Our Perfect Monday

Day 8: San Diego

Monday morning we awoke in San Diego without setting any alarms. It was a good start to a great day. After showering, Chris, Emily and I all set out for a big day at the San Diego Zoo! We parked in the Rhino section and set forth to see animals from all over the world.



The three of us decided wholeheartedly that The San Diego Zoo is where all animals in zoos aspire to end up. It's clean, huge, well-maintained, and the animals look healthy and lively. We navigated the zoo in such a way that we would loop around the entire park and then end up near the beginning to catch the Sea Lion show at 3pm. It's hard to say which animals were the most impressive but we definitely had favorites.

Seeing the gorillas close up was a very startling and mind-blowing experience. One of the gorillas was sleeping pressed up against the glass and as we stood next to him, he stretched mid-sleep and scratched his foot. I know this might not sound impressive through transcription but it struck us all as such a human thing to do. I probably made the exact same movement over the course of last night. His hands and feet looked so eerily similar to our own (hair being the mane difference) that it was hard to imagine this animal is locked up in a cage while people just roam around looking at him. Hard to explain the experience, but it was entirely fascinating. Jane Goodall would know what we're talking about.



After being stuck in the hypnotic gorilla trance we shook loose and carried on to see more animals. There was a giant peacock just roaming around the zoo and it did not fail to catch me off guard every single time we saw it. The zoo had tons of different monkeys, exotic birds, gazelles, meerkats, koalas, tigers, lions, flamingos, rhinos, elephants, pandas, polar bears, and lots of animals I'd never even heard of. I could list more animals but it would just be time consuming and I don't want to make you jealous. The weather was perfect and as we looked around, we realized we were the only people there who weren't children or the parents of children. No shame though, we probably had more fun than anyone else at the zoo.



Although all animals are awesome in their own unique way, the meerkats were definitely a fan favorite. I snapped an embarrassing amount of meerkat photos. They are just so cute and adorable! They were popping in and out of their little meerkat homes in the ground and when a helicopter flew overhead they all scurried above land and stood on their tiny hindfeet watching the helicopter, bewitched. I tried to lure them out of their cage and into my arms but they must have been too tired to crawl over... or something.

Around 3 we caught the Sea Lion Show. The trainer asked for a volunteer and my hand shot up. I don't know if she saw me or if it was just part of the speech but then she said, "Uh, a young volunteer..." and continued to scan the crowds. She picked a four year old who swore and didn't even want to touch the sea lion. (I'm not bitter, I'm just filling you in on the facts.) Afterward, Chris treated us to ice cream at the greatest ice cream place in the continental US--Maggie Moo's!



The last time Em and I had been to a Maggie Moos was in Athens, Georgia in 2006. Stumbling upon this gem of a place after a great day out was absolute perfection. We were three happiest six-year olds in town.

Just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, we drove the whole 3 or 4 minutes from the apartment to the beach. My first time touching the Pacific Ocean! Em and I rushed down to the shoreline and played around in the water and waves. This was our journey's end: We had finally made it from coast to coast. Victorious and elated, we continued to run around on the beach and toss around a football. We picked up a fourth Sandwich-er, Terese, along the way as she had just pulled in from Vegas that afternoon! We all hung around talking, relaxing, and watching the sun sink lower into the horizon. After one more lesson in cartwheels, the sun had set and we walked back to the apartment humming Brass Bonanza.






Back at the apartment, Emily's brother Jack had come home from work and basketball. The rest of us threw on a quick change of clothes and we headed out for some delicious Mexican food at Gringo's. It was Margarita Monday for some people, Water Monday for others. We sat outside on the covered deck next to a big open fire pit, talking and eating and laughing. What a wonderful end to a great day, and a wonderful day to end an amazing trip.

Thanks for following!!

Sunday Exodus from Vegas

Day 7-Destination: Finally San Diego (!!) (350 miles; 7 hours, 30 minutes)

150 miles of miserable traffic, but then..

Like a shimmering oasis in the middle of the desert, at the 151st mile we spotted a giant billboard for Peggy Sues Fifties Diner- 9 min away. After lots of "puh-leaaaaase can we stop? Can we, can we?" Emily reluctantly pulled over. YES! This is cause for victory arms!! Peggy Sues did not disappoint. Em got an old fashioned coke and I scientifically inquired about the differences between shakes and malts. Malt is Whoppers guts. not much of a whoppers fan myself, more of a snocaps gal. Chocolate shake it is! we sat at the bar and munched away on our lunch while observing the signs and people around us. Waitresses were in teal and pink uniforms straight outta Happy Days. Records and old pictures hung on the walls and when Bob Dylan came on I forced emily to take a picture. 4:16pm-curly fries, chocolate shake, bob dylan. Life high point.



Upon investigation, wediscovered there was even an adjoining gift shop that sold poodle skirts. What one would need a poodle skirt for in the middle of the desert I don't know, but there was a moment of consumer temptation on my part. A nice Peggy Sues patron took this snapshot for us next to the ice cream parlor:


Out back was a little area that looked like a mini golf course sans golf. A big stage was blaring BayCity Rollers so we had to do a little dance and take a short stroll before piling back in the car.

Current tally of detours: two. Sandwich, Ill to take a picture of sandwich high school and peggy sues fifties diner because it was advertised as 'nifty'. Like a moth to the flame,I cannot resist dated expressions.

Emily and I are now fighting with traffic as we near our final destination for this trip: sunny san diego. There's a cooler packed with waters in the backseat and rumors of a Water Game are currently in circulation.. Stay tuned.

After all the detours, traffic, and visits along the way, we finally pulled into San Diego late Sunday evening. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It was great walking into Miller's Field to find Jack and Chris and just know that we were actually at the last checkpoint. However, after seven very long days and over 3000 miles traveled, we were two very tired travelers.

We're kicking around San Diego today--beach, zoo, and all things sunny. B-)

Vas Legas

I have found my purpose in life: to live in the lap of luxury like the Royal Family's cat. Exhaustion and my status as a five year old may have been a blessing in disguise as we managed to avoid any situations that would land us in a real life episode of CSI:Las Vegas.

Em and I arrived to Vegas with a golden ticket in hand.. We had reservations at the Venetian.

The Venetian is a five star hotel resort and casino modeled after the Italian cit of the same name. Sure enough, the two of us had been trapped in a car for over 12 hrs and by the time we arrived to the hotel we looked just as ridiculous as most Americans in Italy do. I think I was wearing pajamas but my memory has chosen to protect my self-esteem by blacking it out. After receiving our keys and gliding upstairs in a golden, mirrored elevator, we cautiously stepped foot into a softly lit, air-conditioned hallway. We passed some double door suites and exchanged eyebrow raises. Outside of Suite 117 we gulped and slowly opened the door.



In the far distance trumpets sounded, doves were released and confetti was thrown.

650 ft of glorious hotel room! Hello princess bathroom, giant king size bed, three flat screen tvs, couch, living room, dining table for three, and giant window with remote controlled drapery. (Amazing. Especially since I spent an alarming portion of the day's driving thinking to myself how different life would be if i was a wizard instead of a mere muggle). Its a few years past m eleventh birthday but my Hogwarts letter finally came--in hotel keycard form.

First order of business: Leaping around on giant classy bed. Check. Second order: Testing every different available seating in the room and opening all doors and compartments. Third activity: Frolicking. Fourth: Film fake video based on mtv's cribs. Fifth: Shower in luxury. Lounge around in 500 count towel and lazily flip through leather-bound restaurant menu book; picked out Grand Lux for dinner. Seventh: towel dry hair, sit on plush seat at glamorous vanity to apply makeup. (Extra points to the Venetian for having kind mirrors with soft lighting. Extra extra points for flat screen tv perched in bathroom corner ceiling. Eighth activity: stand in bathroom watching Shes the Man. Ninth: Iron wrinkled dress (without burning myself!) Almost mastered an entire domestic activity. Got tangled in cord and tripped at the finish line. Tenth step: Emerge, phoenix-like, from the week of living in the car to rejoin civilization in dress and heels, debuting at posh restaurant. La la la laaa laaa



Strutted through casino and explored the hotel. Indoor gondola rides, fake imitation sky ceiling overhead, surrounded by walls made of hundred dollar bills (figuratively speaking). Top designer stores, oxygen bars, theaters,, restaurants..This place is adult Disney World. So much craziness goes on here that Vegas had to be built in a pit in the middle of the desert to protect the civilians.



Fighting fatigue, Emily and I tried to enjoy our meals without collapsing face first into them. Must. Stay. Awake. If only to concentrate on walking around. Lux Cafe polishes their marble floors with Crisco. Yeah sure, it looks great and it sparkles but dear God I probably looked like a baby deer learning to walk while maneuvering across the floor. Minus the graceful connotation of the word 'deer'. (Concentrate. Left foot, right foot, arms for balance, maintain posture, look up to avoid scenarios like the Stonehill incident of walking into tree in the middle of campus). Made it to lobby relatively unscathed. Ha! (Must remember to invent way to high-five self.)

Confession: From a distance we doubted Vegas. It is all desert and The Strip looked like five unimpressive and hazy buildings. "Is this a 'Despicable Me' situation? Did someone deflate Vegas?" After Google confirmed that no Las Vegas, Missouri or Las Vegas, Utah existed, we assumed we must-in-fact-be in the right place. Hmm. But let me advise any and all readers, KEEP THE FAITH! Vegas will materialize magically and assert itself as the glittery symbol of America's rampant cowboy capitalist society.





Apparently, Las Vegas was conceived when lady Gaga's imagination teamed up with Disney's imagineers to play real-life Sim City. (See kids, who says history can't be interesting?)

After dinner, we successfully joined the hordes of people in the street and wandered down the new Vegas Strip. Glamour everywhere. It really does seem surreal, like walking around a movie set (not a PG one this time). But we were so tired and I'm such a failure of a girl (my shoes really hurt) that we decided to retire for the evening, vowing to return in a few months with a vengeance. And an ID.



Back in the suite, I decided to draw a bath in the gorgeous Roman bath tub. (Incidentally, if I ever marry someone whose last name is bathtub, that could potentially be the name of my firstborn son). After announcing my plans, running the water and adding the whole bottle of hotel bath soap, I decided to utilize the shower cap provided. (This was the first time I'd blow dried my hair in weeks, might as well savor it.) "Emily! I'm about to experience Heaven!" I exclaimed as I pulled the mirrored double doors of the bathroom shut.



30 seconds later: Heaven was too hot. Rats. Pry Emily out of bed and persuade her to reach into the bottom of the tub to lift the plug and drain some scalding water. I couldn't do it myself for fear of the scene from Hercules when he dives into pol of dead souls and water disintegrates his arm. Risk Emily's arm instead. Debated dropping in ice cubes, but Emily reasonably suggested filling the void with cold water. You may need to pay someone a little extra for your diploma.

Watched Grey's Anatomy from bubble castle. Huzzah!

Peeled off the bathing cap. Hair preserved! Remarkable. Dizzy with exhaustion and heat, turned up the A/C, and melted into soft bed of clouds and feathers. Couldn't figure out how to turn off alarm clock earlier, so Emily ripped the cord out of the wall. Perfection. Boarded the S.S. Sleep and sailed off to dreamland.

When my dream vessel docked back at the Bay of Consciousness, I opened my eyes and remembered where we were. Stretching and sprawling across the bed (because I cold without any legs or arms dangling over the edge), I awoke to find Emily had alreuady been up for hours. Shocking. After freshening up a bit and gathering our belongings, It as time to relinquish celeb-status and transform back into commonfolk. Wahhh. Emily wanted to play the complementary $25 casino chip, so we parted ways momentarily. Em waded through the sea of people adn slots to find Lady Luck, and I slung my bag over my shoulder and tried to find the Daycare Center.

Quick phone call to mum and then Em returned triumphantly, $70 richer. Coffees on Las Vegas' tab and we were carbound again. We parked at the Bellagio and decided to survey their amenities--for strictly research purposes of course. Caught the fountain show and oo'd and ahh'd at the million dollar ceiling. All hanblown glass. They even have another giant foyer where everything is made out of flowers. We have one of those in my house too though so it's less impressive.





We decided the Bellagio was up to our new standards and will consider it for our next stay..I suppose.






Now we are waving goodbye to Vegas as it disappears in the rearview. Hotels and fake Eiffel Towers have turned to sandscapes and awkward, unattractive cacti. Just passed a sign for "Zzyzx Road". Goodbye Katie Perry and "Waking up in Vegas".

...But hello San Diego (just a short coupla hours away).

And Down the Stretch We Come!

We're tag-teaming this post too.

Day 6-Destination: Las Vegas, Nevada (760 miles, 12 hours)

It was actually painful to wake up this morning. The twelve-hour drive through The Rockies and desert made us realize that we have been in the car for 36+ hours and driven over 2,500 miles. Again, it was physically painful to wake up this morning. The alarm went off and we eventually made it on the road at 7:30 Mountain Time and headed out for Vegas.

The Rockies were gorgeous, and just unbelievably pretty to drive through, over, and around them. Somewhere near Vail, Colorado Meagan and I passed the Continental Divide. What's that? Good question! We didn't know either. Apparently it's at that point in The Rockies where certain rivers flow out to the Pacific Ocean, and not the Atlantic (as the rivers on the eastern side of the Continental Divide).



Utah was probably my favorite state to drive through. For the majority of the state, there was some crazy pretty view, rocky structure, or scenery you couldn't belive you were looking at in person. We tried, but the pictures and videos don't do it justice. Anyone remember the rocky courses in MarioKart? That's what Utah looked like..we were ok with that being the case.



After a quick drive-through of Arizona, we got into Nevada and were a two short hours away from Vegas. It's here that I'm going to sign off, and let the better writer take over. Meagan will (she doesn't know this yet) write all about Vegas tomorrow. Here's a little glimpse of the night to come: We're staying at the Venetian! Holler.

In Defense of Corn

Day 5- Destination: Denver, Colorado (500 miles, 8 hours)

First of all, there is no way the corn game is 'un-fun' and I resent the aforementioned accusation (Emily). However, if you are interested in doing something 'un-fun', might I suggest a lengthy drive through Kansas and/or eastern Colorado.

Em and I hit the road around 6 Kansas time but stopped at IHOP for a some chocolate chip pancakes. The people of Kansas have a very interesting sense of humor. More specifically, the IHOP waitstaff in Kansas are strange. I am just going to leave it at that.

It didn't take long for the Kansas highway to lose any and all appeal to us, and by the time we departed IHOP, we realized we hadn't yet turned on the radio all morning. Emily dared me to participate in the newly created 'Radio Game'. The radio game is the cousin of the Heat Game. It just means we are depriving ourselves of something pleasant until it becomes so painful we have to give in. The deal was this: No music until we got out of Kansas. If we survived this together, we knew our already firmly established friendship would be cemented. Naturally, I acknowledged her dare and double-dog-dared her back.

Game on.

So 'Radio Game' paved the way for us to create the farming masterpiece that we'd place on 70-W in Kansas. Yes, this quadri-plot piece of land would come fully equipped with a 1/4th for the farm house (complete with wrap-around porch for the rocking chairs..obviously), a 1/4th for the wheat fields, a 1/4th for the corn fields (obviously we'd have corn), and the final 1/4th for the animals--horses, moo cows, and cattle. Hours go by (5 of them to be exact), and we have (successfully?) NOT turned on the radio yet, and we're nearing the Colorado border. Appropriately enough, we burned a 'coming and going' themed CD for our entrance into the eastern side of Colorado. To our dismay, eastern Colorado looks alot like everything we had just driven on in Kansas. Fail. At least we had music back in the scene.

A few quick hours (seriously quick because we had a group of people we were very anxious to see) and we arrived in Denver. Thanks to my cousin Lindsay, we knew we could make a 2:15 showing of Toy Story 3 at the theatre off the 16th Street Mall in Downtown Denver. As excited as we were to find our peoples, we had to see Toy Story first. This movie was excellent; it really was one of the better movies we've seen and it completed one of the finest trilogies in cinematic history. Oh Toy Story 3, what can we say..we laughed (a lot), we cried (seriously bawled), and had to leave the theatre before the lights came back on (due to the bawling) at the movies end.

Time to regroup and find Meagan some heels for our night out in Vegas! Wandering the 16th Street Mall to find shoes led us to a little bakery that I remembered from my trip to Denver in March. Red velvet and Funfetti cupcakes in hand, we wait on Sarah and Maggie (Meagan's Italy roommates!) to pick us up for the Rockies game! The four of us set off to the Sports Column near Coors Field to meet up with one of my closest Georgia girls, Su and her friends! Some of the better memories always seem to involve multiple groups of friends coming together for some reason or another. After some drinks and food, we headed over to Coors Field for the Rockies game.




Our seats were up on the first base side, and we couldn't have asked for a more picturesque setting. Catching up with the Italy girls was wonderful, and it didn't hurt to watch the sun go down behind The Rockies. Well done Denver, well done.



After falling asleep at Sarah's kitchen counter, I headed to bed and I think the girls were soon to follow. Denver was wonderful and the reunions were extra nice!

The drive to Vegas will be up soon, and the report on Vegas sometime after that (we'll tagteam that post, too!)

Corn.

Day 4- Destination: Ft. Riley, Kansas (700 miles, 13 hours)

As previously stated, we got an early start to our morning when a certain someone forgot to adjust their clock to Central Time. I don't want to name any names but her first name rhymes with Schmeagan. The early start (5:15) quickly became a corn-filled detour through the very long state of Illinois. Outside of Chicago, there really doesn't seem to be much. However, we did come across a little town in particular that we had to go out of our way for; maybe you've heard of it--Sandwich. Yes, that's right folks, we found Sandwich, Illinois!!



This corn-filled corntown makes OUR Sandwich look like a booming metropolis. We sought out the high school (yes, Sandwich High School) and all other things 'Sandwich', and I even took it upon myself to talk to a few Sandwich, Illinois residents..considering I could use the always applicable opening line off "Oh, so you're from Sandwich too?" This conversation I had with two men at the local BP gas station was infuriating. They had an entire conversation with me, didn't recall any of it two seconds later, and continued to carry on with what they thought the conversation was..sound familiar? You're all sitting there nodding your heads saying "Yea, you're that person!", aren't ya? Well I fully admit it now. I apologize to ALL of you who have had to endure this very same process with me and my selective listening skills. I will be making an effort from here on out to be an active listening. Startinggggg now!

Seriously though, here's an excerpt from my conversation:
"Good morning, d you two live here in Sandwich?"
"Why yes we do, and where are you from?"
"I'm actually from Sandwich, Massachusetts! We saw Sandwich, Illinois, and figured we'd stop as we're on our way to deliver a car to San Diego."
"You ever heard of Mason City, Iowa?"
"Um, no sir I haven't"
"Well, there's a Mason City, Illinois too. That's where I'm from. So you're from Chicago? That's your car you're driving?"
"Uhm, no we were in Chicago last night, and we're getting this car out to San Diego at the end of the week"
"So, what'll ya do when you get to San Francisco?" Just fly home"
...
(*Now I realize how almost every conversation with off you has ever gone. Again, I'm sorry)

This detour to rural Sandwich ended up adding about two hours on to our trip total for the day. Sure, we didn't want to add two hours for Niagara Falls or the Cubs game, but Sandwich, Illinois..I mean, we had to!

OK, so about twenty minutes outside of Sandwich and continuing on our way through all of Illinois, Meagan an I realized we had corn around us. Everywhere. On both sides. For as long as we could see. As long as we drove through Illinois on our way to St. Louis (yes, all five hours of it). That much corn can make two people go a little stir crazy which is why we found it highly entertaining to play "Corn" for an hour and a half. What's "Corn"? Good question, but I want to give you fair warning that we considered this an awesomely pathetic yet terrifically entertaining point on our trip. After we started naming anything we saw outside of the car window, we quickly began substituting the word 'corn' for anything and everything-road signs, billboards, movie quotes, dialogues, song lyrics and titles ("Corn is a good thing. Maybe the best of thing. And no good thing ever dies,"..."Corn" by Natalie Imbruglia, "Semi-Farmed Kind of Life" by ThirdCornBlind, "The Only Living Corn in New York" by Simon and Cornfunkel, and "Cornafornication" by the Red Hot Corn Peppers.") Meagan has an entirely new lyrical version of "Clocks" by Coldplay (aka 'Cornplay') and also "Cornfield" by Jordin Sparks. Pretty much any time we could use the word we would throw it in there. Again...awesomely pathetic or terrifically entertaining. Hey, it occupied our time for an hour and a half, brought us all the way to St. Louis, and got us the hell out of Illinois. Judge us if you want, but 'Corn' saved us from speeding tickets (err) and distractions (like baby cows...). However, all of this corn allowed us to capture the best picture of the trip thus far (with a little help from the self-timer):



Driving through St. Louis was enough for us; driving over the Mississippi to see the Gateway Arch was all we needed from that city. With the Gateway to the West behind us and six hours still ahead, we entered Missouri. Ohhhh Missouri, I loathe you. Your straight highways, stupid cornfields (return of "Corn"), and extreme heat was so comfortable. It got to a point when "Corn" became unfun (hard to believe, I know) that I'd try to see how long I could go without A/C in the car..two minutes got me 1000 imaginary bonus points, anything after that was just impressive Gimme a break--Meg was napping..and I noticed her to shift uncomfortable whenever the A/C was off...doo doo dooo). Drive, drive, drive and three hours later we're in Kansas!

Meagan and I both agree that Kansas has been our favorite state to drive through so far. Firstly, the lack of corn is magnificent. but, the real reason for the greatness is because of all the wide open and flat land--it's gorgeous. It all just goes forever into every direction, and we couldn't wait to see the sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds had different plans. Boo.

After grabbing a great dinner at a local place in Manhattan (the Little Apple), we headed over to Rick and Ashlyn's home. Ashlyn is one of my oldest college friends, and it was the first times I had the chance to see her since I left Athens last April. Her and her husband had a beautiful baby boy, Fischer, just last month! He's SO little, but unbelievably adorable. It's always wonderful seeing great friends, no matter the time between the visits because you always seem to pick right up where you left off. Kansas just got extra bonus points.



Speaking of old friends (and new friends), we're got three good ones waiting on us in Denver. I'm signing off now, and passing off the writing to Meagan for the fun-filled day in Denver that will show up here sometime tomorrow.

Good night!

Chicago: Magnificent Quarter-Mile

Day 3: Chicago

First, a shout out to Einstein Bros Bagels in Winnekta, IL, for the single greatest discover I have made in 20 years; Dutch Apple bagels. If there is a better food, I haven't had it yet. Emily and I had a picture perfect morning that included sleeping in (9 am!--yes! Emily too!), a drive though the center of a Stars Hollow-esque town, pictures by Lake Michigan, and SUNSHINE! (Actual sunshine, not sarcastic sunshine that literally translates as rain)..After a glorious morning of coffee and bagels in the backyard, Em and I hopped on the train to Chicago to explore.

We wandered around taking pictures of the interesting architecture and buildings around us until we stumbled upon a Jamba Juice at the bottom of the Hancock Building. (That counts as visiting the Hancock, right?) Hello $1 Smoothie Day. We sipped our frugal fruit drinks on the steps, people watching and taking in the scenery. Highlight: We even spotted Grimsby's doppelganger (Little Mermaid anyone?). Disappointment: Couldn't stealthily take a picture of him.

After some more flaneuring, we infiltrated the posh Drake Hotel to use their restrooms. (Preview of things to come: Next time we are in a fancy shmancy hotel, we will not be merely posing as guests...!) We never really made it past Ontario Street, or--to my dismay--down to the Chicago Institute of Art. But that's okay. I did spot a sign that said "The Field Museum"! The good news there is that my lifelong dreams have come true! The less exciting news would be that I had absolutely nothing to do with their realization.

The Magnificent Mile is the luxury shopping zone of Chicago (Think Fifth Avenue). It should not surprise anyone that Emily and I managed to find the one Marshalls in the area. I bought some great sunglasses that are orange if you hold them one way and green if you tilt them in a different direction. Emily calls them 'interesting'. I call them excellent.

Em's aunt and uncle recommended we find a place call Giordano's for lunch but as we were looking for it, a man giving us directions told us we should really go to Gino's instead if we wanted authentic Chicago-style food. I wasn't really listening until he said, "They let you draw on the walls and tables there."

Sold.

And they do let you draw on the walls. Every surface, actually.

A small deep dish pizza is five pizzas stacked on top of each other and baked in an over. That's not what it's advertised as, but it is a general truth. Needless to say, we only managed a slice each before we hit capacity. Appetites satiated, the only thing left to do after our late lunch was head home. But don't worry, we managed to hit Chicago rush-hour traffic along the way. Also-the Chicagoans refer to baseball as a 'game of bags'. Is that even a real expression? You make up expressions all the time. Maybe true, but at least they are awesome expressions. Game of bags does not even make sense and is misleading. Emily says bag means base...so that would make it a game of bases. A game of bases is a closer description to tag than baseball. The ball is a crucial factor here. Otherwise who knows what you are doing. But I suppose that is really the only criticism I have for Chicago. It was pretty great. Cool churches, nice people, delicious smoothies. Winters in Chicago are rumored to be horrendous, yet the city's got something like 3 million residents. I figure those numbers are a testament to the greatness Chicago brings to the table in spite of a few roughs months. A+.

Our adventure home was not uneventful. Liz Gordon, are you out there? I've got some exciting news you are going to appreciate. We pulled over at 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL. Maybe you would recognize the house we found. I bet you would... If you've ever seen Home Alone.

Buzz, your girlfriend... Woof.

Since we planned to be on the road for 6am, we headed to bed pretty early last night. After burning a couple more CDs for the road I tried to convince Emily to watch How To Train Your Dragon, but she fell asleep (Note: This does not reflect the entertainment value of the movie). Also, I'd spent the last day and a half trying to win the affection of Pete and Merri's two cats. Why is it that animals (namely cats and dogs) always gravitate toward the one person who doesn't appreciate them? Cough, Emily, cough. My dog is another good example of this principle. Even animal lovers don't love my dog. So the fact that my friend Amanda is not really an animal person really increases her value to most household pets. Honey looooooves Amanda. So of course, the cats spent their time following Emily around the house like catnip was growing out of her head. When we came home from Chicago Yedi was even asleep on her bed.


Here is a fact for you: Illinois' time zone puts it an hour behind the East Coast. Take note of that when setting your alarm for 5am otherwise you will accidentally shoot out of bed at 4am. Seeing as I am blind when I wake up (is that a pun?) I couldn't tell if Emily was still in her bed or not. My first thought: "I am up FIRST and SHE is the one oversleeping?! Ohh how the tables have turned. I'll never let her live this down!" I clicked the lamp on and half-whispered, "Emily, it's 5:15."

Without even opening her eyes she replied, "...You didn't fix the time on your phone, did you? ...It's 4:!5." She practically jumped out of bed.

"Great! Let's get on the road early!"

That backfired. You see kids, sometimes, even when you think you win, really you lose. (Kara I hope you appreciate the reprisal of this wisdom).

Pete brewed us some coffee and we were on the road by about 5. And that's where we are now. Pearl Jam just came on:

The North is to South what the clock is to time
There's East and there's West and there's everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
The in-between is mine; I am mine

Rock on, Eddie and crew :)


...Just realized that I never x'd out of Mozilla Firefox last night and How to Train Your Dragon is still fully loaded on the webpage!

And I stand corrected: Sometimes when you think you win, you are right.

Been There, Done That, Got the Refund.

Day 2-destination: Chicago, Illinois (400 miles, 9 hours..yes 9 hours)

We said adios to Ohio around 9 this morning and were back on the road, wind rippling in our hair, sun warming our backs and a banquet of interesting scenery to feast our eyes upon.

Minus the romantic wind (we are not driving a convertible), subtract the sun (it was overcast and muggy all day), and replace the scenery with corn-corn-corn-corn-nothing-corn-corn; this would be an accurate description. Basically we managed to drive 400 miles over a nine hour span of time. Meagan, that should have been a six hour drive. Ah, my fateful hypothetical reader, your concern is flattering! However, you should realize that Emily and I are only human beings (I know, I know, hard to believe..) and are susceptible to colorful signs advertising large amusement parks. We were stir crazy from driving at that point and just had to go to Cedar Point.. at 9:10am.


And it was there, ladies and gentlemen, that a certain security guard crushed our hopes and dreams. Inside the park, Emily and I were eagerly waiting near the first rollercoaster we wanted to ride, waiting for the gates to swing open and let us rush toward it (the park entrace was opened, but the rides themselves weren't yet). A loudspeaker voice boomed overhead announcing the official openening of the rides, and simultaneously every other gate swung open letting the masses rush the coasters. A mob of people to our right swarmed to the coaster we had been waiting in line for. Someone in our stagnant mob yelled out "HEY, OPEN *OUR* GATE!" and the security guard who had been standing there this whole time casually mentioned that this gate wouldn't be open for another half an hour. What a jerk. Yes, he was a jerk. A capital jerk at that for knowingly let us get cut off by hundreds of Ed Hardy-clad highschoolers. At this point, about 300 teenyboppers were in line in front of us and it started to rain. Emily sent me a telepathic message saying we should just peace out of there.

Our tickets were $45 ea so we headed to customer service, where the sign posted on the door read "Sorry, no rainchecks or refunds." Luckily, I don't read signs and Emily just doesn't obey them (...more on that later). After quickly explaining a largely nonsensical story to the manager, swearing we had only been there for five minutes and promising we had positively ZERO fun whatsoever, he kindly gave us a refund. Ahh, the power of asking is a miraculous one.

Em and I waited until getting back to the car before high-fiving.

We spent the next leg of the journeying bashing all things the Ohio Turnpike had to "offer". (But then found homemade brownies our hosts in Ohio made us.. Ohio completely redeemed itself).

Thousands of acres of cornfields later, we were in Indiana. Remember how I said Emily disregards signs? Well the folks in Indiana were--to put this euphemistically--over-zealous to meet us. Really, they had to flag us down on the highway and pull us over to chat. Here is an excerpt from that conversation:

"Ma'am, do you know exactly how fast you were going?"
"Err, no.. officer, I don't know exactly.."
"You were going 86. The sign says the speed limit is 70. You slowed down after you saw me."
"Sorry sir, I didn't see you."
"Ma'am, you looked right at me."
"No, no, I was looking at the baby cows!"

Ugh. And in the contest between worst states, Indiana pulls ahead. (Surprising upset to all people betting on the favored winner, Ohio.) I had the good idea of waiting until the cop left to snag this:
..Replace corn with cars. Stuck in traffic. Actual rain starts falling...
Time somehow passes.

Appropriately enough, Sufjan Stevens' "Come On and Feel the Illinoize" was playing as the Chicago skyline began to form in the distance. We had tickets to the Cubs game but vetoed going, blaming everything on sleep deprivation, rain, and not wanting to deal with public transportation. Or the public for that matter.. Instead, I got to re-live the college shopping process as we detour-ed to tour a potential grad school-- Northwestern!




Since about a month ago when Kerrie and Diana tried teaching me how to cartwheel, I've decided to attempt a cartwheel on the grounds of every school I visit. When I can successfully complete it, I know I have found my right match.The jury is out on NU. But they did have a patch of perfectly manicured grass that was basically begging people to cartwheel across it. Points for that.


We found our way to Winnetka where Emily's aunt and uncle are graciously hosting us for the evening. After some delicious Thai food, some disappointing basketball, and playing with some awesome gadgets (iPads), we are tired little travelers. Much like going to the beach, driving on the highway is inexplicably exhausting. Tomorrow we set out to tour Chicago and find some deep-dish pizza. (Gorman, are you surprised that my day planning is food-based?)

Bedtime for us. I've got to lure the cat to come sleep on my mattress with me.

Goodnight to readers and hypothetical readers alike.

(PS- Maggie, when trying to upload these pictures, I re-discovered a video of you macarena-ing outside H2N0.. Amazing.)

Don't Know About Cleveland, but Berea Rocks!

Day 1-destination: Cleveland, Ohio (700 miles, 12 hours)

Well our first thought was that we shouldn't put you through the boredom that we suffered today. So, we could make up a story to tell you, but that wouldn't be fair to us. That being said, we're going to tell you the truth: Upstate New York is a bunch of farm land..with all the surrounding roads busy with construction. Oddly enough (sarcasm doesn't come across in text, does it?), the top left corner of Pennsylvania that we have to sneak through to get to Cleveland is in the same situation. Other than the construction and the three missed "Welcome to" state signs, there's not a lot to report right now. Again, it's primarily farm land that we've been looking at as we're going through the CDs we've burned and all the topics of conversation covered. We're still trying to think about the day's end rather than the large number of miles we're covering, but that's becoming more difficult when we pass a mileage sign for Cleveland every eight, thirteen, or twenty-three miles or so. It's been a long day, having left at 7 am and knowing we've got two hours still to go, but thanks to some fatherly advice from my dad, we avoided a big detour. You see Niagara Falls looks VERY close to Buffalo, NY on a map, but in real life with traffic it's a two hour+ excursion. So with that being said, we passed on that, and we're going to coast ourselves into Cleveland to see Liz Jordan (a friend from Sandwich) for the night!





...more of Upstate New York...

Made it Cleveland..well, actually Berea, Ohio. Since it's fifteen minutes past Cleveland, we got to see the city skyline, Lake Erie, and the Cavs area/Jacob's Field (Go Celts! Go Sox!). It was so great seeing Liz--our first person/stop on our seven city tour! Downtown Berea looks like a Hollywood movie set with its cute little buildings, and it's got a great local restaurant (Cornerstone Brewery) with really good food. It looks to be that food will be the focal point of our trip, but we're OK with that...

Hopefully tomorrow's drive through the rest of Ohio and Indiana on our way to Chicago will be a little bit more entertaining...riiiiight. We'll be getting into Chicago tomorrow and writing before we head to the Cubs game (and then a sports bar for the Celtics)!

Good night!
Em and Meagan

One More for the Road

Welcome to the adventure.

So, as my trusty companion has told you, we're about to embark upon an eight-day grand adventure. We will be driving from East Sandwich to the Pacific Coast to deliver a car in sunny San Diego. What do we get out of this? Well, I get to fulfill a life-long dream of driving cross-country, and Meagan gets to test her patience with me and all the Emily-isms (that I'm only imagining to be magnified upon trekking through eleven states, eight days, 3000+ miles, and countless songs on the radio) that come with the territory. And of course, we'll be getting to see this wonderful country, terrific friends, and all that the road has to offer (along to/near the interstate highway system that is).

I think there's a fine line we'll be riding between the ignorance of the miles to be traveled and the excitement of the adventure in front of us. That fine line might become blatantly obvious after our stop at Niagara Falls on Day 1, bathroom break #5884, driving into the sunset on Day 4 in Kansas, or potentially upon our arrival into Las Vegas on late-Saturday night. That's an option; OR maybe we'll be watching the waves crash on the beach in Pacific Beach, San Diego, California next Sunday evening thinking about all the great things we've just seen. I'm going to hope for option two. Luckily though, we're kiddish enough to find simple entertainment in picture taking, video recording, and sign making events to make this one amazing adventure between here and there.

Yes, I am the planner. Yes, I am the logical thinker. Yes, I know our series of destinations and activities along the way. However, I have Meagan along with me to make sure all of those things are for naught. She'll be the one to find the "World's Largest Ball of Yarn" in Indiana, or want to veer off into Michigan because it's just that close to our travels, or constantly ask, "'Are you sure Ohio borders Kentucky?' and 'You're positive St. Louis is in Missouri?'" That's all OK. I welcome it actually because it's truly part of the journey..that will ultimately bring us to San Diego, California to meet up with my brother and his best friend.

We're set, in a manner of speaking, to start on this trip bright and early Monday morning (given that Meagan wakes up). There are just a couple of work shifts we both have to get through before we can officially start our journey, but we figured a few entries to say hello to you couldn't hurt. Regardless of where we are at the time, we'll be writing from the road, taking pictures, filming video clips, and uploading our days to you here on the blogspot. Wish us luck, and we'll be seeing you soon I'm sure..especially if you're on our travel route!

We'll fill you in from Cleveland, Ohio and Day 1's recap Monday night!

East Sandwich, MA.

9:58PM Friday

If you're reading this, then the jig is up.

Thanks to a little tool called a timestamp, inevitably, regardless of how cool and Kerouac-esque I really am, you will learn that I'm writing this inaugural post at 10 Pm on a Friday instead of participating in anything remotely social. And so I have chosen to compromise my usual air of casual mystique to be upfront with you, hypothetical reader, by kindly placing the time and date at the beginning of this post as a gesture of good faith. Yes, it's Friday night and I just watched two PG-rated moves back-to-back. I am at peace with these facts, (especially because How To Train Your Dragon is arguably the best movie of 2010). Anyway, if we are going to have any kind of relationship at all over the next couple of weeks, might I gently suggest that you refrain from judging and/or questioning my tactics until it's all been said and done. Like Jack Bauer, my antics are only understandable in retrospect. Also, I often yell "THERES NO TIME!" at my responsible and pragmatic best friend, Chloe.

Just kidding. Her name is Emily.

And on Monday (assuming I wake up on time) we'll be embarking on a 9 day jampacked trip to the west coast. Well that's nice, but which cities are you even going to? Good question, hypothetical reader! I like your enthusiasm. Unfortunately though, seeing as I've asked Emily that question about 17 times and still can't remember the list, you will just have to wait until she posts it for you (us). If you remember from five sentences ago, she is the responsible and pragmatic one. In fact, she is at work right now! Yep, she's making the big bucks while I am here in my office (bed) listening to this song and thinking about how badly Bon Iver probably needed a post-breakup hug. But what if someone DID give him a hug and it was so healing that he never went on to conceive 'For Emma, Forever Ago'? Cripes. That is an alarmingly convincing message for an anti-hug campaign. Well luckily, according to my records, he was not hugged and so the bullet has been dodged. Re: Stacks lives on. Its most recent home is on one of many playlists being created in preparation of the trip. Its future home should be in your musical library.

Speaking of preparation, I've got some stuff to do before bedtime. It's easy to find a dashboard hula girl on eBay; it is significantly less easy to find a dashboard Jack Kerouac bobblehead.




Goodnight all.