Globe Corner Blogs

I recently found myself in Rockland, Maine for the North Atlantic Blues Festival. An old friend who was vacationing there invited me up for the weekend, and I eagerly jumped on the opportunity. She and I had grown up together in Los Angeles. For many Los Angelenos, even natives, a common effect of the urban sprawl is a feeling of disconnectedness to the city they call home. Places with names like Playa del Rey and Whittier technically qualify as “Los Angeles Country,” but they exist in my mind as mercurial suburban wastelands with no actual geographic location.

Mainers, on the other hand, seem to root their sense of self in their towns, lighthouses, and occupations.  This phenomenon was made evident to me on the plane ride up, when the man seated next to me – who wasn’t even from Maine and merely summered there – excitedly pointed out every coastal town and island, listing their attractions. There were even a few houses whose owners he could name starting three generations back. As he wildly gesticulated and bounced up and down in his seat, I drew a kind of vicarious pleasure in his understanding of himself through towns with names like Union and Friendship.

The North Atlantic Blues Festival mainly attracts flocks of bikers, middle-aged folks with long hair, and the occasional fisherman. Being neither middle-aged nor fisherman, we began to second guess our plan to attend the festival, but snuck in for two or three bands.  Maybe it was because we were  too young, or too disconnected, but we couldn’t get into the festival. There’s a pressure to make the most out of a travel experience;  traveling is a rare opportunity to see and do everything. But our hearts weren’t in it. And I was grateful to have understanding company.

Therein lies the benefit of a good travel companion. No matter what your experience – be it engaging and  interesting, or alienating and shocking (or some other combination thereof) – a good travel companion to create an honest space for whatever experience you are having is invaluable.

Read more: Maine, Music, North Atlantic Blues Festival, Travel


Sarah M. is a writer and artist whose training in yoga and reiki inform her creative process. With a background in anthropology, existentialism, and the esoteric she seeks to understand the meaning of how humans connect (or disconnect) in the present moment. When she’s not seeking adventure abroad, she works with artists to help fulfill their vision - fundraising, overseeing production of public art works, and organizing concerts and festivals.

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