Carry-on limitations are really hurting readers

To the point that one traveler is smuggling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in his pants.

Not only did I dodge a full body scan and gate groping, I also got to enjoy some book bums.  Literally.  At the very least, airports are still hilarious.

RRT is finished, time to consult my checklist

Thirteen days after embarking on my brilliant/unusual/foolhardy/pick-your-adjective Resume Road Trip, I returned to North Carolina and my fluffy bed.  Time flew by during my travels, and I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable experience.

But since this trip was more than a mere joyride, I must now utilize the left-side of my brain to analyze my success (or lack thereof).

Taking a shot while crossing the Bay Bridge in MD (don't try this, kids)

What a Resume Road Trip is good for:

• Getting to know new cities
• Finding out what businesses/industries are prominent in the area
• Determining whether you would want to live there 
• Determining whether you could afford to live there

What a Resume Road Trip is not good for:

• Going on job interviews
• Actually getting hired

The chaotic nature of such travels is not conducive with the playing-hard-to-get game of landing interviews.  Although I did meet with some prospective part-time employers, the real reward is knowing where I should be focusing my job search.  My top pick of the three is the Big Apple (duh).

Snapping again across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into NYC

New York City is the place to be for the artistically inclined and highly motivated.  I love that in a single day you can overhear more conversations in a foreign language than English.  I love that creativity seems to be a part of the city's DNA.  I love that I can eat ANY international cuisine, and it's always authentic.  The downfall of the City That Never Sleeps is, well, just that: The drive to succeed in New York means long workdays (think 9 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m.); overly competitive peers; and sometimes cutthroat work environments.  Not exactly my ideal.  Also, the rent is too damn high!

Washington, D.C., is a close second behind New York in terms of relocation appeal.  Having interned  in the District two years ago,  I'm already familiar with the area and know where to find good food, economical apartments and squirrels that play tug-of-war over a peanut.  While the city might not be as exciting as NYC, there is no shortage of international flavor, museums and other 20-somethings.  The drawback of life in D.C., is the attitude.  Most businesses— whether they be lobby firms, publications or bookstores— revolve around politics, which many people take very seriously.  As someone who doesn't enjoy heated debates, I worry the pugnacious political culture would wear me out.  Out of town, that is.

Philadelphia didn't have much of a chance.  Of the three cities on my tour, Philly was the one I had not yet visited, and I only gave it one day to make a good impression.  Not fair, but in the interest of time, I decided to trust my instincts and discard it from the search.  The City of Brotherly Love has a plethora of history, old architecture and activity.  I'd like to go back and visit, but I don't think I want to live there.

For your Halloween viewing pleasure...

A Snookie Scarecrow,

As part of the Peddler's Village scarecrow competition in Pennsylvania. 

If you want to get the skittles scared out of you, I recommend Paranormal Activity.  Just be sure you're not staying in an apartment with creaky pipes.  Otherwise, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, is always an excellent choice.

RRT Part 3: Holy Cream! I'm in NYC

Check out the stadium seating in Times Square

Bright lights, Big city.  Although I assured everyone from my mom to my aunt to my friends that driving into New York City would be a piece of cake, my stomach was roiling with suspense. Surprisingly the drive was less stressing than the one from Maryland to Pennsylvania, and I arrived safe in sound in Brooklyn after passing blocks and blocks worth of 20-something hipsters— they're good for gauging the safety/sketchiness of an area.

The funky Hearst Tower

My last visit to the Big Apple was in 2008 during my senior year spring break.  At the time I felt overwhelmed, overcrowded and generally uncomfortable by the concrete jungle and its 8 million inhabitants.  This time has been completely different.  The city exudes excitement and possibilities and a bit familiar (I even ran into a friend from UNC who's now in law school).  I'm not sure whether this difference can be attributed to me, having been indoctrinated into city life in D.C. and then Buenos Aires, or whether it's the city.  Manhattan has created new outdoor piazzas in Union Square, the Flatiron District and even Times Square.  My friend says this is part of an attempt to give the city back to the people.  Whatever the reason, I love it!

Sharing the doughnut ice cream sandwich

The job search part is going so-so with success rate being about on par with D.C., which isn't bad but isn't wonderful either.  My mission before departure is to get one more interview or follow-up contact.  In the meantime, I'm savoring the hustle and bustle and the crazy foods... like doughnut ice cream sandwiches from Holy Cream.  Is this a potential competitor for another blogger's doughnut burger?

RRT Part 2: Chicken Cheesesteaks and Philadelphia Idol

Kiddies exercise their bill of rights outside the Constitution Center

My second stop along the RRT was trickier than the first. For one, I've never been to Philadelphia and had no idea what to expect.  Also my relatives in Pennsylvania live more than an hour away from the city, which required me to do some planning before I went downtown (heaven forbid).

Although I didn't feel any brotherly love in terms of employment, I did have some quintessential Philly experiences like:

• Taking a bus tour around the city with a very enthusiastic, booming tour guide named Ernest
• Learning that Philadelphia's City Hall boasts the highest statue atop a building
• Eating an authentic Philly Cheesesteak (okay, technically it was a chicken cheesesteak)
• Realizing that Benjamin Franklin will always be the original American Idol in Philadelphia; Sorry, M. Night Shyamalan and Danny DeVito
• Seeing the boat in which Vito Corleone traveled to America in The Godfather Part II

The cheesesteak master shreds my chicken-onion-cheese mix

I was able to rule out Philadelphia as a prospective candidate— chalk it up to gut instinct and some unfavorable similarities to a certain metropolis in South America...

Still the trip was a success: I'm one stop closer to finding my ideal spot, and I had a wonderful time visiting with family I hadn't seen in years.

Next up: Surviving the New Jersey Turnpike: A Southerner's Guide to driving in the Big Apple

RRT Part 1: Washington, D.C., also known as 'Little Argentina'

It's Sunday night, and I'm already five days into my Resume Road Trip (let's just call it RRT so it sounds more important and I can type less).  I've already completed the Washington, D.C., part of my tour as I type away here in my relatives' home just an hour outside of Philadelphia.  Tomorrow it's back to the job-hunting grind but for now let's catch up on the Capital.

It's a long escalator ride out of Dupont Circle

My admirable yet naive plan to set out at 0600 hours Wednesday morning to avoid traffic from Research Triangle Park and arrive just around lunchtime in D.C., was short-lived: my official departure was 9:46— whoops.  The five-hour drive north was pretty uneventful until I found myself on the wrong side of the Interstate 95 split— whoops again.  Somewhat arrogantly I assumed that six months commuting into the District made me knowledgeable enough to navigate find my way to Anne Arundel County.  You know they say about people who assume?  They end up in Southeast D.C.— giant whoops.  I think it's safe to say that I have a sketchball magnet lodged in my cranium.

 The first day of job hunting (Thursday) was idle and painful and delicious.  After being unceremoniously rejected by the Argentine Embassy (can someone explain why Argentines work at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina but Americans cannot work at the Argentine Embassy in the U.S.?), I caught the GUTS bus over to Georgetown University to meet a friend for lunch.  After some tasty Thai food, what do we come across?  Why no other than Argentine-style "gelato."  DolceZZa is a bit pricey, but the selection of about eight water-based flavors, which were the smoothest sorbets I've ever tasted were well worth it.  With flavors like "Avocado Honey Orange" (delicious, btw) and "Georgia Butter Pecan," I think DolceZZa easily blows Argentina's heladerias out of the water.  Ironically enough this location was right next to a street called Volta... tell me that's not bizarre.

Alfajores in America! Find them at DolceZZa

After foodie heaven, I had to come back to earth and face the fact that my lovely Enzo Angiolini ballet flats were hellbent on murdering my feet.  I hobbled back on the GUTS bus to Dupont Circle where I then met another friend for dinner (seeing a pattern?)  We were a bit dubious about an all-vegan restaurant, but Cafe Green served us deliciously rich food at a delightfully low price— hallelujah!  My vegan burger of lentils and beans was scrumptious and my friend was impressed with her veggie chili and humongous cornbread loaf.  Two years ago I had tried Cafe Green's sister store, Java Green, and left unimpressed.  Perhaps it deserves a second chance.

It was a good thing that I had no social engagements on Day 2 or it would have been just as unproductive.  Wearing several pirate band aids and my more comfortable ankle boots, I zoomed around D.C.: Arlington, Tenleytown and the Northwest quadrant.  With precious little time to dine, I ended up passing by the very spot I've been wanting to try.  Julia's Empanadas aren't Argentina-style per se— they're far too big— but my vegetarian one stuffed with collared greens and peppers was the perfect confluence of America del Sur and the American South.  According to the website, the vegetarian crust is made from butternut squash, which would explain the different consistency. 

At night they come alive and battle... or is that Night at the Museum?

The week finished with one of my favorite activities: Scaring my youngest cousin, who I like to call Twinkie Brain.  My cousin, his parents and I went to a haunted trail at a nearby farm.  While my aunt had a giant spider fall on her and Twink was repeatedly chased by Jason, Michael Meyers and a chainsaw-wielding Texan, I jumped and laughed the whole way through.  Too bad I'm still too yellow-bellied to watch Paranormal Activity.

The Resume Road Trip: A plan so half-baked I might get salmonella

Now that I'm back in the U.S., no one really cares that I can both speak English and teach it.  I might have have huffed and puffed about the process of getting a job in Buenos Aires, but at least opportunities existed and prospective employers were hiring.

Not quite the case back in the E.E.U.U.

Top off this predicament with the fact that I'm not sure whether to continue in the field of journalism or pursue another career.  Also, I'm not really sure where I want to live.  San Francisco and Austin, Texas, appeal to me the most of all U.S. cities, but unfortunately they're a good deal away from the family and friends I've just come home to.

So, in an attempt to A. figure out where I want to live B. figure out what I (sorta) want to do; and C. determine if those two can coexist, I've set out on a "Resume Road Trip." The tentative plan has me passing through D.C., Philadelphia and New York with possible stops in Baltimore and Boston depending on how exhausted I am.  It's kind of like doing a road test for the Find Your Spot quiz.

Although I have an idea of companies and places to check out, this trip is largely intuitive, not logical.  Armed with the latest copy of What Color Is Your Parachute?, a new cell phone and a suitcase full of interview clothes, let's see if this half-baked scheme can prove fruitful.