Flora's Chronicles.

10th September 2011

Street Art Obsessed

In the past few months I have become “Street Art Obsessed”. As I began to explore unfamiliar neighborhoods in NYC, I started to notice a plethora of talented artists decorating exterior walls, rooftops, trashcans, phone booths, and other areas where tags, stencils, and art pieces could fit.

While graffiti has been a long-standing, prominent urban art form, I only recently began to take a sincere interest in this type of artistic expression. I started to wonder… who are these artists of the night? How can I find more of their work and markings? From Union-Square to the Lower Eastside, to Brooklyn, and Queens, I began to keep my eyes wide open for “You Would”, “Muffin Milk”, “TMNK”, “Obey”, “Circle U” and more. The more I paid attention, the more I would see their markings in multiple areas all over the city. I would become uberly excited in my findings which led to me falling in love with street-art this summer. Everywhere I went, I would snap pictures when I found interesting artist’s markings and notated the various locations in which their pieces or tags resided. In July, I even attended the Estria Battle: A Nationwide Graffiti Art Competition and Festival in downtown Brooklyn…it was phenomenal! I was invigorated.

Just as my fascination started to peak, I boarded a plane to Israel in order to spend my last weeks of the summer eating falafel, meeting new friends, and traveling around the amazing country. On my journey throughout this lively land, I explored the streets of Tel-Aviv and became in awe of the graffiti craze happening in the holy land. Everywhere I turned, I had to take a pictures of “Cookie”, “No Pasa Nada”, “Bet You Would”, and “Sorie”. Amongst these taggers, were multiple pieces by the “band-aid”, “sunflower shades”, and the “looney monkey” (I named these pieces because I don’t know the names of the artists, however they were everywhere). These pieces took over various buildings, alleys, and mark-able territories on these streets. Enormous graffiti pieces were everywhere I turned! Wow, not only am I street art obsessed, but so are the people of Tel Aviv!

Even more interesting was the graffiti decorating Jerusalem. When walking through the streets of the holiest city in the world, not only did I see random urban decor, but some were religiously themed! One piece in particular, that I chuckled over, was a spray-painted image of a happy face, wearing a yamaka and sporting payot (side curls). Adorable. I found the graffiti movement in Jerusalem to be provoking, as it seems to be a modern way to promote religious engagement. It sent me the following message: you can be religious and still have street-cred. While I consider myself quite secular, I found the street art in Jerusalem to be very cheeky.

So here it is everyone, I am excited to report to you that I have another new interest and hobby: graffiti appreciation. I bet if you begin to take notice of this urban art form, you will be fascinated too. So, going forward, I vow that on my future journey’ around the world, and on my own turf in NYC, I will continue to be street art obsessed. I will be sure to photograph my findings, notate their locations, and share it with others. I look forward to following the graffiti movement wherever I go, as it has brought me a great deal of excitement and curiosity. Hey, I may even begin to mark my own territories (watch out for the Gingit…she might be popping up on the streets soon).

Flora

Street Art: NYC

Street Art: Tel Aviv

Street Art: Jerusalem

8th August 2011

Exactly.

8th August 2011

Music is Good (Again)

I have to say, music in the past year has been pretty rad. Maybe I have been living under a rock, or perhaps I wasn’t paying attention to new music acts on the scene, but damn its good.

As a former music industry kid working my way up the record label food chain, I am now a soon-to-be special education teacher…BIG CAREER CHANGE. Upon getting laid off from my job in the biz with thousands of other people in 2009, I had lost my love for music and decided to follow my other passion to work with kids. I applied to a plethora of graduate schools and chose Hunter College as the institution to pursue a masters in teaching, as well as a more “fulfilling” and “stable” career working with special needs children.

While immersed in student life, I focused on school, listened to what was already playing in my apt by a “stoner rock” loving gent, and channel surfed the cruddy NYC radio stations when cruising in my ride. Music became boring to me, the content being released seemed mediocre, and I fell out of love with my former passion.

As 2010 passed and 2011 approached, I began to regain my listening freedom at home and met new music loving friends, DJ’s, and enthusiasts that inspired me to tune-in. I started to re-discover music and it was sounding fresh!

In June 2011, I attended the Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival and this event was the cherry-on-top of my musical discovery sundae. As soon as I returned home from my four day rendezvous in Tennessee, I became obsessed with music and spent hours finding new jams. I loaded up my iPod with artists such as, Pretty Lights, Sleigh Bells, Chiddy Bang, The Knocks, Miami Horror, Grace Potter, Bon Iver, Foster the People, Chromeo, Chk Chk Chk !!!, SBTRKT, Ellie Goulding, Bag Raiders, Mumford and Sons, Holy Ghost, Dessa, Ra Ra Riot, Toro y Moi, Young Galaxy, Childish Gambino, Quadron, Lissie, Twin Shadows, Fitz and the Tantrum, Hoodie Allen, and much more. I have been musically liberated.

I keep asking myself, Where did these artist come from? How long have they been around? Have I been out of the game for a while, or am I right on time? Either way my ears were (and are) in heaven.

With my rekindled love and spirit, I hopped on my computer to check out the low-down in the music scene. Aside from my music loving confidants, Twitter has been a major source in my discovery of new beats, local events, concerts, and festivals. Soundcloud is another amazing site that I have been exploring to find new artists, while connecting with other people to sample their listening tastes. Spotify, which has just been recently launched in the U.S., is a fantastic source for exploring, as you get to listen to full albums, subscribe to friends playlists via Facebook, and purchase new music of interest.

Announcement…. I’m back in love with music, the fire has been reignited, and I am happily listening to a wide variety of sounds. Music is flowing in my blood again and all I want to do is listen, sing, and dance 24/7. So bring on the new artist suggestions, let’s go to a random show, and send me your mix, set, or demo. I’ll be rock it out and say, “wow music, look at you go!”

24th July 2011

Kosher Graffiti.

20th June 2011

MY BONNAROO

As a “Bonnarookie” attending the 10^th Anniversary, Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival of 2011, I really did not know what to expect when signing up to participate in this event. While driving with my “RooCrew”, Alex and Guy, for 15-hours from New York City to Tennessee, I kept feeling waves of excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty. In 2006, I had the privilege to experience Burning Man, the gatherings of all gatherings, festivals of all festivals, so naturally I thought, “How on earth was Bonnaroo going to come even close to my experience at Burning Man?”…“Will my desire to ‘burn’ be satisfied?” I would soon find out…

Upon our arrival, we made our decent onto the 700-acre farm, passed through inspection, parked our car in a designated space on the field, and called it our “home” for the next four days. When I stepped out of our vehicle for the first time in hours, I felt a heat and humidity that could knockout a hippopotamus in 15-seconds flat. As we began to unload our supplies, we all looked at each other with heavy eyes, and knew our first order of business was to survive the sweltering temperatures during our stay at Bonnaroo. Already this was feeling very Burning-Man-Esque, however, this time I was not tagging along with professional and experienced “Burners” or “Bonnarooers”. We were “BonnaVirgins” (except Alex), and our initial welcoming to the elements surrounding the festival was a shock to our system (damn nature, you scary).

Thankfully, our neighbors included “BonnaVeterans” and avid campers, equipped with everything one would need to survive should we become desperate and have to beg. Our “Roo-Dad”, Gator (yes that is his real name) not only had the best accommodations within the vicinity, but he had power tools, a custom made bed frame for his air-mattress, and a trunk-pantry filled with cans of Chef Boyardee and Spaghetti-O’s. After seeing his “tent-castle”, I knew we would be A-OK with “The Gates” next to us. This dude not only offered us access to his shady oasis, but he jumped our car battery after it went dead on day-two… “Thanks Gator!” Let’s be clear though, we came very prepared with tons of granola bars, lollipops, water, juice, Emergen-C packets, and beer. Plus, I had the pleasure of being in the company of two strong men, that if and when they needed to jump into extreme survival mode, they could (and did). Want proof? Guy and Alex somehow made our tent that was missing poles, stakes, and shade, work. Hallelujah…we had shelter!

On this first day of Bonnaroo, I could definitely say I was waking around in a cloud of confusion and haziness. Various accounts and stories of this festival’s past led me to believe that this was a “small”, 15,000-20,000 person, jam-band showcase…NOT an 85,000 person event! For acres and acres, all you could see was a resurrected, campers-city that decorated the field with RV’s, tents, flags, portable showers, cars, and canopies as far as the eye could see. When you turned to look at the dirt road behind you, while walking towards the “Roo”, all you could see were makeshift homes and swarms of people ranging from the ages of 1 to 65 years old (Bonnaroo is a family event, people!). As we scanned ourselves onto the main grounds (yes, we literally scanned our wrist-bands to enter and exit the grounds…how futuristic), we entered “CenterRoo”.

The stages were set-up, the Ferris Wheel was spinning, music was jamming, the psychedelic clock tower was chirping, and the beer and smoke was flowing. As I looked around, I could see concessions stands serving beverages, food trucks dishing out yum-yums, porta-johns, water stations, general stores, retail stores, and a variety of chill-out lounges, a sports-bar, a movie theater, a comedy tent, and a smoker’s lounge (thank you, American Spirit for your air-conditioned oasis). I immediately thought, “This is not Burning Man! We did not have these types of conveniences at our disposal in Black Rock City, NV…BOGUS”. Well…I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong (foot-in-mouth). At Bonnaroo, only the strong survive, just like in the desert at Burning Man.

As the day fell into night, deliriousness kicked in after a sleepless 24-hours, intense heat, and a long road trip down to the south….we were spent. However, the energy of the festival became infectious and I knew I had to stay up as long as I possibly could to savor the moments and memories. After a quick recharge at “the crib”, Alex and I journeyed out into a night of enchantment. Guy stayed behind…he needed the rest, and I don’t blame him (we missed you Guy!). Lights!!!! All I could see were lights. Stage lights, hula-hoop lights, people dressed up in lights! Now we’re talking…I remember this stuff from my dance party, festival going days, and I LOVED it! After stumbling upon the band, Twin Shadows at “This Tent”, I began to move and dance to the beat bumping in my head. Here I was, planted on a farm that was made into an adult Disneyland! That’s when I realized we were indeed in “NashVegas”.

My senses were titillated and I began to explore this thing called Bonnaroo. Leaving all judgments and comparisons of my party past behind, I began to free my mind. As I walked from “This Tent” to “That Tent” and from “What Stage” to “Which Stage”, I could hear the music of: Sleigh Bells, The Walkman, and Beats Antique. A few hours later, I found myself staring at the Silent Disco, watching everyone dance and sing in unison, while the speakers remained silent. It was quite a funny sight and I couldn’t wait to be apart of it! After wandering around for hours, we decided to be “responsible” and get three hours of sleep before Mr. Sun decided to wake us up with his enamoring heat.

As predicted, at 8am on the dot, we were barreling out of our tent to get some cooler air because it was starting to feel like a preheating oven inside the nylon walls of our shelter (brownies anyone?). Since it was so early in the morning, and we were so sweaty and dirty from our days of trekking, a $7 shower sounded mighty attractive. We took the splurge to rub-a dub-dub and it felt fantastic! Yes, I know, we were camping, but in my opinion, staying fresh is the right thing to do when sharing facilities with 85,000 other people. Let’s just say, the inventors of baby wipes and GoldBond are GENIUSES! After my cold shower at the “Balloon #7” facilities, I walked along the dirt road, feeling at ease with the second day. I was excited, rested, clean, and better prepared for the elements.

Once we made a quick ice-run to keep our BlueMoon cervezas chilled, we made some cold-cut sandwiches, got sun-blocked, refilled our Camelbaks, and packed our backpacks with the days necessities. Off we were to get BONNAROOED! As soon as we scanned ourselves into the festival grounds, we lingered over to the “Other Tent” because it seemed like a perfect place to relax and chill under its big, protective, trees that blocked the sun perfectly. Lucky for us, Ben Soilee was performing on the stage and his sound was fitting for the early-afternoon mood. As the sun beat down on Bonnaroo, I felt nice and cool under the leaves and branches of these “big daddy” trees. Once Ben’s show was over, it was time to brave the heat and check out Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. As we made our way over to the “What Stage”, I started to wonder if this Bonnaroo thing was real or a mirage. Was I really here, or was this what a combination of heaven and hell felt like? If it was a combo-deal, I wouldn’t mind it, as long as the old hippie-man, with the little rainbow teddy bears attached to his suit, accompanied me to the gates. After all, I saw this guy at Burning Man and that event was also a unique combination of the different afterlives; so maybe it was indeed an alter-universe. If so, I could dig it.

The “What Stage” area was crowded and every person there appeared dazed and confused. The shade was minimal and there weren’t any “papi-chulo” trees to save us from the sun. As I lay down on the grass, I felt like a comatose African animal, waiting for the sun and temperatures to go down so I could roam the wild. While this feeling began to take over me, a few clouds came through and covered the sun. In unison, you could hear thousands of people say, “AHHH”. The few minutes of breeze felt like angels breathing on us and it was magical. As the light air waved through the field, I sat up, drenched my towel in precious water, threw it over my back to keep cool, and rocked out with Grace.

After an impeccable show, performed by this modern day Debbie Harry, we ventured off to get us some Ray LaMontagne. Now, don’t get me wrong…I LOVE RAY, but I fell asleep through most of his show (sad). Due to our dissipating energy levels, we decided that once we heard our favsies like, “Trouble”, “Jolene”, and “The Best Thing”, it would be time to go back to our tent and prepare for the night ahead. On the way out, we just so happened to stumble upon Florence and the Machine, which was a packed show, and for good reason; that Florence is AMAZING (she’s a redhead, baby). As we floated with Florence out of “CenterRoo”, it was time to eat dinner, take a baby-wipe bath, change clothes, and gather up our evening gear (glow-sticks included).

As the clock was nearing towards 10pm, it was time to return to the center and catch a little Arcade Fire, as well as my main man, Lil’ Wayne. The “What Stage” area was packed with people waiting for Arcade Fire to take the stage. The field was glistening with light shows and glow-sticks, glitter was falling from the sky, and the beats of Primus saturated the background. In addition, you could hear random crowd members scream chants of “Bonnaroo!” and other “overheard at Bonnaroo” comments such as, “man, I fucking love this place” and “this place is awesome”. Indeed friends, this place was awesome and I was falling madly in love with my new reality. At that moment, I decided I never wanted to go home.

After a little musical appetizer of Arcade Fire and Bassnectar, it was time to set up shop for the main event…Lil’ Wayne. I was ready to let my GHETTO AFRICAN loose. While Alex and Guy wondered what planet I had come from, I was shaking my tail-feather, smacking the air, and yelling, “bitch”, “ho” and “nigga” all over the damn place. It was a HOT show, in my opinion, and Lil Wayne did not disappoint (me)! Whatever Kool-Aid (or cough syrup) he was drinking, I wanted some. After “Wheezy”(whose not asthmatic) left the stage, a piece of my ghetto heart felt fulfilled and we journeyed off to the beats of Ratatat and Pretty Lights. After a variety of adventures through endless amounts of music, we ended up at one of my favorite places Bonnaroo had to offer, the Silent Disco.

I have had an obsession with this disco since hearing about it from past attendees. It was almost the sole reason for me purchasing my ticket and it was a MUST-DO on my list. While the line to get into the disco was long (PS- Bonnaroo, please make a bigger Silent Disco next year, thanks.), we were surrounded by the beats of Pretty Lights, and became utterly amused watching people dance and sing like fools in silence. As we waited in line to disco, we made some new friends from Jersey, played the, do you know so and so game, and established some small degrees of separation. Instantly, this crew became our new friends and it was time for all of us to put those headphones on and Silent Disco the night (and morning) away. It was a fantastic experience, especially when you had your headphones covering one ear, while the other ear listened to the crowd sing to the song in acapella; it was bugged out. As a future teacher, I give this disco an A-. Don’t get me wrong, the disco was dope, but the reason it does not receive an A+ is because the headphones weren’t loud enough (at least to my standards), and I would have liked a slightly better DJ at that particular moment. His beats weren’t mixed or matched well, and I would have rather listened to some sick club tracks than an overplayed Eve and Gwen Stefani song. However, I didn’t care because I was dancing in the Silent Disco and we were all in this amazingly, ridiculous moment together! As the sun began to rise over the city of Bonnaroo, we journeyed back to the tent, while listening to the last track of Pretty Lights’ set (he stopped spinning at 7am…SICK SET MR. LIGHTS.)

On our journey back to camp for a two-hour nap, the generators produced beats and the “street lights” buzzed a symphony. I felt great and started to feel a sense of deja vu, or shall I say, deja-roo. A reminiscent feeling came over and then it hit me, this wasn’t Burning Man, this was Bonnaroo Man! While the events are not the same on many levels, they do share essential similarities. Both are gatherings, in which people come to be free, participate in a community, share peace, show love, live without societal boundaries, forget rules, and become one with the music. At that moment, I realized I was apart of something bigger than an extended concert; I was Bonnaroo.

Day two ended and we simply eased into day three. An hour of restless sleep was all we got before the heat kicked us out of our tent, yet again (RooMorning y’all). This time, we had a plan and made an early visit back to the “Other Tent” to seek shelter from the beating sun. Luckily, this stage was slated to host the international bands playing at the festival, which included the likes of China’s folk musicians, Hanggai (interesting), Brazil’s very own Forro in the Dark (wow), and Italy’s singer/songwriter/rapper, Jovanotti (hot-damn). As I collapsed myself onto our dirty and dusty sheet, I spotted a dude wearing a Muppet hat, bopping towards the stage. Could it be? Was that Matt, my long, lost Birthright buddy that I have been trying to find for days amongst this sea of hippies? He did text me to look for him wearing a Muppet hat, so that definitely could be him. I started to call out his name, “Matt….Matt”, and sure enough it was him! HELLO ROOUNION! Not only was it fantastic to see my fellow tribe member after all these years, but I was excited to meet his Bonnaroo crew, as well. When I walked towards the “Other Stage” to join the dance party, I was instantly welcomed by the lovely Jennifer, Danielle, and Dan (a gentleman I had heard a lot of great things about through our mutual friend, who unfortunately was unable to attend…we missed you Toro!).

As we danced our hearts out to Forro and Jovanotti, it was time to switch scenes and check out Chiddy Bang, cool off in the Magic Mushroom Fountain, indulge in some samosa’s, sweet potato fries and sweet tea (or as Dan called it, “sweet teet”), and claim spots at the “Which Stage” field for Wiz Khalifa. We were ready to get Taylor Gang (for those of you who do not know what Taylor Gang is, please refer to this link: http://ow.ly/1tIze5). T-G-O-D. While Alex and Guy continued to relax under our tree back at the “Other Stage”, my energy seemed to be soaring and I was looking forward to letting my African shine again (thank you Danielle for the Take a Sheet energy strip). One thing I learned from this Wiz is that he sure as hell loves his greens. Almost every song was about “champagne”, “ho’s”, and keeping an “extra one” rolled up for those just in case moments (I feel him on this last one). As the sun started to set, and “Black and Yellow” began to blast on the speakers, a big smile came across my face. I was so happy to be at Bonnaroo, with old friends and new friends, acting silly, being “hip-hop”, and not giving a damn! YES, this is what life is about! Good people, chill vibes, and unique experiences.

As Wiz smoked, I mean rapped his last rhyme to the crowd, we ventured off to see !!! (chk, chk, chk), which was awesome, awesome, awesome. After a quick drop-in on this show, we headed back to camp in order to get ready for the last night at Bonnaroo. After a quick pit-stop at the Social Tables RV, a quick rinse in their convenient shower (THANK YOU), a vodka shooter with Mr. Matt, and watching Dan parade around with his new prop, a finely crafted Social Tables promotional flag, it was time to check on my crew. STOP FOR INFORMATION: Now before I move on, you may be asking yourself, “What is Social Tables?” Check it. For all of you event planners, PR peeps, networkers, and social media lovers, this is the site for you! It’s a brilliant tool to have at your fingertips and you should definitely, “Join the Party”!

After I said my goodbyes to my friends, I walked through the trenches of tents and easily spotted my home (thanks to Gator’s flag, which looked like my grandmother’s underpants flying on the clothesline in the backyard). When I arrived home, it was so quiet at my tent area, which could only mean two things, 1) the boys were sleeping, or 2) the boys were sleeping. SURPRISE…they were sleeping! I came home to find Guy and Alex curled up like babies, looking exhausted, and drained. “How could they be tired!” I thought. “They were a sack of lazy bones, ALL DAY!” I was the one running around “CenterRoo” while they were chilling-out under our tree, resting. Hmmmm. To be fair though, I did understand their state, as I started feel exhaustion creep over me, quickly. So, I crawled into my “bed” for a quick 20-minute catnap. BAD IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I awoke to thunder, lightening, and rain, I was totally confused and had the “where am I” effect. Once I came to, I freaked because, A) it was 10:00pm and Eminem was hitting the stage at 11pm, and B) our tent windows were open and it was about to pour on us. I needed to get up, but I couldn’t seem to move my body. Thankfully, Guy jumped up to save our home and I put my head back down on the pillow to nap for a “snooze button” extension. Oops…when I woke up, I heard Eminem blazing in the background and I looked at my clock to see a big 12:00 AM on the screen. CRAP… I am missing Eminem!!!! I jumped up, woke up my crew, and tried to rush them out of the tent so we could catch the rest of the show. As we approached “CenterRoo” you could hear echoes of Eminem’s lyrics throughout the entire farm. While I missed his entire show, it was still spectacular to hear the crowd sing, “Not Afraid”, as I made my way to join everyone for our last night of Bonnaroo.

Next up, Scissor Sisters! Let me just give my kudos up to this right band now…they were “Bonnarootastic”! They are more than welcome to take me, and my mama, out to show us what it’s all about. They were remarkable and you know a band is great when their live shows sound just as seamless as their studio album…QUALITY STUFF. Once the “Sisters” finished their fiery performance, it was time to jam with STS9 and Girl Talk. As we walked our way through the crowds, it dawned on me that I had to return to the real world and try to explain our experience to those that were not present. How could I even begin to tell this tale? This wasn’t a weekend at the shore, or a road-trip to Philadelphia, this was EPIC shit! Instead of thinking about the end being near, I decided to clear my mind, wave my body back and forth, and listen to the sound of music, people, and celebrations around me. As the sun began to rise, we knew it was time to take ourselves back to the “crib” for one last “RooNap” before the sun poked out. As we proceeded to the exit “CenterRoo”, the sound of Gogol Bordello serenaded usas we strolled towards our camp.

After our early morning nap, we woke up on our last day in Manchester, and began to break down, pack up our supplies, and take our last walk to the center for Neon Trees, Junip, and Robyn. As we set down our sad looking sheet under our favorite tree, we rolled one up, devoured some tacos from the taco-truck, protected our faces from the insane dust clouds with bandanas, and listened to the music surrounding us. Before I knew it, the clock had reached 5:30pm and the boys were shaking me out of my music coma. Really?!? Did we really have to leave? I wanted to stay…FOREVER. I was getting used to my hair being dreaded, living in a bikini, breathing in dust, and baby wipe showers. With dusty tears in my eyes, I waved my last goodbye to “CenterRoo” as we headed towards our empty campsite.

When we got back to what used to be our camp, I saw that even Gator left, which made me realize that it was time for us to be on our way as well. Upon exiting the premises, I looked back at the emptied field, smiled, waved, and said “until next time, Bonnaroo”. After a quick stop at Wendy’s for a Frosty, (that Guy cherished), chicken nuggets, fries, and burgers, we were back on the road for the 15-hour drive back to New York. After I devoured my food, I put my head down on a pillow in the back seat of the car and let the zzzzz’s take over me. When I opened my eyes, we were somewhere in Virginia and it was my turn to drive so the gentlemen could rest. As I sat behind the wheel, listening to Gr8Escape, I flash-backed through my experience at Bonnaroo and couldn’t wait to have the post-game discussion with my “RooCrew”.

At approximately 11am the next morning, we arrived in Pomona, NY, where Guy graciously offered his house and it’s amenities to our disposal. In an instant, I grabbed my shower gear and ran to the first WC available. As I detangled my hair with a pound of conditioner, and scrubbed my body silly with suds, I started to feel a better, physically. However, mentally, I was sliding on the residue of Bonnaroo. As we all reconvened on Guy’s deck, simply because it felt too weird to sit inside a house, we began to discuss our journey. We conversed over our personal thoughts on the experience, shared tales of our favorite moments, and slowly started to conceptualize the alter-universe we just came from with smiles on our faces. Not only did we survive, we thrived. Mission Accomplished: We were “Bonnarooed”.

During our stay in Tennessee, we helped one another face the raging elements of intense heat and dust, kept each other safe amongst thousands of people, shared our love and passion for music, opened our mind to a new life experience, and became a family. It was a truly beautiful experience and I am so happy I shared it with these incredible individuals. The experience of Bonnaroo was unique and enlightening, as it’s not a typical situation to comprehend. Instead, it’s a social experiment, and we volunteered ourselves to be the specimens. We were a part of this 85,000 person filled test tube, living on a farm that was transformed into a tent city, and danced the days and nights away in a festive bubble. This probably sounds a little crazy to those who don’t desire this type of experience, but trust me it’s anything but crazy…it’s invigorating. While Bonnaroo not only provides the soul musical therapy, it teaches the mind to be open, leave judgments at home, meet new people, explore new ideas, and dive into all of life’s journey’s at 100 MPH. Not only did I come out of this experience feeling accomplished and grateful for getting “Bonnarooed” I can’t wait partake again!

In the end, my time at Bonnaroo was like an amazing dream that I didn’t want to end. It’s an event that is hard to describe and if you’d like to know what it’s about, just attend; it’s unexplainable. While It is more commercial than Burning Man, the west-coast gathering that is simply the best in providing a grand spectacle of art, architecture, unthinkable creations, constant electronic music, and outlandish costumes, Bonnaroo effectively delivers these same tastes of creativity, but on a smaller scale. It’s still a phenomenal festival that provides an attendee everything necessary for an out-of-body (and mind) experience. The same sensations that are ignited during the seven-day “burn” in Black Rock City are lit at Bonnaroo. For us east-coast “burners”, it’s a great alternative, as long as you’re cool parting with your bike (you don’t need one at the “Roo”) and a large wooden man to burn. It’s a great option for when you’re feeling the need to “burn”, but don’t have the means, funds, or time to make the trek out west and into the desolate desert.

As I conclude, I want to say THANK YOU, BONNAROO 2011! My time with you in Manchester, TN was just one of the many life experiences I will cherish for years to come. Thank you to Alex and Guy for sharing this EPIC journey and experience with me…I LOVE YOU TONS! Thank you to Matt for an awesome “RooUnion” and for witnessing this amazing time with me…it was so great to see you and I hope to see you again soon! Shout-out to Dan, Danielle, and Jennifer for “Roo-ing”, and savoring the memories with me…it was GREAT to meet you all and I hope to see you soon in DC, NYC, or somewhere else in the world. Also, while I didn’t get to see these home-slices, I want to give a big shout-out to my friends Amanda, Chris, and Justin for being at Bonnaroo; I could feel your presence with me the entire time! To those of you that were not with us, we missed you and I promise to Bonnaroo with you next year (I’ll be sure to bring a hula-hoop this time). So without further ado, here’s a Muppet “hat’s off” to Bonnaroo 2011! It was an unexplainable, fantastic, incredible, and outrageous event. Until 2012….