reidharriscooper | LJ Idol: Idol Mini 2024-Week 2: Vacations and More

Here's hoping you enjoy reading long stories of true life agonies followed by quality memories . If that is your jam/deal/thing, then you'll love this. Be forewarned, it starts sad, then will get nostalgic, then probably meander all over the place but I promise I'll try to make it worth it.

As of now I have no idea when I'll get to travel outside of New York City again and when I do travel inside of NYC it'll be at the most to a convention as a press member covering the event that will give me a momentary mental respite. It could be as soon as late September that I go to another state or even country for just fun but right now that feels like ten years emotionally and physically away. Especially with what those three months will entail as I care take (take care of) my mother. I will not go into severe details, but my mother had emergency ostomy surgery in May and won't be repaired till Sept, she also has a skin cancer condition which is showing new symptoms and issues which require radiation treatment. I am her sole aide/care taker, especially after experiencing the care she received in a rehab center and now not trusting strangers with her care outside of doctors who know her case and issues and are experts in the field of that condition. I have chosen this life, I have no regrets and yet all regrets, for us to say we live without regret would be to lie to ourselves and our experiences but to also have regret lessens them as well.

Before all this though between 2018 to early 2024 I got to have many trips through the US (yes, during COVID, where I made a ridiculous amount of money as a census person). More than I had had in the 20 years prior even, having only traveled to Florida, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Philadelphia and one crazy life changing in ways trip to Canada (its another story and it involves my soul brother). Prior to that I traveled once as an adult after college to California. As a child I'd been to Florida, Ohio, Canada and even Denmark. It's that 2018-2024 period though that while recent past is the past I hold on to when looking to the future. It is those cherished memories in my mind and through photo, video and at times conversation with the people involved that helps me mold what is to come when this current ordeal is over and it is those trips I feel sharing now in encapsulated truncated moments with the worlds as it may be, reminding myself of great times and maybe giving those reading these stories that enjoy vicariously they almost feel they are their memories as well and help speak to a great future.

BOSTON 2018

I don't recall what prompted the Boston trip, but I organized a haphazard itinerary and did this trip with my soul brother Nick and his wife (the one he is with now, whom I adore). We got to walk the Freedom Trail, visit museums, see a graffiti alley, go to MICE which is a small press comics expo, eat amazing food and even go to the Isabella-Gardiner collection. In three days we really did tackle a lot, breweries, restaurants, the exhibits at Harvard, Cheers, Faneiul Hall, Boston Common, Fenway Park. It was just a long weekend but we shared a hotel, a car, meals and everything so it was just one those things that I know miss with Nick and Terri in Taiwan but one day.

ORLANDO 2019

My mother had seen an ad for Universal Studios and wanted to be able to go when she was still able to actually go on rides, do the water parks and spends hours and hours outside without a true break. I had been to Universal and Orlando with a strange group in 2008 but this would be much different. Being with my mom meant I was given full control of booking this. It was before my cat baby Tigerlily came into our lives so we also could go spend five days away with no worries. No worries were had at all as well. This entire trip was a dream. My mother had a blast. I had time to go explore downtown Orlando on my own going to breweries, snapping graffiti, and having an afternoon just staring at the birds in Lake Eola Park. Most of the trip of course was exploring as much of Universal as possible, all three parks and as much of each resort which was an experience itself with specialty restaurants and themes. I really would love to go to Halloween Horror Nights one day, but what I am waiting for any visits to Universal again is for Epic Universe to not only open but be in full swing and not surrounded by opening weeks mobs.

SAN DIEGO 2019

I am/was part of a group of people who met through the streaming app Twitch who became extra close. We were all mutuals, mostly of a UK friend of ours Jordan and created this tight community/family. Through it we made the crazy decision to all meet at Twitchcon and rent a beach house. Just 10+ people who had never met IN PERSON (but had done plenty video chats till awkward hours) agreeing to live together for 6 days. As crazy it sounds, it all worked out for the most part, I mean... it was 10+ people in a two bedroom beach house, there were problems... but it all was fantastic. The crew weren't as big on exploring San Diego itself as much as I was though, they liked just going to the con and then being on the beach most of the time. The last time I had been in San Diego was 2000 after college for Comic Con. I never really got to explore much of Gas Lamp or anything for that matter, so when I wasn't at the con or obviously making time to hang out with this family I did hit the town on the later days of the trip. I went to breweries, I went to the Zoo, I hit museums, visited restaurants the gang wasn't into. During this trip I also got to meet in person many other people from Twitch that I am still in touch with closely today. This trip has shared memories to last forever actually and on certain nights in certain streams those memories come back and discussion of one day having them again. These are the kind of memories you only get when you stuff a beach house with people of all sexes and sexual identities and races and cultures in a beach house for 5 days with booze, food, drugs, and love.

INDIANAPOLIS 2020

I went on this with one of my closest friends Sam who over the years I've broken up with and gotten back together in ways that has cemented THAT relationship (it is a very different friendship than I have with my soul brother). This was a wrestling trip, Sam is my wrestling friend (but we share many other things). It was The Collective 2020 and I knew that the majority of the trip would have us either at the wrestling or at the hotel and for the most part it was and that was awesome. If you follow wrestling in anyways there were plenty of known workers to hang with, some before they became major stars, others who used to be bigger stars and for me and Sam, many of them friends as well. I made a point on the day before and the day after that we DID see SOME of Indianapolis though. I took Sam to a railway graffiti spot as well as North Square which is the “cool” area that first day and the last day all over downtown Indianapolis of Mile Square, Lockerbie, etc. seeing the Soldiers monument, the mall, and small local stores. It was a fun trip and I'd love to see the city again … one day.

LAS VEGAS 2021

This was a completely “solo” trip. While it involved going to wrestling shows, it wasn't a wrestling vacation because those shows were not almost 24/7. I poured a lot into this trip. I had two friends I made plans to visit two friends made through Twitch from two different communities than the ones at Twitchcon 2019. Tightspot who I knew through wrestling Twitch met me at the airport and was a chauffeur for me to the rassle shows as well as being a wonderful friend.

I got to meet up with Smitty [who I also got to bump into at the con in 2019] on Day 7 of the 8 day visit where he took me to Cornish Pastry before I gave myself a long day of visiting the Arts District and the Beer District with ending up at Resorts World with a detour to Circus Circus. The google maps timeline for that walk or basically for most days of this trip were intense. On day one of the trip I made it to Luxor, Mandalay Bay and my hotel Excalibur. On day two I walked the strip all the way to Treasure Island and then back on the other side to MGM grand seeing the Volcano show, the Bellagio fountain, the aquarium and statues at Caesar's... and I also had a meal at The Wicked Spoon buffet and visited every bathroom available along the way. On Day three I spent the whole time at Boulevard Mall which has its own fairly large special aquarium exhibit experience and at the time of the trip a wrestling school which was where the first show of the trip was at. Day Four was the longest of wrestling days with one in the morning and one at night but Tightspot and I also walked Fremont and a large graffiti area, and ended the night at huge Karaoke show. Day five was my shortest, Tightspot and I had our last wrassles show and then I went downtown where I got to see a very long time friend and entertainer Kevin aka Jervis as well as Marty the Moth. I walked around for as long as I could before I physically broke down and went back to the hotel where I sat in a hot tub and under a waterfall before having an early night.

The half “spa” day was really good cause the next day I spent my entire time at Area 15, an entertainment complex of immersive art, food, weird stores, arcades and more. I spent eight hours inside MeowWolf's Omegamart taking in every piece of art, story, and lore they put into it. I then also got to go to one of the earliest openings of the now since closed [as of April 24^th, 2024] Lost Spirits Distillery art and whiskey tasting experience, which I am so glad I got to have as part of my forever memories. I wrote about day seven already, so, on day 8 before going home I did as much as I could that I had missed prior and still to this day have plenty to go back for. I rode the monorail up to the Las Vegas Convention Center for Siegel's Bagelrama and then walked The Venetian, the Flamingo, Bally's, Paris and more before back to the airport and NYC.

DALLAS 2022

Another wrestling trip, another Collective, but this was ALSO Wrestlemania weekend. The Collective takes place days before it and takes advantage of wrestling fans from all over flying in for the extravaganza and has multiple promotions come together under one banner to present multiple shows over 3 days featuring many never before seen matches. Sam and I had different plans to tackle this so we booked our flights, stays and schedules separately. We also broke up for a day and made up during this trip as per our friendship. The wrestling took place at Fair Park which in itself has enough happening for a vacation much like NYC's Central Park, there are museums, a lagoon, a mini aquarium, plenty of restaurants, a nearby brewery and local other attractions. It also was easy to get to on the main trolley line. Although getting to home base/hotel usually needed an uber as the wrestling ran from as early as 9 AM to as late as 3 AM. On the 1^st day before any wrassles Sam and I went to Buc-Cees, a world famous gas station/market with locations throughout the South East from Texas to Florida. One could write entire books on Buc-Cees. We also went to Deep Ellum, an area covered in street art, cool shops and restaurants and music venues which MUST be seen during the day and the night to truly appreciate and we explored downtown Dallas as well. Then it was truly 3 days of wrestling and taking in Fair Park. Although on the last night of the Collective I made a point to meet with my friend Windsor [who did not get to come to San Diego, but is part of that family] and take in some more of Deep Ellum at night and I wish I had let him guide my hand more and cared less about wrestling that day (but fuck regrets).

With the wrestling done (I skipped Wrestlemania), I had two days of Dallas to fully explore. I went to the Dallas Museum of Art and then met with another member of the Twitch clan, who DID stay at the San Diego beach house, Anim8 and we visited the Deep Elum Arts Festival. On the final day I did more than one should be capable of, but I arranged for a LATE flight home to intentionally do as much as possible. I walked through Design District and then hopped on the trolley to the West End, where I visited the Museum of Illusions, the World Aquarium Zoo, many shops and visions and then one last stop to Dealy Plaza where John Fitzgerald Kennedy was famously shot. It's a part of Dallas that combines old and new and despite the grimness is also beautiful. I headed back to the hotel and then had my first and so far ONLY experience ever of ALMOST missing my flight. They were boarding JUST as I was going through security. I was in luck that my gate was right after security instead gates further. That was wowsers.

NEW ORLEANS 2024

You may be wondering what happened to 2023? Well, I just never made it out of the city. Las Vegas and Dallas were both very expensive trips. My finances had changed. WM/Collective that year was in Los Angeles and way out of my budget at the time. Dallas also taught me I never wanted to actually travel so far to a place I had never been or ever got to to explore as an adult with 3 of the days dedicated to wrestling shows unless I was booked to perform or be on production which between 2018 and 2023 I had become extremely good at in NYC. That doesn't mean I laid low in 2023. I did plenty in NYC at multiple conventions, visits to Brooklyn and Manhattan, etc.

What caused New Orleans though? Well, this actually was another trip with mom, who back in February of 2024 was healthy and sprite. We have a mutual best friend, Pam, that we've known for 30+ years who is in between us in age and who over the years I have created my own special friendship with separate from my mothers friendship with her, so much so I consider her my soul sister. For the last seven years she and her daughters (whom I used to help take care of) and soon to be ex-husband had left NYC and were overseas, but circumstances have changed drastically and now Pam and two of the daughters were back and New Orleans was where they'd first be living. We decided that New Orleans seemed like an amazing vacation and plus we'd get to see people we loved more than pretty much anyone as soon as possible after they'd settled in a bit.

We found someone reliable to make sure Tigerlily was tended to, I rented us a two bedroom house and booked us a six day trip, all for under $2000 for two people with flight. On our first day/night we walked around the French Quarter with Pam and the girls and had dinner at Muriel's where I had turtle soup for the first time. On day two Mom and I went to The Ruby Slipper in Marigny for brunch and then walked along St. Claude Avenue for the street art and shops. At the store “She Comes in Peace” I bought a pair of earrings that get love and praise every time I've worn them at suitable events the last few months. We also got to see the well known street art piece by Bansky titled Umbrella Girl in person. After this we walked back to French Quarter and then along Riverside Park to meet Pam and the girls to visit Audobon Aquarium. A beautiful space, you'd think I'd get bored by zoos and aquariums after seeing them in so many places, but nope and never. After Audobon it was more French Quarter, for a small area there's so much to see in it. We got coffee and beignets at the world famous and original Cafe Du Monde, then mother and I explored more and had a delicious steak dinner recommended by a long time NYC street art friend living in NO who I unfortunately never got to see while there cause schedules. Day three mother and I had another delicious brunch with plans in the air based on the weather, after a short detour we ended up on a trolley to the Audobon Zoo where we met Pam and the girls for a long afternoon of animals and fun. Dinner was at Snug Harbor up at Frenchman St and we walked along Frenchman and then Bourbon till calling it a night. Day four I had to myself, mom and Pam did a Swamp tour and I did a DEEP DIVE into The French Quarter exploring graffiti, book stores, art galleries, the Pharmacy museum, food shoppes and more. I had drunk a very strong THC Lemonade and it kicked in just as I was on Bourbon Street at Willie's Chicken Shack. This was a mindmelt perfection of so much into my brain, of Bourbon and people itself, the fried chicken, being alone and the THC... it ruled. During this “trip to space” Pam and my mom returned from the Swamp tour and asked me to meet them at The Carousel Bar. It was too crowded there but it was cool to see, we had dinner elsewhere and then while waiting for the Uber back to the house saw stilt walkers in shimmery outfits. On our next to last day Mother and I went back out to the French Quarter as there was still so much we had yet to see, after brunch we met with Pam and the girls at French Market, then Pam, Mom and myself went to the NOLA Jazz Museum, saw a live concert I enjoyed so much I bought the bands CD and then it was time for a not so little Mardi Gras Parade, one of the first of the season La Boheme, which I turned into a few mini movies on YT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg1PC9QmTio&list=PLEDEZGcdcHNg6kLcvS8b_kLjRhA17vrYJ&pp=gAQBiAQB

Our final morning in New Orleans was quiet but sweet saying goodbye to Pam and having a small breakfast before flying back to NYC.

STUCK IN NYC 2024

Plans were mentally made for me to return to New Orleans on my own to spend time with Pam and possibly some friends, but those are backburned, as are plenty more. Yet without this past of fun and life I wouldn't even have the foresight of the future. I've been able to find my own fun in NYC via comic book events, wrestling shows, and conventions. I also was extremely happy when Pam's other daughter visited NYC while mom was in Rehab. As much as Pam is my soul sister, her first born has been my number one since she was old enough to actually talk and learn and teach, so I've survived off happenings like that as well.

Not only do I want and WILL by hell or highwater return to places like SD, NO and Orlando, but I want to go to Denver, the Pacific Northwest, and eventually even the UK and Taiwan and Japan. Without the trips I've had in my back pocket of knowing I know how to budget these and make them realistic when life allows again I would have nothing to look forward to, so I am grateful for my adventures and my adventures still to come.

{Written for LJ Idol: Idol Mini 2024-Week 2: Sankofa}