Funny Stuff you like?
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@datadventuretho
Funny Stuff you like?
how did you fund your trip? did it cost a lot with food etc? did you stay somewhere every night or sleep in the car??
Both Jennie and I saved up for quite some time to fund the road trip, we both had part time jobs and did not spend any excess money during the school year before the trip. Food wasn't that bad, we mostly had snacks and fast food (all very unhealthy xD) but most of the money we spent on food was very worth it, especially when traveling to places like New Mexico/Arizona and San Francisco. Gas only totaled up to about $600 each for going to California and back (not too bad). And we always had a place to stay every night! We utilized Hotwire to find some cheap hotels, stayed with family and college friends across the country, and stayed at hostels when they were available (which is probably the most fun option in my opinion). But with surprisingly little planning and some saving we were able to pull it off! :)
New York City & Jucketville
June 17-18
After our 15 hour drive from St. Luis to DC, you think the 5 hour drive to New York City would be a piece of cake. It wasn’t. This is all because of our Dunkin Donuts excursion.
Sam and I hadn’t had Dunkin since Salt Lake City, so feeling deprived, we went on a little adventure. Faced with a bunch of one ways and missed turns, finding the Dunkin was quite a struggle. And when we finally got our coffees, they weren’t even made very well. We’re convinced that Dunkin Donuts is only done right in New England. Oh well.
It was on our way back to the highway that trouble struck. We were on a oneway, driving toward an intersection, when all of a sudden this woman in a minivan turned on the street GOING THE WRONG WAY, STRAIGHT TOWARD WILLARD. She literally was driving the wrong way on a one way. So, naturally, I honked the horn, and we could see fear fill her eyes, as she turned the steering wheel, zigzagging her car in panic. Instead of pulling into the gas station that was right there like a normal person with a BRAIN, she just moved over to the far right lane. Everyone on the road had to stop to let her pass, as she drove away in shame. It was probably the funniest thing to have witnessed. It might sound dangerous, but Sam and I were laughing our asses off as this whole scenario unfolded. This woman will forever be engrained in our memories as the idiot who almost crashed into us head-on.
The rest of the drive wasn’t too bad. Once we got into the city, traffic became a little hectic, but Sam was able to park outside Nia’s apartment with little trouble. Nia was our 6th and final suite mate last year at Emerson. She is an extremely witty Writing for Film and Television major who follows a million TV series at a time and takes a lot of pride in being a New Yorker. Sam and I had visited her once before for the New Year which was another great trip.
After settling in and freshening up, it was time to hit this amazing city. I can seriously picture myself living in New York. We stopped at a pizza place for lunch, where I ordered a calzone. It is my own little tradition to get a calzone every time I’m in NYC. Of course, it was delicious.
Then we walked along the high line which used to be a train track up above the city. Now however, its covered with greenery and is a walking path. It was really nice to enjoy the city and the weather from up above the commotion.
Afterwards, Nia took us to a cute pie place that had both sweet and savory pies. Sam had some sort of chicken pot pie, and we both had apple crumble pies. They were delicious and it was a nice little place.
We walked around for a bit after that, enjoying the beautiful night’s cityscape. We walked through Time Square, to Nia’s disapproval. Native New Yorkers don’t like the touristy parts like Times Square- they’re too crowded and too obnoxious. We got shakes from Shake Shack after that, and finally made our way back to Nia’s apartment where her and her mom, Robin, were nice enough to let us stay the night.
We enjoyed a nice Criminal Minds/SVU marathon before hitting the hay. It was Sam’s and my last night on the road, and Nia had work in the morning so we turned in early.
The next morning Sam and I woke up at 5am to move the car. We could have sworn the sign we parked by said No Parking from 6am to noon. So, we got up, walked the twenty minutes to the car, only to realize we read the sign wrong and we could stay parked there for the rest of the morning. Well, it’s better to be safe than sorry! We went back to Nia’s and fell back asleep for another few hours.
Once we woke up again, Nia had already left for work. We got our things together and took a second walk to the car, this time stopping at the Starbucks right by Nia’s apartment. After finding him again, we piled into Willard for the home stretch. I had the fun task of exiting the city, so now Sam and I both have the pleasure of telling people we drove through NYC and made it out alive.
The last few hours of the road trip were odd. It seemed like those few hours took forever. The scenery was so normal, so New England. Once we passed the Massachusetts sign, it was strange to think that now our license plate was normal. We were no longer travelers, but natives to the area. And then, all of a sudden, we were back in Jucketville. The only sign of our travels was the bug massacre on Willard’s windshield and the few parking receipts on the dashboard.
Once we were home, we surprised our friends and family. Everyone thought that we were returning a day later, so we picked up all our friends and surprised each of them with souvenirs and stories. It was great to see our families again too. Even though traveling is great, there is nothing quite like being home with the people you love.
Sam and I were on the road from May 18th to June 18th, an entire month of traveling to our hearts’ desires. I can honestly say it was the best month of my life. Sam and I worked really hard to save for this trip, and it was well worth it. I honestly can’t believe that it’s over. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Traveling is something everyone should do if they can. Explore different cultures and different beliefs, and you will understand people so much better. Our country makes so much more sense to me now.
However, Massachusetts will forever be Sam’s and my favorite state and I’m so happy we grew up here.
That being said, I can’t wait to travel again.
I hope you all enjoyed following this blog, and hearing all about “Sam and Jennie’s Excellent Adventure.”
Thanks for reading, and hope you all have an epic journey of your own someday.
This is Sam, Jennie, Willard, and the moo moo blanket signing out.
Washington DC
June 15-17
After departing from Mary’s at 5:40 in the morning, Sam and I began our longest drive yet- the 15 hour voyage from St. Louis to Washington DC. This was a big task to face, and I’m still surprised that we managed it.
We drove through six states and one time zone, losing an hour along the way. Sam had a total of three ice coffees, one redbull, and a 5 hour energy. It’s safe to say that I was completely against this whole thing and worried that she would just collapse of a caffein overdose before we made it to Maryland. She started not feeling well a couple hours before we arrived, and I tried my best to hold back the “I told you so.” I swear, Sam has a horrible caffein addiction- if you couldn’t tell from our countless stops at Dunkin Donuts.
Finally, after being stuck in the car for longer than anyone ever wants to be stuck in a car, we arrived in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where our friend Cary (also an Emerson student) was nice enough to let us spend two nights at his house. We were greeted by him and his parents, as well as their dog (April) and their cat (River, Kitty, countless other names). Sam and I got to eat our first home cooked meal in ages and caught up with Cary who had just returned from his own trip to Japan. (incredibly jealous of that, by the way.)
The next morning we were able to sleep in. After waking up early every morning for a week of constant driving, sleeping in is the most beautiful concept ever enjoyed. Sam slept until noon. Once we were up and showered, however, we were ready to explore our nation’s capitol, Washington DC.
Cary’s mom was nice enough to drive us to the Metro station and explained to us how the train worked. We took the red line to Metro center and then took the orange line to the Smithsonian. What’s great about Washington DC is that basically everything is free. Sam and I, getting a late start, were only able to go to one museum, so we chose the American History Museum. This was a perfect choice. Sam, being a lover of all things history, greatly enjoyed herself. Of course, she did complain about the Edison exhibit, explaining how he stole all his ideas from Tesla, and was only a shady business man. We both were amazed by the remains they had of the Berlin Wall, which was just so symbolic of an era.
Museums are amazing places, in general, and it was great to experience one in DC. They also had a pair of ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, so that was pretty great too.
After spending a good amount of time in the museum, we decided to go get some lunch/dinner. It turns out Cary was free that afternoon, so he met up with us and suggested this pizza place not too far away from where we were. It was nice and cool in the restaurant and the sandwiches we had were yummy too.
After that, we decided to take a look at the monuments. Of course, we stopped at the White House on the way, where Sam gushed about being in the same vicinity as Obama. We took selfies in front of the gorgeous, ginormous building— just chillin’ with our bestie, the President of the United States.
We took selfies with everything after that, basically. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial. It was all great to see. The reflection pool was quite beautiful, as well. What’s fun, though, is watching all the tourists hustle and bustle through each monument, with their matching tie dye shirts and fanny packs, each one posing as if balancing the Washington Monument on the palm of their hand. The three of us sat on the steps to the Lincoln Memorial, people watching and chatting as the sky slowly turned a darker shade of blue. After realizing the time, we decided to head back to the Metro.
We walked through the Vietnam Memorial first. The memorial is a wall, filled with names of those lost in the Vietnam War. It is a heart wrenching circumstance to be faced with the names to a statistic. The wall just kept continuing and becoming taller and taller, as the years went on- more and more names adding to the list of thousands. It was an eyeopening experience, to say the least.
The three of us made our way back to the metro station after that, which Sam and I decided was nicer than the T, but far too expensive. The walk there was nice, the heat had subsided. It was nice to be back on the east coast.
After we returned to Cary’s house, we enjoyed some apple pie and ice cream, which was delicious. It was a long, very lovely day, and the three of us were incredibly exhausted. Sam and I planned on waking up around 7:30 the next morning, so we went to bed shortly after returning to the house.
Of course, Sam and I didn’t end up waking up at 7:30, sleeping in was far too hard to give up. I woke up to say good bye to Cary who was going to work, and then went right back to sleep. I’ll definitely miss him.
Sam and I didn’t wake up again until 9:30, when we forced ourselves to get up and ready. By 10, we said good bye to Cary’s mom and were on our way! Just kidding. Willard’s battery had died, and we needed to call AAA for a jump start. So, finally, at 11 we were on our way to New York City, our final stop on this crazy adventure.
St Luis
June 14-15
After our stay at the Super 8 in Kansas, Sam and I were ready to make our way to Mary Baker’s house right outside of St. Luis. Mary was another one of our suite mates at Emerson. She is a Writing Literature and Publishing major who is a lover of Game of Thrones and musicals. After our trek through more boring landscapes (cows, cornfields, anti-abortion billboards) it was great to finally pull into the driveway of a friend.
Mary and her little sister, Betsy, greeted us excitedly and it was great to plop our bags down in their guest room. We all got to catch up and Mary gave us a tour of her house, including her Dad’s insane Nips bottle collection that lined the walls of an entire room. Her house was beautiful and a safe haven for Sam and I, who hadn’t stayed with friends or family since LA.
We also hadn’t showered since Salt Lake City, which was pretty disgusting. So, of course, Sam and I were grateful to finally shower and throw our laundry in the wash before we explored the outskirts of St. Luis.
Mary and her sassy little sister brought us to a park in Chesterfield where we enjoyed some famous St. Luis pizza, Imo’s. It’s very flat and cut in squares rather than triangles. We also had some provel (fake cheese bites) and fried ravioli. It all sounds weird, but we enjoyed it! The weather was beautiful and the four of us enjoyed the park.
We also saw a statue the Bakers referred to as “the zombie” which was a huge giant coming out of the ground, like a zombie breaking through its grave. It was definitely a fun place for photos.
After that, we made our way to Ted Drewe’s for frozen custard. I had never seen a place so packed in all my life. Mary and Betsy explained that this famous little place is always crowded, but the lines always move fast. And indeed, they did. We all ordered concretes, which is like a blizzard from Dairy Queen. Actually, Mary told Sam and I that the guy who invented the blizzard really stole the recipe from Ted Drewe’s. Our concretes were far more scrumptious than anything DQ has to offer, that’s for sure.
It’s a tradition to eat your frozen custard in the trunk of the car, so that’s exactly what we did in the parking lot. As we were all sitting there chatting, fireworks started to go off. It was definitely an incredible day.
Once we returned to Mary’s, we all got in our pjs and went to the game room for a movie. Sam and I hadn’t watched a single movie since we left, so this was a fantastic choice. We ended up watching Mona Lisa Smile, staring Julia Roberts, all about women’s college education in the 50’s. We all seemed to enjoy it.
Sam and I didn’t get to sleep until 1am, and we got a solid 4 hours of sleep, waking up at 5 the next morning. Mary bid us farewell, and gave us directions to see the arch as we exited St Luis. It was beautiful, just like our stay with the Bakers. Then Sam and I were off for the long journey to Washington DC!
San Francisco to Salt Lake City
Our drive to Utah started out in the best way possible: finding out that our car battery had died again. Thankfully the valet had jumpstarted it for us and we were on our way in no time.
The route we were taking was possibly the worst possible one yet solely because it took us straight through the great state of Nevada, not even the cool parts like Las Vegas, like the desert.
Our first stop was at Starbucks and $14 later we were finally caffeinated and actually ready to go. I also tried to see if Dunkin was a thing in Nevada, alas it was not.
Now there’s really not much to write about for the drive, it was all desert and tumbleweeds and desert and desert and desert. Nevada is really uninteresting. I’m sorry.
The sole highlight of the trip (and by highlight the most wtf thing) is when we pulled of the highway for lunch and coffee in Loveluck Nevada (like what even). The only places to eat were McDonald’s and a sad looking pizzeria, so we obviously chose the pizzeria because why the hell not.
Now the only thing you really need to know about this place is that Duck Dynasty was playing and they did not sell slices.
Before we hopped back on the highway I pulled into the McDonalds to re-caffeinate and get Jennie some soft-serve, little did we know that that too would be a struggle.
When I pulled up to the orderbox and tried to order soft-serve vanilla in a cup and a coffee all I got in response was “ice cream in cup?” and “can you please pull up to the first window?”
Now it was really confusing as to why someone couldn’t grasp the concept of putting ice cream in a cup instead of a cone, but I realized why once I got to the first window. This kid was all of 12 years old and trying to work at McDonalds.
After trying to explain to him again the concept of putting ice cream in a cup I finally got to pay and pull up to the next window where another twelve year old handed me my coffee, but no ice cream. So I had to explain again how I wanted the ice cream, but no cone. So this child preceded to hand me a drink cup filled with soft serve. I could not wait to get out of that Nevadan town.
We didn’t have much trouble throughout the rest of Nevada, other than dealing with the boring, desert scenery. Before we knew it we were in Utah and on our way into Salt Lake City there were large flatlands of just salt (I guess you could say they were “salt lakes” ;D) off of the side of the highway.
So naturally I stopped and Jennie and I did some salt lake exploring while the sun was setting in the distance, it made for some seriously beautiful photos.
We were staying at a little hostel in Salt Lake City and got there just in time to check in, shower, and sleep. Jennie and I didn’t actually get to spend any time in the city, but we did manage to snipe out the only Dunkin in the city and stop for breakfast on our way out in the morning, per usual.
From what we were able to see, Salt Lake City was a beautiful place and we hope one day we’ll be able to go back and actually spend time there.
Salt Lake City to Mount Rushmore
Our next destination from Salt Lake City was the great Mount Rushmore. But to get to South Dakota from Utah, you have to go through the entirety of Wyoming. Now that’s a solid 10 hours of just Wyoming. Jennie and I spent most of this ride between wanting to either burst out crying or accept sad defeat and just stay there forever.
There was a point when Jennie was driving on one of the highways for miles, we had seen nothing but desert and deserted rest areas for about two hours and the gaslight was on. Google Maps was telling us that the nearest gas station was about 40 miles away, and there was no way we could make it. We had basically accepted the fact that we were going to be stuck on the side of the road in Wyoming at some time, until we saw it: the most jucket, but most beautiful, little gas station off the side of the highway. So thankfully we did not end up stranded on the side of some highway in Wyoming and were able to continue onward.
Eventually we needed some form of sustenance, so we stopped in another tiny town at some café for food. This place was just filled with sad Midwesterners and sold pizza, sandwiches, and Mexican food for some reason, and for some reason I got the Mexican food. But the best part had to be how this place was the legitimate epitome of Wyoming, sad and small. Jennie and I could not stop laughing about how we somehow ended up at this place in Wyoming. We were also curious what the least populated state was, so I looked it up and apparently it was Wyoming! Also we figured out that Boston has about 100,000 more people than the entire state of Wyoming does. It’s a pretty sad place.
After lunch we hauled our way into South Dakota and got to watch the most beautiful moon rise because of how flat the land was. We were actually staying at a campground next to Mount Rushmore for the night in a little cabin.
But to get there we got to go through the little town of Pringle, South Dakota. Pringle has a population of 112. There were less people in Pringle than in our graduating class. I also googled Pringle and apparently there is an LDS Mormon compound built there, complete with child brides and everything. Pringle was kinda scary.
But we finally made it to the KOA where we got the key and directions to the cabin. We picked up some snacks from the little grocer they had attached to the check in, and when I tried to joke with the middle aged cashier about how the Smart food and Oreos we were buying were going to be dinner for us she just looked concerned and said “oh no” in her South Dakotan accent. I’m convinced no one in South Dakota knows what a joke is.
After about 20 minutes of driving around trying to find the cabin, we finally accidentally came across it thankfully. It was a cute little place with 2 bunk beds and not much else. But it was fun to have a camping/sleepover vibe for one night. So we put down towels on the mattress to act as sheets and tried to nest as much as possible to keep warm. So we snacked, talked, and enjoyed our night of “roughing” it.
The next morning we prepared for our trip to Mount Rushmore and then our inevitable drive to Kansas. After enjoying a nice morning at the campground we drove about 10 minutes to the Mount Rushmore National Park. Once you park and walk up to the lookout, the monument is pretty much right there. Like you don’t have to do much or go out of your way, it’s just there. It was pretty cool, a little bit smaller than expected but still amazing to see.
Most of our time there was spent making fun of how sassy all of the faces looked like. Like Washington just looked done with everything, Jefferson was too good for this, Teddy looked like an after thought with how small he was, and Lincoln looked like he was pissed off with Teddy. Needless to say it was a fun time just observing the different faces from different angles along the Presidential Trail.
We even got to hear a bit about the construction from a very enthusiastic South Dakotan who worked at the studio. Once we had seen enough of the Presidents, we decided to start the 8 hour drive to Kansas.
Mount Rushmore to Cawker City, Kansas
So there was only one reason we were going to Kansas, and that was to see the biggest ball of twine in Cawker City. It was Jennie’s idea to go to Mount Rushmore, and I only agreed on the condition that we got to see the biggest ball of twine.
This was another sad drive because we drove straight down through Nebraska, and into the middle of Kansas. All I can even remember from Nebraska was deep fried sadness and a lot of cows. And that one sad McDonald’s we stopped at. But our one goal was to at least make it into Kansas for the night, and we planned to go see the biggest ball of twine in the morning.
There was one point where I was driving in Nebraska and Willard’s hood started to worry us with how loose it was, it had been a bit loose since Texas but with the wind it really started to become worrisome. So Jennie called AAA while I went to check it out, and in the middle of the lady telling Jennie that we would have to get towed I somehow managed to fix it to stay shut. I have no idea how, I was just happy we would not be stuck in Nebraska for the night.
We finally made it into Kansas and were looking for a place to stay for the night; literally anywhere we would be content with. But it was almost midnight and every motel we stopped at had the lobby closed for the night. So we continued onwards and decided to see if we could find a place to stay in Cawker City, but before we found a place to stay we came across something even better.
It was about one in the morning and it came completely out of nowhere, but there it was: the biggest ball of twine just on the side of the road in all its glory.
So I pulled over, and we got to enjoy the best wonder Kansas had to offer way too late. I think the best part was how we just happened to stumble across it, like it was just there under a little gazebo on the side of the road. We also got a few selfies with it, which was pretty cool. Jennie and I even ran around it a few times, it was one of the most perfect, overtired moments.
But we still faced one major problem, and that was finding somewhere to stay. Fortunately there was a Super 8 about 30 minutes away, so we headed that way after saying goodbye to the largest ball of twine.
Needless to say the lady working the desk did not like us when we came up and asked if there were any vacancies at 2 in the morning, fortunately for us there was. But it turned out to not be too horrible, just full of sad Midwesterners and an even sadder continental breakfast.
We were able to get some sleep and head out early the next morning for our drive across Missouri to Saint Louis. But let’s just say I don’t plan on visiting the Midwest again anytime soon.
Los Angeles to San Francisco
For our trip up to San Francisco from Los Angeles we decided to take the more scenic route up the coast instead of the long, droning highways we had gotten used to over the past week. Sure it would take a couple more hours, but it was well worth it to enjoy the ocean view and have a relaxing drive for once.
The route definitely did not disappoint and we were able to enjoy driving through several of the coastal cities, and about 6 hours into our 8 hour drive we made the decision to stop for dinner before we got into the last leg of driving into San Francisco.
For some reason Jennie and I found ourselves at an Outback Steakhouse in a random Californian suburb, despite how Jennie is a vegetarian and a steakhouse may not have been the best choice for us to eat. But she was cool with it and I needed some form of protein so we decided to stay.
I think it took about 20 minutes of us sitting at a table for a waiter to realize we were there and had not been served yet. Even after that I think we only saw our waiter (who’s name we found out was Joey) about three times, like I had forgotten what he looked like between the long amounts of time he showed up at the table. I’m pretty sure at one time we even had a different waiter bring us bread. I don’t even know. Joey reminded us of Jordan, all mind games and making us wait 2 hours in some sad town.
So after 2 hours in an Outback Steakhouse we made it to San Francisco and to the hostel we were staying at right before midnight but before that we ended up driving around looking for parking and ended up at a super overpriced garage because we panicked.
But we were able to check in with no problem and make it up to our room. Now Jennie and I were in a double room, which had a double sized bunk bed, so we were going to end up with one or two other people in our room with us. When we got up to our room our other roommate had their stuff there, but wasn’t present yet. I was just praying it wasn’t the old, one-armed man I had seen in the lobby, or Ronnie the drunk Irishman who was trying to hit up Jennie in the lobby.
Thankfully it turned out that our roommate for the night was Reid, the twenty-year-old Australian who was in LA for business and decided to do some traveling before going back. He turned out to be great conversation and quite hilarious.
The next morning we had to wake up for check out at 11 so we could switch to our new room, which was a private room with just Jennie and I. After we moved our stuff we went on a hunt for the garage we parked at to grab a few more things, and after getting horribly lost for about 40 minutes we found it and were able to move on to breakfast.
We found a nice little place that sold ice coffee and ballin’ breakfast sandwiches and ate our late breakfast outside. That day we were just going to wander and see where it took us, and we ended up at the Fisherman’s Warf to check out the Bay and all the shops in the area.
After a bit of walking around the area Jennie spotted one of the stores that took you on the double decker city tours, and we made the decision to be tourists and get on the next tour.
The one we first hopped on took us all throughout downtown San Francisco while the driver pointed out all of the historical landmarks and other places of note. After about a half an hour Jennie and I switched buses to one that would take us over the Golden Gate Bridge and then through downtown again.
Now the single best thing about the bus we switched onto had to be the new tour guide: Joel. Joel was possibly had the most morbid and inappropriate facts about the city, and even once tried to read the sign into Chinatown in Chinese but failed miserably. Another great thing about Joel was that he would introduce himself to anyone who hopped on the bus at any of the stops. We heard many “and to the man who just joined us on this tour and is going up the stairs, my name is Joel and I will be your tour guide today, as I was saying…” during our hour and a half with Joel.
Joel took us over the Golden Gate Bridge while we were on the top of the bus and it was freezing as all hell. Joel was also giving us little tidbits about how many people commit suicide by jumping off the bridge and how the state doesn’t have enough funding to install nets under the bridge. Fun times. It was foggy as anything, and apparently it is covered in fog 85% of the year. The whole time we were crossing the bridge in the fog I felt like some Godzilla shit was about to go down.
But we made it over the bridge and back, both times on the top of the bus, in one piece. Jennie and I stayed on the tour until it took us back to Fisherman’s Warf again. Right after that we went for lunch at Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co. and got to play some Forrest Gump trivia.
We spent the rest of the night at the Warf and eventually made it back to the hostel, where we had to wake up to check out of that room and into another one again. We actually ended up in the same room as the first night, but with two girls from Great Britain.
After switching again Jennie and I went out for breakfast at some fancy, hipster-esque café that had some pretty good sandwiches. After eating we made sure to go to the Warf to pick up last minute souvenirs and enjoy some crepes by the water. On our way to the Warf we stopped at the City Light's bookstore because we had heard quite a few things about it. It was possibly one of the best book stores I had ever been into with three floors and a plethora of different books to choose from. Needless to say Jennie and I spent quite a bit of time in there, and even bought some books.
But that day we had one, real mission: to see the Full House house because Jennie is one of the most hardcore Full House fans to ever exist. It was a two-mile walk from where we were, but it was well worth it to see the city and for Jennie to be able to take a selfie with the house itself.
We walked the two miles back to Chinatown, almost past out from hunger, to the most amazing Chinese food restaurant we had ever been to for dinner, trekked back to the hostel and passed out before our long drive in the morning.
San Francisco was definitely a favorite destination for both Jennie and I with the food, weather, and great people. It’s also the only place we could ever envision living one day. I hope both of us have the chance to go back for a more permanent stay one day.
Los Angeles
May 30-June 8
Departing from Phoenix, Sam and I noticed Willard’s desperate need for an oil change. He was barely able to function, so we stopped at a jiffy lube before leaving the city. After we were told there would be a 45 minute wait, we decided to just wing it and find another place on the way. Willard was not happy with this decision, showing his displeasure with odd clicks and his refusal to accelerate like a normal, happily oil filled vehicle. Oh well.
We did not realize that finding another place on the way would be the greatest task known to man. In fact, after leaving Phoenix, we basically left all of civilization entirely.
Once we entered California, I was expecting to see palm trees and sun toasted people, all gladly surfing the pacific. I had the wrong impression. The land was just as flat and boring as it was in the areas of New Mexico and Arizona that we had dreaded driving through. After having to drive through this weird security check, Sam reminded me that we were right next to the Mexican border. It was a rather strange atmosphere, to say the least.
On the highway there were these two huge vehicles carrying houses. Yes, they were transporting houses. Trucks were even following the houses just with signs and flags that said “Oversized Load.” As if the houses attached to wheels could be easily overlooked.
After passing these houses is when Sam and I pulled off the highway where google maps was bringing us to a local auto place to get the oil changed. Let’s just say the place was as jucket as all hell, and not at all trustworthy. Instead, we turned back on the highway, only to have to pass the driving houses yet again.
We pulled off the highway a few more times to try and get the oil changed. We would exit at a town thinking “oh, this town must have an auto place.” Only to find that the whole “town” consisted of one dirt road in the middle of the desert with a Subway and a gas station (if they’re lucky). One time we pulled into a place and the truck in front of just stopped without warning, not letting us by. After a minutes of confusion, two men got out of the car. Sam and I were (and still are) convinced we were about to be kidnapped. I backed out of there so fast, getting back onto the highway. It honestly was insane. After that, we gave up on getting an oil change, to Willard’s despair.
We encountered some other fun moments on the drive, like the rest stop where no one could function. Literally, Sam and I walked in this little mini mart just to use the restroom, and had to turn around and leave because, like stated a moment ago, no one could function. Everyone was just crashing into things and walking into us. It was so painful, we couldn’t even relieve our bladders. That’s what we get for stopping at a place across the street from a tank memorial museum. (or something like that). Pulling back on the highway, we passed the houses on wheels again. For a third time.
You could say the drive from Phoenix to LA was considered the drive from hell. Willard never got his oil changed, and Sam and I didn’t eat for hours. Of course, until we stopped at an In-N-Out Burger for the first time ever. In-N-Out is a fast food burger place only in California, Arizona, and Nevada. It was really neat inside, almost like a 50’s joint, with a diner style. The menu was real simple, just burgers and fries. It was also incredibly packed with tons of people, making it hard to find a seat. At first, I thought it was timing, but apparantly they are always packed no matter the hour. After waiting for our orders for a while, we stuffed our faces with some greasy, yummy food. Sam fell in love instantly. (She soon became obsessed.) I really enjoyed my fries, too. (I would soon come to hate In-N-Out with a passion, but more on that later.)
Once we were in the outskirts of LA, where Sam’s Mom’s cousin, Renita, lives, my mind’s vision of California came more to life. Everything was green and there were palm trees. We rolled down the windows, letting in the warm air, and blasted some music, cruising through Whittier. (Did I mention California drivers are probably THE WORST TO EVER EXIST? WORSE THAN TENNESSEE EVEN. MAYBE. CLOSE CALL.)
It was great to finally make it to Renita’s house, where she greeted us with pizza and grilled cheese. Sam had never met her second cousin before, so it was nice to listen to them talk about family and everything. She was extremely nice and so was her family. A bunch of people were at the house watching the King’s game, so we ended up being able to meet a lot of Sam’s relatives that she’s never been able to meet before. The King’s lost, but they ended up winning the second game later on.
We were staying the night (and what came to be the week) at Renita’s mom’s house, Sam’s great aunt Mickey. Mickey was a character, to say the least. She was the sassiest, funniest, sweetest 86 year old woman that has ever existed. She honestly was the best host and the kindest woman.
The following morning (after sleeping in, which was greatly needed) we spent the day with Mickey. She brought us donuts from her coffee shop which were delicious, and she even made us coffee. Actually this was a tradition that would continue for the whole week we were there. It was a great start to each day; we would all sit around the table and have chit chat, enjoying our breakfast. After we ate, Mickey nicely brought us to get Willard’s oil changed at Walmart. (FINALLY). The guy who checked the car’s oil was really concerned at how completely empty it was. I guess that’s what happens when you try to drive from Phoenix to LA without oil. Whoops.
After dropping off Willard, we got Subway sandwiches and went back to the house where we sat and talked. It was really great conversation, and time always flew by while talking with Mickey. She’s fantastic. After eating, it was about time to pick up the car, so we headed back to Walmart. Afterwards, we got ice cream at Baskin Robins. It was a very relaxing day, and Sam and I could still not believe we were in California.
That night we went with Sam’s family to Medieval Times to celebrate Sam’s cousin’s stepdaughter, Lux’s, birthday. She was turning 8. Medieval Times is this dinner show where it’s like you’re at a knight’s joust, where you cheer for the knight your section is assigned to. We were supporting the yellow knight, and Sam and I joked that we were betting on him, and putting his daughter through college. Our knight ended up losing to the green knight, which was lame. The show, though, was completely entertaining, keeping Sam and I laughing the whole time. Like at one point, there was just this guy on a horse galloping around and side stepping for ten minutes for no reason. It was hysterical. Oh man, the acting was just.. Oh man. It was a great time, and Sam and I had a good time wearing our paper crowns and cheering in the crowd.
The next day Sam and I headed to the beach, where we saw the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. It was crazy to think we drove from one side of the country to other- truly coast to coast. It was a hot day, and we had to park a distance away from the water, but that was okay. We were excited to walk to the pier on Hunington Beach. Once we got there, it was great. My vision of california finally came to life- surfers and all. We ended up eating lunch at a cute little place on the pier called Ruby’s. This really reminded me of the book Five People You Meet in Heaven if you’ve ever read it. Anywho, the restaurant was very cute, a 50’s themed diner. (a lot classier, though, than in-n-out). The chocolate milk shakes we got there were actually to die for.
Sam and I spent the majority of the day relaxing by the shore, enjoying the sun. We were also very stupid because we didn’t put on much sunblock, which we would sincerely regret later. However, at the time, lounging about in the heat was incredibly nice and comforting. At one point I went swimming by myself (because Sam has a fear of the ocean) and had a blast. The waves were so strong, but the water was so beautiful and the perfect temperature. I can finally say I’ve been swimming in both oceans. After I was all dried off, Sam and I explored the surrounding area, looking at all the shops and restaurants. We sat and enjoyed some music played by street performers, and then ended up getting some strawberry shaved ice from a little place by the beach. It was the perfect beach day.
It was around dinner time when we decided to head out and start the long walk back to car. Except, well, we couldn’t actually find the car. There were several parking lots alongside the (very long) beach. We ended up thinking each lot was ours, until not spotting Willard, and moving on. This went on for at least 45 minutes. With the sun still beating above us, we were slowly going insane. Eventually we realized we had walked too far, and must have missed the correct parking lot. Low and behold, we had walked by the car at a lot 15 minutes back. You could say it was a struggle. I was never so happy to see Willard in my life.
We stopped at Jack in the Box for dinner, which is another place you can’t find in Massachusetts. I just got some curly fries, but MAN, were they delicious. Once we were back at Mickey’s we noticed how burned we really were. This sunburn was the worst, most painful burn I have ever gotten, and it covered every inch of my body that was not hidden by my bathing suit. You could say Sam and I looked like sad lobsters for the remainder of our time in LA.
After our uncomfortable sleep (trying to relax was hard with a sunburn), we woke up early to start our day. We were going to Disneyland, and we were incredibly excited. After stopping at CVS for some aloe, we were off to the happiest place on earth. I’m not even joking when I say that. Disneyland probably is the happiest place ever. Sam and I had a blast going on all the rides (even the ones for little kids), admiring the castle and main street, as well as devouring Mickey ear ice cream bars. We even bought our own Minnie ears to wear while were at the park. You could say Sam and I did Disneyland right. We caught the fireworks accidentally at an amazing spot and then watched the Fantasmic show. The park didn’t close until midnight, and we headed out just a half hour before it closed. We spent a solid 12 hours at the park, and still didn’t do everything. It was a perfect day.
After another uncomfortable sleep, we woke up the next morning ready to be tourists in LA. We were meeting up with my friend Kai from Emerson. I met her while we were both camera operators for a school run TV show, EIV’s The Dish. Kai lives in LA and offered to be our tour guide. We met her at around noon, and Sam chauffeured us around for the day. Sam wouldn’t let me drive at all during our time in LA because she needs control over the car when driving through cities and congested areas. I mean, I didn’t mind. Less work for me! Also during our time in LA, we only listened to the Today’s Hits station on Pandora. You could say we heard Iggy more times than necessary.
So, Kai first showed us Beverly Hills. It was a strip of lots of fancy, expensive stores and huge houses. You know everyone who lived in the area didn’t even know what to do with all the money they had. There was also an ATM for CUPCAKES. Literally. Sam and I bought cupcakes through a touchscreen, and then they popped out from a little door on the ATM. Yeah, I know, CRAZY. The cupcakes were delicious, too.
After blaring Weezer’s Beverly Hills on exiting the community, we made our way toward Hollywood. We drove down Sunset Boulevard and then toward Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The great thing about having our very own LA resident with us, is that Kai could tell us where to park for FREE. This is something Sam and I were unfortunately not used to doing. After walking through the intense heat, we made it to the Walk of Fame, where I took lots of photos of celebrities stars. You could say I kept lagging behind, reading the names. We also saw the Chinese Theater which was very cool. We saw all the celebrity hand prints and names which was neat. My favorite was Robin Williams’s “carpe diem” written next to his signature. (Dead Poet’s Society, anyone?)
After dying from the heat and the many tour guides trying to haggle us to hitch a ride in their minivan tours, we decided to get something to eat. Kai brought us to a place called Roscoe’s, which was this Chicken and Waffles joint. It is apparently real popular in the area. Sam and Kai enjoyed their odd chicken and waffle combination, while I had had the best mac and cheese ever. Roscoe’s was also actually right next to the Emerson LA campus! Of course, we had to check it out. Originally, the Emerson LA campus was just for (mostly film) students who took a semester from the Boston campus to get internships and experience in LA. However, they just opened it to be a full time campus, so students can actually go there for real.
We couldn’t visit the actual campus, but we got to take selfies in front of it and visit their cafe. Their cafe was much, much nicer and classier than the ones we have in Boston. I mean, I work at Emerson’s Paramount Cafe. I am so jealous.
Next, we went to a park, where Kai always wanted to find an abounded zoo. After lots of looking around this huge park, we finally found the empty cages and graffitied area. It was really cool, but creepy to see. We explored for a while, going into some of the cages. It was clear to see why the zoo was closed, the kennels were so small- definitely not an appropriate, healthy environment for animals. It got cooler as the day got on, which was nice. It’s odd how significantly difference the weather is at night than during the day. It actually would get chilly at night.
Once it finally got dark, we headed to the last stop on Kai’s list- the observatory. This was the best spot to see a view of the city. We parked a distance away, and walked to the building that was basically on the edge of a cliff. Once we made it, we had a great view of the Hollywood sign. It was crazy to see something that you’re used to seeing on TV and in photos. We went inside the observatory next, making our way to the outside deck, where there was an amazing view of the city. It was just something you can’t explain. Seeing all the city lights from such a distance would make anyone feel small. We spent a good amount of time just taking in this incredible view. I can’t believe how many beautiful things Sam and I have seen on this trip.
After we made our way back to the car, we were all pretty hungry again. Of course, Sam wanted to go to In-N-Out. Kai also told me they had grilled cheeses on their “secret menu” which I was excited about. So, off we went.
Even though it was late at night, maybe 10 or 11, In-N-Out was just as busy as when Sam and I went a few days prior during dinner time. It was crazy. I started to not feel well while we were eating, and the food around me was just making me nauseous. This is what set off my silly hatred of the burger place.
After we ate, we went back to where Kai had parked her car earlier that day. It was great having our very own tour guide for the day!
This is when I started getting sick. Once we made it back to Aunt Mickey’s house, I felt horrible. Not only was I feeling gross, but my sunburn was still killing me. That night I probably had the worst night’s sleep I’ve ever had.
The next day I felt no better. It was clear that we weren’t going to be able to do much that day. Instead, Sam played mom, taking care of me and driving me all around to take me to clinic after clinic. The first place we went to wouldn’t take my insurance. The second place told me to go to the ER, which we felt was a little too crazy. The third place we went to finally took a look at my throat. I was prescribed some antibiotics, and we went to target to pick them up and also get some other painkillers. I was glad that, although I was sick, we were staying at Sam’s relative’s so we could stay as long as we needed. It would be horrible to be sick at somewhere we were paying to stay. I also had Sam to take care of me, which was pretty great. Like seriously, friend of the year award.
She did, however, end up getting In-N-Out once again, which further grossed me out. At this point, I had really grown a hatred of the place. After 5 or 6 hours of struggling around the outskirts of LA, we finally made it back to Aunt Mickey’s. I rested the rest of the day, trying to recover.
The following day, although I still wasn’t feeling too great, we decided to still take advantage of our time in the area. We decided on going to the Santa Monica Pier, which Kai had suggested we do. We parked on the street, and made our way to the beachside. The pier was HUGE and apparently many movies have used it for filming. There were rides on the pier, as well as many restaurants and shops. We both agreed that the one thing we had to do was go on the ferris wheel, which ended up being just as amazing as expected. The view from the top was gorgeous- the pier, the beach, the sky. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. Of course, I was scared of falling the whole time, but what else is new?
After getting some food, and maneuvering around all these gross little kids, we decided to head back. We stopped at McDonald’s for some cheap ice cream and then were on our way. Of course, this is LA we’re talking about, so we got stuck in traffic for like 2 hours. If you haven’t noticed, driving in LA has to be the most painful driving ever. I used to want to move to LA to pursue a film career, but I honestly don’t think I could deal with it.
Sam and I did get to see some awesome film memorabilia, though, the next day, when we went on the Warner Brother’s Studio Tour. It was extremely exciting. Our tour guide, Noah, was probably the most enthusiastic man we’ve ever met. He was all about TV, and really gave us the best tour imaginable. We toured the back lot, seeing where many shows had been filmed, and even great movies, like a segment in Argo- which won best picture last year. Then we got to tour their museum which was filled with Harry Potter props. It’s safe to say Sam and I were the two most excited people in the museum, admiring each prop like it was truly magic.
We went into some studio sets next, like the school set from Pretty Little Liar’s. Even though I don’t watch the show, it sure was cool to see. We saw the sets from Big Bang Theory, too, which was cool because it’s my mom’s favorite show. However, the highlight for the tour for me was seeing the Central Perk set from Friends. Friends has to be one of my favorite shows ever, judge me all you want. Sitting on the couch in Central Perk has be one of my favorite moments from our time in LA. Ah, it was fantastic.
After our amazing tour, we decided to get something to eat. Sam was feeling Chipotle, and I was feeling Subway, and it turns out they were right next to each other. Perfect.
After we ate, we headed back to Aunt Mickey’s and decided we would leave LA in two days. The next day we spent relaxing. I was trying to make a full recovery by the time we made our way to San Fran. We hung out at the house, made a quick last run to Walgreens, and got some pizza from a place not too far away. Sam and I drew each other later on, finally using our sketchbooks. It was a nice, relaxing day.
The next morning we went to breakfast with Renita and Aunt Mickey, at a cute cafe famous for their pastries. Then, Sam and I bid everyone farewell. We were about to pull out of Mickey’s house, when - of course- the car wouldn’t start. Luckily, her neighbor was a retired repair man, and could easily jump start us. Then we were on our way!
We are so thankful to have stayed with Sam’s family! We had a wonderful time in LA. What was meant to be one day, turned into a whole week. We could not have been happier.
Albuquerque to Phoenix
May 27-30
Now we would actually consider the drive to Arizona the best one yet, we had a great morning in Old Town and I made Jennie stop for some more Dunkin before we hit the highway because I have a problem (although the southwest doesn’t do Dunkin nearly as good as New England does). The drive was only around 6 hours and we were fully caffeinated and ready to go.
First off, the scenery was on point, like A+ to the west; the settlers chose the right place to manifest their destiny amiright? There were massive gorges and canyons of every shade of red imaginable; Jennie and I were convinced that no matter how small in comparison, they’re all “grand” to us.
The geography did get a little funky through the 720 miles however. One second we were marveling at the vast plains, plateaus, and canyons, and then we were all of a sudden going up and down roads built right into mountains. Geography can be really confusing sometimes.
Once we crossed the border there was an apparent time chance because Arizona doesn’t play by our daylight saving rules, it’s an independent state who don’t need no man. Jennie and I were also convinced we lost an hour and just were living 2 o’clock again in some alternate dimension.
One of the few times we actually stopped in Arizona on our drive was in Flagstaff, a bit North of Phoenix, to attempt to find some food before heading south. But at the time we were traveling there was a raging forest fire in Sedona, so the closer we got the more apparent the smoke became and Flagstaff looked like it was right out a Silent Hill game with how foggy it looked, and I was not about that in the slightest.
So we drove up and down Route 66 where we got off the main highway in hopes of finding a place to satisfy our hunger. Of course we agreed upon the classiest of establishments: a Burger King. So we ate our clearly disappointing meals and headed south, through the smoke, to our destination.
When we were about an hour outside of the city we stopped for a quick bathroom break at a rest stop and ended up staying and sitting on a picnic table, enjoying the views Arizona had to offer. Now I knew Arizona was not the place for me when I saw the “watch for poisonous snakes and insects” sign posted at said rest stop.. Nope. Not dealing with that.
After admiring the view we decided to continue on our way with me driving and Jennie in the passenger seat.
The sun was beginning to set and I remember Tom’s advice to go see the sunset when we were in Arizona. It was a combination of luck and fate that there was an actual “sunset spot” not too far down the highway from where we just were.
So I pulled of the highway and Jennie and I were able to enjoy possibly the most beautiful sunset either of us had ever seen before, like 10/10, would recommend doing that some day.
We set off on our final leg once it was getting dark (despite it still being 100 degrees) and finally made it to our destination.
We were staying with my Aunt Molly at her house in Phoenix, where she lived with her roommate, two foster daughters, and two dogs. I pulled into the little gated community where an old, small security guard gave very detailed instructions on how to find her house, using a map and all. When we finally found it she greeted us with food and Jennie and I were able to eat some long needed fruit and chug a few waters. And after catching up and family talk, we were finally able to hit the hay around midnight finally being able to sleep in for once.
On our first actual day in Phoenix we decided to start the day by taking my aunt’s suggestion to go to the botanical gardens. So we ventured outside to get in Willard only to discover that it can actually get up to 106 degrees in Arizona, and it was only 11.
Finding the gardens was no problem at all thanks to Google maps, but the real struggle came when we finally paid and got into the gardens. I’m not sure heat-insanity is a think, but I think not being used to smoldering temperatures was making Jennie and I a little loopy. We were convinced the cacti were alive and only moved when you weren’t looking. But that’s beside the point because most of the shrubbery and plant life there looked like it could come alive at any second and that was not good for our overheated minds. We even got lost because we thought we could be adventures and go off the paved trail. Never go off the paved trail. There is only replica teepees and sadness off the trail.
When we finally decided the heat was enough we (thankfully) found the exit and were able to get some AC and chug water.
After that incident we went to a shopping center not too far from the gardens called the Tempe Marketplace. It was pretty standard and we spent most of our time in Barnes & Noble trying to find books on Scientology, well more like me looking and Jennie looking shamefully at me (I can’t help that I watched the Tom Cruise Scientology documentary the other night).
The marketplace was pretty spread out and we wandered over to a place called Paradise Bakery for lunch. Which we sadly found out was just a sad Panera knockoff with really shitty cookies (they claimed to have won awards for their cookies, I think they lied).
But alas, this was not the last of our stops on our excursion today. We drove to another Old Town to go exploring, but this time it was Old Town Scottsdale. Filled with cheesy souvenir shops and places to buy moccasins for the entire family. We had to find a postcard for Jennie’s collection and wandered back to the car once the heat started to get to us again.
That night my aunt took us out for dinner at an amazing little dive Mexican restaurant called the Teepee. Now this was a big deal for a few reasons, not only was the food absolutely amazing but George W. Bush at there back in January of ’04 and it is their little claim to fame. We even sat next to the Presidential Booth (fixed up with a photo and little American flags to go along with it). Jennie also got the “Presidential Special” to commemorate the occasion.
Jennie and I were suppose to leave the next day for LA, but we made the decision to stay for one more day because if we hauled it all the way to Arizona, we were going to see the goddamn Grand Canyon.
It was only a four hour drive there, so it was really nothing for us at that point, so we left around 10 to go check out the natural wonder.
There was a tiny little stretch of restaurants and stores right before the park, and Jennie and I were craving more Mexican food the whole drive North so we literally zoned in on the nearest Mexican place and enjoyed some more enchiladas and fried ice cream before our hike (which probably wasn’t a good idea in hindsight).
After another amazing meal we paid, parked, and started to huff it over to see what the fuss about this place was all about.
Now I’m not even going to try to explain the Grand Canyon because everyone knows what it looks like and it would do it no justice, seriously just go look at one of the photos. But I will say this: it was breathtaking. Neither of us had ever seen anything that could compare to it in the slightest possible way. Seriously, go check it out.
We milled around the really crowded, touristy areas for a bit, these parts were fenced off where the canyon dropped and everyone was trying to take photos. After a few selfies with the wonder, stuff started to get a little weird.
Neither of us is really sure how this actually happened but we essentially got dragged into a huge photo shoot with a group of Asian tourists. But they didn’t want us to take photos of them; they wanted to take photos with us. They all took turns and had a hectic group photo session with us, like we’re probably in a few family photo slideshows and albums.
After that we wandered up the path to get away from the large crowds that would just inevitably get in our way of photos, down the set trail to places where there were no more big fences obstructing our view of the canyon.
There were many daredevils going far out onto the rocks to get either better views or a kickass new profile pic. Each time I pointed one of them out Jennie almost had a heart attack and physically could not look at any of them out on the rocks without having a panic attack.
So far the best part of the trip was the people we had met with along the way, the perfect strangers who make the journey even more interesting. One of these people was an elderly German man, named Andreas, we met at the while “hiking” at the Grand Canyon.
At first he offered to take our photo in front of the canyon, and even had us pose looking out into the distance because it made a way cooler photo op than just standing there awkwardly.
Now Andreas was a well traveled old, German man, he told us that he would go out to the Grand Canyon every year and that he was going to be there for a whole 3 weeks just exploring and hiking.
We ending up sitting together and talking for a while with him and enjoying the view off the cliff we were sitting on.
We touched upon several subjects and he was very interested in what we were going to college for and the American college system in general (he was very disappointed that $150,000 dollars of debt is normal). We talked about film and what Jennie wished to make in the future, and questioning what she had to think about when she was filming and what genres she wished to work in in the future.
When I told him I was going for political science and communications he got very interested in what my opinion on several subjects were. So we talked about bipartisanship, higher education, and he even explained what German political parties were like, y’know, the usual. Jennie was also very upset that this German guy knew more about American politics than she did.
But we got to chill with the most polite old German dude for an hour, so that was pretty awesome, we even got a cool picture with him!
But we eventually had to bid Andreas goodbye and start making the four hour drive back to Phoenix for the night.
Once it started to get dark Jennie and I remembered another piece of advice Tom had given us before we our departure from Albuquerque: go star gazing while in Arizona.
Now when driving through very unpopulated areas there are some signs on exits that will tell you that there are “no services” so no one goes looking for a 7-11 off some jank ass exit. So we decided that one of those would be the best to go pull off and try to see the stars.
The exit we went off of turned into a dirt road after about 200 feet and I’m pretty sure we were on someones ranch, but that’s besides the point.
Now you see describing the stars is like trying to describe the Grand Canyon, you just can’t. It’s actually impossible. It was like we were in our own little bubble with the universe revolving around us.
We decided to sit on the hood of the car with our moo moo blanket and just appreciate it for a good long time. But if you’re ever looking to feel extremely insignificant in comparison to the universe, go star gazing, like real star gazing. It really puts all of your problems in perspective, like the universe is too massive and beautiful to care about your bad day. But it’s just one of those things you have to go see for yourself.
After having to move from the middle of the road because a minivan was coming and almost ran Jennie over we decided to head back to Phoenix and rest up before our drive for LA in the morning.
What's the best food you've tasted on the road so far? - Auntie AJ in Ithaca
Oooh that's a tough one! Jennie says a cheese hoagie she had in Philadelphia was the best dinner, for me it was Mexican food we had in Phoenix. And for dessert the beignets we both had in New Orleans! :)
Albuquerque, NM
May 26 - 27
Let me tell you, after driving through the width of Texas, from the tornado warnings and Freddy with his state pride, there was nothing more exciting to see than the Welcome to New Mexico sign in the distance. Sam and I let out a cheer of relief as we crossed the state line, finally out of what we now deem the worst state to ever exist. We were on our way to Albuquerque and nothing could ever be as exciting as just getting the hell out of Texas.
New Mexico was definitely an interesting drive. The landscape is like nothing I have ever seen before. For one thing, it is flat. You can just see everything for miles and miles. When Sam and I thought about a road trip, this is exactly what we had in mind. Cruising through the desert, playing some Johnny Cash and avoiding the dark clouds that could easily start to funnel. There was nothing to look at but small shrubbery spotting the flatland, and maybe the three other cars on the highway. We’re convinced there are more cows in New Mexico than people. Not even kidding.
Every few hours the road would take us into a small town, which was good for when we needed gas or a bathroom break. However, these small towns weren’t really towns. They consisted of a few houses, multiple closed shops and maybe one gas station in the distance. It was insane to see a place so empty and decrepit. I have no idea how the people who inhabit those little villages live. Where do they go? I assume cow tipping. It’s definitely a whole new way of living, that’s for sure.
Eventually the flatland turned into mountains, which confused both Sam and I. Wasn’t the desert suppose to stay flat? It’s funny how little we know about the geography in other states before we drive through them. As we drove up the mountains, our ears popping with each elevation change, we made our way closer and closer to Albuquerque. We were booked to stay in the Route 66 Hostel right outside of the city, our first hostel experience.
Before arriving, we had to stop at the closest Dunkin Donuts of course. Whenever Sam notices there is a Dunkin somewhat on the way, we go there immediately. If I had a nickel for every time I heard her say “I would kill someone for a Dunkin ice coffee right now…” I would be a rich woman. A very rich woman.
After driving into Albuquerque we noticed how different everything was. The houses were all made out of some sort of clay material; it was crazy to see how the architecture changed. It was definitely a nice feeling to park in front of the hostel and jump out of the car.
The guy working the front desk, Ben, was very friendly and a total hippy. He clearly loved his job. He gave us a tour of the hostel, which included a kitchen that anyone could use, bathrooms in several locations, and the girls’ dorm. The boys’ dorm was on the other side of the hall. There were other people there, too, travelers like us. It was a really cool environment. Ben even upgraded us from the dorm to a private room (with our own bathroom) for the same price. It was great. People always expect hostels to be sketchy, but I can say that it was actually a wonderful experience!
Sam and I were excited to just take a few hours to rest, catching up on some TV shows and napping. It turns out there was a pigeon who lived outside of our window and we all became good friends. At one point Sam saw him try to fly through the closed window, just to crash into the glass. No worries, he was okay.
Afterwards, we decided to go get some dinner – Mexican, of course. We asked Ben for a suggestion, and he told us about a little place in walking distance, called Monroe’s. After taking a few wrong turns, we made our way there and ordered some delicious Mexican food. I noticed everyone was putting honey on their dishes which I thought that was weird, until I tried it. Honey on tortillas – actually real yummy. However, Sam and I left shortly after we ate due to a crazy man yelling and singing drunkenly a few tables over.
The sun had gone down while we were eating, and it turns out there were no streetlights in the area. You could say we were a little scared walking back. There were barely any people out and it was way too dark for comfort. We shuffled through Albuquerque, finally making our way back to the hostel. It’s safe to say we had a good night’s sleep.
The next day we had to make it Phoenix, but we decided to take some time to explore some of New Mexico before we hit the road. We checked out of the Route 66 Hostel around 10, and this time a man named Tom was working the desk. He was extremely nice and helpful, giving us some ideas on things to do in Phoenix. He told us that when we’re in Arizona at night, driving from Sedona to Phoenix, pull over and see the stars. He also told us to make sure to catch the sunset. Another guy who was checking out of the hostel was going to Phoenix next, too. The four of us chatted for at least a half hour. Tom asked Sam and I his favorite question to ask the girls traveling through Albuquerque, “How many hearts have you broken so far?” Sam and I laughed, thinking back to Nashville and New Orleans.
We headed to Old Town Albuquerque next, which Tom had suggested. We got breakfast at another Mexican joint, where I fell in love with the French toast. We wandered around Old Town some more, which was really neat. There were a bunch of cute shops, selling millions of items unique to New Mexico. Albuquerque is also where they filmed the hit TV show Breaking Bad. The candy shop in Old Town is where they got all the meth for the show, so Sam and I got some of our own hardcore (rock candy) drugs. You could say Old Town Albuquerque is a really cool place. I could have stayed there for hours, but we had a schedule to keep. We had a long drive ahead of us to make it to Phoenix, Arizona that night!
New Mexico sure has a special charm and I’d love to return one day!
New Orleans to Austin (kind of) And Beyond
Sam here (for once) to tell you all about leaving Louisiana and how lovely our journey through Texas was.
Jennie and I woke up on Saturday in the lovely Hyatt Regency in the beautiful, king sized bed that was somehow made available to us through Hotwire. We decided to take a bit of a late start that morning and take our time packing and getting ready for our drive out to Austin.
Before we left the city Jennie had her mind set on trying “beignets” (basically fried dough with loads of powdered sugar) from this place on Bourbon Street we had seen the night before. So we decided to drop her off near Bourbon Street while I drove around mindlessly because trying to find a place to park on a Saturday would be futile.
To say driving around the French Quarter on a Saturday morning is difficult would be a vast understatement of the task performed. The streets were narrow and flooded with people already beginning to drink (or just continuing from the night before) and it was quite a feat that I did not hit a single person in the whole half an hour I was mindlessly driving about.
Once Jennie had made it through the line and had the beignets in hand I did a quick drive by and snagged her right outside the little cafe selling the delicious item. Getting out of the city proved to be quite easier than getting in, even while stuffing our faces with some delicious fried food.
It was a pretty easy route to get to Austin, we basically had to stay on this one highway for almost 400 miles and essentially just try not to go insane from looking at the long boring stretches of land Louisiana had to offer.
It seemed like there was nothing much Louisiana had outside of the city other than bayous and shady gas stations trying to sell you gator burgers.
Unfortunately Jennie and I found ourselves at one of those gas stations in some no-name town in Western Louisiana looking for some gas and a Redbull. I pulled up and had to turn around to avoid hitting the huge truck and the small boat attached to it that was pulled up next to one side of the only pump at the station.
I took one for the team and wandered into the “Gator Grocer” only to realize that it double as a gas station and a fried food restaurant. Half of the drink coolers in the back were empty, but I was lucky enough to find a lone line of Redbulls in an otherwise empty cooler. It was just me, a man and his two kids, and one or two stragglers browsing the limited selection the store had to offer.
I began to worry for the kids when I saw that the dad was actually buying some sort of fried meat and pork rinds for the kids from the sketchy back room kitchen in a gas station straight out of one of the Wrong Turn movies.
Whatever, and I was more concerned with the only worker there going back to cook something so I had to stand their waiting for about 10 minutes till I could pay for the gas. It took so long that I got a text from Jennie while I was in there that read:
“Did you get kidnapped?”
Thankfully I was not kidnapped in Louisiana and we were able to continue on our way to Austin with little to no trouble.
We stopped at a McDonalds not too far up the highway for some much needed ice coffee and food (after chugging a Red Bull) and those fries tasted like heaven, we both finished them before our coffee was even made.
The rest of the actually drive went smoothly and before we knew it we were in the great (kind of) state of Texas. I mean I guess if you’re into long stretches of absolutely nothing on single lane highways with a small town every 40 or so miles, then Texas is the place for you!
Now Jennie and I didn’t really even make it into Austin technically, where we actually ended up was at a Carl’s Jr. in Bastrop, Texas, a town right outside of Austin.
It was at this Carl’s Jr. that we decided to utilize Hotwire to book a room in Bastrop because we were both exhausted and just wanted to relax and Hotwire had yet to fail us. Little did we know that this would be one of the worst possible mistakes we could have made.
This little blunder landed us at the lovely Days Inn motel in Bastrop. Now I should have known this was not the place to be just by how much the man working the lobby seemed to hate his life (probably because he was stuck in Bastrop, Texas) as he sadly pointed to the other half of the sad excuse for a lobby where they served breakfast until ten am.
So we go back outside to find our room (because it turned out to be a motel) and we were so excited to go and relax until we actually made it to the room. So apparently smoking rooms are still a think down south and we were lucky enough to get stuck in one of them. Someone had also punched a hole into the bathroom door, parts of the carpet were ripped up, and the little alcove that led to the bathroom area was made out of unfinished wood. In other words it was jank as all hell.
The pivotal moment, however, was when I went to pull back the sheets on the bed and there was a bug just chilling and waiting for me on the bed. I then proceeded to jump on the bureau and refuse to come down while Jennie laughed her ass off.
So after that little freak out we decided to go and ask to switch rooms, but desk man told us (a little too gleefully) that all the rooms were booked, despite the whole 3 cars in the parking lot.
It was that moment where I made the decision I was going to sleep in the car.
So to get over this whole ordeal Jennie and I decided to go for a swim because apparently investing in a pool is better than investing in upkeep. But the pool area really reflected the rest of the place; sad, dismal, and contained sad Texans.
It was just the two of us and a middle aged, Texan couple who looked like they were there for some sort of sad 25th wedding anniversary in Bastrop.
We sat and contemplated how we let our lives end up like this, in some motel in a no name town in Texas and then blamed our misfortune on divine intervention for how much we made fun of all the Jesus billboards they have in the south.
Now when I said I decided to sleep in the car I wasn’t kidding in the slightest. We piled on into Willard, Jennie upfront and me in the back, and prepared for a long night. There were several cars coming in and out of the lot (apparently they were booked for the night) and several strange looks given to the two girls trying to sleep in the white PT Cruiser outside the local Days Inn.
But alas our plan failed when it became way too hot to even try to sleep in the car, so we were forced back into our sketch little motel room, where we proceeded to sleep on towels and our own blankets.
When morning came we were so excited to get out of Bastrop that we checked out early and completely bypassed the lovely continental/lobby breakfast. We were even all packed up and ready to leave when Jennie tried to start the car, but instead of turning on Willard just made a sad clicking noise and refused to start. Apparently we must have accidentally left something on when we abandoned our car-sleeping venture and now Willard’s battery was dead, leaving us stranded at the Days Inn.
Luckily Jennie is a member of AAA and we were able to call to get a nice old man with an NRA hat and old SUV to jumpstart the car for us, and we were able to be on our way before ten.
Now we planned to be far away from Texas and into Albuquerque by the end of that day but fate and weather were not feeling that plan as much as we were. Unfortunately the further west we got, the worse the weather began to get and Texan roads do not fare well when wet. So we had to make the ultimate decision to stop in another small town about six hours from Bastrop called Abilene.
This time we decided to abandon Hotwire and just go for the closest hotel to the Burger King we had parked at. This, fortunately, led us to a Comfort Suites down the road that was basically a godsend.
Now the best part about this Comfort Suites wasn’t even the clean, non-smoking room, oh no the best part had to be the desk worker Freddy, who was probably the most enthusiastic person we had encountered in Texas thus far. Freddy was actually, dare I say, excited to be in Texas. The best part of this whole encounter was his speech about the continental breakfast (which sounded like he had been preparing his whole life to give). It went until 10:30 and even included a Texas shaped waffle maker.
Jennie and I half expected to see Freddy the next morning at breakfast, gleefully eating his Texas shaped waffle, marking off all the major cities with maple syrup. But unfortunately Freddy did not live in the back room of the Comfort Inn like we had hypothesized and was not at breakfast the next morning.
After a pretty solid breakfast and a few Texan waffles later we were finally able to get a move on and get the hell out of that state.
I cannot tell you how happy it makes a person to see “Welcome to New Mexico” after spending two days in Texas.
New Orleans
May 22-24
After leaving Nashville, we knew the drive to Louisiana would be interesting. Crossing the boarder into Alabama (while blasting “Sweet Home Alabama”), billboards were basically for three things: guns, jesus, and adult super stores. We were dying in the car due to the lack of AC and temperatures were only going to go up. We decided to stop in Birmingham, AL to fix the car before we continued on south. We stopped at a Sears Auto right outside the city, where we talked to a man named Jordan about Willard, my car. Jordan was from up north too, and sounded like he hated his new life in Alabama. He was also pretty skeptical of Sam and I’s story, the fact that two young girls were traveling across the country with such a loose plan. While we were waiting for the AC reboot, Sam and I went across the street to the mall. The mall was filled with people reppin’ their religions, and although there’s nothing wrong with that, it was quite a culture shock to see many people with crosses on their shirts. We ended up eating at a subway in the food court. Can you imagine just casually having lunch in some random mall in Alabama? It sure was interesting. Eating that sandwich sure had me missing Wawa, though.
After we returned to Sears Auto, we questioned what was taking so long. Turns out they needed to order a plug to fix the AC. Sam and I are still convinced, however, that Jordan was just playing mind games. 2 hours after we dropped Willard off, the AC had been fixed, and we were on the road again. We were so ready to leave Alabama.
However, Mississippi wasn’t too much better. Actually, there was basically nothing in Mississippi at all. We made the mistake of exiting the highway to find a gas station, only to find a dinky shack with small pump outside. We ended up just using the parking lot to switch seats. We managed to find a more secure place a little farther down, but it was still so, for lack of a better word, hick. I mean, Sam and I were convinced we lived in such a small town in the middle of nowhere. Think Freelake is bad? Try going anywhere in Mississippi. Literally, anywhere.
Once we were in Louisiana, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was just as jucket as the states around it, but we knew we were that much closer to New Orleans. Entering the city, we crossed this huge bridge, leading us over a body of water, and to the land on the other side. It was about 8pm and the sun was just setting over the water’s surface. New Orleans was welcoming us, and it was beautiful.
Getting into the city was hectic. Sam and I honestly did not know absolutely anything about New Orleans before driving into the city. We just knew it sounded like fun. The people on the streets were everywhere, drink in hand. It’s completely legal to drink in public there. You can say trying to find our hotel was a lot of fun.
We booked a place in the French Quarter using hotwire, and it was right in the middle of all the commotion. We ended up parking down the street at a garage that we found out later was well overpriced. Oh well. Once we dragged our bags from the garage to the hotel, we sat in our room, happy to be there. Looking at the view from our window, I noticed how beautiful the city was, lights reflecting on the water. Once we were settled, we wasted no time, showering and getting ready before exploring the streets. And let me just say HOW CRAZY those streets really were.
Bourbon St was the main attraction for all the crazies; bars, clubs, live music everywhere. People flooded the streets, mostly drunk people, and it was insane. Sam and I had never seen anything like it. We ended up finding a place to eat on Bourbon, where we could sit on the balcony and enjoy the view and the warm weather. The architecture was so lovely to look at, and the music from the streets below was also a nice touch. As we ate out pasta, Sam and I wondered how we ever managed to just come to New Orleans on a whim.
After dinner, we continued to explore the street with all the other tourists, admiring the crazy atmosphere. Club promoters stood outside their places of work, yelling for people to come on in. Jazz music mixed with club beats, and strippers stood outside casually, trying to get men into their shows. It was Thursday, and it was still crazy. At one point a club promoter came up to Sam and I, insisting we come into the Bandstand, the name of the place they worked at. When we declined, the guy picked Sam up, ran across the street, and brought her into the club anyways. His coworker looked at me, apologized while laughing, and escorted me in as well. I guess this is just a casual occurrence on Bourbon St. We had fun dancing to live music (some backstreet boy tunes), just the same. The guy who dragged Sam in the club later apologized when we walked by him later and thanked us for going inside. I would never, ever want to work as a club promoter.
After our crazy adventures on Bourbon, also known as the night of the cupid shuffle, we headed back to the hotel for a well needed rest. The next morning we woke up around 9am, checked out of the hotel and went off to explore more of the city. We were staying at another hotel in the Downtown area that night. We got some breakfast at a cute cafe before checking out the hotel. It was HUGE and ridiculously FANCY. We used hotwire to book this hotel, as well, so we didn’t know what to expect. Yet, there we were, amongst the very rich people, two juckets- staying in one of the fanciest hotels in New Orleans, right across from the Super Dome.
We walked through the French Quarter some more afterwards, exploring the many other streets that the area had to offer. We walked through this ginormous outdoor market where people were selling handcrafted jewelry and souvenirs and food of all kinds, like cajun food and gator meat. Crazy! It took a while to look through all the places, there were so many stands. We also walked by the river where we saw this ferry boat, and it took me back to the Disney movie, Princess and the Frog. Such a good one.
The music in New Orleans is to die for, as well. No matter where you go, you can usually hear some form of live music. Jazz fills the streets, and it is the most beautiful feeling I have ever experienced. Honestly, it is incredible to be in a place that is so filled with life and narrated with jazz.
The city was also insanely hot, so we took a nice break at the hotel where we went swimming in the outdoor pool and got a pizza delivered to the room. It’s nice to feel rich every now and again.
At about 7pm we headed out again, making our way to the Preservation Hall to see a jazz show. The room was really small and hot, and Sam and I stood in the back. Yet, watching these men play jazz as if music has always been the love of their lives— that was priceless. I was thrown back in time, imagining how this small, dark room must have been just like those in the past; people all crowded in to hear some sweet jazz tunes. Sweating, but smiling, and clapping along. It was perfection.
After that, Sam and I wandered the city some more, walking through an area that a record store employee suggested earlier. It was nice to get the feel of the city through the perspective of a local rather than a tourist. Although, being a tourist is always fun, too.
At one point Sam and I got lost, straying from the music clubs and restaurants, and somehow finding our way to a neighborhood. It was a kind of sketchy area, and we felt the need to find our way back. And then, there it was. Like a beam of light in the dark, there was the sound of jazz. We followed it, and somehow found ourselves right back where we needed to be. How crazy is that? I love New Orleans.
We walked through Bourbon St one last time after that, only to find that it was even crazier than the night before. Because it was a friday, there were about twice as many people than the night before. We decided to just skip it and head back to the hotel.
I can’t believe how wonderful those two days in New Orleans were. Sam and I just fell in love with this city in Louisiana, and if you ever visit, I’m sure you’ll do the same. I honestly can’t wait to go back.
Nashville
May 20-22
Imagine being in a car for 14 hours. Imagine that car heading down south. Imagine, my friends, that the AC in that car decided to stop working. And that is what driving to Nashville was like for Sam and I a few days ago. However, it was well worth it.
The drive itself was not too bad, highways stretching for sometimes 200 miles at a time. Sam and I switched every three hours, thinking the drive would only be 12 hours altogether. It wasn’t. It felt like we were in Virginia for months alone, the green mountainous landscape went on and on and on. At least it was pretty to look at. But let’s not forget, these highways are filled with large 18 wheeler trucks as well. Everywhere. So, if you hate passing giant trucks, like Sam and I do, imagine driving on a highway for 14 hours, constantly passing giant trucks. Also, no one uses their blinkers down here. Let’s just say reaching Tennessee was a real victory.
I should take a moment to reflect on Sam’s road rage. It’s funny because Sam is such a go with flow, happy person. Put her in a car, however, and she becomes the angriest human being alive. Literally, I think I got a headache from her yelling cuss words at every car that didn’t use a blinker or had a passenger with a soul patch. It sure kept things entertaining.
Once we entered the outskirts of Nashville, where Savannah lives, we had the windows rolled down and the music blasting. It was warm and it was beautiful.
Savannah is another suite mate of ours at Emerson. She is so much fun, easy to talk to, and can dance like nobody’s business. Savannah was the perfect tour guide for our time in Nashville, and her home was stunning. Her mother, Sharon, was the best and her pets were adorable, too.
After Sam and I had showered and changed, washing the 14 hour drive off our backs, we piled into Savannah’s car to explore the city. Once we were off, Sam and I completely forgot that we had driven all day. It’s like the drive never even happened. The windows were rolled down, some country tune was playing, and my head was basically out the window, feeling the warmth of an early summer on my face. I was yelling out the window, even. In that moment, life was perfect.
Downtown Nashville was like a whole other world. Music was pouring from the streets, lights dancing in the dark. It was warm, we were wearing summer clothes, and the city was filled with life. And it was only a Tuesday.
Savannah took us to eat at a place called The Wild Horse Saloon where there was live country music and dancing. Sam, who hates country music with a passion, couldn’t even complain. It was that much fun. We ordered fried pickles and were taught how to line dance. Although Sam and I are probably the two least coordinated people you will ever meet, we had a blast trying to follow Savannah’s lead. I can’t think of anything else I would have rather done as my first experience in Nashville.
After that, we walked down Broadway and down by the river. It couldn’t have been more beautiful. We actually ended up meeting some people our age that just moved to Nashville from California, trying to make it as musicians. Dillon and Tony were really cool guys, describing their love for art and music. They asked questions like “what is your passion in life?” which we all had a tough time answering. We ended up just sitting by the river for a few hours just talking with these strangers, not noticing that the park had closed. Eventually a cop came up to us, saying that people who were still in the closed area were getting arrested. He also said he didn’t like arresting people, so he let us go. I can’t believe Sam and I almost got taken to jail in Nashville for trespassing.
We bid our new friends goodbye, most likely never to see them again. One thing we noticed about the people in Tennessee is how friendly they can be.
The next morning, after a well needed night’s sleep, we headed out around 11am for a day to explore Savannah’s favorite places. First we went to the Loveless Diner. It was an adorable place that used to also be a motel. It’s famous for its delicious biscuits and jams, which was obvious as to why after I tried them. They literally melt in your mouth. We all ordered breakfast food and enjoyed our meals. As we were paying, Sam spilled an entire cup of water on herself. Once she sat up, we noticed it looked like she peed her pants. The whole thing was hilarious.
We got coffee from this little place down the road from Loveless, where Sam and I told the owner we didn’t know how to order real coffee because we were so used to Dunkin Donuts. He helped us figure it out. We drank our vanilla lates as Savannah drove us to the next stop. She took us to a bridge that you could walk along that really showcased the beautiful landscape of central Tennessee. The tree covered mountains were gorgeous, and everything was green for miles.
We went to Savannah’s favorite used bookstore next, which also had CDs, movies, and records. It was overwhelming how filled it was with rows and rows of merchandise. I ended up buying two records, Van Morrison and James Taylor. Classics. We ended up going to a mall, too, just to see what one was like down south. Let’s just say that we couldn’t afford anything there but gelato. (Which was incredibly scrumptious).
After walking through a park, the three of us headed back to Savannah’s to rest. We were exhausted. That night we went out to eat at a burger place called Rotiers that apparently has some of the best burgers in the country. It was a really homey, pub-like place and the food was also very good. However, Savannah had trouble parking at the restaurant, which was super funny. She attempted at least five times before leaving the parking lot to drive back around and into it again. By the time she parked, half of the people in the lot were laughing. It was perfect.
We went to the Parthenon next, a giant column structure that looked like it belonged in Ancient Greece. We hit up downtown again after, going in the little gift shops and stores, and getting ice cream from a place called Mike’s. Sam and I were still so impressed with the beauty the city contained.
Later, Savannah and I ended up dancing in a fountain. It was such a fun moment. I’m sure I’ll always remember it.
After walking through some sketchy parts of Nashville, and getting creepily cat called at by countless old, drunk men, Sam and I decided we could never live in somewhere like Tennessee. Everything is beautiful, and some of the people are really nice, but other parts aren’t so great. However, there are bad parts of everywhere you can go. Sam and I loved our time in Nashville, just the same. On the drive back to Savannah’s house with the windows rolled down, the air smelled of honeysuckles. And isn’t that just lovely?
Nashville was a great time, and a whole new experience. It was the farthest west Sam and I had ever been at that point. We enjoyed it with a great friend, and even met some new ones along the way. I can’t believe we were really in Tennessee! Before hopping on the highway at 8am the next morning, we grabbed some Dunkin. Who knows when we’ll see another one!
See you Nashville, Hello New Orleans!
And so we continue on the journey.
Is Mississippi even a real place?
Peace out Alabama, hope to never see you again! (Not sure Mississippi will be much better)
*Sweet Home Alabama starts playing in the distance*