Last week I spent a night in an old prison. It was known as Addington Prison, and was in operation until 1999. They (people? government?) decided they didn’t want a prison within the Christchurch city limits anymore so it was shut down.
It was purchased by a couple of enterprising people in 2006, renovated, and turned into a hostel!
Although I’m not a huge fan of hostels (I’d rather CouchSurf, but it’s not practical when I’m constantly on the move in NZ), I do my best to seek out the interesting gems. I’ve mostly sought out old, historic buildings or tiny independent hostels. This is my first prison. :)
The cost for a single room was just $49NZD, which is roughly $35 USD. The biggest downside is this place is about 2.5km from the city centre.
If you’re so inclined, I made a video (didn’t edit, so it’s kinda long and boring):
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I booked my ticket to India. I’m flying Business Class (free with AAdvantage miles) from DTW (Detroit) to BOM (Mumbai). I think I’ll hang in Mumbai for a few days (or more) before I head off to Goa and learn to build guitars! :)
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L.A. area meetup Saturday Dec 12 with @ealvarezgibson and other wonderful people. You in? I’m not sure the exact location yet. I’m CouchSurfing in Santa Monica so maybe we’ll make it somewhere over there. :)
It’s strange to think I’ll be back in the US in less than a week. I fly out of Auckland at 7 pm Dec 10 and arrive in LA at 10am Dec 10. That’s what we call a mindfu…nevermind. ;)
Later on the 10th hopefully I’ll go to the Jimmy Kimmel show (if they approve my ticket request!). Also, Conan O’brien’s people? Can you please approve my ticket request for Monday Dec 14? Thanks. I have watched Conan since like 10th grade. Hook it up!
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Are you participating in Ridiculously Extraordinary Challenge #1? Quit Drinking For 30 Days
If so, let me know how it’s going after 10 days. :) I got a lot of great private e-mails (as well as lots of awesome public comments!) thanking me for the article. It feels so good that it connected with you.