail and Harvard campus…nothing too eventful and tons of tourists so we headed through Rhode Island and Connecticut to the Big Apple. Our friends Brie and Roof were kind enough to let us stay in their large apartment. We spent three days wandering around Manhattan, overwhelmed by stimulation. Times Square could be wiped off the face of the planet for good. Pizza and soft serve ice cream were great as we strolled through Central Park. Sarah and April enjoyed Alex Grey’s exhibit in the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. They were amazed to see the immense paintings with so much small detail and intense colors. Grey’s spirituality is so clearly depicted in his images- it’s very impactful. Lily went to local venues to meet with dance curators. Spaces in NYC are around 4grand to rent out…so no can do on our low budget without any grants… so we are among a long list of people waiting to hear back about our proposals. Not a lot of places will present a company they have never personally seen… so we hope some of them who said they would attend our Brooklyn show will actually come. Had dinner in Greenwich Village at The Red Bamboo with Lily’s friend from junior high, Robert Sullivan… checked out Stonewall bar where the Stonewall riots occurred in the fight for gay rights in 1969. Nearby a memorial featuring tiles painted by children and community members blanketed a long fence in dedication to the victims of 9/11… our hearts were weighted by the raw emotion and sweet words that were used in this art project. How important it is to the victims and their family members that the losses are not forgotten. The East Village was a favorite hang out and in the Forbidden City bar Lily ran into people from one of the high schools she attended… go vikings! We came to Brooklyn today to see Sarah Holmes, our friend and co-presenter for our Friday show here. She and her husband are wonderful for letting us stay in their apartment while they house-sit nearby. We have beds and her cat to keep us company (and April sneezing)! Our friend Kevin just told us he got us tickets to Cirque du Soleil on Saturday night on Broadway! Thank you! If it weren’t for the constant smell of piss, noise pollution, traffic and bullshit consumerism jam packed with 8 million people in a tiny city we might stay forever.