For everyone out there wondering "What in the world have you been up to Bugsy?", I can at least give you one update...

JPG Magazine has published another one of my photos from the trip. This one I'm ESPECIALLY excited about.

It was taken on the very last day of my trip, from the top of the Mackinac Bridge.

Feel free to make a run to your local Barnes & Noble or Borders to pick up a copy.

The theme for this photo was "Bird's-eye view" so it fit very well. It is in Issue 14. Check it out! And a very special thanks to the folks at the Mackinac Bridge and the Michigan Forests Association for making this happen for me.

Thank you, JPG!

I've seen a lot of bars. Not because I drink a lot, I can assure you that I don't drink very much at all. But when you're a guest in all 50 states for a year people like to bring you to drinking establishments, and it's the truth, you create a bond when you go out and have a beer. I ain't lyin'. I may have to start a bar review. Here are the best bars in the country in their given category.


Casual cocktails: The Back Room, Lower East Side, NYC
Looking for some casual cocktails? Well fly to NYC if you have to, because this is the place to be. Low key, intimate, personal, and fun. It's like a museum and they serve your drinks in tea cups.


Casual beers: Keweenaw Brewing Company, Houghton, MI
For quality beer, cheap prices, and good conversation head to Houghton, MI. Do whatever it takes to get there, even if it's the snow storm of the century. It's warm and toasty inside, friendly, and super laid back and casual.


Clothing optional: Garden of Eden, Key West, FL
You read it yourself, clothing optional. If you're feeling a little risque you best get yourself to Key West. I haven't seen anything else like it. What more can I say.


Best overall and best college bar: The Phyrst, State College, PA
Crazy times, young crowd, and an atmosphere you won't see anywhere else. There is a camaraderie here that I haven't seen elsewhere. They have fun games, you can get your own mug, live music. Be sure to bring lots of energy.

Anyone out there wanting to fund Round II? I've decided this will be my next mode of transportation.





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My friend Beth sent this image to me today, saying that it reminded her of me. Well, I would like to think that's a good thing. This is a great list of how to live a good life everyday. A great philosophy indeed. I hope that I did a good job living this during my trip.

I wish I could take credit for this, and at the very least wish I knew where it came from originally.




Are you a Digg user? Feel free to Digg it here.

The latest excitement for me came yesterday when being published in AdWeek magazine, the leader in the advertising industry.

Check out the article here, Arts & Commerce: Sponsorship Drive

This one was special to me I must say. After studying advertising at Michigan State I really wanted to put my degree to use in an non=conventional way. I guess you could say I pulled it off. It has been rewarding to take specific lessons throughout college and apply them to my life and the Hometown Invasion Tour in this last year.

It's an honor to have some recognition in the advertising industry, and who knows, this might just lead to that exciting job with my name on it.

Especially during the planning stages of the trip, I learned great lessons (what I believe to be beyond my years) of being a professional and within the advertising industry. Creating ideas, pursuing them, making stuff happen, getting press, all that fun stuff. it was intimidating to walk into the headquarters of BBDO and work with Jeep at times. And how rewarding.

I can't wait to see how I get to apply all of these things and more in my next endeavor. Just wanted to write a short bit and share this article. Hope you take the time to read it and enjoy it.

These are, in my opinion, the must try pizzerias in the country. Some thin crust, some thick, and everything in between. They don't get better than these, most of them are in the midwest, but surprisingly not in Chicago. Feel free to give your input.

Mother Bear's
Bloomington, IN
I've never had a pizza that was cooked so perfectly. The crust is not too doughy or too crispy. It's got great thickness and a perfect dough-to-ingredients ratio. What's best is this place has atmosphere, great location, and they give you BIG glasses of beverages. Not those wimpy ones. Mother Bear's has my vote for the #1 pizzeria in the country. Lots of great choices, I suggest the Divine Swine or the Deluxe.

Pizza House
East Lansing, MI
There is also one in Ann Arbor, but naturally I have to favor the one in East Lansing. This is the best deep dish pizza in the country. The only thing that they lose a point to compared to my #1 Mother Bear's pizza is that Pizza House doesn't have as much atmosphere. Me and the college roomies would come here as a tradition every Sunday before finals. I recommend their deep dish sausage and green pepper pizza.

The Ambassador
Houghton, MI
Like unique pizza? If you want pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, or any of that you can go to any pizza place. But if you want something unique go to the Ambassador. The ambassador also scores #1 in terms of best atmosphere. The interior is magnificent and unique, with plenty to look at. I suggest going on a busy night before or after a Michigan Tech hockey game. Order either the Chicken Garlic or Tostada pizza, and they cut the pizza into square slices.

The Pie Hole
Boise, ID
I recommend their tomato and and pesto pizza. Delicious. They're big thin, cheesy, and full of flavor.

Cassano's
Dayton, OH
What Cassano's lacks in atmosphere, they make up for in history. Lots of history at this place. If you're a thin-crust lover this is the place to go. Probably my top for for thin crust pizza. They have very unique sausage that comes out of a grinder. Go with the sausage. They could do a better job with their cheese however. They also feature square pieces. It's their ingredients that add so much to this fine thin crust.

Partners
Peachtree City, GA
Great atmosphere and great variety on the menu. I recommend going with a bunch of crazy teenagers like I did, also roll up in a golf cart (dont' worry, it won't be strange in Peachtree City). Like unique pizzas? You have to try their potato pizza, delicious.

Mellow Mushroom
Knoxville, TN
Although originating in Atlanta, I ate at the one in Knoxville. They one of the best selections of unique pizzas. If you're a fan of white sauce, this is the place to get it.

Irene's Pizza
Baraga, MI
This doesn't make the list because it's in my hometown. It really is great pizza. I've never seen pizza quite like it before. They also cut their pizza into square slices. The packaging is great, you have to love the air bubble in the white paper bag. But if you don't like greasy pizza, this isn't the place for you, this is the greasiest pizza on the list. If you're going through Baraga, make a stop, you've gotta try their House Special.


Hideaway
Stillwater, OK

The Good of the Country
This may be the most important of my so-called conclusions. So this one is first, and listen up! There is a lot of good going on in this country! A lot! If you watch the 6 o'clock news you see violence, war, lawsuits, and more. It's terrible. People were worried about me going out in this country and staying with hundreds of strangers. I stayed in over 100 households of strangers, and NOT ONCE was my safety in jeopardy. People took care of me, offered me food, and showed me an incredible time. We need to have faith in our own country, and if you're able to turn off the news and get out in the community you will see a lot more of this good going on. A sub-conclusion of this, media needs to change, it's time we start reporting more positive aspects of the country. Every day at 6 o'clock millions of Americans are being depressed by the news when there is something positive going on down the street that they don't even know about.

We're all alike, very alike
It doesn't matter if your at a rodeo in South Dakota or shopping for Versace on Rodeo Drive in Southern California. We're all very, very similar. For the most part, the things that make us different are the things that won't matter a hundred years from now. Yet those are the things that tend to divide us. It's the things that make us alike that makes us who we are. People are all looking for the same things in life. I'm inspired to get along with anyone, no matter what.

Importance of Shopping Locally
Eat at a local restaurant rather than Olive Garden. Shop at your local hardware store and pay the extra quarter. Find local products in your area. For example, there is no reason why someone in Vermont should have to buy generic maple syrup. I found the value of shopping locally, and most of it has to do with character and atmosphere. Local restaurants are unique, exciting, fresh, and often better food than the big chains. The more we eat and shop at these local places, the less fast food and things we'll see. I love my Starbucks too, but give your local coffee shop some business.

Value of Community
This is what makes or breaks a town in many ways. In Casper, WY I saw an entire town get behind a cause to raise money for a young girl having her second organ transplant. That was awesome! There are towns like Burlington, VT where everyone is a friend and knows each other. And if they don't, I probably got more strangers saying "Hi" in towns like this than anywhere else. Then there are places where people don't even know their own neighbors (and at least one case of neighbors suiting each other that I ran into). Community can be built in many simple ways, say hi to people in the grocery store, shop locally, attend events, and invite someone over for dinner.

Importance of Giving
There's no better way to learn the importance of giving than a year like this where I'm living off donations and having people give me amazing things. From crisp hundred dollar bills, to amazing steak dinners, awesome gifts, and great support, people have given me inspiration to last a lifetime. You don't have to give money either. Give a complement. Give emotional support. Give somebody an opportunity. Give someone a hand on the street. Don't walk by a chance to make somebody's day or to do a good deed. And as another note, I have to make this point. If you have the money, give it. I learned that it's true that those with less financial security are more willing to give than those with great security. There is no reason why a college student should be donating more money than a millionaire, and it happened a number of occasions.

And my personal favorite... Dreaming Big
This is something I hope to pass to anyone. A dream is never too big. A dream is never too late. You're never too old or too young. You're never too poor or too weak. People doubted my dream and they will doubt your dreams as well. Use it as fuel. The world is at your fingertips. Be ambitious, use your resources, be motivated, be creative, and commit whatever it takes. It's all about attitude, and as corny as it sounds, a winning attitude is what it's all about. Sometimes you'll hear a sports announcer mention, "the team needs to learn to win." It's true. This year I learned how to dream and follow it to the end. Learn to win, learn to dream. Grab life by the horns. Live hard. Sleep well. Enjoy.

Everyday since my trip something seems to come up where I think, "Man, I just really miss going that on my trip." It could be just about anything. There are lots of things I miss about the trip and I often let my mind wander off thinking, "What if I could do it all over again?" Here are a few things I miss the most from The Hometown Invasion Tour

Driving the Compass
My favorite driving is city driving after dark with all the lights, and open road driving on a two-lane highway with not much traffic on a beautiful sunny day. Roll down the windows, turn up the music, open the sunroof, drive, and seeing the United States by road. It was always incredible.

First Nights at a Host
I didn't necessarily always look forward to knocking on a stranger's door. Sometimes it just felt weird and having now idea who was going to answer. Though it was quite interesting and worked out just about every time. My favorite part of the first day at a new host was the first evening. It almost always worked out where we would have dinner and then get to know each other. They would always ask interesting questions about my trip, and it became great conversation night after night.

New Restaurants
I'll be the first person to admit that I was spoiled this year, very spoiled. I'm not sure how many people took me to breakfast, lunch, or dinner and would refuse to let me pay. Food is an enormous daily topic in this country. It was so cool to be able to try new restaurants in probably every state. I wish I had a better restaurant log of my trip, but I'm guessing I probably tried at least 100 new restaurants in a year.

Change of the Land
One of the best parts for anyone traveling this country is seeing how the lands changes from region to region and state to state, and often city to city. There is an incredible amount of variety of scenery in this country, incredible amount! From glaciers, deserts, rain forests, tundra, tropical, coastal, plains, lakes, mountains, the list goes on. And you can divide each of those into sub categories as well. It's also cool to see the changes of people from region to region in terms of traditions, beliefs, daily life and more.

Spontaneous Adventure
There is no question that this is probably what I miss the most. I had no idea I was going to go spelunking or ice blocking, I didn't even know what those were. I would have not been able to predict that I'd shake hands with Shaun White and Jake Burton, or even John Carmack, the creator of Doom. Each day was a brand new adventure, I never knew what I was going to come across. The list goes on and on. I mean dressing up as gang green and going to the best sweater and turtle neck party in the country, I would have never predicted any of it.

The Spotlight
I think we're all a little vain at times. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the spotlight everywhere I went in the car and being introduced to people as the 50-state traveler. Being featured in over 30 newspapers, a couple handfuls of radio stations, a couple handfuls of TV stations, even a couple magazines and one national TV spot. It was an amazing feeling of success. It was a lot of fun to talk to reporters and share my experiences and stories. What came of being in all this press was the best part, responses from across the country! Which leads me to my next point....

Inspiring People
Every time meeting someone was an experience. They inspired me a lot in return. I had no idea how people were going to respond when I answered about my trip. But there was nothing more rewarding than seeing somebody's face light up with inspiration and thinking it was an incredible idea. I hope I inspired a lot of people, taught they about our country, and was able to simply share this incredible experience with them. I'll never forget the first time someone came up to me and said, "I would just like to shake your hand, I think what you're doing is amazing."

Story Telling
I still get to do a lot of this, but never will I tell as many stories of the trip as I did during the trip. People wanted to know everything! And I was meeting on average a few new people every day. Of course I had to answer a lot of the same questions daily. But I enjoy the challenging questions and questions I had never heard before.

And finally... meeting people, meeting hundreds of Americans. It was incredible.

Of course there are many other things I miss, but I had to at least get these things out.