The Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco isn’t a place where you’d want to get lost. Notoriously the worst neighborhood in San Francisco, the Tenderloin is a containment area for drug deals, junkies, homeless, and vagrants. Most people warn against traveling to this neighborhood located in the heart of San Francisco’s civic center, but we had the privilege of visiting to learn about one of the bright spots in this struggling community.On a Friday in late September, Tom and I were set to meet with Michael Anderer, the vice-president of the De Marillac Academy. The De Marillac Academy is a San Miguel School offering quality, Catholic, and tuition free education to the underprivileged children living in the Tenderloin, The Mission District, and SOMA (South of Mission Area). Michael has over 20 years of experience working in schools like this. Starting in the Camden, NJ area, he transferred to a school in Chicago caught in territorial gang violence. After more than a decade of work in the gang riddled neighborhoods of Chicago, Michael moved to the Bay Area to serve at the De Marillac Academy. Michael has been working in the Tenderloin for a few years now, and we felt measurably safer […] Read More
Rule #76. No Excuses. Play like a champion Tom and I were in Vancouver, eating a fairly quiet Sunday dinner at a Mexican restaurant, lingering to maximize the free restaurant wifi during a week without cell service. After we had our fill of tacos and internet access, we decided to head down Main Street looking for another drink before heading back to our AirBnb apartment. While walking, we were caught rubber necking, checking out a some overdressed people sitting on the steps outside of an event hall.“Can I help you?” a mid-30s looking guy questioned. He was wearing a Tux with a loosened tie, wielding a beer bottle. We apologized for staring and asked him why everyone was dressed up. “It’s a Wedding” “On a Sunday night?” “Yea. I know. It’s cheaper this way. Plus, I get to take the day off tomorrow” This sparked a conversation with our new Canadian friend, John, who was the best man at his brother’s wedding. John found out we were from the US and was excited to question us (Rule #88: You are from out of town, ALWAYS). He had spent time in Philadelphia and made an instant connection with Tom. We chatted […] Read More
“What the Hell are you chewing?” I say this phrase almost every day when I hear an unfamiliar crunch coming from the back seat. Mac has added a lot to our journey through 7 weeks. He’s brought us love, frustration, happiness, blood boiling anger, and lots of laughter. When I told people that I would be traveling with a dog for 10 weeks across the country, I usually received an eyebrow raise and a look that says, “You’re f#*$ing crazy”. The truth is, Mac has brought us through the entire spectrum of emotions, but I can’t help but think that, given the chance to do it over, I’d bring him along again. Here are the pros and cons to traveling with Mac. Pros 1.      He takes the pressure off Everyone knows that houseguests can get annoying after a few days. You feel pressure to entertain them, they overtake your living room, eat your food, and occupy the bathroom. Mac’s primary job is to take the focus off of us (needy houseguest) by stealing the heart of the host. We’ve had nearly 20 different hosts thus far, and most of them are so preoccupied with Mac’s puppy cuteness, that they actually […] Read More

Oh Canada

September 20, 2014 Paul Scolieri Blog 0 comments
Snow in September. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Also our cell phones don’t work and everything is more expensive. You’d think this was miserable experience that we couldn’t wait to escape. But this is when I fell in love with Canada. Tom and I actually purchased a paper map of Alberta on our first stop north of the border, and used the ancient tool to successfully navigate to our AirBnb apartment in downtown Calgary. I now realize how much we rely on smart phones to travel. This would have been a routine situation 10 years ago, but today it’s an actual challenge. For such a small accomplishment, I was legitimately proud that we actually found our way in a foreign city by using just a paper map and our own intuition. Tom suggested we sign up for the Amazing Race. Beyond the unseasonable snow and cold (and higher cost of food and fuel – $1.30/liter!), Canada has a lot to offer.  The most spectacular sight in this part of the Country is undoubtedly the Canadian Rockies. The first visual of the mountains was literally awe inspiring, and the views from Banff National Park are the highlight of the trip thus far. […] Read More
It took a 10 hour haul to get to Jackson, and we missed the landscape change on the drive by arriving after dark. Waking up in Jackson encased by the mountains was surreal. It may seem like a small thing to get excited about, but I’m not used to being surrounded by these kinds of goliath landforms. Jackson is definitely a trendy ski resort town. It has a blend of cliché old west tourist traps and hip restaurants and shops. It’s also mega expensive. The cheapest place we could find to stay was a Motel 6 in Jackson. Although this was one of the nicest motels that I’ve personally stayed in, the lowest price we could find was about $140/night. Our park ranger friend (and couchsurfing host for 2 nights), Christina, informed us later that the government owns over 90% of the land in the Jackson Hole region, limiting the amount of available space to expand the town. She informed us that Jackson is the most expensive real estate market in the country, even surpassing Manhattan. It’s so expensive in fact, that many of the people working service jobs in the city are living in camp sites temporarily as an […] Read More
We left Charlotte 16 days ago, and today we crossed the 4000 mile marker. It seems insane. 4000 miles already? In just 16 days? I’m writing this from the expansive, sprawling grasslands of Wyoming on our way to Jackson, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. This is the beginning of the meat of this trip. The next 6-7 weeks will be spent in the Rocky’s and west.They say it takes 21 days of doing something to form a habit. After 16, I’m starting to see why. A week ago this all felt haphazardly put together. I couldn’t find items buried in the trunk. We were constantly rearranging, and we crammed and shoved lose items into nooks of the car. I felt like we were on an episode of hoarders using every possible inch to store things that we probably don’t even need. But now, a week later, we’re starting to figure it out. Camping stuff in the skybox, clothes in the trunk, electronics and cooler (for easy access) in the car’s interior. We’re finding a little bit of a rhythm.In the last 7 days we made a second attempt at swim lessons for Mac at the O’Connell residence in New York’s […] Read More
After completing about 1/10th of our journey, this analogy seems to be the most fitting. Tom, Mac, and I have traveled about 1700 miles in our first week, or as Tom refers to it, “Our Blitzkrieg up the East Coast”. I’m realizing now that this trip will be equally challenging as it is exciting.I’m still working on getting into the flow of traveling every day, as the constant change is a new concept for me. I’ve been on somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster with enthralling highs and quiet lows. The highs build positive energy, and the lows deplete it. Constant travel can grow tiresome and things will not always go according to plan. Yet, the highs of making progress towards this goal that I’ve set is strong enough to squash any of the down moments.The main source of this positive flow of energy has been my interactions with people. Each stop is filled with hospitality and encouraging conversation. Our hosts are excited to hear about where we’ve been and where we plan to go. However, the most engaging conversations have been focused on the why. In these discussions, it becomes apparent that we all share some level of brimming desire […] Read More
We left Rhode Island for Boston. The drive would take 1.5 hours with no traffic, but we made the intelligent decision to depart at 3pm, so we promptly arrived in Boston at 6:30. Once we fought past the external traffic into the city, our GPS unit didn’t anticipate Boston’s construction and numerous road closures. We must have crossed the bridge over the Charles River at least 4 different times before we figured it out.We needed to drop off the dog for a few days of dog-cation. A week or so earlier I looked for boarding in Boston on Yelp and stumbled on the site, Rover.com which is essentially Airbnb for dogs. Someone offers to watch your dog in their home for competitive rate, in this case $35/night. Great deal for us. Great deal for Vera, the host, who is trying to save some extra travel money. She was attractive, in her mid-twenties, and lived in a tiny apartment with her pug. Close quarters for a few days, Mac Daddy. After a tearful goodbye, we made our way to Brighton to find Tom’s friend Greg. He has a small apartment that he shares with his Fiancé, Rachel, and we’d be crashing […] Read More

Project Reroute

August 12, 2014 Paul Scolieri Blog 0 comments
Songs from the open road Have you ever wanted to take a few months off to travel around the country? Yes? So. Have. I. Next week, I will actually be living that dream as I embark on a 10-week road trip around the US (and some of Canada). This is not just a road-trip; It is an adventure in self-discovery, an opportunity to get lost in the flow of creativity, and a way to gain perspective through meeting interesting people. My friend Tom Callahan and I have been planning this trip in one facet or another for the past 9 months. Through many stages of evolution, we’ve given our idea a title, Project Reroute – centering it on the theme of creating meaningful life change. The intention is to start making conscious decisions to live life with a focus on purpose, passion, and people. You can find the full back story, our route details, and everything else related to our project on the Project Reroute Website Over the past few months, I have been sending you emails as a part of a monthly newsletter that showcased my personal photography projects. With new adventures looming, I’m looking to re-purpose this distribution and take the content to a new […] Read More
Someone That Makes You Smile   Have you ever met someone that puts a smile on your face and brightens your day? A few months ago, I had the pleasure of encountering about 50 of these people all at once when I was asked to work on a project for the Nevins Center. Nevins is a non-profit organization in Charlotte, serving as a recreational and educational hub for developmentally challenged adults. Adam, the Executive Director, wanted to hang a series of photos showcasing the people that benefit the most from Nevins. He asked me to help with the project that would personalize the campus buildings and create a welcoming atmosphere. I showed up not really knowing what to expect. Honestly, my mind was rambling when I arrived; time-traveling to worry about past events and future uncertainties. It’s easy to get lost in the wilderness of personal burdens and forget that the world continues to spin outside of them. Snapping out of this is like waking up from a bad dream and realizing that I’m not actually running in quicksand. I met with Adam in the main office area to listen to his vision, and he laid out all of the […] Read More
Login