Brace yourself – there is a lot of visual content to go through here… To make things easier though, I grouped the photos (and one video, at the very end) into logical blocks:
In-between – all that happened when hitchhiking;
NYC closer – slowing down to see the details of urban landscape;
NYC wider – more focusing on architecture;
NYC Pride – rainbow people;
Central Park – green microcosm in the heart of the city;
Chicago and suburbs;
Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse – two important monuments – one for the white Americans and the other for the Native Americans (though started by a Pole – Korczak Ziółkowski);
Glacier National Park – at the very border with Canada, a place of sheer beauty, good for a loooong exploration;
And North American Indian Days (+video) – American Indian festival in the town of Browning
I won’t waste your and my time writing the trip itself – I guess the photos show all that is important. I will mention, however, and I will make it sound and clear – that hitchhiking in the United States of America is an extraordinary experience that everybody should try… To make it short – the hitchhiker here is a sort of a VIP, if a driver is not going your way, he will at least ask if you have enough water… Or better still, he will hand you a bottle of ice cold delicious water without asking… Or he will offer food… Or money (I made the point of refusing it but sometimes you just can’t… Like when a driver dropped me off at a gas station, we said our goodbyes, he drove away… and came back ten minutes later, handing me a handful of banknotes, excusing himself for not have given the money to me earlier but he had no cash in his wallet and had to drive home to get it)… And don’t be too surprised when a driver… says a prayer for the safety of your humble person during the trip. Even the cops are helpful and even give you rides(except for those in the state of Illinois, they sometimes apply the rules too strictly, forbidding you to hitchhike at all.. you have to do it “undercover” in gas stations; rules and their application vary from state to state). And if you’re a Pole – you can count on your fellow countrymen living in the U.S. in big numbers. I also recommend you staying in truckers’ lounges, where you can sleep and even take a shower (you can do the latter for free if you ask politely for a spare shower card – the truckers usually have too many of these).
***
Lojalnie uprzedzam – materiału (wizualnego) jest dużo i z góry gratuluję tym, którzy przebrną przez całość:) Dla ułatwienia, pogrupowałem zdjęcia (i jeden filmik, na samym końcu) w bloki tematyczne:
Pomiędzy – czyli to, co wydarzyło się podczas autostopowania;
NYC bliżej – zatrzymanie się na detalach i zaskakujących fragmentach pejzażu miejskiego;
NYC szerzej – szersze kadry, próbującego ogarniać nowojorską architekturę;
NYC Pride – czyli tęczowa parada równości;
Central Park – zielony mikrokosmos w sercu miasta;
Chicago i okolice;
Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse – dwa ważne pomniki, jeden dla białych Amerykanów, a drugi dla Indian (choć zapoczątkowany przez Polaka – Korczaka Ziółkowskiego);
Park Lodowcowy – pod samą granicą z Kanadą, przepiękne miejsce, do dłuuugiej eksploracji;
I w końcu North American Indian Days (+video) – festiwal Indian w mieście Browning
Nie będę się tutaj zanadto rozpisywał nad przebiegiem podróży – myślę, że to, co ważne, widać na zdjęciach. Wspomnę tylko, za to głośno i wyraźnie, że podróż autostopem po Stanach to doświadczenie absolutnie konieczne do zaliczenia… W skrócie – autostopowicz to tutaj VIP, jeśli kierowca akurat nie jedzie w daną stronę, to zapyta, czy mamy zapas wody… Albo nie zapyta, tylko od wręczy nam butelkę – świeżo zakupioną z myślą o nas, chłodniutką… Albo zaproponuje jedzenie… Albo pieniądze (starałem się odmawiać, ale czasami po prostu się nie da: jeden facet podwiózł mnie na stację benzynową, pożegnaliśmy się, odjechał… i po parunastu minutach wrócił, wręczając mi garść dolarów i przepraszając, że wcześniej mi nie dał, ale nie miał ze sobą gotówki i musiał po nią pojechać do domu… trudno w takim przypadku odmówić:)… Może nas także spotkać – i to mnie totalnie rozwaliło – modlitwa kierowcy o bezpieczeństwo naszej podróży. Nawet policjanci są pomocni i udzielają podwózki (poza tymi w Illinois, niektórzy z nich zbyt ściśle przestrzegają przepisów i w ogóle zabraniają autostopować – trzeba się wtedy przyczaić na stacji; w każdym stanie przepisy i stosunek do nich stróżów prawa są inne). W dodatku w wielu stanach mieszka wielu Polaków, bardzo chętnie pomagających rodakom. Polecam też korzystanie z truckers’ lounges, w których można się wygodnie przekimać, a nawet wziąć prysznic (za darmo, jeśli wydębimy od tirowca karnet, których zazwyczaj ma w nadmiarze).
In-between // Pomiędzy:
My drivers
My drivers
My drivers
“It’s impossible to get lifts from truckers”
The truck that made me go a long way
Sharing the backseat with 3 dogs
My drivers
Somewhere on the way
Hitch-hiking
“I’m getting retired in 6 months, so what will they do – fire me?”
Unexpected invitation – this kind man invited me to see his handmade wooden toys
Unexpected invitation – this kind man invited me to see his handmade wooden toys
Elvis next to me
Nice plate
Bob Dylan Mural in Minneapolis
Somewhere on the way
Somewhere on the way
Somewhere on the way
Josh and Ezra
Josh, Trina and Ezra
Josh and Trina showing me Minneopa Falls
Herman the German in New Ulm
New Ulm Library
Somewhere on the way
It is what it says it is.
NYC a little closer // Bliżej:
NYC Street art
A movie set around the corner
?
NYC Street art
NYC Street art
Helicopters are everywhere
Jewish part of town
Jewish borough architecture
Those little details…
Those little details…
Outdoor activities
Those little details…
Not just any school bus
NYC Street art
NYC Street art
Crossing to Manhattan
In Chinatown
In Chinatown
In Chinatown
In Chinatown
In Chinatown
In Chinatown
In Chinatown
… and in Little Italy
… and in Little Italy
… and in Little Italy
Those little details
Street art, too
Chillin’
Street art
Hm…
–
Street performers
Museum of the Native American
MoMA Free Thursdays
MoMA
MoMA – Nick Cave’s art
Street performer
Art in progress
Street art
Subtle but arty
A poet in Washington Square
Heading for the subway
Heading for the subway
On the subway
On the subway
–
–
In Harlem
In Harlem
In Harlem
In Harlem
NYC a little wider // Szerzej:
Brooklyn waterfront
Williamsburg bridge
Crossing Williamsburg bridge
Williamsburg bridge
The awesome facades
The awesome facades
The awesome facades
Brooklyn bridge
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center
Getting creative around One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center
Around One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center complex
One World Trade Center complex
Skyscrapers…
Skyscrapers…
The intriguing architecture of NYC
This where boats with immigrants arrived in the times when America was built
View of Lower Manhattan
View of Lower Manhattan
View of Lower Manhattan
Enjoying music in New Jersey
Manhattan evening reflections
Statue of Liberty
Intelligence awakening Mankind, Rockefeller Center
In front of Museum of Native American
In front of Museum of Native American
NYC architecture
NYC architecture
NYC architecture
NYC architecture
Wall Street
NYC architecture
NYC architecture
Rockefeller Center
Anselm Kiefer’s sculpture in front of Rockefeller Center
Statue of Atlas in front of Rockefeller Center
Near Rockefeller Center
Times Square
Times Square
Bryant Park
In Harlem
In Harlem
In Harlem
In Harlem
In Harlem
In Harlem
NYC Pride:
The pride is everywhere…
In Times Square
…
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
NYC Pride
Central Park:
Baseball in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park
Statue of Władysław Jagiełło in Central Park
Central Park
Alice in Wonderland
H. Ch. Andersen
Central Park
Concerts in Central Park
Chicago & suburbs // Chicago i okolice:
Chicago’s monumental architecture
Chicago high risers
Chicago high risers
In Chicago
In Chicago
In Chicago
In Chicago
In Chicago
Crown Fountain in Millenium Park
The Art Institute of Chicago
Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor
Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Approaching Navy Pier
In Navy Pier
In Navy Pier
In Navy Pier
In Navy Pier
Near Navy Pier
Adler Planetarium
A bit of Chicago skyline
Statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko
Copernicus
Animals made of waste found in the ocean
Animals made of waste found in the ocean
Grant Park
Walking around
Pablo Picasso’s scultpure
Jean Dubuffet’s sculpture
Art deco here and there
Arty suburbs
Arty suburbs
Arty suburbs
Arty suburbs
Suburbs
Suburbs
Suburbs
Suburbs
Suburbs
Suburbs
Some Polish details
Polish church
Opposite Polish church
Closing a church in a Polish neighbourhood – a sad ceremony
Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse:
Crazy Horse Memorial – the project started by Korczak Ziółkowski
Crazy Horse Memorial – the project started by Korczak Ziółkowski
On the way to Mount Rushmore
On the way to Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
In Rapid City
In Rapid City
In Rapid City
In Rapid City
Glacier National Park // Park Lodowcowy:
Bear spray – you definitely want to have one with you in the park… But you also don’t want to be in a situation when you have to use it.
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