Pay outs

So I haven't been as diligent as I should have been about posting my pay-outs. However, I've been pretty busy with teaching, but I did want to update a final list of organizations that were paid out, how much, and who the contact person was. So please check the list below:

City:	San Diego
Organization	STAND Point Loma Students
Amount of money	70
Contact person/Address	Sarah Kurisu
City:	Salt Lake City
Organization	SPLORE
Amount of money	100
Contact person/Address	Tim Stempel
	880 E. 3375 S.
	Salt Lake City, Utah 84106
City:	Sacramento
Organization	Laura Bowles working with Parents
Amount of money	70
Contact person/Address	Laura bowles
	607 Radcliffe Dr.
	Davis, CA 95616
City:	Fort Lauderdale
Organization	Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
Amount of money	80
Contact person/Address	Fort Laurderdale Historical Society
	219 SW 2nd Ave
	Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-1825
City:	Santo Domingo
Organization	Library for Johnathan
Amount of money	50
Contact person/Address	Johnathan Welle
City:	Washington DC
Organization	Love146
Amount of money	100
Contact person/Address	Samantha Casey
City:	Portland, Maine
Organization	MENSK
Amount of money	70
Contact person/Address	MENSK
	PO BOX 15152
	Portland, ME 04112
	773.516.1692
City:	New Orleans
Organization	9th Ward Field of Dreams
Amount of money	50
Contact person/Address	9th Ward Field of Dreams
	c/o Greater New Orleans Foundation
	1055 St. Charles Ave Ste 100
	New Orleans LA 70130
City:	Denver
Organization	Envision Charter school
Amount of money	100
Contact person/Address	Yee- Ann Cho
	Room 300
	2540 Holly Street
	Denver CO
City:	Miami
Organization	Denis's church benifitting St. Judes
Amount of money	40
Contact person/Address	Denis Beausejour
City:	Raleigh
Organization	AMF
Amount of money	47
Contact person/Address	David Fajgenbaum
	National Students of AMF
	514 Daniels St, Ste 356
	Raleigh, NC 27605

First Payments Made

I have sent out my first batch of donations:

1) Envision Leadership Prep ($100) These are my friends educating the youth in Denver
Disclosure point- this is my school, but it wasn't when it was on the donations list. Also, I don't expect to directly use this $100
2) Ft. Lauderdale Historic Society ($80), these are my friends preserving history in Florida
3) Parenting Project ($70) this is my friend from Sacramento who works on "good parenting"
4) STAND ($70) at Point Loma, these are my friends from San Diego against genocide
5) 9th Ward Field of Dreams ($50), these are my friends from NOLA rebuilding hope

Definitely 5 more charities will be donated to, perhaps more depending on donations continuing to flow in.

Distributions

Okay so it is November 1st. As promised I would update with the amount of money each charity is getting and distribute on this day. Fortunately, however a story is being written about me in the illustrious "Flat Hat" (College of William and Mary's weekly paper). The writer asked if people could still donate, so I've decided to keep the donations site up and running until November 20th at midnight, Hawaii Standard Time. Then, that weekend I will make all distributions and give a break down of each charity money was sent to, and how much.

Sorry for the delay.

Finished

So... I am finished with 30 cities 30 days. Thanks to any and all of you who were keeping up with my grammar and spelling error filled blog. I had a great time and met some amazing people.

In case you are wondering what is next for me, I will be heading to Denver to continue as a Special Education teacher, as well as a Health and Wellness coordinator.

In case you are wondering about the charities: All in all I raised about $750 for about 10 charities. I will be sending out checks on November first to the charities, and will list exactly how much each charity is receiving (you know for accountability and transparency).

Thank you to everyone who has donated, and if you haven't yet, you have until Nov. 1

Cheers,
Greg

Phoenix

Top Five things to do in Phoenix:

Five: Dismiss the idea that you have a gambling problem, by admitting that you don't go to meetings for it

Four: Take a walk around Downtown Phoenix including ASU

Three: Visit the capital- they have a pretty cool museum there

Two: Go check out Sedona about 2 hours north of Phoenix, not really part of the city, but worth the drive

One: See an Arizona sunset.

Things I passed on: A show, an event at the big venues they have, honestly not sure

Good places to stay: NA

Phoenix’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: a confusing 7 (+ or - 2)

Phoenix has one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen, rich white people, safety, good weather (when I was there), and desert.

Phoenix doesn’t have mountains, ocean, or history (but they try).

Montego Bay

Top Five things to do in Montego Bay:

Five: Do some sort of water cruise/ yacht ride

Four: Check out the Jamaican bob sled (probably a fake)

Three: Beach (Doctors Cave or Cornwall)

Two: Visit old colonial mansion and try to see the white witch

One: Get hair braided

Things I passed on: The casinos (they were lame), doing copious amounts of drugs, partaking in the prostitution that was solicited to me at every corner, and taking taxi cabs to get anywhere (except to/fro hotel)

Average places to stay: resorts are comfy, but pricey.

Montego Bay’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 6.5

Montego Bay has beautiful beaches and weather, bars, drugs, and other illegal/immoral activities.

Montego Bay doesn’t have casinos worth going to do, enough going on to be a city, much history/culture, or any efficiency.

The story: Montego bay was doomed from the outset. I get off the plane, some numb nuts at the front ahead of entire plane of people can’t figure out how to get through the locked doors that even give access to customs. Then, since we all came in a flood, instead of them being able to process people for the 5 minutes we were stuck in the hall, there is a long wait. Then, by pure luck, I pull the worst customs agent I’ve ever had (and let me tell you, that takes quite a feat). This woman was horrid. I mean she did not like me from the get go. She was rude and nasty the entire time, and asked me silly questions. About a minute into the interview, I knew this was going to take a while, so I just started cracking jokes every time she asked me something, which probably did not help. Finally, she decided not to go through with the cavity search, and let me pass. Then I went to my hotel and paid my cabby. Then I explored the “city”. First stop, get those ridiculous braids I had been walking around with from Nassau out of my hair, and get them replaced with ridiculous braids all over my head. Then continue on to the “hip strip” that makes up Montego Bay, which is mostly just Glouster Street (Not DoG streeet). I was a bit disappointed. It looked like a small beach town, with not much going on. The casino’s were pathetic, and there was not many attractions aside from the beach. The beach was the obvious choice - and that did not disappoint. The water was warm, clear, and beautiful; the sand was hot, white, and got everywhere. Then I headed out for dinner, and some more evening sight seeing- old colonial mansion, “the real Jamaican bob sled”, and Margarittevilles. Overall, I wasn’t impressed with Montego Bay, and it may have been my least favorite of the Caribbean cities thus far.

Portland (Oregon)

Top Five things to do in Portland (Oregon):

Five: Rose Gardens

Four: Voodoo Doughnuts

Three: Try to get out to Columbia Gorge

Two: Go to Sauvie Island (Pick Pumpkins, Eat fresh corn, Do corn Maze)

One: Powell Bookstore

Things I passed on: Going to the University of Portland, Going to any of their cool 80’s stuff (arcades), heading downtown for a music show or drinking.

Good places to stay: With the cuz.

Portland’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 7.5

Portland has water, mountains/hills, earthy crunchy feeling, flannel, my cousin, and a truly unique feel.

Portland doesn’t have congestion, history, a sense of normalcy, or a sense of urgency.

The story: Portland was great. The trip there I met some of the most wonderful flight attendants ever, especially angel- who I chatted with for hours on my plane ride from NYC to Portland. She was just one of the sweetest people I’ve met on my trip thus far. I also met a woman named Chelsea, who was doing AYCJ as well, and had some pretty great stories. In any case, the trip there was great, and then I got to see my COUSIN SHANNON, whom I adore. Hanging out with Shannon was great and we got to play and do all sorts of stuff. I got to pick pumpkins (mine was 43 lbs), go through a corn maze, eat delicious food, and bunches of other stuff. We made a homemade dinner and celebrated life. Then, it was time for me to go, and I set off to Montego Bay. Already miss my cousin.

Oh and donate. If you do I promise to start posting the back logged pictures and videos I have.

Baltimore

Top Five things to do in Baltimore:

Five: Try not to get shot/watch the Patriots beat the Ravens

Four: Visit the bars downtown

Three: The original George Washington Monument in down town

Two: Inner City Harbor

One: Camden Yards

Things I passed on: MM&T Stadium, visiting John Hopkins University, and visiting graduate campuses of University of Maryland.

Good places to stay: With soon to be Dr. Lemon.

Baltimore’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 6.9

Baltimore has the Ravens/Flacco, the wire, Camden Yards and that team that plays there, a young city, and a very high murder rate.

Baltimore doesn’t have mountains, safety, or congestion.

The story: I arrive in Baltimore giving future Dr. Lemon about 6 hours notice, and then I stalk him and force my way into his night. First I arrive at BWI and take the light rail into the city. I get off at Camden Yards, and walk around from there through inner city harbor winding up at a coffee shop near the doc’s house. I arrived at the very best of times, because normally he wouldn’t be able to breathe under the stress of work, but he was on a light weekend, and was able to go out and have a good time. So after dropping my stuff off with him, I crashed a party he was going to. His friends were very kind, and changed my impression of medical school students. I had a great time, and must say the house the party at was incredible. It was legit- like a mansion. If I lived in that house it might be worth it to live in Baltimore. In any case I have some great videos of some drunken fools dancing to Michael Jackson, which I can only hope find there way to future patients:

After being a great host, he sent me away with a phone charger so I could give future hosts more notice, which I thought was quite kind of him. After that the good doctor took me to a delicious breakfast place, and then drove me from Bmore to Dulles, which for those of you who don’t know, is quite a hall. Then I was off to Portland, Oregon (though I thought I was going to Montego Bay, Jamaica- so imagine my surprise).

Unbelievable.

Letter from me to jetBlue today. This is pretty amazing.

"Wow. I've got a story that was made for an advertisement. jetBlue's customer service is superior to any customer service, in any industry, I've ever been a customer of.

First of all, I'm an AYCJ guy. I'm doing www.30cities30days.com, and have, in general been impressed with just about everything from jetBlue. Honest. I have. However, this goes above an beyond to show what makes jetBlue truly, "the best". I left my passport in Dulles (IAD) after having traveled 26 cities, and realized it when I landed at JFK (New York). I had a flight 3 hours later to Portland Oregon, then the next day I was flying to Montego Bay, Jamaica. I could have sworn I left it on the plane, but after "guy at the gate" checked twice, he couldn't find it. So I went to jetBlue customer service and Cathy Romano, not only called Dulles and relieved me by telling me they had found my passport, but also personally helped me deal with jetBlue Dulles baggage. As if that weren't above and beyond, she brokered a deal that got my passport on the next flight to JFK, and said she would personally get it from the Captain of that flight. My flight leaves 12 minutes before my passport arrives, but she promised that if there was anyway possible- a delay or anything she'd run it down to me. If that doesn't happen, she's leaving it for me at jetBlue Baggage Claim, so when I fly through JFK again to Montego Bay in two days, I just have to go get it. Cathy is what makes jetBlue the best. Thanks Cathy."

Chicago

The Charity: Teach For America, Chicago

The Girl(s): Aviva, Tanya, and Wendy

Teach For America, an organization I was personally part of, often elicits mixed results. As far as I’m concerned, your organization is only as good as the people running it. That is why I can, with good conscience, support TFA Chitown. Aviva, Tanya, and Wendy are all phenomenal assets to education in America, and are undoubtedly driving towards change in Chicago’s educational system.

Top Five things to do in Chicago:

Five: Catch a game, any of them (Chicago is a sports city, and I don’t say that lightly)

Four: Eat at Portillos

Three: Eat Deep Dish Pizza

Two: Navy Pier

One: The Bean (Daly Plaza, and the other displays) at Millenium Park

Things I passed on: Chicago has a lot to do, and I could probably make a list a mile long. Catch a show, wriggleyville, visit the universities, catching a game (Fire, Bears, Bulls, Cubs, Sox)

Good places to stay: Tcorn and K’s place. Beautiful.

Chicago’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 8

Chicago has water (great lake is ALMOST ocean), city feel, sports, history, a palpable feel and culture.

Chicago doesn’t have a mountains, great weather, or the Olympics.

The story: Chicago feels like home. It is strange to say it, but it does. I could see myself living there. I probably won’t, but I could. Harsh winters, a city that cares about sports (and that is a big factor), a history, a definable feeling- Chicago is pretty awesome. My parade was a bit rained on- quite literally, but that didn’t stop me from hauling around 50lbs of luggage in the rain around Chitown. It “dampened” my spirits a bit, but I fought on. I took the Blue line into the city and wandered around the Millennium park, which is going on my list of best parks in a city in the US. Obviously, Boston takes the cake with the Gardens, and the Commons, but after that Millennium park is up there. Then I walked to Navy Pier, which was a bit of a haul in the rain, but I wasn’t getting any drier- so what the heck. It is a typical tourist trap, but it has a established feel to it, sort of like visiting a Bourbon Street- historic, locals might be there often, it might be part of the definition of the city, but it isn’t quite local. Still fun though. Anyways, Chicago would be a good place to be in the dry warm weather, and probably a little less fun in the freezing cold snowy windy weather that is about to descend upon it.

TFA CHICAGO.

Durham

The Charity: AMF (Ailing Mothers and Fathers)

The Guy: Dave Fajgenbaum

I met Dave at a leadership conference my junior year of college. I call him Clark Kent. He was a quarterback for Georgetown's football team, pre-med, and had started a non-profit in memory of his mother. AMF helps support high school and college who have lost family members and are dealing with this personal trauma. (But Greg, Georgetown is in DC- not NC. What gives? David, and his Mother lived in NC).

Top Five things to do in Durham:

Five: Party hard with Duke students (just not the lacrosse team)

Four: Visit Duke (Cool campus and chapel)

Three: Visit UNC (I didn’t do that this time around)

Two: Eat Hush Puppies from Cookout. Yummm…

One: Catch a Durham Bulls game if their in season (they weren’t…sad)

Things I passed on: UNC, Durham Bulls, and other triangle attractions

Good places to stay: Andrew and Em’s place

Durham’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 6.5

Durham has that college town feel, good minor league baseball, and Rocio Perez.

Durham doesn’t have a ocean, mountains, history, or a city feel.

The story: Durham. What to say about Durham. Doesn’t seem like a bad place to live or be in college. There is land that is cheap. Even college apartments seem nice. If you’re there as a student, you probably go to a good school. Being in the triangle seems like a good place to be right now. That being said… ah? Durham. Really. The only reason anyone has ever heard of you is because there was that movie where the guy wore the girls underwear to pitch better. And if any of my readers say “Duke” or worse, “Duke Basketball” is a reason people know about Durham- they couldn’t be further off. People know about Duke, not Durham. Sheesh. In an anonymous poll that I never did, I asked people where the school Duke was, and they said in the town of Duke. Anyways, Durham, not a bad place to be, but I wouldn’t go there unless you are settling down in a good job, med school, or law school. In that case, buy some land and build. It’ll be worth more in 10 years. Anyways, Duke is pretty, my night out was fun, and I still hope they lose to UNC (and I hope UNC loses to everyone else).

And… donate.

Raleigh

The Charity: AMF (Ailing Mothers and Fathers)

The Guy: Dave Fajgenbaum

I met Dave at a leadership conference my junior year of college. I call him Clark Kent. He was a quarterback for Georgetown's football team, pre-med, and had started a non-profit in memory of his mother. AMF helps support high school and college who have lost family members and are dealing with this personal trauma. (But Greg, Georgetown is in DC- not NC. What gives? David, and his Mother lived in NC).

Top Five things to do in Raleigh:

Five: Have a walk around the downtown area

Four: Check out one of the free museums

Three: Go to Nash Park

Two: Have a night out on Glenwood Avenue

One: Check out the Capital Building

Things I passed on: The Confederacy.

Good places to stay: Andrew and Em’s apartment. The place is sweet.

Raleigh’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 7

Raleigh has great friendly people, free stuff (not just the swag I got), and a simpler city life.

Raleigh doesn’t have mountains, ocean, or complications.

The story: Raleigh, home of the free. I mean like home of the free stuff. My first impression of Raleigh was that I picked up some tourist information and it had a list of free attractions, then I got online and they had a list of free attractions. Then I went into the city on the Triangle Transit (TT) which was free for the day. Then I transferred at a bus depot, and got a free ice cream, and free swag. Then I walked around to the free museums, and toured the capital, for free. This place just seemed like it was simpler life. I walked around at the end of the work day on Thursday, and, well, everyone was done working. Imagine, actually finishing work at 5. Everyday. That is how it felt. I bet they start on time too. I was impressed. It felt like a city that was the definition of normalcy. Things ran the way they should. I liked Raleigh and think it has a lot of potential to become the new hot destination for jobs, and living.

Also, donate to the good cause(s).

Update.

Philadelphia? Maybe. Raleigh and Durham warrant an individual post each (at least as much as Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Harrisonburg, Denver and Boulder), so 30 might end with Phoenix. We'll see.

Miami

The Charity: Denis Beausejour St. Judes Fund Raiser
The Guy: Denis Beausejour
Denis Beausejour is not only my man around town in Miami, but also a phenomenal human being. He is currently risking exhaustion and time to raise money to support St. Judes Hospital. If you don’t know what St Judes Hospital does, you may have been living under a rock for a couple years. Check them out here.

Sorry, no pictures or movies. Didn’t break out the camera. Also, my phone has been dead since Denver, so if you’ve tried to get in touch me and couldn’t, that is why.

Top Five things to do in Miami:

Five: Check out the Versache Mansion (and the rest of Ocean Drive)
Four: Check out Lincoln Mall.
Three: Take a gander around Coconut Grove (especially on Thursday Nights).
Two: Eat some delicious Caribbean food. (I recommend Cuban).
One: Go to South Beach (this maybe the only time a beach made the #1 spot)

Things I passed on: Shopping, clubbing, and latino girls.
Good places to stay: Denis Beausejour plush couch.

Miami’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 7.5
Miami has great weather, possibility for hurricanes, Denis, beautiful beaches, desirable women, and a palpable ‘feel’ that you’re in Miami.
Miami doesn’t have mountains, history, or a monolingual society.

The story: Hey Will Smith, you were right. Miami is pretty awesome. I almost begrudgingly really like Miami. I don’t want to like it, but there is something about the place that just makes you happy. I arrived in at the Fort Lauderdale airport, and for 4$ and 2 hours, I made my way to Lincoln Street mall in South Beach. I met up with Denis and we went out with a couple friends, Alison times 2, this kid named Josh, Denis and I. We went to Coconuts grove and met a beggar who had the best jokes: “What do you call a woman with one leg? Eileen. Where does she work? IHOP. Why don’t blind people skydive? It scares the shit out of their dogs.” He was a hoot and a holler. Anyways one of the Alison’s we’ll call her abrasive Alison offered to buy him a slice of Pizza, but the Pizza place was closed (which made me gleeful), so that guy went hungry for a night. We, however, enjoyed ourselves very much at a bar in Coconut grove that abrasive Alison recommended. Other Alison and I had some great conversations about relationship psychology (I got out of their quickly) because she will be Dr. A soon. So will Josh, Dr. J. In any case, it was a good night, then D and me (poetic license) caught up on old times and spooned our way into the morning. From their I set off to enjoy Miami Beach (which I did), and Versache’s mansion, and some good local Carribean food. All of which hit the spot before I caught a cab and tri-rail to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. All in all Miami leaves me with a very distinct feeling that I knew where I was and what to expect. Miami is a good time, and I would mind spending a few days there…

Also, donate to the good cause. Denis. St. Judes. Good cause.

Nassau

The Charity: Disaster Relief in the Pacific Islands

The nations: Samoa and American Samoa

As you may know, a devastating tsunami struck the pacific and much of the American Samoa, and Samoa were all but destroyed. Through my trip to Samoa and teaching in Hawaii, I've developed quite a connection to these islands. Please help.

Two for Tuesday on Wednesday

For all you anti-establishmentarians… here is a we hate the police organization.

The Charity: The Brenton Foundation

The Girl: Brenton Hector Smith’s Sister

The late Mr. Brenton Hector Smith was shot close range by a Bahamian Police Officer, and his family has been pushing for some answer. The government is pulling the old “wait until they forget about how we shot their son” routine, but the Smith’s are not standing for it- and I say good for them. Down with the man, fight the system, end the corruption and all that.

www. Thebrentonfoundation.com or Brenton Hector Smith on facebook. Video of the protest.

Top Five things to do in Nassau:

Honorable mention: Get your hair braided, go to the beach, and go to the DD.

Five: Lose all your money at Atlantis, beg for quarters on the street.

Four: Eat some Conch and Grouper at Junakoo (or something) or Arawak (or something) Cay.

Three: Fort Charlotte and the surrounding parks.

Two: Check out the Government House, or the Queens steps.

One: Rent a Moto-scooter (for too many dollars) and attempt life defying stunts while exploring.

Things I passed on: Anything that cost money which was everything.

Good places to stay: Nowhere. All places are too expensive.

Nassau’s Ratings. On a scale from 1 to Boston: 6.7

Nassau has a place called paradise island- that about sums it up. Gambling, beaches, great weather, anything money can buy.

Nassau doesn’t have mountains, or anything that is reasonably priced.

The story: Nassau is like Orlando for richer people. Or richest people. Hey Zeus is this place expensive. Totally touristed out, but there are ways around that. Anyways, I paid lots for a cab (I would say too much, but it wasn’t like I was getting ripped off- the entire island is getting ripped off) to get to a hotel that charged too much, so I left and found solace at D&D’s with free wifi and coffee. From there I found a slightly better value hotel though still am missing to appendages. Anyways, I checked in and was under-whelmed with the hotel, but it wasn’t too bad. I started my quest to find a motoscooter to be independent from the gouging buses and taxis. The motoscooters were way too expensive, but worth it. I got out of dodge and fast. I explored the real Bahamas, that is to say I did a self-guided tour of the area’s that they don’t want you to see. There is some real poverty on the island, though I must say it doesn’t seem as bad as the rest of Carribean. Anyways, I was definitely riding around past the tourist-don’t-get-shot curfew. A group of kids tried to knock me off my bike, and I contemplated turning around and running them down, when I realized I had a lot of cash I need to give to the Atlantis Casino. So I did that instead. That was fun. Then I woke up the next morning, and did some more exploring. Including a trip to Fort Charlotte, getting my hair braided (just 10 little ones in the front so I look extra ridiculous- it was expensive and I didn’t have time for the rest of my head.) I also managed to take a quick dip in the Caribbean and watch a protest against a police shooting. All in all, it was a good trip, but I might need to sponsor myself as a charity if I plan on returning. In the end, it costs too much money to go to the Bahamas.

Honestly though, donate some money. The Pacific Islands desperately need you. (I taught pacific islands history for two years, and they needed support before this, I can't imagine the devestation now.)