Wrap-up time has come and gone, but we have an excuse. We've been moving into our new place in St. Petersburg, and just haven't found the time to fart around writing things on these here interwebs. Today is the day we knuckle down and do this thing. In no particular order (well, maybe it is. We'll see) here are our top things and places;
Chrissie's
Top 3 Cities:
1) Austin, TX
2) Lake Tahoe, NV/CA
3) New Orleans, LA
Top 3 Restaurants
1) Hama Sushi - Venice, CA
2) Bobo's - Topeka, KS
3) P. Terry's - Austin, TX
Top 3 Museums
1) National Civil Rights Museum - Memphis, TN
2) La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles, CA
3) Graceland - Memphis, TN
Mike's
Top 3 Cities
1) New Orleans, LA
2) Austin, TX
3) Monterey, CA
Top 3 Beers
1) Hop Stoopid - Lagunitas Brewing Company - Petaluma, CA
2) LA-31 - Bayou Teche Brewery - Amaudville, LA
3) Bigfoot Brown IPA* - Blind Tiger Brewery - Topeka, KS
*There's no link for this, because it somehow hasn't had a website created yet. I liked it so much I got a growler full for my birthday!
Top 3 roadside stops
1) White Sands National Monument - White Sands, NM
2) Pescadero State Beach - Pescadero, CA
3) Zephyr Cove Beach - Zephyr Cove, NV
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
31st and final day!
Robert F. Cat stood on our heads, licked our hair, and snuggled right in between us all morning while we tried to keep sleeping. It was rainy and dark outside, so I just kept rolling over and awaiting his next attempt to rouse us. When I finally woke up (for real) it was 12:30pm. Not so hard to imagine, since I don't think we fell asleep until after 4am.
We cleaned up our living areas and bid farewell to Robert and Erika, and Chrissie zoomed us over to the UF bookstore to grab some garb for her and her mom. Then we went to Tijuana Flats and fueled ourselves up for the final leg of our adventure. The rain had let up just long enough for us to get in and out of the restaurant. By the time we found our way onto I-75 though, the onslaught of liquidy missiles was almost opaque, limiting our speed to well below the speed limit in some places. Somewhere around Orlando we found clear skies just as the sun set, and the weather was perfect all the way into Chrissie's driveway in Tavernier. After unloading, we said hi to her parents and Bailey and Sparky, and got upstairs to catch up with our blog-writing (I think I'm the only one that's broken the fourth wall in this whole endeavor) and pass right out. Wrap-up blog within the next week!
We cleaned up our living areas and bid farewell to Robert and Erika, and Chrissie zoomed us over to the UF bookstore to grab some garb for her and her mom. Then we went to Tijuana Flats and fueled ourselves up for the final leg of our adventure. The rain had let up just long enough for us to get in and out of the restaurant. By the time we found our way onto I-75 though, the onslaught of liquidy missiles was almost opaque, limiting our speed to well below the speed limit in some places. Somewhere around Orlando we found clear skies just as the sun set, and the weather was perfect all the way into Chrissie's driveway in Tavernier. After unloading, we said hi to her parents and Bailey and Sparky, and got upstairs to catch up with our blog-writing (I think I'm the only one that's broken the fourth wall in this whole endeavor) and pass right out. Wrap-up blog within the next week!
Day 30
Chrissie reporting-
We awoke to the smell of a yummy breakfast being prepared for us. Mike's grandmother made us scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, and sausage. It was very, very good. After we were done eating, we wasted no time getting back on the road. We still needed to stop in Auburn to visit the rest of Mike's family. We took Max (Mike's little brother) in the car too, since he needed a ride back to his parents' house. Max was entertained for most of the trip .... until we turned the Ipod to This American Life. Talk about boring for a little kid! He did pretty good though, and listened to the whole hour-long talk show. It was about Cryogenic Freezing, which may have grossed him out (us too).
We got to Auburn, Alabama at around 1pm. Mike's dad had to leave at 3:30pm with some of his brothers. They were going to be taking part in a go-kart race. So, we didn't have much time with them. Deb fixed some burgers, and we all had a really good lunch. Myles had baked a cake for Mike's birthday, which had only been a few days prior, so they found one candle ... and Mike got to make a wish! Ha ... he was embarrassed. He thought our Happy Birthday song sounded a bit sad (apparently only a room FULL of people can do it justice).
After a few hours at their house, we had to keep going. We needed to make it all the way to Gainesville today.
We got to Gainesville at 10pm. Erika decided to give us a place to stay for the night, which was great! It was strange going back to Gainesville after having been gone for a year and one month. I kind of missed it! We drove down University Avenue, and I noticed some changes had been made. There's a new Dunkin' Donuts and a building had been constructed where there was an empty lot before. Not big changes, but I noticed. When we got to Erika's place, we had some Hamburger Helper that she had made (it was good, don't care what you say Erika!). Then the three of us decided to go out for a drink at Stubbie's.
Unfortunately, Stubbie's was packed (they were up to capacity) so we walked over to The Top instead. It was fun! I tried to contact some other friends, but most were out of town and the rest ... well, I should've given everyone earlier notice that I'd be in town. Oh well, next time! We went out so late that by the time we got back to Erika's, it was already 2am. We watched a couple of Nip/Tuck episodes, then called it a night.
Oh, on another note, Erika has the coolest cat! His name's Bob (or as Mike likes to call him Robert F. Cat). His tail is missing, and he looks a lot like a Bobcat, hence the name. He's like a dog ...except in a cat's body. I love him!
We awoke to the smell of a yummy breakfast being prepared for us. Mike's grandmother made us scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, and sausage. It was very, very good. After we were done eating, we wasted no time getting back on the road. We still needed to stop in Auburn to visit the rest of Mike's family. We took Max (Mike's little brother) in the car too, since he needed a ride back to his parents' house. Max was entertained for most of the trip .... until we turned the Ipod to This American Life. Talk about boring for a little kid! He did pretty good though, and listened to the whole hour-long talk show. It was about Cryogenic Freezing, which may have grossed him out (us too).
We got to Auburn, Alabama at around 1pm. Mike's dad had to leave at 3:30pm with some of his brothers. They were going to be taking part in a go-kart race. So, we didn't have much time with them. Deb fixed some burgers, and we all had a really good lunch. Myles had baked a cake for Mike's birthday, which had only been a few days prior, so they found one candle ... and Mike got to make a wish! Ha ... he was embarrassed. He thought our Happy Birthday song sounded a bit sad (apparently only a room FULL of people can do it justice).
After a few hours at their house, we had to keep going. We needed to make it all the way to Gainesville today.
We got to Gainesville at 10pm. Erika decided to give us a place to stay for the night, which was great! It was strange going back to Gainesville after having been gone for a year and one month. I kind of missed it! We drove down University Avenue, and I noticed some changes had been made. There's a new Dunkin' Donuts and a building had been constructed where there was an empty lot before. Not big changes, but I noticed. When we got to Erika's place, we had some Hamburger Helper that she had made (it was good, don't care what you say Erika!). Then the three of us decided to go out for a drink at Stubbie's.
Unfortunately, Stubbie's was packed (they were up to capacity) so we walked over to The Top instead. It was fun! I tried to contact some other friends, but most were out of town and the rest ... well, I should've given everyone earlier notice that I'd be in town. Oh well, next time! We went out so late that by the time we got back to Erika's, it was already 2am. We watched a couple of Nip/Tuck episodes, then called it a night.
Oh, on another note, Erika has the coolest cat! His name's Bob (or as Mike likes to call him Robert F. Cat). His tail is missing, and he looks a lot like a Bobcat, hence the name. He's like a dog ...except in a cat's body. I love him!
Day 29
Chrissie here-
We knew we had to wake up early because we only had about 6 hours in Memphis, and then we had to drive to Eva, Alabama to stay with Mike's grandparents. We didn't really want to wake up early (what's new), but once the alarm rang we got up.
I had planned for us to visit two museums today: The National Civil Rights Museum ... and Graceland! It was going to be tough seeing both of these places in such a short time, but it was well worth it.
The National Civil Rights Museum is located at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. The Lorraine Hotel. I thought it was a really great museum, and it was very moving to see the actual balcony that MLK stood on when he was killed. The exterior of the hotel has been renovated, but looks exactly as it did in the 1960s. The entire street is permanently closed down right in front of the hotel, so as to allow visitors to walk around the front. A wreath hangs to commemorate his death in front of the room he stayed at.
The inside of the motel has been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum. Every visitor there starts their museum experience sitting in an auditorium watching a fairly recent documentary (2009) called The Witness. It is told by the last man who was with MLK the afternoon of his death. It was very moving; most people were crying by the end. After the documentary, we walked around various exhibits detailing the extent of racism in the U.S., how the Civil Rights Movement came to be, and various court decisions that changed the rights of African Americans. It still really struck me how different things were just about 50 years ago. That's not too long ago if you really think about it; our parents and grandparents were alive. And the racism in the South (and everywhere, really) was awful ... there were so many videos in that museum. One of the videos had a black man sitting at a diner that was for "whites only." There was a crowd gathered around him, the men were smoking cigarettes and putting them out on his head. They were laughing at him, and finally one of them threw him off the stool and onto the ground, then they started kicking him. That would be assault in this day and age! But back then, it didn't even seem like a big deal. Anyway, we kept walking and they even had a viewing area of the room that MLK was in before he went outside and was killed; it was really, really interesting.
Then we walked across the street to another part of this museum that was located inside the building that the alleged gunman had supposedly shot MLK from. There are a lot of conspiracy theories, and no one really knows who actually shot MLK, but we read a lot about the evidence and it gave the museum spectators a chance to draw their own conclusions. They also had a viewing area of the bathroom that the gunman may have shot from. It was spooky.
Mike's here!-
By the time we got through it all, it was 12 noon. We had planned to leave Memphis by 2 in order to make dinner time in Eva. We raced towards Graceland, paid for parking, and stood in line to get a ticket. Neither of us had really looked into visiting Elvis's home, so we were completely unprepared for the next couple of hours. After purchasing our tickets, we were directed to a shuttle-loading driveway, where we waited for almost an hour before they called our tour.... which meant we could finally step into the giant line. We then waited some more before we were united with our shuttle. It literally drove us across the street. We could have made the walk in under a minute. We were outfitted with some groovy eighties headphones and a very current digital audio player that would guide us through the estate. Elvis was awesome. The house has been kept exactly as it was when he passed, and I want it- green shag carpet ceiling and all.
Elvis bought the house at the age of 22, and moved his parents in right away. There was a stable and grounds for their many horses, a dozen go-karts, the sweetest basement ever, a racquetball court, and a couple of trophy rooms. The most surreal part of the tour was being led (by the audio guide) out of the last trophy room- "Now, head to your left into the Presley's meditation garden and burial site." They're all buried there. Elvis, both his parents, and his grandmother. Within view of the front driveway. They had a fountain, and one of those eternal flame get-ups right at the head of the semi-circular plot. We hopped back on the shuttle and found our way back to the car.
The drive took way less time than we had planned for, so although we left at 4 pm, we were still only an hour late. Dinner had already been made and eaten, but there were plenty of leftovers for us. My grandmother told us that she had graduated with Charlie Hodge, one of Elvis's right-hand men. Upon further investigation, I found that he was actually the guitarist in Elvis's band for seventeen years! We watched the Braves pull one out in extra innings, and then retired for the night. We flipped the TV on as we lay in bed, and a documentary of Elvis's touring was on, so we watched that. Thank you! Thank you very much!
We knew we had to wake up early because we only had about 6 hours in Memphis, and then we had to drive to Eva, Alabama to stay with Mike's grandparents. We didn't really want to wake up early (what's new), but once the alarm rang we got up.
I had planned for us to visit two museums today: The National Civil Rights Museum ... and Graceland! It was going to be tough seeing both of these places in such a short time, but it was well worth it.
The National Civil Rights Museum is located at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. The Lorraine Hotel. I thought it was a really great museum, and it was very moving to see the actual balcony that MLK stood on when he was killed. The exterior of the hotel has been renovated, but looks exactly as it did in the 1960s. The entire street is permanently closed down right in front of the hotel, so as to allow visitors to walk around the front. A wreath hangs to commemorate his death in front of the room he stayed at.
The inside of the motel has been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum. Every visitor there starts their museum experience sitting in an auditorium watching a fairly recent documentary (2009) called The Witness. It is told by the last man who was with MLK the afternoon of his death. It was very moving; most people were crying by the end. After the documentary, we walked around various exhibits detailing the extent of racism in the U.S., how the Civil Rights Movement came to be, and various court decisions that changed the rights of African Americans. It still really struck me how different things were just about 50 years ago. That's not too long ago if you really think about it; our parents and grandparents were alive. And the racism in the South (and everywhere, really) was awful ... there were so many videos in that museum. One of the videos had a black man sitting at a diner that was for "whites only." There was a crowd gathered around him, the men were smoking cigarettes and putting them out on his head. They were laughing at him, and finally one of them threw him off the stool and onto the ground, then they started kicking him. That would be assault in this day and age! But back then, it didn't even seem like a big deal. Anyway, we kept walking and they even had a viewing area of the room that MLK was in before he went outside and was killed; it was really, really interesting.
Then we walked across the street to another part of this museum that was located inside the building that the alleged gunman had supposedly shot MLK from. There are a lot of conspiracy theories, and no one really knows who actually shot MLK, but we read a lot about the evidence and it gave the museum spectators a chance to draw their own conclusions. They also had a viewing area of the bathroom that the gunman may have shot from. It was spooky.
Mike's here!-
By the time we got through it all, it was 12 noon. We had planned to leave Memphis by 2 in order to make dinner time in Eva. We raced towards Graceland, paid for parking, and stood in line to get a ticket. Neither of us had really looked into visiting Elvis's home, so we were completely unprepared for the next couple of hours. After purchasing our tickets, we were directed to a shuttle-loading driveway, where we waited for almost an hour before they called our tour.... which meant we could finally step into the giant line. We then waited some more before we were united with our shuttle. It literally drove us across the street. We could have made the walk in under a minute. We were outfitted with some groovy eighties headphones and a very current digital audio player that would guide us through the estate. Elvis was awesome. The house has been kept exactly as it was when he passed, and I want it- green shag carpet ceiling and all.
Elvis bought the house at the age of 22, and moved his parents in right away. There was a stable and grounds for their many horses, a dozen go-karts, the sweetest basement ever, a racquetball court, and a couple of trophy rooms. The most surreal part of the tour was being led (by the audio guide) out of the last trophy room- "Now, head to your left into the Presley's meditation garden and burial site." They're all buried there. Elvis, both his parents, and his grandmother. Within view of the front driveway. They had a fountain, and one of those eternal flame get-ups right at the head of the semi-circular plot. We hopped back on the shuttle and found our way back to the car.
The drive took way less time than we had planned for, so although we left at 4 pm, we were still only an hour late. Dinner had already been made and eaten, but there were plenty of leftovers for us. My grandmother told us that she had graduated with Charlie Hodge, one of Elvis's right-hand men. Upon further investigation, I found that he was actually the guitarist in Elvis's band for seventeen years! We watched the Braves pull one out in extra innings, and then retired for the night. We flipped the TV on as we lay in bed, and a documentary of Elvis's touring was on, so we watched that. Thank you! Thank you very much!
Day 28
Chrissie reporting-
Today we left Topeka and headed to Memphis!
The drive was pretty long, we spent most of the time listening to This American Life and listening to music.
Finally, we arrived in Memphis. We drove to Beale Street, an area I'd read about online earlier today. We tried to find a hotel; we came across a Holiday Inn, so I went inside to make a reservation. The line took forever, and when I reached the front desk, I was told that the rate would be very expensive. So, we decided to find the closest La Quinta. All the experiences we've had with La Quinta have been really good, so we figured that was the closest we'd come to a comfortable, clean night's stay. We found one 11 miles away, so we booked it.
Instead of going straight to the motel, we figured we'd better walk down Beale Street and get a bite to eat. We walked for a bit, then finally found a restaurant. We had a great meal: pulled pork, cole slaw, baked beans, and texas toast. It was really, really good ... especially the baked beans. They were good! Beale Street in Memphis is much like New Orleans, except (while we were there) even busier, and crazier. There were street vendors selling beer by the glass, and the entire street was closed down. There were a bunch of local stores open too, selling trinkets and things.
We walked around for a bit, but decided to call it a night because we were tired. We drove to La Quinta and passed out.
Today we left Topeka and headed to Memphis!
The drive was pretty long, we spent most of the time listening to This American Life and listening to music.
Finally, we arrived in Memphis. We drove to Beale Street, an area I'd read about online earlier today. We tried to find a hotel; we came across a Holiday Inn, so I went inside to make a reservation. The line took forever, and when I reached the front desk, I was told that the rate would be very expensive. So, we decided to find the closest La Quinta. All the experiences we've had with La Quinta have been really good, so we figured that was the closest we'd come to a comfortable, clean night's stay. We found one 11 miles away, so we booked it.
Instead of going straight to the motel, we figured we'd better walk down Beale Street and get a bite to eat. We walked for a bit, then finally found a restaurant. We had a great meal: pulled pork, cole slaw, baked beans, and texas toast. It was really, really good ... especially the baked beans. They were good! Beale Street in Memphis is much like New Orleans, except (while we were there) even busier, and crazier. There were street vendors selling beer by the glass, and the entire street was closed down. There were a bunch of local stores open too, selling trinkets and things.
We walked around for a bit, but decided to call it a night because we were tired. We drove to La Quinta and passed out.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 27
Chrissie reporting-
Today was Michael's birthday! He is now officially 24, and I told him today he's almost in his mid-20s, which depressed him. So I took it back.
Janet cooked us a "fry-up" this morning in honor of Mike's birthday. It consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, and pecan cinnamon bread. It was very, very good! I know Mike liked it, he had seconds.
After breakfast, Janet recommended we go to the Kansas State Capitol and Monroe Elementary School, a Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. We decided to visit the latter one first.
I thought this museum was one of the best we've visited thus far. It was set in one of the first four schools in the country to be desegregated during the Civil Rights Movement. Brown v. Board of Education was a huge Supreme Court ruling that disbanded "separate but equal" schools in the U.S. What I found really, really great about the museum was that the school has actually been turned into a museum, so you can walk the halls and really get a feel for what went on here during the 1950s and 1960s.
When we were done visiting the museum, we drove over to the capitol. There is some renovation going on inside the building, so it took us a few minutes to find the visitor's entrance. The place was really beautiful, but unfortunately, we didn't see too much because a lot of the building is closed.
Mike's turn!-
We drove back to the house (after filling Alf's tank for less than $1.50/gal!) and caught up on our blogging while Janet ordered some pizzas. Don came home and met Chrissie for the first time. Don is great, he wasted no time ribbing us about anything and everything at all. We sat down for pizza and caught Don up on everything he'd missed while at work. Then Janet surprised me with a "baby" cake and ice cream, and a couple of Kansas U hats! Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!
We got our marching orders for the morning (since Don and Janet are going to be up and out to Grand Lake for six weeks by the time we leave) and bid them goodnight before we headed out to The Blind Tiger for a birthday drink or two. Turns out I had two. The Sasquatch IPA, which is as yet without a website, and their flagship Tiger Bite IPA. Chrissie had their County Seat Wheat, but wasn't as impressed as I was with it. We left with my birthday present, a growler full of the Sasquatch, and are now lying in bed about to catch the latest episode of True Blood. Enjoy the pics!
Today was Michael's birthday! He is now officially 24, and I told him today he's almost in his mid-20s, which depressed him. So I took it back.
Janet cooked us a "fry-up" this morning in honor of Mike's birthday. It consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, and pecan cinnamon bread. It was very, very good! I know Mike liked it, he had seconds.
After breakfast, Janet recommended we go to the Kansas State Capitol and Monroe Elementary School, a Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. We decided to visit the latter one first.
I thought this museum was one of the best we've visited thus far. It was set in one of the first four schools in the country to be desegregated during the Civil Rights Movement. Brown v. Board of Education was a huge Supreme Court ruling that disbanded "separate but equal" schools in the U.S. What I found really, really great about the museum was that the school has actually been turned into a museum, so you can walk the halls and really get a feel for what went on here during the 1950s and 1960s.
When we were done visiting the museum, we drove over to the capitol. There is some renovation going on inside the building, so it took us a few minutes to find the visitor's entrance. The place was really beautiful, but unfortunately, we didn't see too much because a lot of the building is closed.
Mike's turn!-
We drove back to the house (after filling Alf's tank for less than $1.50/gal!) and caught up on our blogging while Janet ordered some pizzas. Don came home and met Chrissie for the first time. Don is great, he wasted no time ribbing us about anything and everything at all. We sat down for pizza and caught Don up on everything he'd missed while at work. Then Janet surprised me with a "baby" cake and ice cream, and a couple of Kansas U hats! Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!
We got our marching orders for the morning (since Don and Janet are going to be up and out to Grand Lake for six weeks by the time we leave) and bid them goodnight before we headed out to The Blind Tiger for a birthday drink or two. Turns out I had two. The Sasquatch IPA, which is as yet without a website, and their flagship Tiger Bite IPA. Chrissie had their County Seat Wheat, but wasn't as impressed as I was with it. We left with my birthday present, a growler full of the Sasquatch, and are now lying in bed about to catch the latest episode of True Blood. Enjoy the pics!
Day 26
It's Chrissie!
We drove a LOT today. Actually, Mike drove way more than I did. I get antsy and uncomfortable after I drive for too long.
We left Denver at about noon, tired from staying up late the night before. We drove and drove and drove ... the scenery was pretty, but very much the same! I listened to This American Life while Mike dozed off. I was also fighting a sore throat that I woke up with, but luckily it didn't get too bad and is already gone.
Mike and I arrived in Topeka at 9pm. We are staying with his aunt, Janet, and her husband, Don. Janet met us at the door, and we sat and chatted with her for a bit; Mike hadn't seen her in a few years, so you can imagine that there was a lot of catching up to do! Don was already asleep, so we didn't get to see him today. Let me also mention, their house is beautiful! There is a huge backyard, and the house itself is also huge. Mike spent some time showing me around the house, we even signed their guest book; Mike also found two signatures he'd written as far back as 1996.
So far, Topeka seems like a city that feels like a small town. I like it.
We drove a LOT today. Actually, Mike drove way more than I did. I get antsy and uncomfortable after I drive for too long.
We left Denver at about noon, tired from staying up late the night before. We drove and drove and drove ... the scenery was pretty, but very much the same! I listened to This American Life while Mike dozed off. I was also fighting a sore throat that I woke up with, but luckily it didn't get too bad and is already gone.
Mike and I arrived in Topeka at 9pm. We are staying with his aunt, Janet, and her husband, Don. Janet met us at the door, and we sat and chatted with her for a bit; Mike hadn't seen her in a few years, so you can imagine that there was a lot of catching up to do! Don was already asleep, so we didn't get to see him today. Let me also mention, their house is beautiful! There is a huge backyard, and the house itself is also huge. Mike spent some time showing me around the house, we even signed their guest book; Mike also found two signatures he'd written as far back as 1996.
So far, Topeka seems like a city that feels like a small town. I like it.
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