As I suddenly shiver from the Utah winter breeze caressing my skin, I try to brush away the goosebumps that form as thoughts of a warmer place dance in my mind. I've made Utah my home as much as its settler, but I constantly feel like I need an escape. My solution to what many would consider a bad dream is to close my eyes and try to imagine myself in a place that now seems like a faraway country, a place that would be perfect in times like these, because in only three hours maximum, I could escape to any type of shelter. That place is Montgomery, Alabama, the one place I rarely need to escape from, but many are nearby if I need to. However, a journey of 1,888 miles would be logged on my SUV to get to this location, and it would take me thirty-two hours to get to the places I've always known as my short-distance escapes. Therefore, now the only way to feel the happiness of these two places is to close my eyes and let my memories overwhelm my reality. Growing up in Alabama's capital may seem like it offers me a lot of things to do, but in reality, it's not the largest city in the state and certainly not the most exciting. The only two real entertainment venues in Montgomery are the movie theater and the bowling alley. However, Rave Motions Pictures is junior high kid territory; when I go there, I only see groups of around thirty children grouped together. The boys wear Ralph Lauren polo shirts and khaki pants, the girls wear miniskirts and Hollister shirts. I admit that I fell into this craze when I was in middle school. However, once I got past the age of fourteen, it became obnoxious trying to watch a movie of rowdy kids throwing popcorn at each other, p...... in the middle of a paper...... experience crashing waves on white sand, huge mountains covered in fresh snow, a secluded lake with endless entertainment possibilities and groups of 80,000 people who instantly become your friends. I was never one of those people because Montgomery is in such a perfect position. However, now I am one of those people and I have long distances to travel to reach all these paradises, but I sincerely believe that the long distances are nothing compared to the rewards that my former escapades bring. When I return there where I belong But the distances will be short and I look forward to this moment. However, as I still stand here in the freezing cold and open my eyes to the environment I now live in, I shake my head in disappointment and wait for the moment when I no longer need to close the doors. eyes to imagine I'm back to this place and I'm pretty close to my escapes.