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Alexandra Charitan
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Aug 31

Aug 31 34

Alexandra
Personal
Happy Friday!
May 3

May 3 Happy Friday!

Alexandra
Friday Fun
Recent Reads
Apr 14

Apr 14 Recent Reads

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Books
Happy Friday!
Apr 12

Apr 12 Happy Friday!

Alexandra
Friday Fun
Route 66: Chicago to Wilmington
Mar 25

Mar 25 Route 66: Chicago to Wilmington

Alexandra
Illinois
Recent Reads
Mar 20

Mar 20 Recent Reads

Alexandra
Books
Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital
Mar 17

Mar 17 Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital

Alexandra
Abandoned, New York
Recent Reads
Feb 25

Feb 25 Recent Reads

Alexandra
Books
Happy Friday!
Feb 22

Feb 22 Happy Friday!

Alexandra
Friday Fun
Roadtrippers
Feb 21

Feb 21 Roadtrippers

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Personal
Abandoned Hotel
Feb 19

Feb 19 Abandoned Hotel

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Abandoned, New York
Iowa's Largest Fryin' Pan
Feb 18

Feb 18 Iowa's Largest Fryin' Pan

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Iowa, Roadside Attraction
Happy Friday!
Feb 15

Feb 15 Happy Friday!

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Friday Fun
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↓ FOLLOW ALONG IN REAL TIME ↓

Never underestimate the power of good friends and a diner breakfast 👍☕️
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#queens #diner #dinersdriveinsanddives #dinerstyle #dinersofnyc #nyc #newyork #oldnewyork #newyorkcity #dinercoffee
I worried that South of the Border may have lost some of its magic on my second visit. The restaurant was mysteriously closed, there was a lipstick stain on one of my “clean” towels, and I got caught in a downpour while trying to take photos 😒
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But then the rain stopped and I realized that after traveling to several different countries, continents, and states, this is still my absolute favorite place on Earth. To be here when it’s lit up at night and no one else is around is absolute magic ✨
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Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for loving something that makes you happy, even if it’s as ridiculous as a decaying tourist trap that sells branded nail files and back scratchers. It may not be everyone’s idea of a DESTINATION, but a little piece of my heart will always be at South of the Border—along with my Texas Roadhouse leftovers, which as expected I left in my room’s fridge ☹️
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#roadtrippers #roadtrip #roadtripusa #southoftheborder #southcarolina #dillonsc #roadsideamerica #roadsideamericana #americana #neon #signgeeks #neonsigns #neonsign #giftshop
Road trip day six: I woke up in Stony Creek, VA and headed to Richmond. The oldest peanut Museum in the US isn’t open on Wednesdays (and they didn’t reply to my request for a special appointment 😂), so I ~improvised~ and checked out the delightful Poe Museum 🖤
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Richmond was an entirely lovely town and I made a mental note to go back soon and properly explore. I did stay just long enough to eat a biscuit for lunch because I’m not entirely an idiot 🤤
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After five flawless days, I hit a few thunderstorms, traffic jams and drove a few hours out of my way to find that Foamhenge was closed. Traffic around DC can literally ~go to Hell~ and I seriously considered trying to pee into an empty Frappuccino bottle, but I made it to a Wendy’s just in time (where the line was so long I gave up on my dream of having spicy nugs twice in one trip) ☹️
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Thanks to Bowery Boys podcasts on the Collyer Bros. and diners, I made it back to Newark in one piece, greasy and with way too many souvenirs but happy and bursting with stories for Roadtrippers Magazine (shameless plug but really I promise several scintillating TALES FROM THE ROAD are headed for your eyeballs soon) ✌️
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#roadtrip #roadtrippers #roadtripusa #rva #virginia #richmond #richmondva #handpainted #signage #cemetery #signgeeks #americana #roadsideamerica
Road trip day five: I woke up at my favorite place on Earth, South of the Border and promptly dropped a hundo in the gift shop (yes, I ~needed~ everything I bought) 💸
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Then I drove to Bolton, NC to revisit Grahamland. Hubert Graham has a dream to one day open his own amusement park/mini golf and he has a fiberglass menagerie at the ready (13 of his pink flamingos are at South of the Border). He also has the original UinRoyal Gal mold and is trying to make the roadside world a bit more diverse 👍
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A last-minute addition to my itinerary was the Cryptozoology and Paranormal museum in Littleton, NC. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by Steve, the owner, and invited to accompany him to Littleton’s town meeting (where he serves as a commissioner). I said yes, obviously, and an impromptu stop turned into four + hours which included a passionate discussion on Littleton’s Christmas decorations (small town politics 🤪) 🇺🇸
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By the end of the night I was chatting with Steve and his lovely wife and daughter like we were old friends. They told me tales of Bigfoot sightings, ghosts, and Southern traditions (the last one being the most frightening of the three), and offered me a place to stay if (when!) I find myself in Littleton again. I also drove for miles on the highway with my gas cap flapping wildly in the breeze 🤷‍♀️
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#roadtrip #roadtrippers #roadtripusa #northcarolina #flamingo #pinkflamingo #pinkflamingos #fiberglass #roadsideamerica #roadsideattraction #americana #ipulledoverforthis
Road trip day four: I took a tour of the once-abandoned Henry River Mill Village, aka District 12 from the Hunger Games. Then I headed to The Christian Bookstore (yes, that’s its name) in Southern Pines, NC to visit its creation museum / taxidermy hall of fame, housed in the basement 😳
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The museum was equal parts ridiculous (discounting science at every turn) and wonderful (so bad it was good). Sometimes I wonder why I—a queer, tomboyish, atheist woman—am so interested in these roadside stops often made/run by religious, older white men (many of whom would no doubt gleefully deny me basic human rights like marriage and body autonomy), and I don’t yet have an answer for that 🤷‍♀️
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I don’t believe in God but I ~do~ believe in roadside attractions and I arrived at my own personal Mecca tonight, South of the Border. It’s even more desolate than when I visited in October of 2017 which worries me and my favorite jackalope statue has been repainted ☹️ But I’m still going to spend much more money than anyone should on souvenirs because nothing lasts forever, and when I die at least the estate sale of my belongings will prove that I truly LIVED ✨
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#roadtrippers #roadtrip #roadtripusa #southoftheborder #southcarolina #dillonsc #roadsideamerica #roadsideamericana #motorinn #americana #neon #signgeeks #neonsigns #neonsign #motelsign #motel
Road trip day three: I was nervous about encountering “chatty” BnB guests during breakfast but ended up talking with the most lovely couple (@corbintammy + @trapperbear), fellow roadtrippers and lovers of all things off the beaten path. I’m constantly surprised and uplifted by the people I meet on the road, and I wish I could tell younger me (and sometimes still older me) that it’s not always scary—and sometimes even super rewarding—to actually ~talk~ to people 🙌
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Then I was off to the Land of Oz, a theme park that I’ve been dreaming of visiting for years. I teared up ON THE SHUTTLE, watching the Wizard of Oz, a movie that I’ve seen more times than I can count, and one that has no doubt helped shape me in countless ways (aesthetically and emotionally) 👠
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While I agree that there is, indeed, no place like home, sometimes “home” can be a randomly-chosen BnB in the mountains of Virginia or the strip mall Chili’s where I ate dinner tonight—but whatever your own personal yellow brick road is, I hope it leads you somewhere magical (and I hope it’s not as windy as the roads in VA and western NC 🤢)✨
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#roadtrippers #roadsideamerica #roadtrip #roadtripusa #landofoz #yellowbrickroad #oz #beechmountain #northcarolina #autumnatoz #wizardofoz #followtheyellowbrickroad
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