DARIN HAYTON

Tag: Travel

  • N. 44th Street

    N. 44th Street

    I had planned to walk from gate A5 to B16, about half a mile in PHX. However, my flight arrived at A5 scant moments before they closed the boarding door at B16. A frantic dash through the airport merely got me to the customer assistance counter a few minutes quicker than walking would have. Rebooked on a flight the next morning, I was going to be spending the night in the hotel version of tofu: soft, beige, tasteless, forgettable.

    Urban #250417.0. A color photo of an underpass, at night. Looking across a street, the lights of a moving car streak across the scene.
    Urban #250417.0.

    I don’t find Phoenix particularly pleasant. Too much sprawl. But I can enjoy spending an evening anywhere. And so N. 44th Street it was. Lots of cars, nondescript office buildings, more tofu hotels, empty lots, and gas stations. I passed some guy out for a late-night run, a guy sitting on a plastic bucket panhandling, and some teenagers in a parking lot. And lots and lots of cars.

    Urban #250417.1. A color photo at night of a palm tree and a “one way” sign. A bright streak from the lights of a passing car.
    Urban #250417.1.

    It wasn’t a pretty walk, by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoyed it. Why were there so many people driving and where were they going? Who thought an escape room would do well here? Why do you convert a gas station into a spa? And it’s hard to take seriously the Pat Tillman Middle School’s commitment to excellence and achievement when half their sign is burnt out.

    Urban #250417.2. A color photo of an empty parking garage at night. A fire hose at the far end adds a splash of red.
    Urban #250417.2.

    I’m not sure I’m better for having seen N. 44th Street, and never need to see it again. But it was more fun than sitting in a bland hotel room.

  • Postcard Archive: April 2022

    Postcard Archive: April 2022

    On a recent trip to a foreign land I was reminded of how short our time here is and how silly our efforts at permanence.

    Postcard for April 2022: Black and White photo of a ruined castle.

    Despite our hopes and aspirations, and fortunes spent, our legacy often falls into ruin. These ruins remind me to make the most of my fleeting time.

  • Travel, Weddings, COVID Casualties

    Travel, Weddings, COVID Casualties

    It was early, sometime around 7:00 AM. She sat there swiping at her phone, her bright red dress blazing against the grey stone. The only movement was her finger, flicking up and down on her phone’s screen. Her partner was a flurry of activity, directing the bride and groom where to stand, how to pose, which direction to look. He moved them around the courtyard and the parapet and the stairs. For more than an hour he took photos. For more than an hour she sat there, leaning against a decorative column.

    #210204

    This photo recalls all that we’ve lost in the last year or so. This woman is no longer allowed to visit the city — like me, she was a visitor to the city. Her partner is no longer taking photos of such weddings, luxury destination weddings. Travel restrictions, both domestic and foreign, have halted such extravagances. At least her phone works today just as it did that morning when she ignored the beautiful foreign city around her.