Traveling to see how the social network views social networks.
Location: Here

One of the highlights of my travels happened to be unplanned at the start, but turned out to be a great collection as I continued back and forth across the country. Getting to the top of the tallest buildings or towers that were in various cities. The towers were especially intriguing in that I never realized how many there were across the country. The similarities of all of them to each other were like seeing strange brethren, making each place they stood familiar in their own way.

The fascinating social aspect of going to the top of each was seeing the groups of people drawn to the height of each. Usually the energy was palpable in the midst of the crowd. A buzz of discussion about the journey up, the history of the building or conversation of the informational displays and fun facts that weave along the lines. The normal tour groups, families and couples filed through the lines to reach the pinnacle, each a touch closer to the heavens and space. The reactions ranging from excitement to fear, wonder to silent contemplation.

Each time I rose, a new perspective of Earth lay below. Both sprawling and cramped at the same time. The views from each were distinct and unique, providing a semblance of floating and, with the tallest ones, the feeling of sitting in an unmoving airplane. These 10 were icing on the cake to my living in NYC and getting the chance to rise up to the peak of many of the tallest skyscrapers in the US and the world, but more so, being able to be at the top of the WTC years ago and remembering that experience.

I began with the CN Tower in Toronto and it’s glass elevator, reminiscent of Charlie and his adventures beyond the chocolate factory, and the glass floor on which, for a brief moment, walking on air truly seemed feasible. The tallest of all that I visited, it started the dominoes that led to me going to the top of all the rest that were open to the general public.

Here are the tippy-top 10 in the order ascended:

CN Tower – Toronto / 1,815 ft / 553.3 m


John Hancock Building – Chicago / 1,500 ft / 457 m


Willis (aka Sears) Tower – Chicago / 1,730 ft / 527 m


Space Needle – Seattle / 605 ft / 184 m


Vancouver Lookout – Vancouver / 581 ft / 177 m


Liberty Memorial – Kansas City / 217 ft / 66 m


Gateway Arch – St. Louis / 630 ft / 192 m


Tower of the Americas – San Antonio / 750 ft / 229 m


Stratosphere – Las Vegas / 1,149 ft / 350 m


Coit Tower – San Francisco / 210 ft / 64 m

“It’s the journey, not the destination.”

And so the official “I’m Here. You’re There.” travel map is complete… for now.

After nearly 20,000 miles and 4 months zigging and zagging across the country, the obvious next step was to lay out the path I took around. The wonder of technology is that I can create it and share it with everyone and anyone at the click of a button. Granted, it has a very different feel then the tactile sensation of physically placing the little pins into a printed map along with tracing the roads with a highlighter. That I’ve been saving for another day.

VIsually, even for myself, it was amazing to recount the roads and the route I took and to see it all come together as a whole. I often described it as a sloppy figure 8 that I was traversing, but after seeing the tour in total, it looks like 8 had a few too many drinks and collapsed on itself. I’ll have to figure a new descriptor for it. Suggestions welcome.

I’ve recounted near exact paths, leaving some exact locations out of the mix for privacy purposes and, because of Google map logistics, a lot of the shorter and general driving trips around cities have been disregarded. Those added up to a lot of the extra miles and some good little adventures that may make the light of day. For now, the overview remains. I’ve incorporated picture links in each of the cities and video interviews where they pertain. When memories are downloadable (in this next decade?) I’ll post those.

The field of vision for the overall map was often amusing to me in thinking that in some of those quiet, desolate and isolated swaths of asphalt, there was a GPS satellite floating a couple hundred miles above, tracking me just as I’ve tracked myself now. I often wondered what that blip looked like from high above in the silence of space, if satellites dream of electric sheep, to paraphrase Philip K Dick’s novel, as the red VW Jetta that was my ride was leaping from place to place on the journey.

And now you can see where I was when I’d say “I’m Here. You’re There.” Thanks for coming along for the ride.

As yet another decade opens it’s doors for adventure, the last year was one of much travel across the country. Amongst the mix of isolation and solace of the road, I caught up with family and friends, met a lot of new faces and made some new friendlies along the way. I’m still in the midst of collecting a variety of thoughts, ideas, statistics, musings, emotions, shiny objects, odd entities and whatever else that may have found it’s way into my life along the way. The decade has been big and bold and I haven’t had time to look back on it much, nor do I feel a deep need to reflect on it. From the footstep of Ground Zero to an age where the world can be held in the palm of your hand, it’s been quite the ride. It is there to flip through, but the present is where I am. 4 months and 20,000 miles later are just a flash now, but the way it’s been documented is far from ye olden days of slide shows. Who knows what tools will be around in the next few years for a trip like the one I just pulled off.

The one thing for certain that will be around are the people who are there to meet and greet you along the way. I’ve had my days of fun and days for self, but in the end I always found people (or they found me.) From the remotest parts of desert and mountain top, to crowded city streets, they were there.

Here’s a little high-five to everyone I met along the way and those below that helped connect the dots across the nation.

Ann D, Kate G (special thanks to Tadpole,) Tony & Alicia D (special thanks to Sophia & Quinn,) Suzan K, Beth M, Rich & Stephanie E (special thanks to Wyatt), Team Bigos Buffalo, Dan & Cat S, Andrew E, Christa I, Rick S, Brandy C, Shannon M, George S, Boise Tweet crew, Shiro’s, Michelle “X”, Sara & the Salt crew, Rebecca “miss604,” Martha S (special thanks to Trevor and Danny,) AC, Matt W & Joanne S, Jon & Lyn E, Neeraj & Nicole E, Mark G, KC “stary swecki” Team Bigos crew, Megan H, Angela H, Putz, Mike, Terri, Erin W, Lu C, Shane & Jess A, Pam L, Kevin B, & Kat J, Tony O, Karyn M & Rub Jewel Group reunion, Jody & Anna M with special shout to the Jax crew, Liz A, Sara G, Sunny W, Puddy, DK “Disco Karaoke” Lee, Andrea G, Lindsey R, Trina N, Catherine Z, Will, Greig F, Jen B, PJ P, DJ P, Napa & Sonoma wine hosts including Aubrey, David “The Guam Bomb” and Christopher, Cali Team Bigos, Danielle K, Jeremy H, Kris and Tricia R (special thanks to Mason and Anna,) “Greta” Garmin and of course, the parental figures, my bro and sis.

It’s been quite the ‘09 and the ‘aughts, zero’s, 2000’s or whatever this decade goes down as. The next should be as good a name game. Happy New Year people!

As most people know, getting a small business up and running is quite the task. Keeping it running is a different monster altogether. While I was in North Carolina, I talked to a few people who had just started or were maintaining a small business. I mentioned Brad in an earlier post who runs and owns the Surf House in Carolina Beach, NC and is using a variety of methods including the social nets to spread the word about his store and community. My excellent friend Kevin has been running a construction management business, Elevate Construction, in the Wilmington, NC area. I sat down with him to get a perspective on an industry not particularly associated with social networking and how a younger generation with tech savvy is beginning to use these new resources.

The seeds have been planted and are being fostered to create communities within these niche spaces. It’s great to see social communication and networking strategies beginning to blossom in these different industries. A lot of the traditional means still reside, but the transition is there to enhance small business needs into the next decade. B2B social networks are out there, but the exploration of them seems to be developing at a faster pace with the onset of Twitter and other micro-blogging applications. With last year’s financial and real estate market collapse, smaller businesses especially in the construction and management space are looking to the alternative methods to keep ahead of the game all the while keeping costs at a minimum.

Thanks Kevin for the excellent interview!

Days turn into weeks into months and in that span I have zigged and zagged across this great nation of ours to the tune of 18,000 miles and counting. It’s a lot and a little at the same time. The beauty that I’ve beholden has come in many forms. The network of people along the way has been an endless provider of wondrous hospitality, conversation and joviality. It is this base of the social network that provides a unique daily experience. Whether you are broadcasting, receiving or tuned out, seeing the populace being redefined by means of the technology that surrounds us and vice versa has been an almost indescribable experience. The manner in which we use social nets, the mobile web and ultimately how we speak about the relationship of ourselves to new communication.

The tech trends will continue to develop and reshape how we speak to, with and at one another. But a big definer of the pieces that work have an emotional resonance. We like the application. We love our smartphone. We like to like (thumbs up!) And yes, we love to hate. It’s what makes the space so dynamic with it’s range of emotional outlets and primal shouts into the ether.

“Hulk maaaaaad about carrier provider!”

It’s this essence, and evolution, from the diary under lock-and-key of old, to transmitting openly online that I’ve found as a great magnet of conversation. Everyone I’ve spoken with, regardless of age, gender, race, etc. lights up like the holidays lights at the mention of social networking and so begins a deluge of fascination, excitement, confusion rage and even sadness at what this new medium has brought about. Being in the industry, you experience it on a daily basis, but whether I’ve interviewed people the videos, conversed offline about it or met people in passing, the reactions are priceless and fascinating. The comfort in speaking about the topic is like I’ve never seen with anything else among people. Casual, fun and intriguing as to how the social network is seen. I don’t think the formality of a focus group can garner such warmth.

Mention social networking during the holidays when you’re with family and friends and see what happens. It could be a unique gift unto its own.