Day twenty-two, July 30, 2011
It was quite the drive from Seattle to Missoula, Montana. Rob and I took turns driving and napping. The drive was pretty quiet and very uneventful aside from our competitions to see who could name all of the teams in the NHL, MLB, and NFL. Other than that the only thing we did was look at the amazing scenery around us. Montana, surprisingly, is an absolutely gorgeous state!
As soon as we arrived to the campsite I knew that this site was much more appropriate for me, as compared to our deserted site in The Redwood Forest. Number one, the site was plopped right smack in the middle of a large populated town. Number two, immediately under the welcome sign for the site was a sign that said FREE WiFi!!!! I was ecstatic. Then when we walked into the office to check in it got even better. There was a pool open until 10:30, free mini- golf, bathrooms and showers, an ice cream social, shops, and fire wood. We set up our tent and immediately connected to the Internet. I sat at the picnic table and caught up on the Bachelorette (I hope she picks JP!) while Rob sat on a lawn chair we purchased from Walmart and watched The Fringe. I-Pads, MACs, and smartphones in hand we looked like quite the campers! But it was a beautiful night and we have not had much down time so this was perfect. A couple hours later, our neighbors began to cook over campfires and light up grills, this was our cue to eat as well. However, instead of cooking we jumped into the car and drove to an Italian restaurant and bar. The sangria was amazing and I was a little disappointed when our food came out so quickly because I would have loved one or six more glasses! We packed up our leftovers headed back to the campsite where we jumped right back onto the computers and continued to catch up on shows and sports news! So far the first out of three straight nights of camping has gone pretty smoothly. Yellowstone National Park tomorrow! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Day 21
Day twenty-one,July 29, 2011
Back to the United States and more importantly to our cell phones and a GPS. Once again boarder crossing was smooth sailing. We were back in the states and our first stop was Walmart. We were determined not to look like rookie camper. What better place to prepare ourselves for our upcoming camping adventures than Walmart? We purchased some needed camping supplies and were off to Seattle.
Seattle was amazing! One of our favorite cities. There was so much to do and the folks of Seattle sure did keep us entertained. We spent most of the afternoon at the Pike Street Markets. Here the streets were lined with fresh produce vendors, who would throw samples of cherries, peaches and nectarines at you as you walked by; fresh fish market stands where fish were being thrown from the sidewalk to a man working behind the counter; souvenir shops, jewelry stands, and entertainment. For me this was the perfect scene; being right on the water, surrounded by tons of people, shops, and food! We took a lap and then our decided on our plan of attack. Rob was hooked on the sweet white cherries and was amazed at how huge the nectarines and peaches were. Now we just had to pick the vendor with the sweetest (and cleanest) fruit. We settled on one who let us try a piece of a white nectarine...super juicy and sweet. We grabbed our 2 1/2 pounds of nectarines (2 nectarines) and white cherries. Rob knew that trying the seafood at a place like this was a must. He settled on the crab cocktail (he loves him some crab!). At this point we were getting hungry and did not feel like eating and walking at the same time so we started to make our way to the park. On the way to the picnic area we passed one of the most famous parts of the market - the home of the original Starbucks. There were tons of people swarmed around this tiny coffee shop, but of course we stood on line and brought so e coffee. Rob insisted that it tasted so much different from Starbucks at home! :)
The picnic area attracted people of all kinds. Lots of tourists, some locals who were sun bathing on the open grass, local artist playing their instrument of choice for a few extra bucks, and then some less fortunate individuals who were homeless looking for something to eat or extra change. We did not stay here long at all because we had lots of shopping ahead of us but the experiences we had here were priceless. We found an opening along a wall sounding the grass where we could sit, eat our fruit and drink our Starbucks. Here is where we spotted the first two unique individuals. Two young girls were struggling to carry several huge bags across the walk way. They settled down next to a man who was playing his guitar and belting out classic 80s mixes. They began to quickly unpack their bags. They pulled 2 milk crates out of one a large black garbage jump, jumped up onto them and thats when they revealed their talent. These two girls were doing their best to drown out the man already stationed at this corner with the sweet tunes of their violins! Although, they would have made Olivia McPeek so proud, their melodies did not quite blend with the jams of the guitarist. In the middle of watching the events across the way unfold, I could not help but notice a homeless man sitting right across from us. I could not tell what he was doing but every time I looked at him he was staring at Rob and I. At first I did not pay too much attention but then I couldn't help it. This man was staring at us and every time I looked at him he quickly looked away and began to write on the notepad in his lap. Just as it started to get super creepy, I turned to Rob and told him that I think the man across the way is writing or drawing something about us. He asked "what man?" When I turned to point the man out to Rob, he was no longer sitting on the bench across from us but was about 2 steps away. He handed Rob a rolled up piece of paper and said "here you go son, this is free." We immediately unrolled the paper and sure enough it was a cartoon illustration of Rob and I. I KNEW IT! Right around this same moment, the quiet, open grass behind us became the meeting place for about 85 loud, annoying teenagers who were on some sort of summer camp trip. We were not done eating and relaxing but knew we had to move. We quickly picked up our belongings and moved to the other side of the park! And boy am I glad we did this!
We found an empty bench and once again tried to get a few minutes of relaxation in. Negative! There were so many distractions all around us. The first was yet another photo shoot that involved an AI. This girl was intent on capturing the absolute perfect shot of her and her boo. Before even getting into the shot, she positioned her bf from head to toe. She would cross his legs, then back away to see how it looked. Then rearrange his pose, back away and take a look. This poor guy just stood there, not saying a word, following her every command. Once he was situated in the perfect pose, she tried to figure out how she should position herself. To make this story even better, the entire time they were setting up for this picture she had a random person holding her camera waiting to snap away. I don't think that this man realized when he agreed to take a picture for this beautiful couple he would be standing there for 10 minutes. During this shoot, Rob spotted the next character. In the middle of the park, with his supplies spread out on the bench, an older gentleman was giving out $10 haircuts. His customers would put a towel over there shoulders and he would cut their hair right there! This was our signal. We figured the best way to get a picture of this was to get all of our stuff and snap one on our way out of the park. Needless to say we did not get our act together in time and the gentleman on the bench seemed to have been his last customer of the day. We were able to get a picture from far away but that was about it!
We took another lap through the market, bought some souvenirs and headed to Safeco field for the Seattle Mariners baseball game. The Mariners have been struggling greatly this season but just recently broke an 18 game losing streak. They were playing the Rays so we were really hoping they could pull off another win. We arrived to the game nice and early because we wanted to walk around and scope out the stadium. To our surprise, before the game there was a dedication to the late Seattle Supersonics. Which explains why there were more Supersonic jerseys than Mariner jerseys in the crowd. Famous, former players and coaches were introduced and stood out on the field to be honored by their diehard fans! The stadium was rocking during this dedication and the former players were definitely feeling the love and enjoying themselves. The game started shortly after the ceremony and the first chant that rang through the stadium was for the Supersonics! In fact, fans were more interested in the video clips of classic Supersonic moments that were played in between innings than the actual baseball game.
During the 45 minute long second inning the Rays scored 8 runs! Many fans stayed for a few more Let's Go Supersonics chants and even a "Bring Them Back" and then headed to the parking lots. People everywhere quickly began to filter out of the stadium, expect for a couple of lone rows way out in the upper deck section of right field. We were able to see them running up and down the aisles waving a Supersonic flag and hear them chanting all the way from behind home plate. In fact it seems as though most of the stadium was able to see and hear these insane fans because as the game went on, this section grew and grew. By the 7th inning the section was half full of screaming Supersonic fans who even made it up on the big screen a few times! During the 8th inning this group of crazy fans started a Congo line and started walking in and out of the rows in the upper deck. They made it past first base but then were stopped by security and forced to continue their chants through the halls. One crazy fan got confused and apparently thought the Congo line was going to meet out in center field because that is where he ended up! After a few sprints and darting away from security and cops he was brought down to the ground, arrested, and escorted off the field! What a game! After the explosion from the Rays in the second inning, the rest of the game was scoreless and ended In an 8 to 0 Rays victory. That's all for Seattle, off to Montana tomorrow. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Back to the United States and more importantly to our cell phones and a GPS. Once again boarder crossing was smooth sailing. We were back in the states and our first stop was Walmart. We were determined not to look like rookie camper. What better place to prepare ourselves for our upcoming camping adventures than Walmart? We purchased some needed camping supplies and were off to Seattle.
Seattle was amazing! One of our favorite cities. There was so much to do and the folks of Seattle sure did keep us entertained. We spent most of the afternoon at the Pike Street Markets. Here the streets were lined with fresh produce vendors, who would throw samples of cherries, peaches and nectarines at you as you walked by; fresh fish market stands where fish were being thrown from the sidewalk to a man working behind the counter; souvenir shops, jewelry stands, and entertainment. For me this was the perfect scene; being right on the water, surrounded by tons of people, shops, and food! We took a lap and then our decided on our plan of attack. Rob was hooked on the sweet white cherries and was amazed at how huge the nectarines and peaches were. Now we just had to pick the vendor with the sweetest (and cleanest) fruit. We settled on one who let us try a piece of a white nectarine...super juicy and sweet. We grabbed our 2 1/2 pounds of nectarines (2 nectarines) and white cherries. Rob knew that trying the seafood at a place like this was a must. He settled on the crab cocktail (he loves him some crab!). At this point we were getting hungry and did not feel like eating and walking at the same time so we started to make our way to the park. On the way to the picnic area we passed one of the most famous parts of the market - the home of the original Starbucks. There were tons of people swarmed around this tiny coffee shop, but of course we stood on line and brought so e coffee. Rob insisted that it tasted so much different from Starbucks at home! :)
The picnic area attracted people of all kinds. Lots of tourists, some locals who were sun bathing on the open grass, local artist playing their instrument of choice for a few extra bucks, and then some less fortunate individuals who were homeless looking for something to eat or extra change. We did not stay here long at all because we had lots of shopping ahead of us but the experiences we had here were priceless. We found an opening along a wall sounding the grass where we could sit, eat our fruit and drink our Starbucks. Here is where we spotted the first two unique individuals. Two young girls were struggling to carry several huge bags across the walk way. They settled down next to a man who was playing his guitar and belting out classic 80s mixes. They began to quickly unpack their bags. They pulled 2 milk crates out of one a large black garbage jump, jumped up onto them and thats when they revealed their talent. These two girls were doing their best to drown out the man already stationed at this corner with the sweet tunes of their violins! Although, they would have made Olivia McPeek so proud, their melodies did not quite blend with the jams of the guitarist. In the middle of watching the events across the way unfold, I could not help but notice a homeless man sitting right across from us. I could not tell what he was doing but every time I looked at him he was staring at Rob and I. At first I did not pay too much attention but then I couldn't help it. This man was staring at us and every time I looked at him he quickly looked away and began to write on the notepad in his lap. Just as it started to get super creepy, I turned to Rob and told him that I think the man across the way is writing or drawing something about us. He asked "what man?" When I turned to point the man out to Rob, he was no longer sitting on the bench across from us but was about 2 steps away. He handed Rob a rolled up piece of paper and said "here you go son, this is free." We immediately unrolled the paper and sure enough it was a cartoon illustration of Rob and I. I KNEW IT! Right around this same moment, the quiet, open grass behind us became the meeting place for about 85 loud, annoying teenagers who were on some sort of summer camp trip. We were not done eating and relaxing but knew we had to move. We quickly picked up our belongings and moved to the other side of the park! And boy am I glad we did this!
We found an empty bench and once again tried to get a few minutes of relaxation in. Negative! There were so many distractions all around us. The first was yet another photo shoot that involved an AI. This girl was intent on capturing the absolute perfect shot of her and her boo. Before even getting into the shot, she positioned her bf from head to toe. She would cross his legs, then back away to see how it looked. Then rearrange his pose, back away and take a look. This poor guy just stood there, not saying a word, following her every command. Once he was situated in the perfect pose, she tried to figure out how she should position herself. To make this story even better, the entire time they were setting up for this picture she had a random person holding her camera waiting to snap away. I don't think that this man realized when he agreed to take a picture for this beautiful couple he would be standing there for 10 minutes. During this shoot, Rob spotted the next character. In the middle of the park, with his supplies spread out on the bench, an older gentleman was giving out $10 haircuts. His customers would put a towel over there shoulders and he would cut their hair right there! This was our signal. We figured the best way to get a picture of this was to get all of our stuff and snap one on our way out of the park. Needless to say we did not get our act together in time and the gentleman on the bench seemed to have been his last customer of the day. We were able to get a picture from far away but that was about it!
We took another lap through the market, bought some souvenirs and headed to Safeco field for the Seattle Mariners baseball game. The Mariners have been struggling greatly this season but just recently broke an 18 game losing streak. They were playing the Rays so we were really hoping they could pull off another win. We arrived to the game nice and early because we wanted to walk around and scope out the stadium. To our surprise, before the game there was a dedication to the late Seattle Supersonics. Which explains why there were more Supersonic jerseys than Mariner jerseys in the crowd. Famous, former players and coaches were introduced and stood out on the field to be honored by their diehard fans! The stadium was rocking during this dedication and the former players were definitely feeling the love and enjoying themselves. The game started shortly after the ceremony and the first chant that rang through the stadium was for the Supersonics! In fact, fans were more interested in the video clips of classic Supersonic moments that were played in between innings than the actual baseball game.
During the 45 minute long second inning the Rays scored 8 runs! Many fans stayed for a few more Let's Go Supersonics chants and even a "Bring Them Back" and then headed to the parking lots. People everywhere quickly began to filter out of the stadium, expect for a couple of lone rows way out in the upper deck section of right field. We were able to see them running up and down the aisles waving a Supersonic flag and hear them chanting all the way from behind home plate. In fact it seems as though most of the stadium was able to see and hear these insane fans because as the game went on, this section grew and grew. By the 7th inning the section was half full of screaming Supersonic fans who even made it up on the big screen a few times! During the 8th inning this group of crazy fans started a Congo line and started walking in and out of the rows in the upper deck. They made it past first base but then were stopped by security and forced to continue their chants through the halls. One crazy fan got confused and apparently thought the Congo line was going to meet out in center field because that is where he ended up! After a few sprints and darting away from security and cops he was brought down to the ground, arrested, and escorted off the field! What a game! After the explosion from the Rays in the second inning, the rest of the game was scoreless and ended In an 8 to 0 Rays victory. That's all for Seattle, off to Montana tomorrow. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Day 20
Day twenty, July 28, 2011
We were finally able to get connected to the Internet so before leaving our room, we wrote down directions to every place we were going to visit today. We walked downstairs to grab something to eat from our free "continental breakfast". This when I realized yet again how much I miss Embassy Suites and Hampton Inns. The Happy Day's Inn interpretation of continental breakfast consisted of apples, 5 donuts, and water. We decided to pass on this offer.
Our first stop was Grouse Mountain. We ventured out to the peak of this massive mountain by means of a famous skyride lift. Once again we were sadly unprepared. I was the one who found this famous tourist attraction and was an advocate for stopping here but I guess I did not really think it through. I showed up to the bottom of the mountain and stood in line for the sky lift dressed in sandals and a tank top. When Rob and I scooped out the attire of the guests around us, we realized that most people were wearing jeans, sweatshirts, and sneakers. Then it hit us, we were going to be traveling to the top of a snow capped mountain...of course it will be cold up there! What can we do about it now? We boarded the sky lift and journeyed up about a mile above Vancouver. The scenery was stunning! But like I said parts of the mountain were still covered in snow!!! We were even told that there was skiing on the mountain all the way into June this year. It was about 50 degrees at the top of the mountain (once again according to Rob, I would beg to differ!).
After our 6 minute ride we reached the top. We headed directly to the grizzly bear habitat, however, they were still sleeping in their hut so instead we took the ski lift up even higher (to even colder temperatures!). From here we took an elevator up through the wind turbine to the highest point of the mountain. (Originally this was not part of the plan but when I heard the words"it's the only one in the world" I was sold. I did not even need to know the only one with what, I knew I had to do it. We paid the man and as I investigated further found out this wind turbine was the only one in the world with an elevator to the top....even more perfect!) Once at the top you were able to look down at the bay and the entire city of Vancouver. We were now 4,100 feet above sea level, what a view! And when you looked down you could see through the glass floor panels and look at what was below you. The next event, my favorite, the "world famous" and very funny lumberjack show. Through this comical performance lumberjacks took part in several competitions to see who was the strongest most experienced lumberjack. Of course our (very cute) lumberjack won. After the show the audience was given a chance to walk down and take pictures with the lumberjacks ( including our very cute one), but Rob had his mind set on our next stop! We walked to the theatre in the sky and watched a documentary on the history of this mountain and another movie on how the grizzly bears in this habitat were saved and brought to Grouse Mountain. After the movies it was time to descend down the mountain and move on to our next attraction.
We traveled only a short way down the road to one of the biggest tourist attractions in Vancouver the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Here we hiked through treetop trails and crossed the (quite wobbly) suspension bridge. My photographer and I separated for a brief moment because he saw a photo opp that he just could not pass up. At this time I walked over to a small pond and was watching the trout jump out of the water. My peaceful break was suddenly interrupted by an elaborate photo shoot (AI involved Steph). This girl took her shoes off, crossed over the sidewalk, and was standing the the rocks surrounding the pond. Her friend captured a few shots here but they did not stop. The next poses were of this young girl kneeling on the rocks. Again these shots must not have been sufficient, the girl began to lay on the rocks (only inches away from the pond). She went from legs sprawled out to laying her on stomach, then to her back, and right back to her stomach. This shoot had to have been about 10 minutes - I hope she got the shot she was looking for! Speaking of photo shoots, earlier in the trip Steph made an amazing suggestion. After the photo fiasco in Vegas ( when we asked Jeffrita to take our picture in front of the welcome to Vegas sign and she only got one small piece of the sign in the picture) she said we are only going to ask people with $600 cameras or more (another words experienced photographers) to take our pictures. Well I guess we are not the only ones who think like this because our very own photographer - Robert was asked to capture a beautiful moment of another family! I hope he did his csmeraband new fans proud!
With all of this hiking we were already starving and ready for dinner. We decided on another famous tourist attraction, the Spaghetti Factory. A great choice, still not like Mom's macaroni but it did curb the craving for homemade Italian food for the time being.
At this point we are a little more than half way done with our trip and Rob was quickly running out of clothes. We were on our feet all day, so we made it an early night and decided to go back to the hotel and take advantage of their washing machines on site. We figured that using the machines in our hotel would be easier than going to a laundry matt in another city. Of course when we arrived back to the hotel the machine was in use. Finally it was our turn. I walked down the stairs and began to follow the signs to the laundry room. It led me through a door to the first floor of guest rooms. The next door I opened looked like it led to a cellar or basement. I cautiously continued to follow the signs for the laundry room and walked down the stairs. Again there was another door marked laundry room so I walked out that door and next thing I knew I was outside in a parking garage. I tried to turn around and go back through the door but it locked behind me. I walked a few steps and saw yet another door labeled laundry room. I approached the door and tried to open it but it was locked! I walked through the small parking garage and tried to get my bearings. At this point I had no idea where the lobby was. I picked left and began to walk around the building. Sure enough after walking around the hotel I was back to the front lobby. My next trip to the laundry machine I was sure to get the key and bring Rob! Off to Seattle tomorrow! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
We were finally able to get connected to the Internet so before leaving our room, we wrote down directions to every place we were going to visit today. We walked downstairs to grab something to eat from our free "continental breakfast". This when I realized yet again how much I miss Embassy Suites and Hampton Inns. The Happy Day's Inn interpretation of continental breakfast consisted of apples, 5 donuts, and water. We decided to pass on this offer.
Our first stop was Grouse Mountain. We ventured out to the peak of this massive mountain by means of a famous skyride lift. Once again we were sadly unprepared. I was the one who found this famous tourist attraction and was an advocate for stopping here but I guess I did not really think it through. I showed up to the bottom of the mountain and stood in line for the sky lift dressed in sandals and a tank top. When Rob and I scooped out the attire of the guests around us, we realized that most people were wearing jeans, sweatshirts, and sneakers. Then it hit us, we were going to be traveling to the top of a snow capped mountain...of course it will be cold up there! What can we do about it now? We boarded the sky lift and journeyed up about a mile above Vancouver. The scenery was stunning! But like I said parts of the mountain were still covered in snow!!! We were even told that there was skiing on the mountain all the way into June this year. It was about 50 degrees at the top of the mountain (once again according to Rob, I would beg to differ!).
After our 6 minute ride we reached the top. We headed directly to the grizzly bear habitat, however, they were still sleeping in their hut so instead we took the ski lift up even higher (to even colder temperatures!). From here we took an elevator up through the wind turbine to the highest point of the mountain. (Originally this was not part of the plan but when I heard the words"it's the only one in the world" I was sold. I did not even need to know the only one with what, I knew I had to do it. We paid the man and as I investigated further found out this wind turbine was the only one in the world with an elevator to the top....even more perfect!) Once at the top you were able to look down at the bay and the entire city of Vancouver. We were now 4,100 feet above sea level, what a view! And when you looked down you could see through the glass floor panels and look at what was below you. The next event, my favorite, the "world famous" and very funny lumberjack show. Through this comical performance lumberjacks took part in several competitions to see who was the strongest most experienced lumberjack. Of course our (very cute) lumberjack won. After the show the audience was given a chance to walk down and take pictures with the lumberjacks ( including our very cute one), but Rob had his mind set on our next stop! We walked to the theatre in the sky and watched a documentary on the history of this mountain and another movie on how the grizzly bears in this habitat were saved and brought to Grouse Mountain. After the movies it was time to descend down the mountain and move on to our next attraction.
We traveled only a short way down the road to one of the biggest tourist attractions in Vancouver the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Here we hiked through treetop trails and crossed the (quite wobbly) suspension bridge. My photographer and I separated for a brief moment because he saw a photo opp that he just could not pass up. At this time I walked over to a small pond and was watching the trout jump out of the water. My peaceful break was suddenly interrupted by an elaborate photo shoot (AI involved Steph). This girl took her shoes off, crossed over the sidewalk, and was standing the the rocks surrounding the pond. Her friend captured a few shots here but they did not stop. The next poses were of this young girl kneeling on the rocks. Again these shots must not have been sufficient, the girl began to lay on the rocks (only inches away from the pond). She went from legs sprawled out to laying her on stomach, then to her back, and right back to her stomach. This shoot had to have been about 10 minutes - I hope she got the shot she was looking for! Speaking of photo shoots, earlier in the trip Steph made an amazing suggestion. After the photo fiasco in Vegas ( when we asked Jeffrita to take our picture in front of the welcome to Vegas sign and she only got one small piece of the sign in the picture) she said we are only going to ask people with $600 cameras or more (another words experienced photographers) to take our pictures. Well I guess we are not the only ones who think like this because our very own photographer - Robert was asked to capture a beautiful moment of another family! I hope he did his csmeraband new fans proud!
With all of this hiking we were already starving and ready for dinner. We decided on another famous tourist attraction, the Spaghetti Factory. A great choice, still not like Mom's macaroni but it did curb the craving for homemade Italian food for the time being.
At this point we are a little more than half way done with our trip and Rob was quickly running out of clothes. We were on our feet all day, so we made it an early night and decided to go back to the hotel and take advantage of their washing machines on site. We figured that using the machines in our hotel would be easier than going to a laundry matt in another city. Of course when we arrived back to the hotel the machine was in use. Finally it was our turn. I walked down the stairs and began to follow the signs to the laundry room. It led me through a door to the first floor of guest rooms. The next door I opened looked like it led to a cellar or basement. I cautiously continued to follow the signs for the laundry room and walked down the stairs. Again there was another door marked laundry room so I walked out that door and next thing I knew I was outside in a parking garage. I tried to turn around and go back through the door but it locked behind me. I walked a few steps and saw yet another door labeled laundry room. I approached the door and tried to open it but it was locked! I walked through the small parking garage and tried to get my bearings. At this point I had no idea where the lobby was. I picked left and began to walk around the building. Sure enough after walking around the hotel I was back to the front lobby. My next trip to the laundry machine I was sure to get the key and bring Rob! Off to Seattle tomorrow! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Day 19
Day nineteen, July 27, 2011
Although we had a wonderful night and truly enjoyed Marshall's company, we do not know if Portland was more than a one night stop! Before getting on the road Marshall insisted that we get breakfast at a place called the Tin Shed. It is one of his favorites and assured us that we would not be disappointed. The previous night he was on top of his game with both the grilled cheese cart and then again with the Poutine so of course we took his word for it. Once again Portland did impress us with their fancy version of eggs accompanied with cheesy grits and a biscuit. After breakfast we said our goodbyes and were off to Canada.
As I was driving, Rob decided to google things that were and were not allowed to be brought into Canada, even though at this point if it was in our car it pretty much had to enter Canada with us! (I guess better late than never though!) Rob informed me that our car should get through with no problems. Our only issues, alcohol and weapons! I mean really how could anyone visit wine country and not want to take a little (10 bottles) home with them?!?!? So for the next couple of minutes we discussed whether border patrol (if they found our stash) would consider our purchases in wine country an "excessive amount" of liquor. Then it hit us - our weapon drawer! Since we are doing some camping and were not sure what wildlife we may encounter, we wanted to be prepared (oh and also for when we drove through certain southern states). Now I began to slightly panic but because we still had so much camping ahead of us, I was also not ready to discard these crucial self defense tools. So we decided to take a chance.
As we approached the boarder patrolman, I handed Rob the passports and took a deep breath. Jeffrey was a rather large man and began with a series of serious questions. Where are you coming from? How long ago did you leave for this trip? What brings you to Canada? How long will you be staying here? Suddenly his mood changed. He not only recognized but was also intrigued by the international symbol on our passport covers - the New York Yankees sign!! He asked us a couple of questions about the Yankees and MLB and we were off. We never existed the car, popped the trunk, or even opened the bubble!
Now the major challenge! Navigating Canada with no cell phones or GPS. Good thing Rob was once again thinking ahead and wrote down directions from the boarder to our hotel. So other than sitting in traffic and trying to convert all the metric units we were seeing into US Customary, it was smooth sailing.
We checked into our hotel but for some reason could not get our computers to connect to the Internet. It was still pretty early and since our stay in Vancouver will be shortly livec we decided to head right out to visit Downtown. This time we had no directions and really had no destination - totally winging it! On our way to the car we figured we would first ask our front desk employee, who we assumed would be friendly and helpful just like most we have encountered (recall Susan from Las Vegas who led us to Cappos the delicious, entertaining speak easy restaurant). Boy were we wrong, our AI friend was a far call from helpful. He told Rob that in order to get downtown "you can drive through town or get on a highway" and was unsure how long it would us to get there. We took a chance and figured our instincts would be better than anything he could offer us. After all how hard could it be, we will just head toward the huge skyscrapers Once again we were wrong, after asking a few people for directions (none being very helpful), several U-turns, a few choice words, our 20 mile drive took us a little over an hour. I was really beginning to miss Matilda (my GPS) and began to think we would have to eat at Church's Chicken next to our hotel.
We finally found our way and choose Stanley Park as our first stop. Here our photographer captured some beautiful scenic shots. The city of Vancouver is so pretty, it sits on the bay and behind the water are beautiful snow topped mountains. We arrived to a great photo spot just in time to see the sun set behind the mountains. After walking around and taking in the landscape we called it a night and headed back to the room. Hopefully to tomorrow Canada will bring us better luck. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Although we had a wonderful night and truly enjoyed Marshall's company, we do not know if Portland was more than a one night stop! Before getting on the road Marshall insisted that we get breakfast at a place called the Tin Shed. It is one of his favorites and assured us that we would not be disappointed. The previous night he was on top of his game with both the grilled cheese cart and then again with the Poutine so of course we took his word for it. Once again Portland did impress us with their fancy version of eggs accompanied with cheesy grits and a biscuit. After breakfast we said our goodbyes and were off to Canada.
As I was driving, Rob decided to google things that were and were not allowed to be brought into Canada, even though at this point if it was in our car it pretty much had to enter Canada with us! (I guess better late than never though!) Rob informed me that our car should get through with no problems. Our only issues, alcohol and weapons! I mean really how could anyone visit wine country and not want to take a little (10 bottles) home with them?!?!? So for the next couple of minutes we discussed whether border patrol (if they found our stash) would consider our purchases in wine country an "excessive amount" of liquor. Then it hit us - our weapon drawer! Since we are doing some camping and were not sure what wildlife we may encounter, we wanted to be prepared (oh and also for when we drove through certain southern states). Now I began to slightly panic but because we still had so much camping ahead of us, I was also not ready to discard these crucial self defense tools. So we decided to take a chance.
As we approached the boarder patrolman, I handed Rob the passports and took a deep breath. Jeffrey was a rather large man and began with a series of serious questions. Where are you coming from? How long ago did you leave for this trip? What brings you to Canada? How long will you be staying here? Suddenly his mood changed. He not only recognized but was also intrigued by the international symbol on our passport covers - the New York Yankees sign!! He asked us a couple of questions about the Yankees and MLB and we were off. We never existed the car, popped the trunk, or even opened the bubble!
Now the major challenge! Navigating Canada with no cell phones or GPS. Good thing Rob was once again thinking ahead and wrote down directions from the boarder to our hotel. So other than sitting in traffic and trying to convert all the metric units we were seeing into US Customary, it was smooth sailing.
We checked into our hotel but for some reason could not get our computers to connect to the Internet. It was still pretty early and since our stay in Vancouver will be shortly livec we decided to head right out to visit Downtown. This time we had no directions and really had no destination - totally winging it! On our way to the car we figured we would first ask our front desk employee, who we assumed would be friendly and helpful just like most we have encountered (recall Susan from Las Vegas who led us to Cappos the delicious, entertaining speak easy restaurant). Boy were we wrong, our AI friend was a far call from helpful. He told Rob that in order to get downtown "you can drive through town or get on a highway" and was unsure how long it would us to get there. We took a chance and figured our instincts would be better than anything he could offer us. After all how hard could it be, we will just head toward the huge skyscrapers Once again we were wrong, after asking a few people for directions (none being very helpful), several U-turns, a few choice words, our 20 mile drive took us a little over an hour. I was really beginning to miss Matilda (my GPS) and began to think we would have to eat at Church's Chicken next to our hotel.
We finally found our way and choose Stanley Park as our first stop. Here our photographer captured some beautiful scenic shots. The city of Vancouver is so pretty, it sits on the bay and behind the water are beautiful snow topped mountains. We arrived to a great photo spot just in time to see the sun set behind the mountains. After walking around and taking in the landscape we called it a night and headed back to the room. Hopefully to tomorrow Canada will bring us better luck. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day 18
Day eighteen, July 26, 2011
After a cold, sleepless night we were back in the car headed to Portland. First we had to drive through the narrow, winding, dirt roads of the Red Wood Forest. As we existed the National Park, our surroundings did not change very much. We were in a deserted area surrounded by massive trees. Our first priority of the day was to find a gas station, we did not think this would be a huge undertaking but boy were we wrong. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. Our gas gauge was quickly closing in on E and this was definitely not a place that I would feel comfortable in being stranded. We spied a gas station off to the right and breathed a sigh of relief. But to our dismay this gas station was abandoned, similar to most places in this area. We began to feel a little uneasy and regretted talking badly about all of the hitchhikers we have been encountering because I was beginning to feel like Rob might have to become one! Thank god for him a little ways up the road had a working gas station that must have been pumping gold, due to the price they charged per gallon. But we had no other choice. Rob, always thinking, found a way to take full advantage of this pricey stop. While I visited the connivence store Rob decided to perform a self wash on his car. After all, the long dirt roads did a job on Coco. He used the free supplies offered to him - windshield squeegee, dirty, soapy water, and paper towels! Needless to say I think Coco looked better before all of the dirty streaks left from the paper towels. There was not too much we could do to fix it at that point so back on the road we went.
The trip was rather uneventful. The roads were empty and all we saw were huge Red Woods on either side of us. Our next stop was lunch. While leaving the parking lot Rob thought he noticed a machine where you could vacuum your car. As we approached this rundown shack and parking lot, sure enough for 50 cents you could use the hose to vacuum the car. Once Rob was done he jumped in the car, slammed his door, and shouted "this is great, but I think I found the holy grail!". Right behind us stood an underpass where you can park your car and for $1.25 you were given 4 minutes to wash it. When Rob dropped the coins into this machine he failed to read far enough to see this time limit. Before we could even grab the hose (which very much resembled a power washer hose) the time began to tick down. I opted to stay in the car during this wash and really did not know what was going on, so all I saw was Rob grab the hose off the wall and begin to speed around the car, quickly hosing it down. He then pressed a button on the machine and suds started spewing out. During the final rinse, he was going around the car so quickly, I thought he may break out in a jog. I did not think we were in that much of a rush to get to Portland, so I figured he was just in so much competition with himself or something and was trying to complete the fastest car wash ever. When all was said and done, he was able to finish the wash in the given time and Coco looked as good as new.
We were all set to head straight to Portland where we would be staying with Rob's friend Marshall. Portland welcomed us with very unique looking buildings and bridges everywhere. We met Marshall at his apartment and headed straight for food. Marshall insisted we eat at one of his favorite food cart (similar to a grease truck in NJ) - a grilled cheese one. Here is where we learned several interesting facts about Portland. For example, everyone is Portland rides a bike! So much so that many streets we drove on have actual bike lanes and all bikers must follow the laws automobiles have or they will be subject to tickets. We also learned that there is no sales tax in Portland and no fees to cross any of their bridges. Almost everyone is Portland is decked out with piercing all over their bodies and this is only the first thing that make the people of this city unique. The individuals that reside in this city certainly are very interesting ( to say the least) and beat to their own drum.
From here we walked to the famous donut shop - Voodoo Donuts. This place certainly did not disappoint and I am certain that this strange city is the perfect home for a place like it. You could smell the do it's from a few blocks away and when you walked in all you saw were donuts. Donuts covered in icing, coco puffs, fruit loops, peanut butter, gum, and even bacon. We did not go too crazy with the kinds we choose but they were very good. Now in order to really appreciate why this special bakery fits in perfect with this city, I will have to explain the atmosphere and scenery surrounding this famous establishment. The first shocker was when I learned that people can get married inside the walls of Voodoo. Legit wedding are held inside this donut making store. Next, because it was such a beautiful afternoon we decided to eat outside. When we approached the "eating area" I thought I was being led into an antique yard sale. One option that a customer could choose to enjoy his or her donut in was a old barber's car, if that didn't float your boat you could always walk over and buckle into the three person airplane seats, or take a seat on a couch from 1920. Everywhere you looked there was strange furniture that was all put together to form a nice seating area for paying customers!
We continued to walk around the city and make our way back to Marshall's apartment. After we relaxed and freshened up we were ready to hit the town. Marshall was a fantastic tour guide and showed us all of the good spots. We walked around the river and made our way to the other side of town. Here is where I was able to confirm everything I had been thinking about throughout the day. This next event was so strange that it will be difficult to put into words but we will do our best. The event took place in Powell's, a landmark of Portland, being that it is one of the largest book stores . Neither Rob nor myself are too into reading, however, this building was huge. Each floor was color coded and the aisles went on forever. As we were looking for a book for Rob to read while on our next camping adventure I took part in something that blew me away. It all started when Marshall recognized a man that had walked down the steps, he called out his name, said hello, and walked over to him. Rob and I continued to browse through the books in front of us when Marshall called us over to introduce us to his friends, August and Tippy. August seemed like a typical art student, friendly but a little different. Then there was Tippy. How do I begin to help you to understand the interaction of the next 5 minutes? First I'll explain Tippy's outfit to you. She had on leopard stocking covered in holes, a skirt that resembled a tutu, a stripped tank top of some shirt, topped with a blazer and shoulder pads. Her and arms and face were then covered in purple, pink, and red war paint. She was also covered in stamps and a type of homemade "jewelry" that I have never seen before. As I reached out my hand to introduce myself she awkwardly grabbed and held my hand. She continued to smile and slur some words from the English language that I had a difficult time recognizing. After a few awkward minutes, we said our goodbyes and continued on our walk. Barely 3 steps out the door we immediately asked Marshall what her deal was and he assured us she was not a very close friend, but more of an associate from school. He also informed us that Tippy is always like that and she actually went light on the face paint today, it's usually much more exquisite. He then went on to tell us where the name Tippy came from, because this is not her real name, Marshall thinks it might be Kimberly. Apparently Tippy was the name of Kimberly's imaginary childhood friend, no shock there. I'm certain she still has a group of imaginary friends, but this is why we liked Portland so much, everyone is their own person and does not try to change according to society. Or maybe all of the Portland society is this way and they do adapt to fit in, we are not sure, but we are certain we will never call Portland home. After that encounter we were on to our last food cart for the night who specialize in French fries. We were instructed to order Poutine, fries with gravy and cheddar cheese curds. We were not disappointed at all, this was a great way to end the night and see all of the local stops instead of the touristy attractions. All in all Portland was certainly an adventure and we would like to thank Marshall for his hospitality and showing us around town.
Until next time,
Peace, Love and Happiness The Nomads
After a cold, sleepless night we were back in the car headed to Portland. First we had to drive through the narrow, winding, dirt roads of the Red Wood Forest. As we existed the National Park, our surroundings did not change very much. We were in a deserted area surrounded by massive trees. Our first priority of the day was to find a gas station, we did not think this would be a huge undertaking but boy were we wrong. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. Our gas gauge was quickly closing in on E and this was definitely not a place that I would feel comfortable in being stranded. We spied a gas station off to the right and breathed a sigh of relief. But to our dismay this gas station was abandoned, similar to most places in this area. We began to feel a little uneasy and regretted talking badly about all of the hitchhikers we have been encountering because I was beginning to feel like Rob might have to become one! Thank god for him a little ways up the road had a working gas station that must have been pumping gold, due to the price they charged per gallon. But we had no other choice. Rob, always thinking, found a way to take full advantage of this pricey stop. While I visited the connivence store Rob decided to perform a self wash on his car. After all, the long dirt roads did a job on Coco. He used the free supplies offered to him - windshield squeegee, dirty, soapy water, and paper towels! Needless to say I think Coco looked better before all of the dirty streaks left from the paper towels. There was not too much we could do to fix it at that point so back on the road we went.
The trip was rather uneventful. The roads were empty and all we saw were huge Red Woods on either side of us. Our next stop was lunch. While leaving the parking lot Rob thought he noticed a machine where you could vacuum your car. As we approached this rundown shack and parking lot, sure enough for 50 cents you could use the hose to vacuum the car. Once Rob was done he jumped in the car, slammed his door, and shouted "this is great, but I think I found the holy grail!". Right behind us stood an underpass where you can park your car and for $1.25 you were given 4 minutes to wash it. When Rob dropped the coins into this machine he failed to read far enough to see this time limit. Before we could even grab the hose (which very much resembled a power washer hose) the time began to tick down. I opted to stay in the car during this wash and really did not know what was going on, so all I saw was Rob grab the hose off the wall and begin to speed around the car, quickly hosing it down. He then pressed a button on the machine and suds started spewing out. During the final rinse, he was going around the car so quickly, I thought he may break out in a jog. I did not think we were in that much of a rush to get to Portland, so I figured he was just in so much competition with himself or something and was trying to complete the fastest car wash ever. When all was said and done, he was able to finish the wash in the given time and Coco looked as good as new.
We were all set to head straight to Portland where we would be staying with Rob's friend Marshall. Portland welcomed us with very unique looking buildings and bridges everywhere. We met Marshall at his apartment and headed straight for food. Marshall insisted we eat at one of his favorite food cart (similar to a grease truck in NJ) - a grilled cheese one. Here is where we learned several interesting facts about Portland. For example, everyone is Portland rides a bike! So much so that many streets we drove on have actual bike lanes and all bikers must follow the laws automobiles have or they will be subject to tickets. We also learned that there is no sales tax in Portland and no fees to cross any of their bridges. Almost everyone is Portland is decked out with piercing all over their bodies and this is only the first thing that make the people of this city unique. The individuals that reside in this city certainly are very interesting ( to say the least) and beat to their own drum.
From here we walked to the famous donut shop - Voodoo Donuts. This place certainly did not disappoint and I am certain that this strange city is the perfect home for a place like it. You could smell the do it's from a few blocks away and when you walked in all you saw were donuts. Donuts covered in icing, coco puffs, fruit loops, peanut butter, gum, and even bacon. We did not go too crazy with the kinds we choose but they were very good. Now in order to really appreciate why this special bakery fits in perfect with this city, I will have to explain the atmosphere and scenery surrounding this famous establishment. The first shocker was when I learned that people can get married inside the walls of Voodoo. Legit wedding are held inside this donut making store. Next, because it was such a beautiful afternoon we decided to eat outside. When we approached the "eating area" I thought I was being led into an antique yard sale. One option that a customer could choose to enjoy his or her donut in was a old barber's car, if that didn't float your boat you could always walk over and buckle into the three person airplane seats, or take a seat on a couch from 1920. Everywhere you looked there was strange furniture that was all put together to form a nice seating area for paying customers!
We continued to walk around the city and make our way back to Marshall's apartment. After we relaxed and freshened up we were ready to hit the town. Marshall was a fantastic tour guide and showed us all of the good spots. We walked around the river and made our way to the other side of town. Here is where I was able to confirm everything I had been thinking about throughout the day. This next event was so strange that it will be difficult to put into words but we will do our best. The event took place in Powell's, a landmark of Portland, being that it is one of the largest book stores . Neither Rob nor myself are too into reading, however, this building was huge. Each floor was color coded and the aisles went on forever. As we were looking for a book for Rob to read while on our next camping adventure I took part in something that blew me away. It all started when Marshall recognized a man that had walked down the steps, he called out his name, said hello, and walked over to him. Rob and I continued to browse through the books in front of us when Marshall called us over to introduce us to his friends, August and Tippy. August seemed like a typical art student, friendly but a little different. Then there was Tippy. How do I begin to help you to understand the interaction of the next 5 minutes? First I'll explain Tippy's outfit to you. She had on leopard stocking covered in holes, a skirt that resembled a tutu, a stripped tank top of some shirt, topped with a blazer and shoulder pads. Her and arms and face were then covered in purple, pink, and red war paint. She was also covered in stamps and a type of homemade "jewelry" that I have never seen before. As I reached out my hand to introduce myself she awkwardly grabbed and held my hand. She continued to smile and slur some words from the English language that I had a difficult time recognizing. After a few awkward minutes, we said our goodbyes and continued on our walk. Barely 3 steps out the door we immediately asked Marshall what her deal was and he assured us she was not a very close friend, but more of an associate from school. He also informed us that Tippy is always like that and she actually went light on the face paint today, it's usually much more exquisite. He then went on to tell us where the name Tippy came from, because this is not her real name, Marshall thinks it might be Kimberly. Apparently Tippy was the name of Kimberly's imaginary childhood friend, no shock there. I'm certain she still has a group of imaginary friends, but this is why we liked Portland so much, everyone is their own person and does not try to change according to society. Or maybe all of the Portland society is this way and they do adapt to fit in, we are not sure, but we are certain we will never call Portland home. After that encounter we were on to our last food cart for the night who specialize in French fries. We were instructed to order Poutine, fries with gravy and cheddar cheese curds. We were not disappointed at all, this was a great way to end the night and see all of the local stops instead of the touristy attractions. All in all Portland was certainly an adventure and we would like to thank Marshall for his hospitality and showing us around town.
Until next time,
Peace, Love and Happiness The Nomads
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day 17
Day seventeen, July 25, 2011
Well ladies and gentlemen here it is, the story of our first night camping! Today's destination was the Red Wood Forest in northern California. We had hopes in camping at the Gold Bluff Beach Campsite, however, it was a first come first serve basis. So in order to be sure that we would be getting a prime spot, once again we got up bright and early and began our travel north.
Today's trip was about 6 hours long. We drove up the northern coast of California through heavily forested areas lined with giant redwood trees. These trees were unlike any we have seen before, some of the trunks were as big as our little Cobalt we are driving cross country. After driving through some very unique towns we finally reached our destination. Fingers crossed in hopes there was still a campsite left for us, we made a left down the dirt road en route for the welcome center. The road was winding around giant trees and Jeff was doing his best to avoid and gaping potholes along the way. Luckily we reached the park ranger station in time for him to inform us there were still some sites available. He told us to continue down the road until we reached the campsite and choose any one we wanted. As we drove the final couple miles through the winding trees the forest began to open up and we spotted the shore. We made our way down to the campground and quickly realized we may be the least prepared campers here. As we searched for a campsite we noticed others had large tents with grills and bags of food and all we had were pretzels and potato chips, looks like we were either going to being eating chips for dinner or bartering with our new neighbors. The campsite was shaped like a circle and had 26 campsites around its perimeter. Each campsite consisted of a picnic bench, a fire pit, and room for a tent. Since we were so unprepared we realized that we only needed to use one out of these three amenities - the area for the tent. We had no food to eat at the table and nothing to burn for a fire.
After pitching the tent, that we were assured was a two person tent (it would fit 2 midgets not 2 grown adults) we decided to go for a walk on the beach. The Pacific Ocean was freezing cold but the beach was covered in cool, silky, smooth, black sand perfect for walking on. We spotted something out in the water but it was hard to tell what it might be. Every once in a while we would see a small black head pop up between the white caps. We continued walking down the beach and then spotted a dead seal washed up onto the shore :(. So we concluded that is what we may have seen out in the distance. We made our way back to the campsite and decided Sun Chips and Cheetos just would not cut it for both lunch and dinner so we got into the car and began to head 10 miles back into town to get some food.
Once in town we again had two options, an old run down store that was simply called "Restaurant" or another called "Snack Shack." We went with Snack Shack and were pleasantly surprised, the food was rather good. While waiting for our food we sat near two locals and began to wonder why any one would want to live in this one horse town. There is nothing for 15 miles in each direction. We wrapped up our food and jetted back to the car. The next mission - firewood. Like we mentioned earlier there was nothing in this run down town for miles so of course we showed up the ranger station empty handed. Luckily, the ranger station was prepared for rookie campers like ourselves and we bought a bundle of wood from him. We continued down this narrow dirt path all the way back to our site. Thank god for the bubble on the top of the Cobalt because that made us appear a little more legit. Our brown paper bags filled with a chicken sandwich, a cheeseburger, grilled cheese, and French fries from Snack Shack certainly did not!
After arriving back at our site Jen decided to take a nap in the tent and I decided to go for a little hike. Camera in hand and I was off. The trail I trekked on was called Fern Canyon Trail, named because the trail runs along a stream at the bottom of a 40 foot canyon whose walls are lined with five finger ferns. The trail was very scenic and as I arrived back to the tent Jen was passed out. So instead of waking her I decided to grab a beach towel and go take a nap on the beach. After taking an hour and a half nap on the beach I was awoken by and alarmed Jennifer who thought I was lost LoLzz.
It was now time to start a fire, luckily I grabbed a match book at the big Texas steak ranch aka 72 ounces of hell. It took a few attempts but we finally got the fire burning. While sitting around the fire off in the distance we hear a faint noise. As we listen closer we hear the sweet sound of a violin playing at the other side of the campground. Could we be so lucky to be in the presence of Olivia McPeak a second time?!?!?!?! Unfortunately not, it is just an amateur striving to be the next Olivia, good luck to him! No on can replace a great such as Olivia.
Our night concluded a little earlier than expected because our fire burned out. At first this was not too bad because some of our neighbors (again so much more prepared than us) had there sites lit up with lanterns and spot lights. Suddenly around 10pm, everyone's lights went out and it was impossible to see anything even inches away. We decided it was time to finish up Words with Friends and head to bed.
The tent really was not that bad at all. It actually looks much smaller from the outside. However, once again we (more so me) were reminded just how unprepared we were. The temperature "dipped down to about 55 degrees" (according to Rob, if you ask me I think it may have "dipped down" to 40). We had a beach quilt and an old comforter to lay on and then two small throw blankets to drape over us. Needless to say I have never been so cold in my life. I could not stop shivering and shaking. At one point I was laying directly on the bottom part of the tent because I crawled under every layer possible. Good thing this time we are only camping one night. Number one priority before our next camping adventure is to find a Walmart so that we will be better prepared! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Well ladies and gentlemen here it is, the story of our first night camping! Today's destination was the Red Wood Forest in northern California. We had hopes in camping at the Gold Bluff Beach Campsite, however, it was a first come first serve basis. So in order to be sure that we would be getting a prime spot, once again we got up bright and early and began our travel north.
Today's trip was about 6 hours long. We drove up the northern coast of California through heavily forested areas lined with giant redwood trees. These trees were unlike any we have seen before, some of the trunks were as big as our little Cobalt we are driving cross country. After driving through some very unique towns we finally reached our destination. Fingers crossed in hopes there was still a campsite left for us, we made a left down the dirt road en route for the welcome center. The road was winding around giant trees and Jeff was doing his best to avoid and gaping potholes along the way. Luckily we reached the park ranger station in time for him to inform us there were still some sites available. He told us to continue down the road until we reached the campsite and choose any one we wanted. As we drove the final couple miles through the winding trees the forest began to open up and we spotted the shore. We made our way down to the campground and quickly realized we may be the least prepared campers here. As we searched for a campsite we noticed others had large tents with grills and bags of food and all we had were pretzels and potato chips, looks like we were either going to being eating chips for dinner or bartering with our new neighbors. The campsite was shaped like a circle and had 26 campsites around its perimeter. Each campsite consisted of a picnic bench, a fire pit, and room for a tent. Since we were so unprepared we realized that we only needed to use one out of these three amenities - the area for the tent. We had no food to eat at the table and nothing to burn for a fire.
After pitching the tent, that we were assured was a two person tent (it would fit 2 midgets not 2 grown adults) we decided to go for a walk on the beach. The Pacific Ocean was freezing cold but the beach was covered in cool, silky, smooth, black sand perfect for walking on. We spotted something out in the water but it was hard to tell what it might be. Every once in a while we would see a small black head pop up between the white caps. We continued walking down the beach and then spotted a dead seal washed up onto the shore :(. So we concluded that is what we may have seen out in the distance. We made our way back to the campsite and decided Sun Chips and Cheetos just would not cut it for both lunch and dinner so we got into the car and began to head 10 miles back into town to get some food.
Once in town we again had two options, an old run down store that was simply called "Restaurant" or another called "Snack Shack." We went with Snack Shack and were pleasantly surprised, the food was rather good. While waiting for our food we sat near two locals and began to wonder why any one would want to live in this one horse town. There is nothing for 15 miles in each direction. We wrapped up our food and jetted back to the car. The next mission - firewood. Like we mentioned earlier there was nothing in this run down town for miles so of course we showed up the ranger station empty handed. Luckily, the ranger station was prepared for rookie campers like ourselves and we bought a bundle of wood from him. We continued down this narrow dirt path all the way back to our site. Thank god for the bubble on the top of the Cobalt because that made us appear a little more legit. Our brown paper bags filled with a chicken sandwich, a cheeseburger, grilled cheese, and French fries from Snack Shack certainly did not!
After arriving back at our site Jen decided to take a nap in the tent and I decided to go for a little hike. Camera in hand and I was off. The trail I trekked on was called Fern Canyon Trail, named because the trail runs along a stream at the bottom of a 40 foot canyon whose walls are lined with five finger ferns. The trail was very scenic and as I arrived back to the tent Jen was passed out. So instead of waking her I decided to grab a beach towel and go take a nap on the beach. After taking an hour and a half nap on the beach I was awoken by and alarmed Jennifer who thought I was lost LoLzz.
It was now time to start a fire, luckily I grabbed a match book at the big Texas steak ranch aka 72 ounces of hell. It took a few attempts but we finally got the fire burning. While sitting around the fire off in the distance we hear a faint noise. As we listen closer we hear the sweet sound of a violin playing at the other side of the campground. Could we be so lucky to be in the presence of Olivia McPeak a second time?!?!?!?! Unfortunately not, it is just an amateur striving to be the next Olivia, good luck to him! No on can replace a great such as Olivia.
Our night concluded a little earlier than expected because our fire burned out. At first this was not too bad because some of our neighbors (again so much more prepared than us) had there sites lit up with lanterns and spot lights. Suddenly around 10pm, everyone's lights went out and it was impossible to see anything even inches away. We decided it was time to finish up Words with Friends and head to bed.
The tent really was not that bad at all. It actually looks much smaller from the outside. However, once again we (more so me) were reminded just how unprepared we were. The temperature "dipped down to about 55 degrees" (according to Rob, if you ask me I think it may have "dipped down" to 40). We had a beach quilt and an old comforter to lay on and then two small throw blankets to drape over us. Needless to say I have never been so cold in my life. I could not stop shivering and shaking. At one point I was laying directly on the bottom part of the tent because I crawled under every layer possible. Good thing this time we are only camping one night. Number one priority before our next camping adventure is to find a Walmart so that we will be better prepared! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day 16
Day sixteen, July 24, 2011
We did not have anything planned this morning so we were FINALLY able to sleep in! I made sure to treasure every moment spent in the hotel because I knew that the following evening would be spent on a campground in a tent. I took a nice, long, hot shower, dried my hair, organized my luggage and then Steph and I caught up on GH. Our first mission this morning was to find the famous street that was the home of one of our favorite TV families ever - the Tanner residence! We needed to find the house that became famous for it's appearance on the opening credits of Full House. Steph was able to find out the name of the street that it was located on - Broderick Street. We were only on this road for a couple of seconds when we spotted the famous front door. We had the exact address (1709) but did not need it, how can anyone not recognize this historic landmark? After posing for a few pictures we wanted to grab a bite to eat before the Giants game.
I had found a restaurant in one of the tourist guides that looked good. We ventured down to the piers again and stumbled upon it - Beach Street Grill. If anyone ever visits San Fran this is a must! Yes, it was only breakfast but it was some of the best breakfast we have ever had. Rob ordered the Crabs Benedict and Steph and I split the fresh blueberry pancakes and an omelet filled with bacon, cheese, tomatoes, avocados, and sour cream. To top it all off they also supplied us with fresh, homemade strawberry preservative. Delicious!
With stomachs full we made a quick stop at a souvenir shop and then headed to the AT&T Ballpark. The stadium is literally right on the bay. We sat in the bleachers out in center field several rows up. We admired the stadium from our seats and watched the first 5 innings, then we decided it was time for a drink, garlic fries, and to explore the beautiful stadium. First we headed back to the outfield to get a better view of the bay. Rob and I got in line for margaritas while Steph went to snap some photos. Next thing I knew, a nice black man approached me in line and began to engage in conversation. It soon became apparent that this man was not interested in me but instead in Rob (catch my drift?). Anyway, he saw my Yankee shirt and asked me where I was from. He made a discussed facial expression when said NJ and said that he was sorry to hear that. I then asked him where his Giants attire was and he responded by saying "I'm an attorney, I don't wear that s*it". I was a little taken back but hey the next thing he asked me was what I was drinking, so I figured it would be in my best interest to keep this conversation going. It was not long until he also turned to Rob to find out what he was drinking as well. By this time we were approaching the beginning of the line quickly so I tried to get Steph's attention to see if he would buy us a whole round of drinks. During the wait on line, I found out that he was dressed in his Sunday best because he actually came directly from church. He explained that he was told in church that he would be going to this baseball game. He did not seem too happy to be here but seemed to be trying to make the best of it - on the liquor line. Sure enough Steph did make it back in time and this lovely man bought us a whole round of drinks. Now at this point I'm thinking, great now we are going to have to entertain him and make nice, but was I ever wrong. He handed us our drinks, took his change and told us to enjoy San Fran. Sweet, I'm really beginning to love this city even more!
We made our way around the outfield to where the "splash zone" was located. In this area of the bay people rent kayaks and other boats and spend the afternoon here in the hopes that a ball will leave the stadium and travel into the bay. Along the right field wall there is a splash zone count...so far 57 balls were hit into the bay. We continued around the stadium and found the famous garlic fries. We circled the whole stadium taking everything in. We ended the tour by going underneath the bleachers where there were more viewing places and concession stands. Of course we could not leave before trying the famous fry bread topped with Nutella and whipped cream! The weather was perfect for a baseball game, stadium was gorgeous, food was delicious, and crowd was rocking what more could we have asked for? And then came the perfect ending to this game, the Giants were up only 2 to 1 going into the 9th so we were lucky enough to see the one and only Brian Wilson enter and close out this game!
Sadly our next stop was Oakland airport. This time we made sure to leave in plenty of time so that Steph would not have any problems catching her flight. We crossed the Bay Bridge which gave us a tremendous view of Alcatrez, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bay. We passed the Oakland Raiders and Oakland A's stadiums on the way. Steph arrived to the airport with plenty of time to spare, we said our goodbyes and Rob and I headed back to the piers.
These piers are what caused me to fall in love with San Fran. As Rob explained it best, "there is just so much going on here and I love it all". We began at the one end and made our way all the way to the opposite side. Along the way we saw a variety of entertainment - singers, dance, clowns, balloon animal makers, and then even one man dressed up as a dog. We walked in and out of just about every shop and decided to cross the street where we saw a huge groups of people all with cameras in hand. We arrived just in time, a group of boys were about to have a dance off. It would be a dance off between the young ones and the more experienced boys. It was so intense, we saw dance moves I didn't think were possible. Break dances that looked like they hurt too much to ever want to do again and even some gymnast moves that blew us away. The older boys definitely got my vote, but I do have the entire show on video so you can be the judge.
We continued down the pier where we found our next act - a magician/ comedian. He also gave an award winning performance, too bad his voluntary assistant from the audience, Derek, was so dull. When the magician asked for audience participation, Derek quickly pointed to his friend who was standing in front of him. Unfortunately for Derek, and for all of us watching, the magician choose Derek. Rather than just being a good sport and listening to the rules of the trick, Derek, probably in an embarrassed reaction, tried to be a jokester himself, but failed miserably. Anyway, he finally got the rules down and the magician was able to continue with his final trick. He stood up on a see-saw that he had constructed and juggled 5 knives...it was rather impressive but his jokes and strip tease were even funnier. We continued walking and shopping until we turned a corner to Pier 39. We began to hear weird animal noises when we realized that out on the floating docks were tons of sea lions. They were going in and out of the water and making lots of noise.
From here we figured it was about time for dinner. We ate at the Wipeout Bar and Grill. The biggest adventure that we encountered here was the bathroom situation. Rob decided to venture back first and when it was my turn he wished me luck and said that all he could tell me was that is was back in the red and white tent. As I approached the tent all I saw was a row of sinks with both men and women standing at them. I was a little hesitant but made my way in anyway. After walking all the way in, I realized that each stall was separate and meant for both men and women and the huge trough used as a sink was meant for sharing. When I got back to the table, Rob informed me that during his experience to the bathroom when he walked into the tent the only people he saw at the sink were women so he quickly turned around and existed the area. He approached someone who worked there and again asked where the restrooms were. After being assured that he was in the right place he walked in and tried again! Once again we choose a great place, great food, great atmosphere, and excellent drinks.
Out final destination for tonight was going to be an ice cream parlor called Bi-Rite Creamery. We came across the name of this restaurant in a book that Rob had picked up before we left NJ and included famous restaurants to eat at across the country. This shop received rave reviews and when we drove past it the night before the line was out the door and down the block. Again we knew it must be good and we had to stop there. We pulled up, again the line down the block, and hopped onto it. Once again we were not disappointed. This was by far the best ice cream either if us has ever eaten.
We headed back to the room to make sure all of our belongings were together because tomorrow we will be camping for the first time. Wish us, by that I mean ME luck! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
We did not have anything planned this morning so we were FINALLY able to sleep in! I made sure to treasure every moment spent in the hotel because I knew that the following evening would be spent on a campground in a tent. I took a nice, long, hot shower, dried my hair, organized my luggage and then Steph and I caught up on GH. Our first mission this morning was to find the famous street that was the home of one of our favorite TV families ever - the Tanner residence! We needed to find the house that became famous for it's appearance on the opening credits of Full House. Steph was able to find out the name of the street that it was located on - Broderick Street. We were only on this road for a couple of seconds when we spotted the famous front door. We had the exact address (1709) but did not need it, how can anyone not recognize this historic landmark? After posing for a few pictures we wanted to grab a bite to eat before the Giants game.
I had found a restaurant in one of the tourist guides that looked good. We ventured down to the piers again and stumbled upon it - Beach Street Grill. If anyone ever visits San Fran this is a must! Yes, it was only breakfast but it was some of the best breakfast we have ever had. Rob ordered the Crabs Benedict and Steph and I split the fresh blueberry pancakes and an omelet filled with bacon, cheese, tomatoes, avocados, and sour cream. To top it all off they also supplied us with fresh, homemade strawberry preservative. Delicious!
With stomachs full we made a quick stop at a souvenir shop and then headed to the AT&T Ballpark. The stadium is literally right on the bay. We sat in the bleachers out in center field several rows up. We admired the stadium from our seats and watched the first 5 innings, then we decided it was time for a drink, garlic fries, and to explore the beautiful stadium. First we headed back to the outfield to get a better view of the bay. Rob and I got in line for margaritas while Steph went to snap some photos. Next thing I knew, a nice black man approached me in line and began to engage in conversation. It soon became apparent that this man was not interested in me but instead in Rob (catch my drift?). Anyway, he saw my Yankee shirt and asked me where I was from. He made a discussed facial expression when said NJ and said that he was sorry to hear that. I then asked him where his Giants attire was and he responded by saying "I'm an attorney, I don't wear that s*it". I was a little taken back but hey the next thing he asked me was what I was drinking, so I figured it would be in my best interest to keep this conversation going. It was not long until he also turned to Rob to find out what he was drinking as well. By this time we were approaching the beginning of the line quickly so I tried to get Steph's attention to see if he would buy us a whole round of drinks. During the wait on line, I found out that he was dressed in his Sunday best because he actually came directly from church. He explained that he was told in church that he would be going to this baseball game. He did not seem too happy to be here but seemed to be trying to make the best of it - on the liquor line. Sure enough Steph did make it back in time and this lovely man bought us a whole round of drinks. Now at this point I'm thinking, great now we are going to have to entertain him and make nice, but was I ever wrong. He handed us our drinks, took his change and told us to enjoy San Fran. Sweet, I'm really beginning to love this city even more!
We made our way around the outfield to where the "splash zone" was located. In this area of the bay people rent kayaks and other boats and spend the afternoon here in the hopes that a ball will leave the stadium and travel into the bay. Along the right field wall there is a splash zone count...so far 57 balls were hit into the bay. We continued around the stadium and found the famous garlic fries. We circled the whole stadium taking everything in. We ended the tour by going underneath the bleachers where there were more viewing places and concession stands. Of course we could not leave before trying the famous fry bread topped with Nutella and whipped cream! The weather was perfect for a baseball game, stadium was gorgeous, food was delicious, and crowd was rocking what more could we have asked for? And then came the perfect ending to this game, the Giants were up only 2 to 1 going into the 9th so we were lucky enough to see the one and only Brian Wilson enter and close out this game!
Sadly our next stop was Oakland airport. This time we made sure to leave in plenty of time so that Steph would not have any problems catching her flight. We crossed the Bay Bridge which gave us a tremendous view of Alcatrez, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bay. We passed the Oakland Raiders and Oakland A's stadiums on the way. Steph arrived to the airport with plenty of time to spare, we said our goodbyes and Rob and I headed back to the piers.
These piers are what caused me to fall in love with San Fran. As Rob explained it best, "there is just so much going on here and I love it all". We began at the one end and made our way all the way to the opposite side. Along the way we saw a variety of entertainment - singers, dance, clowns, balloon animal makers, and then even one man dressed up as a dog. We walked in and out of just about every shop and decided to cross the street where we saw a huge groups of people all with cameras in hand. We arrived just in time, a group of boys were about to have a dance off. It would be a dance off between the young ones and the more experienced boys. It was so intense, we saw dance moves I didn't think were possible. Break dances that looked like they hurt too much to ever want to do again and even some gymnast moves that blew us away. The older boys definitely got my vote, but I do have the entire show on video so you can be the judge.
We continued down the pier where we found our next act - a magician/ comedian. He also gave an award winning performance, too bad his voluntary assistant from the audience, Derek, was so dull. When the magician asked for audience participation, Derek quickly pointed to his friend who was standing in front of him. Unfortunately for Derek, and for all of us watching, the magician choose Derek. Rather than just being a good sport and listening to the rules of the trick, Derek, probably in an embarrassed reaction, tried to be a jokester himself, but failed miserably. Anyway, he finally got the rules down and the magician was able to continue with his final trick. He stood up on a see-saw that he had constructed and juggled 5 knives...it was rather impressive but his jokes and strip tease were even funnier. We continued walking and shopping until we turned a corner to Pier 39. We began to hear weird animal noises when we realized that out on the floating docks were tons of sea lions. They were going in and out of the water and making lots of noise.
From here we figured it was about time for dinner. We ate at the Wipeout Bar and Grill. The biggest adventure that we encountered here was the bathroom situation. Rob decided to venture back first and when it was my turn he wished me luck and said that all he could tell me was that is was back in the red and white tent. As I approached the tent all I saw was a row of sinks with both men and women standing at them. I was a little hesitant but made my way in anyway. After walking all the way in, I realized that each stall was separate and meant for both men and women and the huge trough used as a sink was meant for sharing. When I got back to the table, Rob informed me that during his experience to the bathroom when he walked into the tent the only people he saw at the sink were women so he quickly turned around and existed the area. He approached someone who worked there and again asked where the restrooms were. After being assured that he was in the right place he walked in and tried again! Once again we choose a great place, great food, great atmosphere, and excellent drinks.
Out final destination for tonight was going to be an ice cream parlor called Bi-Rite Creamery. We came across the name of this restaurant in a book that Rob had picked up before we left NJ and included famous restaurants to eat at across the country. This shop received rave reviews and when we drove past it the night before the line was out the door and down the block. Again we knew it must be good and we had to stop there. We pulled up, again the line down the block, and hopped onto it. Once again we were not disappointed. This was by far the best ice cream either if us has ever eaten.
We headed back to the room to make sure all of our belongings were together because tomorrow we will be camping for the first time. Wish us, by that I mean ME luck! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Day 15
Day fifteen, July 23, 2011
Today was going to be bitter sweet, we would be spending the entire day in wine country, but on the other hand we had to say goodbye to Matt and Steph. Our day started off bright and early, when we were picked up by John at 8:15 sharp. We were a little concerned when we met John because he was anything but friendly. We were really hoping that John was just the shuttle driver and not going to be our tour guide as well. We got to the office, checked in, and reported to the orange bus. Steph of course was on her A game and jetted off to the nearest coffee shop while we were waiting for the others to check in. After everyone boarded our bus the last person to enter was our tour guide - John. Although John does need to work on his public speaking skills and maybe even some social skills as well, he sure did know an immense amount of information about San Fran, wine country, and wine making. Steph concluded that he was probably saving his voice during the hotel pick up's for his big performance on the hour long drive to Napa Valley. John did a lot of talking but it was hard for us to recall everything that he said because the combination of John's sweet tone in his voice and the fact that it was still early put us right to sleep.
The first winery we stopped at welcomed us with a glass of white wine. We were only at this stop for about 45 minutes, we tasted several different wines, browsed the gift shop and purchased some goodies.
The next stop was Huntsville, here we were given an hour and a half to shop and grab lunch. When we exited the bus we admired our surroundings, it was absolutely beautiful. We choose to eat at Pacific Blues Cafe. This restaurant was nicely decorated and had the option of sitting outside on the porch. With this is mind and also the fact that it was one of the first restaurants we saw as we departed from the bus (we were starving we did not eat breakfast!) we were sold. This ended being up a fantastic choice, the food was delicious and the wine was excellent. On the way in to this outdoor shopping center we saw a huge line forming outside of a bakery. We did not recognize the name of this bakery and had no idea what they even sold but by the looks of the line and the amount of people surrounding this tiny bakery, we knew it had to be good. We paid for our meal and quickly walked over to where the crowd was standing in a line. It was called Bouchon Bakery, we anxiously awaited our turn and tried our hardest to sneak a peak at what was inside and what we were actually in line for. When we finally got inside, we were certainly not disappointed. The smell was incredible and there were so many different pastries to choose from. We made our decisions and began to walk back to the bus. By this point we were running a couple of minutes behind schedule, however, we saw two other people from our bus still waiting in the bakery line, "at least we won't be the last ones back" we thought. We gingerly approached the bus, only to find a full bus of faces looking our way. The bus driver did a final count, shut the door, and we were off. We realized that the people we recognized on the bakery line were ones that we had picked up earlier that morning from the hotel, however, at the office they were put on a different bus tour. Ooppss, but let me tell you those couple of minutes that everyone had to wait for us was totally worth it. This bakery can give Carlo's bakery a run for their money.
Back on the road heading into Napa Valley for our next tasting. This time we were brought outside to see the grapes growing and learn more about how the crops are grown. We were then poured a second glass of wine and headed off to the barrel room where the wine is aged. Then our favorite part, back to the main store entrance for more tasting. Rob and Steph did not waste any time, they just kept refilling those glasses. After a few minutes we looked around the room and once again realized that we were the only people from our tour left. Steph began to get a little frustrated "what the hell, didn't these people pay to go on a wine tour?? Why is everyone in such a rush?". Needless to say she was not pleased to be rushed through her tasting!
We had one more stop, we were determined to not be the last ones to get on the bus but at the same time we also wanted to be sure to get the most out of this last winery. Of course they saved the best for last. This vineyard was remarkable. It looked fancy and elegant. Once again we were greeted at the door with a glass of white wine. We were then led into a large room where Mark took over. He began talking about the wine industry as he continued to pour out more samples of wines. This is when I spotted the reason for the constant rushing through the previous wineries. Not only were we among rookie winos but also a couple nonwine drinkers! Now why on earth would one sign up for a wine tour if they were not interested in drinking wine. One woman clearly could not handle her liquor and refused Mark's offer of the second wine. She soon exited the room and was found out in the lobby ordering a pizza. There were two other women (AI's) who did not even have a glass in hand. No wonder they were able to rush out of each winery so quickly!
Back to Mark, he was very proud of the business that he was in and loved to talk about it. He was informative about how the crops were grown and the steps that must be taken in order to produce the best wine. About 10 minutes into Mark's monologue, I could not help but be distracted by the two Asian girls who choose not to partake in the wine tasting festivities. I kept my eyes on them to be sure that what I was seeing was truly happening. After confirming, I quickly leaned over to Steph and Rob and told them to check these girls out. While everyone was sitting around the outside of an oversized dining room table listening to Mark preach about how this vineyard only produces the most high quality wines, these two girls were having their own individual photo shoot. Now you may be thinking that we cannot criticize these girls too much because indeed one of the members in our group is known for her late night photo shoots. However, she did assure us that hers have never and will never occur in public like the ones that we were seeing before our very own eyes. Now okay I know that we have all taken our cameras and snapped a picture of ourselves or our group when no one else was available to capture the moment for you. These girls, one in particular was taking this to a whole new level. She was putting her sunglasses on and off, hair up and done, and showing the camera every facial expression imaginable. She even was rotating her body trying to find the best angle for lighting purposes. We were so intrigued by our new friend that we could not take our eyes off this self absorbed beauty. We weren't totally sure if Steph was staring because she was being entertained like Rob and I were or if she was holding herself back from running over and giving this poor girl some tips, or maybe she was even taking some mental notes and finding some new poses for the shoot that will inevitably happen this evening. Either way this was a great way to end the tour.
As we boarded the bus, Steph informed John that her luggage was back at the office because she was going to need to hail a cab and go directly to the airport to catch her 7:15 flight. The ride back to San Fran was a little over an hour and a gave us the perfect opportunity to sneak a quick nap in. Next thing I knew it was 5:15 and we were back at the Red Coat Motor Lodge. We quickly said goodbye to Steph and went back to our room to relax. In the mean time Rob had received a text message from Steph at 5:45 saying that she was only now arriving back to the office, where she left her luggage. Rob heard from her again a few minutes later saying that she was unable to flag down a cab and the number that she had was not working. I went online to see if her flight was on time and sure enough it was. I gave her a call around 6:00 and still she had no cab, she sounded very upset and said that cabs were refusing to drive her to the airport because the traffic to get there was too heavy. Rob and I jumped in the car to pick her up and try to get her to the airport that was about 20 miles away. We found her at the corner, where our tour had began that morning, with all of her luggage in tow. She quickly piled into the car and began making calls to the airport. It became clear only a few minutes into the trip to the airport that there would be no way she would make her flight. After calming down and composing herself, we tried to look on the bright side, she would get to spend an extra night with us!!!! Just then Rob also realized that we had an extra ticket to the baseball game the next day. Perfect! So Steph decided to change her flight and rather than catch the first flight the next morning, she decided to fly home the following evening....great 24 MORE HOURS!!
After this fiasco we went back to the room to freshen up and the made our way down to the famous Fishermen's Wharf. We window shopped and walked along the piers looking for a place to eat dinner. We passed by many street vendors who were selling fresh clam chowder soup in bread bowls and fresh crab legs. After viewing many different menus we decided on a place called Nonnative Rose Trattoria. We sat outside under ceiling heaters and watched the crowds of people walking by. Steph had her first bowl of clam chowder and fell in love! The rest of us also enjoyed our food. We walked around the piers a little more after dinner, but after such a long day we decided to head back to the room and get a good night sleep. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Today was going to be bitter sweet, we would be spending the entire day in wine country, but on the other hand we had to say goodbye to Matt and Steph. Our day started off bright and early, when we were picked up by John at 8:15 sharp. We were a little concerned when we met John because he was anything but friendly. We were really hoping that John was just the shuttle driver and not going to be our tour guide as well. We got to the office, checked in, and reported to the orange bus. Steph of course was on her A game and jetted off to the nearest coffee shop while we were waiting for the others to check in. After everyone boarded our bus the last person to enter was our tour guide - John. Although John does need to work on his public speaking skills and maybe even some social skills as well, he sure did know an immense amount of information about San Fran, wine country, and wine making. Steph concluded that he was probably saving his voice during the hotel pick up's for his big performance on the hour long drive to Napa Valley. John did a lot of talking but it was hard for us to recall everything that he said because the combination of John's sweet tone in his voice and the fact that it was still early put us right to sleep.
The first winery we stopped at welcomed us with a glass of white wine. We were only at this stop for about 45 minutes, we tasted several different wines, browsed the gift shop and purchased some goodies.
The next stop was Huntsville, here we were given an hour and a half to shop and grab lunch. When we exited the bus we admired our surroundings, it was absolutely beautiful. We choose to eat at Pacific Blues Cafe. This restaurant was nicely decorated and had the option of sitting outside on the porch. With this is mind and also the fact that it was one of the first restaurants we saw as we departed from the bus (we were starving we did not eat breakfast!) we were sold. This ended being up a fantastic choice, the food was delicious and the wine was excellent. On the way in to this outdoor shopping center we saw a huge line forming outside of a bakery. We did not recognize the name of this bakery and had no idea what they even sold but by the looks of the line and the amount of people surrounding this tiny bakery, we knew it had to be good. We paid for our meal and quickly walked over to where the crowd was standing in a line. It was called Bouchon Bakery, we anxiously awaited our turn and tried our hardest to sneak a peak at what was inside and what we were actually in line for. When we finally got inside, we were certainly not disappointed. The smell was incredible and there were so many different pastries to choose from. We made our decisions and began to walk back to the bus. By this point we were running a couple of minutes behind schedule, however, we saw two other people from our bus still waiting in the bakery line, "at least we won't be the last ones back" we thought. We gingerly approached the bus, only to find a full bus of faces looking our way. The bus driver did a final count, shut the door, and we were off. We realized that the people we recognized on the bakery line were ones that we had picked up earlier that morning from the hotel, however, at the office they were put on a different bus tour. Ooppss, but let me tell you those couple of minutes that everyone had to wait for us was totally worth it. This bakery can give Carlo's bakery a run for their money.
Back on the road heading into Napa Valley for our next tasting. This time we were brought outside to see the grapes growing and learn more about how the crops are grown. We were then poured a second glass of wine and headed off to the barrel room where the wine is aged. Then our favorite part, back to the main store entrance for more tasting. Rob and Steph did not waste any time, they just kept refilling those glasses. After a few minutes we looked around the room and once again realized that we were the only people from our tour left. Steph began to get a little frustrated "what the hell, didn't these people pay to go on a wine tour?? Why is everyone in such a rush?". Needless to say she was not pleased to be rushed through her tasting!
We had one more stop, we were determined to not be the last ones to get on the bus but at the same time we also wanted to be sure to get the most out of this last winery. Of course they saved the best for last. This vineyard was remarkable. It looked fancy and elegant. Once again we were greeted at the door with a glass of white wine. We were then led into a large room where Mark took over. He began talking about the wine industry as he continued to pour out more samples of wines. This is when I spotted the reason for the constant rushing through the previous wineries. Not only were we among rookie winos but also a couple nonwine drinkers! Now why on earth would one sign up for a wine tour if they were not interested in drinking wine. One woman clearly could not handle her liquor and refused Mark's offer of the second wine. She soon exited the room and was found out in the lobby ordering a pizza. There were two other women (AI's) who did not even have a glass in hand. No wonder they were able to rush out of each winery so quickly!
Back to Mark, he was very proud of the business that he was in and loved to talk about it. He was informative about how the crops were grown and the steps that must be taken in order to produce the best wine. About 10 minutes into Mark's monologue, I could not help but be distracted by the two Asian girls who choose not to partake in the wine tasting festivities. I kept my eyes on them to be sure that what I was seeing was truly happening. After confirming, I quickly leaned over to Steph and Rob and told them to check these girls out. While everyone was sitting around the outside of an oversized dining room table listening to Mark preach about how this vineyard only produces the most high quality wines, these two girls were having their own individual photo shoot. Now you may be thinking that we cannot criticize these girls too much because indeed one of the members in our group is known for her late night photo shoots. However, she did assure us that hers have never and will never occur in public like the ones that we were seeing before our very own eyes. Now okay I know that we have all taken our cameras and snapped a picture of ourselves or our group when no one else was available to capture the moment for you. These girls, one in particular was taking this to a whole new level. She was putting her sunglasses on and off, hair up and done, and showing the camera every facial expression imaginable. She even was rotating her body trying to find the best angle for lighting purposes. We were so intrigued by our new friend that we could not take our eyes off this self absorbed beauty. We weren't totally sure if Steph was staring because she was being entertained like Rob and I were or if she was holding herself back from running over and giving this poor girl some tips, or maybe she was even taking some mental notes and finding some new poses for the shoot that will inevitably happen this evening. Either way this was a great way to end the tour.
As we boarded the bus, Steph informed John that her luggage was back at the office because she was going to need to hail a cab and go directly to the airport to catch her 7:15 flight. The ride back to San Fran was a little over an hour and a gave us the perfect opportunity to sneak a quick nap in. Next thing I knew it was 5:15 and we were back at the Red Coat Motor Lodge. We quickly said goodbye to Steph and went back to our room to relax. In the mean time Rob had received a text message from Steph at 5:45 saying that she was only now arriving back to the office, where she left her luggage. Rob heard from her again a few minutes later saying that she was unable to flag down a cab and the number that she had was not working. I went online to see if her flight was on time and sure enough it was. I gave her a call around 6:00 and still she had no cab, she sounded very upset and said that cabs were refusing to drive her to the airport because the traffic to get there was too heavy. Rob and I jumped in the car to pick her up and try to get her to the airport that was about 20 miles away. We found her at the corner, where our tour had began that morning, with all of her luggage in tow. She quickly piled into the car and began making calls to the airport. It became clear only a few minutes into the trip to the airport that there would be no way she would make her flight. After calming down and composing herself, we tried to look on the bright side, she would get to spend an extra night with us!!!! Just then Rob also realized that we had an extra ticket to the baseball game the next day. Perfect! So Steph decided to change her flight and rather than catch the first flight the next morning, she decided to fly home the following evening....great 24 MORE HOURS!!
After this fiasco we went back to the room to freshen up and the made our way down to the famous Fishermen's Wharf. We window shopped and walked along the piers looking for a place to eat dinner. We passed by many street vendors who were selling fresh clam chowder soup in bread bowls and fresh crab legs. After viewing many different menus we decided on a place called Nonnative Rose Trattoria. We sat outside under ceiling heaters and watched the crowds of people walking by. Steph had her first bowl of clam chowder and fell in love! The rest of us also enjoyed our food. We walked around the piers a little more after dinner, but after such a long day we decided to head back to the room and get a good night sleep. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Day 14
Day fourteen, July 22, 2011
We were originally suppose to leave LA very early Friday morning because we had a ten hour drive (at least) to San Diego. Plus we quickly learned that no matter where or when you go somewhere in LA, you will sit in so much traffic that it is actually easy to forget you are on a highway because often times the roads resemble a parking lot. It is the first time I have ever seen traffic that makes New York City rush hour traffic look like nothing. However, the night before we found a brochure for a tour of the Warner Brothers set where you come into contact with live sets (basically another opportunity to see celebs!!!) so I was all for it. We choose to extend our stay in LA a little longer in order to make time to squeeze this tour in, even though that meant we would not arrive to San Diego until at least midnight.
During this tour we went "behind the scenes" of the world's busiest motion picture and television studio. We were going to be surrounded by actual filming and production among yesterday's and today's most famous sets, stages, props, costumes, crafts, and special effects. It began in a small theatre where we watched a 10 minute clip that showcased some of WB's best motion pictures and television series. From there we boarded the shuttle. Our photographer became Andrew's (our tour guides) co-pilot. Matt, Steph, and I sat in the first row right behind them. Before be inning the tour, Andrew reminded us that "this is real Hollywood at work and because nothing is staged, there is no telling what, or WHO, we may encounter!" That was all I needed to hear, I studied every car and every person that passed our cart - I was determined to find a celebrity!
And we were off, our first stop, the only backlot jungle in the country. Movies like Jurassic Park, The Last Samurai, and Million Dollar Baby were filmed here. Most recently this set is the home of many scenes from the HBO series True Blood. We saw the streets, homes, and sets where many famous TV series have been shot, including the park that Rachel and Phoebe (from Friends) jogged in during the episode where Rachel tried to ditch her new spastic jogging partner as well as the park where Ross played Rugby in the hopes to I press his new girlfriend. We also saw the street that Charlie ran down in a drunken stopper when filming an episode of Two and a Half Men. Other shows that have shot in these streets are West Wing, ER, Chuck, and Gilmore Girls. There was a series, Pretty Little Liars, that was being filmed in one of the sound rooms while we were there. Sadly it was a closed set and all of the actors and actresses were already inside - still no celeb!
Next it was time to get off the cart and walk around one of the sets. Andrew explained how one set can be used in many ways and for many different movies. While we were walking back to the cart, Steph over heard security telling another member of the tour that Brad Pitt was here filming a few weeks ago and was talking to some of the groups on tour!! I was now convinced that by the end of this 2 1/2 hour tour that for sure I would be a celeb. We continued to drive around the grounds and saw the sets of many more movies.
We also visited the prop library, which houses millions of miscellaneous props. This massive 3 floor building had anything you can ever imagine from furniture to art work to a set of plates and silverware from every time period imaginable. Andrew explained to us that movie directors and producers from all over come here to "rent" or buy these objects for their movies. Here we saw props that were used in Inception and Two and a Half Men. We ended this section by walking into a set that was once a live, working set but has now been retired - it was the set of Central Perk!! The coffee house from Friends!
Now we squeezed (yes Matt, Steph and I have been sitting in a row that was really meant for 2 this entire tour so it was a little tight) back into the cart, next stop the WB museum. This museum held artifacts and costumes from some of the most famous films. The top floor was decided solely to Harry Potter. Matt, being a huge fan of Harry Potter, enjoyed this section the most. He was amazed at the detail that was put into all of the costumes. Steph and I spent most of our time on the first floor, even though we did venture upstairs for a few minutes. I mean it was cool but I guess we really did not appreciate it as much as others because neither of us have really ever been interested in Harry Potter. Out favorite part was the Batman costumes and the outfits from Inception.
Now I knew the tour was coming to an end and still no celebrity so I knew as I boarded the cart that this may be my last opportunity. I leaned over to Steph to make sure that she was checking inside all of the cars that were driving past and she assured me that she has not seen anything yet. We headed back to main entrance and to my dismay we never saw a star. I was a little upset but the tour was still worth it. After the tour, Rob decided that a place like this most likely would be in need of an engineer. This is when it came to me, I definitely missed my calling. I need to move to LA and work in the movie business, of course not in the actual. Oviedo but behind the scenes because I was definitely meant to be around celebrities! Then I could worm as a seat filler on the side when the Oscar's come into town! Agh a girl can dream!
Immediately after the tour we headed to the car, filled up on gas, grabbed a quick bite, and we were back on the road, this time for a little longer than we had hoped but we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up for the tour and it was totally worth it. The drive started off a little rocky, as I mentioned earlier the traffic is out of control. We sat in bumper to bumper traffic for what seemed to be forever. The only thing we kept thinking is that we are going to be driving all night. We made our way to Route 1, the highway that runs along the coast of California. We saw the most amazing views of the Pacific Ocean crashing on the coast. We captured a few pictures before the sun set. This is about the time that we realized, for the first time, the scenic bi-ways and highways did not really tell us the whole truth. Although this highway is beautiful, we wish that we could have been informed that it is not a great road to drive on night. This highway took us up and down the mountains and around several hairpin turns. Jeff was behind the wheel so we all felt safe, well most of us. Matt had some difficulty with this part of the trip. His fear of heights got the best of him. His palms began to sweat, he started to get very hot, and his stomach was not feeling too well. Rob assured him that we were fine but he just could not wait until we were off of that highway. The rest of this trip was very uneventful because we were all so tired and just could not wait to get to the hotel.
Finally, around 12:30 we arrived at the Red Motor Lodge Hotel in San Fran. It was a good thing that we were all very tired because I think we may have had some difficulties falling asleep in this sweet establishment. Let's just say that it was a slight step down from the Hampton's and Embassy Suit's that we had been accustomed. This hotel was sketchy with a capital S!! First the parking, the AI told us that we had to take our bubble off because she could not see the elevator door beyond our car. Of course I to,d her that this would not be possible so she gave me directions to a parking garage below. However, we had to tell her when the car was there because she had to open the garage. Then we had to also push a button that was connected to the "front desk" in order to use the elevator. The room was pretty standard for a motel, minus the fact that you could not take the remote into bed with you because it was bolted down to the desk. We did hear lots and lots of sirens and screams from outside, but luckily we were all too tired to care plus we knew tomorrow was going to be an early morning.
Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
We were originally suppose to leave LA very early Friday morning because we had a ten hour drive (at least) to San Diego. Plus we quickly learned that no matter where or when you go somewhere in LA, you will sit in so much traffic that it is actually easy to forget you are on a highway because often times the roads resemble a parking lot. It is the first time I have ever seen traffic that makes New York City rush hour traffic look like nothing. However, the night before we found a brochure for a tour of the Warner Brothers set where you come into contact with live sets (basically another opportunity to see celebs!!!) so I was all for it. We choose to extend our stay in LA a little longer in order to make time to squeeze this tour in, even though that meant we would not arrive to San Diego until at least midnight.
During this tour we went "behind the scenes" of the world's busiest motion picture and television studio. We were going to be surrounded by actual filming and production among yesterday's and today's most famous sets, stages, props, costumes, crafts, and special effects. It began in a small theatre where we watched a 10 minute clip that showcased some of WB's best motion pictures and television series. From there we boarded the shuttle. Our photographer became Andrew's (our tour guides) co-pilot. Matt, Steph, and I sat in the first row right behind them. Before be inning the tour, Andrew reminded us that "this is real Hollywood at work and because nothing is staged, there is no telling what, or WHO, we may encounter!" That was all I needed to hear, I studied every car and every person that passed our cart - I was determined to find a celebrity!
And we were off, our first stop, the only backlot jungle in the country. Movies like Jurassic Park, The Last Samurai, and Million Dollar Baby were filmed here. Most recently this set is the home of many scenes from the HBO series True Blood. We saw the streets, homes, and sets where many famous TV series have been shot, including the park that Rachel and Phoebe (from Friends) jogged in during the episode where Rachel tried to ditch her new spastic jogging partner as well as the park where Ross played Rugby in the hopes to I press his new girlfriend. We also saw the street that Charlie ran down in a drunken stopper when filming an episode of Two and a Half Men. Other shows that have shot in these streets are West Wing, ER, Chuck, and Gilmore Girls. There was a series, Pretty Little Liars, that was being filmed in one of the sound rooms while we were there. Sadly it was a closed set and all of the actors and actresses were already inside - still no celeb!
Next it was time to get off the cart and walk around one of the sets. Andrew explained how one set can be used in many ways and for many different movies. While we were walking back to the cart, Steph over heard security telling another member of the tour that Brad Pitt was here filming a few weeks ago and was talking to some of the groups on tour!! I was now convinced that by the end of this 2 1/2 hour tour that for sure I would be a celeb. We continued to drive around the grounds and saw the sets of many more movies.
We also visited the prop library, which houses millions of miscellaneous props. This massive 3 floor building had anything you can ever imagine from furniture to art work to a set of plates and silverware from every time period imaginable. Andrew explained to us that movie directors and producers from all over come here to "rent" or buy these objects for their movies. Here we saw props that were used in Inception and Two and a Half Men. We ended this section by walking into a set that was once a live, working set but has now been retired - it was the set of Central Perk!! The coffee house from Friends!
Now we squeezed (yes Matt, Steph and I have been sitting in a row that was really meant for 2 this entire tour so it was a little tight) back into the cart, next stop the WB museum. This museum held artifacts and costumes from some of the most famous films. The top floor was decided solely to Harry Potter. Matt, being a huge fan of Harry Potter, enjoyed this section the most. He was amazed at the detail that was put into all of the costumes. Steph and I spent most of our time on the first floor, even though we did venture upstairs for a few minutes. I mean it was cool but I guess we really did not appreciate it as much as others because neither of us have really ever been interested in Harry Potter. Out favorite part was the Batman costumes and the outfits from Inception.
Now I knew the tour was coming to an end and still no celebrity so I knew as I boarded the cart that this may be my last opportunity. I leaned over to Steph to make sure that she was checking inside all of the cars that were driving past and she assured me that she has not seen anything yet. We headed back to main entrance and to my dismay we never saw a star. I was a little upset but the tour was still worth it. After the tour, Rob decided that a place like this most likely would be in need of an engineer. This is when it came to me, I definitely missed my calling. I need to move to LA and work in the movie business, of course not in the actual. Oviedo but behind the scenes because I was definitely meant to be around celebrities! Then I could worm as a seat filler on the side when the Oscar's come into town! Agh a girl can dream!
Immediately after the tour we headed to the car, filled up on gas, grabbed a quick bite, and we were back on the road, this time for a little longer than we had hoped but we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up for the tour and it was totally worth it. The drive started off a little rocky, as I mentioned earlier the traffic is out of control. We sat in bumper to bumper traffic for what seemed to be forever. The only thing we kept thinking is that we are going to be driving all night. We made our way to Route 1, the highway that runs along the coast of California. We saw the most amazing views of the Pacific Ocean crashing on the coast. We captured a few pictures before the sun set. This is about the time that we realized, for the first time, the scenic bi-ways and highways did not really tell us the whole truth. Although this highway is beautiful, we wish that we could have been informed that it is not a great road to drive on night. This highway took us up and down the mountains and around several hairpin turns. Jeff was behind the wheel so we all felt safe, well most of us. Matt had some difficulty with this part of the trip. His fear of heights got the best of him. His palms began to sweat, he started to get very hot, and his stomach was not feeling too well. Rob assured him that we were fine but he just could not wait until we were off of that highway. The rest of this trip was very uneventful because we were all so tired and just could not wait to get to the hotel.
Finally, around 12:30 we arrived at the Red Motor Lodge Hotel in San Fran. It was a good thing that we were all very tired because I think we may have had some difficulties falling asleep in this sweet establishment. Let's just say that it was a slight step down from the Hampton's and Embassy Suit's that we had been accustomed. This hotel was sketchy with a capital S!! First the parking, the AI told us that we had to take our bubble off because she could not see the elevator door beyond our car. Of course I to,d her that this would not be possible so she gave me directions to a parking garage below. However, we had to tell her when the car was there because she had to open the garage. Then we had to also push a button that was connected to the "front desk" in order to use the elevator. The room was pretty standard for a motel, minus the fact that you could not take the remote into bed with you because it was bolted down to the desk. We did hear lots and lots of sirens and screams from outside, but luckily we were all too tired to care plus we knew tomorrow was going to be an early morning.
Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Day 13
Day thirteen, July 21, 2011
In order to get the most out of LA in the little time that we had there, we all decided that it would be best to take a guided tour of the city to ensure that we hit all of the hot spots. Doug, our tour guide was full of information about the city but also a jokester, we knew this tour would now be worth it! Our first stop was in the middle of LA at a small park where we were able to get a good view of LA's "sky line" which after seeing NYC's was a little below par. We took pictures next to fountains and monuments and headed back to the tour bus. Not before our photographer captured some close ups of various flowers, a true favorite of his. I swear his room is going to be filled with portraits of flowers when he returns home.
Our next stop was Griffith Park. Here we were able to see the famous white letters up on the mountain that spelled out Hollywood. We walked around and then headed back to the bus, but to our surprise, it was locked up and empty. There was no sign of Dougy! We weren't sure what to do! Do we call the tour company? Do we try to break into the van and see if he was taking a nap in the back seat? I thought he grabbed the iPad and made a run for it. All of a sudden, five minutes after meeting time, Dougy came huffing and puffing up the hill. "Sorry guys, I forgot that however long it takes to get up the mountain will be the same time it takes to get down!". We piled in the bus and Dougy began driving on his merry way until he suddenly slowed up next to a blonde woman jogging and yelled "anyone famous?". I basically jumped up out my seat and was ready to retreat the bus when I sadly realized that I was not in the presence of a celeb. But from this time on I had my eyes peeled.
The Chinese theatre and Hollywood walk of fame was our next stop. Here we walked along the sidewalks in search of our favorite celebs' stars. At the Chinese Theatre we put our hands and feet inside the stars prints. This street is also the home of the famous Kodak Theatre where the Oscars are held. Back in the car again, we were on our way to the Farmer's Market where Doug said celebs are spotted all the time. Just at that moment our Canadian friends, who were in the bus with us, interjected by saying that they had spent the previous day there and had seen Mario Lopez in the middle of the shopping center filming Extra! Of course the moment the bus stopped, I was off to find AC Slater. I spotted him right away and made my way over to him, trying to get as close as possible. He was in the middle of shooting a clip for Extra that will be aired on August 4th! I could not believe how normal he looked, very very cute (especially when he would mess up his line and he would laugh - his dimples were a killer!), but still just like an ordinary person. Although he did have layers of makeup on and several bright lights shinning on him. After a few minutes he looked at the crowd surrounding him and told us that when he turned around to give out shirts we should all scream and yell. This did take a few shots because some star hungry individuals continued to try to get their 5 seconds of fame by waving and jumping up and down in the back of the crowd in hopes to be seen on camera even after being instructed not to. I really can't complain though because we did get to see Mario longer. After he was done filming he began to walk away and yelled that he would be right back. Just then he turned and began walking towards the shops, I made a bee line to where I assumed he was headed and sure enough, next thing I knew, Mario was standing beside me. I froze, mid step, didn't say hello, didn't smile, didn't tell him that I love him - I just froze! In the mean time some of the camera crew men began throwing out the rest of the t-shirts, Rob was all over it and snagged one right out of the air.
After meeting our second celeb (please recall Jona from Norway) we headed to the food section of the Farmer's Market and stuffed our faces, seeing as we only had a little bit of time before we needed to head back to Doug. The food we ate was amazing and then we even topped it off with some locally baked donuts and old fashioned made ice cream mmmmm! I learned to not ask Rob if he wants to "try" something of mine, because before I knew it, my ice cream was scrapped clean!
Now we were off to the good stuff - Rodeo Drive, Beverely Hills, and Bel air. The brochure that we picked up in the lobby for this tour said that would be seeing 40 celebrity homes including The Playboy Mansion, Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, MJ, David Beckham and more. Steph and I were psyched to be able to see celebs REAL homes! We were hoping to catch a glimpse at a few of them as they were going about their lives as well. As we began to crawl through the affluent towns, Dougy began pointing out houses that certain celebrities "used to live in". Dougy, we don't CARE about "used to be's" we went the NOWS!! We saw a few homes of popular celebs such as Stevie Nicks, the cheating wh*re (aka Angelina Jolie), the actress who played Princess Lea,and Steven Lawrence. We were able to see most of the actual houses when we drove by but when we reached the big guys, it became a different story. MJ's old house was completely surrounded by twelve foot bushes and a concrete sliding door. In front of his driveway was a bouncer looking man parked in his car making sure no one disrupted the late King of Pop's previous home. Right across the street from MJ was Snoop D-O-double G's old residence. As we continued along, we passed Elvis, Tony Curtis, and Frank Sinatra's old homes.
Next came the biggest establishment of all, Hugh Heffner's Playboy Mansion! I was so excited to get a glimpse of this monument but once again all we could see were bushes, trees and concrete walls! WTF!? We paid $60 a piece to not see famous houses! Dougy, we want front doors and windows, not shrubbery and concrete walls! Letting me down Dougy, letting me down! A few more we got to see included the following: Kim Heffner's, Liz Taylor's, the Hilton's and the Spelling's. Since Aaron Spelling recently passed away, RIP, they were preparing the house to be sold so the concrete door was open and we were able to get a sneak peek of that house. The final house we saw is a very well known house, seen on TV for years and years, this house belonged to Will Smith's uncle, Phillip Banks! We saw the FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR house!! It looked a lot smaller than it appeared on TV but whatevs, it brought back fond childhood memories.
After our unsuccessful celebrity house tour, we headed back to the hotel just in time to make it to the Laugh Factory! We saw three comedians that night, the first is a mystery, the second was Eric Griffen from Workaholics and the last was TIM ALLEN! (I hope I don't need to site what movies, shows, etc he starred in. If it was necessary, then I have one piece of advice for you, CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER THE ROCK YOU ARE LIVING UNDER!). I can't say that any of us have laughed that much in such short period of time (with the exception of reading the blogs!). The tickets were cheap but they got you good with the two drink minimum. The drinks cost as much as the tickets, but they didn't let us down, they were delicious!
After wiping away our tears from laughing so much, we headed down to the Santa Monica Piers. Here is where the historical Route 66 ends. Also where Forest Gump ran to during his marathon across the country. The pier was pretty standard, funnel cake, pizza, burgers, a few rides and some arcades. We even got to see some seals while look t into the water! It was a chilly night by the ocean front so we didn't stay for too long. It was about 11:30 and we were all getting tired. We thought that the infants and toddlers that the fishermen and women had out at this time should have been getting tired as well, but apparently the parents thought fishing was more important.
We finally made it back to the hotel and all passed out in a matter of minutes after a long, fun day! Peace, love, and happiness, The Nomads!
Wait, one minute, after falling into a deep slumber, we and probably about three rooms to either side of us, were rudely awoken at approximately 3 am pacific time. A scream, yell, howl, I'm not sure what to call it, emanated from somewhere deep down inside of Matt. He somersaulted off the bed, still screaming with such terror, we seriously thought someone was attacking him. Rob and Steph quickly jumped on him, started shaking him and yelling his name until he calmed down. After the longest thirty seconds of our lives, Matt finally awoke. Huffing and puffing, he tried ti catch his breath. "Sorry guys (deep breath), I thought (deep breath), that I fell into a homeless man's bed (deep breath). And him and his buddy (deep breath) were beating me up!". I really don't know what to respond to that...we'll just leave it at that, you guys come up with your own responses. This is something we will forget, even after we die.
In order to get the most out of LA in the little time that we had there, we all decided that it would be best to take a guided tour of the city to ensure that we hit all of the hot spots. Doug, our tour guide was full of information about the city but also a jokester, we knew this tour would now be worth it! Our first stop was in the middle of LA at a small park where we were able to get a good view of LA's "sky line" which after seeing NYC's was a little below par. We took pictures next to fountains and monuments and headed back to the tour bus. Not before our photographer captured some close ups of various flowers, a true favorite of his. I swear his room is going to be filled with portraits of flowers when he returns home.
Our next stop was Griffith Park. Here we were able to see the famous white letters up on the mountain that spelled out Hollywood. We walked around and then headed back to the bus, but to our surprise, it was locked up and empty. There was no sign of Dougy! We weren't sure what to do! Do we call the tour company? Do we try to break into the van and see if he was taking a nap in the back seat? I thought he grabbed the iPad and made a run for it. All of a sudden, five minutes after meeting time, Dougy came huffing and puffing up the hill. "Sorry guys, I forgot that however long it takes to get up the mountain will be the same time it takes to get down!". We piled in the bus and Dougy began driving on his merry way until he suddenly slowed up next to a blonde woman jogging and yelled "anyone famous?". I basically jumped up out my seat and was ready to retreat the bus when I sadly realized that I was not in the presence of a celeb. But from this time on I had my eyes peeled.
The Chinese theatre and Hollywood walk of fame was our next stop. Here we walked along the sidewalks in search of our favorite celebs' stars. At the Chinese Theatre we put our hands and feet inside the stars prints. This street is also the home of the famous Kodak Theatre where the Oscars are held. Back in the car again, we were on our way to the Farmer's Market where Doug said celebs are spotted all the time. Just at that moment our Canadian friends, who were in the bus with us, interjected by saying that they had spent the previous day there and had seen Mario Lopez in the middle of the shopping center filming Extra! Of course the moment the bus stopped, I was off to find AC Slater. I spotted him right away and made my way over to him, trying to get as close as possible. He was in the middle of shooting a clip for Extra that will be aired on August 4th! I could not believe how normal he looked, very very cute (especially when he would mess up his line and he would laugh - his dimples were a killer!), but still just like an ordinary person. Although he did have layers of makeup on and several bright lights shinning on him. After a few minutes he looked at the crowd surrounding him and told us that when he turned around to give out shirts we should all scream and yell. This did take a few shots because some star hungry individuals continued to try to get their 5 seconds of fame by waving and jumping up and down in the back of the crowd in hopes to be seen on camera even after being instructed not to. I really can't complain though because we did get to see Mario longer. After he was done filming he began to walk away and yelled that he would be right back. Just then he turned and began walking towards the shops, I made a bee line to where I assumed he was headed and sure enough, next thing I knew, Mario was standing beside me. I froze, mid step, didn't say hello, didn't smile, didn't tell him that I love him - I just froze! In the mean time some of the camera crew men began throwing out the rest of the t-shirts, Rob was all over it and snagged one right out of the air.
After meeting our second celeb (please recall Jona from Norway) we headed to the food section of the Farmer's Market and stuffed our faces, seeing as we only had a little bit of time before we needed to head back to Doug. The food we ate was amazing and then we even topped it off with some locally baked donuts and old fashioned made ice cream mmmmm! I learned to not ask Rob if he wants to "try" something of mine, because before I knew it, my ice cream was scrapped clean!
Now we were off to the good stuff - Rodeo Drive, Beverely Hills, and Bel air. The brochure that we picked up in the lobby for this tour said that would be seeing 40 celebrity homes including The Playboy Mansion, Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, MJ, David Beckham and more. Steph and I were psyched to be able to see celebs REAL homes! We were hoping to catch a glimpse at a few of them as they were going about their lives as well. As we began to crawl through the affluent towns, Dougy began pointing out houses that certain celebrities "used to live in". Dougy, we don't CARE about "used to be's" we went the NOWS!! We saw a few homes of popular celebs such as Stevie Nicks, the cheating wh*re (aka Angelina Jolie), the actress who played Princess Lea,and Steven Lawrence. We were able to see most of the actual houses when we drove by but when we reached the big guys, it became a different story. MJ's old house was completely surrounded by twelve foot bushes and a concrete sliding door. In front of his driveway was a bouncer looking man parked in his car making sure no one disrupted the late King of Pop's previous home. Right across the street from MJ was Snoop D-O-double G's old residence. As we continued along, we passed Elvis, Tony Curtis, and Frank Sinatra's old homes.
Next came the biggest establishment of all, Hugh Heffner's Playboy Mansion! I was so excited to get a glimpse of this monument but once again all we could see were bushes, trees and concrete walls! WTF!? We paid $60 a piece to not see famous houses! Dougy, we want front doors and windows, not shrubbery and concrete walls! Letting me down Dougy, letting me down! A few more we got to see included the following: Kim Heffner's, Liz Taylor's, the Hilton's and the Spelling's. Since Aaron Spelling recently passed away, RIP, they were preparing the house to be sold so the concrete door was open and we were able to get a sneak peek of that house. The final house we saw is a very well known house, seen on TV for years and years, this house belonged to Will Smith's uncle, Phillip Banks! We saw the FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR house!! It looked a lot smaller than it appeared on TV but whatevs, it brought back fond childhood memories.
After our unsuccessful celebrity house tour, we headed back to the hotel just in time to make it to the Laugh Factory! We saw three comedians that night, the first is a mystery, the second was Eric Griffen from Workaholics and the last was TIM ALLEN! (I hope I don't need to site what movies, shows, etc he starred in. If it was necessary, then I have one piece of advice for you, CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER THE ROCK YOU ARE LIVING UNDER!). I can't say that any of us have laughed that much in such short period of time (with the exception of reading the blogs!). The tickets were cheap but they got you good with the two drink minimum. The drinks cost as much as the tickets, but they didn't let us down, they were delicious!
After wiping away our tears from laughing so much, we headed down to the Santa Monica Piers. Here is where the historical Route 66 ends. Also where Forest Gump ran to during his marathon across the country. The pier was pretty standard, funnel cake, pizza, burgers, a few rides and some arcades. We even got to see some seals while look t into the water! It was a chilly night by the ocean front so we didn't stay for too long. It was about 11:30 and we were all getting tired. We thought that the infants and toddlers that the fishermen and women had out at this time should have been getting tired as well, but apparently the parents thought fishing was more important.
We finally made it back to the hotel and all passed out in a matter of minutes after a long, fun day! Peace, love, and happiness, The Nomads!
Wait, one minute, after falling into a deep slumber, we and probably about three rooms to either side of us, were rudely awoken at approximately 3 am pacific time. A scream, yell, howl, I'm not sure what to call it, emanated from somewhere deep down inside of Matt. He somersaulted off the bed, still screaming with such terror, we seriously thought someone was attacking him. Rob and Steph quickly jumped on him, started shaking him and yelling his name until he calmed down. After the longest thirty seconds of our lives, Matt finally awoke. Huffing and puffing, he tried ti catch his breath. "Sorry guys (deep breath), I thought (deep breath), that I fell into a homeless man's bed (deep breath). And him and his buddy (deep breath) were beating me up!". I really don't know what to respond to that...we'll just leave it at that, you guys come up with your own responses. This is something we will forget, even after we die.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Day twleve
Day twelve, July 20, 2011
I gotta say, hotel hopping is not as fun as bar hopping, hence why we all enjoyed being able to stay a few nights in Vegas! Three lovely nights and it's time to hit the state furthest west of the contiguous states. We should have all been dressed in black considering it was a day of mourning. Yes, mourning, because I was leaving my boyfriend after only two full days. Vegas, I can't promise I won't cheat on you but just know you will always be number one in my heart, even though you emptied our pockets.
During our trip to Cali we discussed where our next destination would be. Originally we were suppose to head to LA but then discussed changing our route and heading to San Diego for the afternoon. We debated and voted on what to do. LA was much closer but Matt had his heart set on visiting the San Diego Zoo. Majority rules in favor of LA but the look of disappointment on Bakes' face made us all cave and we were off to San Diego. Even though the tickets to look at a bunch of caged and sometimes smelly animals cost $40 we read the reviews and decided that it would be worth our while to make the trip. We stopped for a quick bite and 6 hours later were pulling up to the largest zoo in the country. We were very pleased to see that along with admission to the zoo, our tickets also included a guided tram ride around the perimeter of 70% of the zoo and one ride on the sky lift. As soon as we walked into the zoo we took advantage of the guided tram ride. We saw a variety of animals including zebra, elephants, lions, bears, giraffes, and even polar bears. We thought it would be a splendid idea to sit up top seeing as it was open and would make for better pictures. Clearly, we were zoo amateurs and the trees got in the way the majority of the time. Duh! That's like fifth grade science, the higher up the tree you go, the more vegetation there is because there is more sun. Oh well, next time we decide to spend an arm and a leg on the zoo we'll know how to get our money's worth. We spent the next few hours walking around exploring the zoo and viewing a variety of different animals. We decided that it would be in all of our best interests to wrap up our trip (even though we had not yet tackled the zoo at it's entirety) because we still had a few hours of driving ahead of us. Also because, I'll admit it, I was cranky. I was on and off the phone with the next hotel we would be checking in at and was losing my cool very quickly. I missed out on so many animals! We did get to seethe polar bears play, though, so that was cool! We grabbed a quick bite and were back in the car in route to Los Angeles. Bakes was wiped out from the previous nights in Vegas and fell into a deep slumber in the car (where it continued the second we walked into our room and lasted until the following morning!)
The rest of us decided that we finally needed a night to relax and organize ourselves. We spent a few hours outside by the pool and hot tub and planned out our next couple of days. Hopefully California will be a good follow up after Vegas. Pshh, who am I kidding! Not much compares to Vegas! We decided to make this one a short one after the novel of Vegas. Peace, love, an happiness, The Nomads!
I gotta say, hotel hopping is not as fun as bar hopping, hence why we all enjoyed being able to stay a few nights in Vegas! Three lovely nights and it's time to hit the state furthest west of the contiguous states. We should have all been dressed in black considering it was a day of mourning. Yes, mourning, because I was leaving my boyfriend after only two full days. Vegas, I can't promise I won't cheat on you but just know you will always be number one in my heart, even though you emptied our pockets.
During our trip to Cali we discussed where our next destination would be. Originally we were suppose to head to LA but then discussed changing our route and heading to San Diego for the afternoon. We debated and voted on what to do. LA was much closer but Matt had his heart set on visiting the San Diego Zoo. Majority rules in favor of LA but the look of disappointment on Bakes' face made us all cave and we were off to San Diego. Even though the tickets to look at a bunch of caged and sometimes smelly animals cost $40 we read the reviews and decided that it would be worth our while to make the trip. We stopped for a quick bite and 6 hours later were pulling up to the largest zoo in the country. We were very pleased to see that along with admission to the zoo, our tickets also included a guided tram ride around the perimeter of 70% of the zoo and one ride on the sky lift. As soon as we walked into the zoo we took advantage of the guided tram ride. We saw a variety of animals including zebra, elephants, lions, bears, giraffes, and even polar bears. We thought it would be a splendid idea to sit up top seeing as it was open and would make for better pictures. Clearly, we were zoo amateurs and the trees got in the way the majority of the time. Duh! That's like fifth grade science, the higher up the tree you go, the more vegetation there is because there is more sun. Oh well, next time we decide to spend an arm and a leg on the zoo we'll know how to get our money's worth. We spent the next few hours walking around exploring the zoo and viewing a variety of different animals. We decided that it would be in all of our best interests to wrap up our trip (even though we had not yet tackled the zoo at it's entirety) because we still had a few hours of driving ahead of us. Also because, I'll admit it, I was cranky. I was on and off the phone with the next hotel we would be checking in at and was losing my cool very quickly. I missed out on so many animals! We did get to seethe polar bears play, though, so that was cool! We grabbed a quick bite and were back in the car in route to Los Angeles. Bakes was wiped out from the previous nights in Vegas and fell into a deep slumber in the car (where it continued the second we walked into our room and lasted until the following morning!)
The rest of us decided that we finally needed a night to relax and organize ourselves. We spent a few hours outside by the pool and hot tub and planned out our next couple of days. Hopefully California will be a good follow up after Vegas. Pshh, who am I kidding! Not much compares to Vegas! We decided to make this one a short one after the novel of Vegas. Peace, love, an happiness, The Nomads!
Day eleven
Day eleven, July 19, 2011
Wow, I think I'm really beginning to understand writers block! I'm stumped on how to begin this blog! Maybe my nostalgia is getting in the way. =\. Only forty-eight precious more hours with the Nomads and then back to reality.
Anyway, after opening the blackout shades (thank you Vegas) we forced ourselves up to begin the adventures of the second full day in Sin City. We began our trip by visiting the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. It is located in a very odd area after all of the "new" Vegas had been built. We attempted to have our picture taken all together but apparently Jeffrita thought we traveled all the way to Vegas to have only half of the sign in the background of our picture. Again, poor job on our part choosing a photographer. We decided that from there on out, the only people we'd even consider taking our picture must be holding a camera worth $600 or more. None of this handheld or disposable crap. Our photographer doesn't fool around so neither should any of the people who are blessed enough to capture such beauties. Oh shush! Everyone can be full of themselves sometimes, it's not my fault God put us to the top of his list. ;-)
Next stop, the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop! Pawn Stars ring a bell? You betcha! We wandered on over to the "old" Las Vegas to check out the location of one History Channel's top shows! We actually went at the perfect time, Rick, the owner, was being interviewed by the local news right in the store!! Unfortunately we couldn't get too close but we may have made the news! The store had awesome antiques and present day artifacts as well. There was an unopened album by the Beatles, Yesterday and Today, selling for two grand. Even though that's pocket change to this baller, I decided to let someone else have a go around with it. :) Jen and I decided that the next trip we take to Vegas, we are going to bring our Barbie dolls with us and sell them to Gold and Silver and then go crazy in Vegas! There were even trolls there! I couldn't believe that if we had kept the majority of our childhood toys, we could have made bank! After Matt made his biggest purchase of the trip, a watch made by Omega, the official watch of James Bond, we were ready for some grub!
The Wynn's buffet was the most magnificent thing I've seen since sliced bread! This place had the following stations: soup, salad, pizza, pasta, meat, sushi, seafood, vegetarian, cheese and spreads, Indian, asian, and last but not least, an entire room dedicated to desserts. My mouth was watering as we patiently awaited for Jesus to take our beverage order. Coincidence that his name was Jesus, I think not! We think Grandma and Grandpa sent him to watch over us and make sure our stomachs didn't explode! The Wynn did not know what was coming for them when the Amos family walked through their doors. Between the four of us, we put a good dent in each station. We hung out for a little bit in order to settle our stomachs before tackling the remainder of the casinos and hotels we haven't yet seen. Jen, Rob, and myself waited for Matt to return from the bathroom but we could no longer bare to wait after being crop dusted! We choked our way out of there and weren't sure if an employee should be warned to evacuate the northeast dining room! There is no way that smell would have been okay with the department of health. No wonder why the bathrooms were so roomy and private! I guess Jesus was so focused on our stomachs that he neglected to keep an eye on someone else's colon.
The roulette table was calling Jen's name so we went over with high hopes. Hmm, maybe in Vegas you should always approach something with low hopes so whatever the outcome is you won't be crushed. Jen was up and down for a while but finally it didn't end too well. Damn Vegas, you did us all dirty! As we were sitting there Rob mentioned a few times that he wanted to put $20 on one number. Would you believe that twice he called the number but sat back and watched instead of playing?! Of course, the dumb ball thrower had to rub it in his face and tell him that he missed out on $700. No more gambling at the Wynn for us, apparently we don't "Wynn" anything! Down the strip we went to see the elaborate decorations of each casino. We finally made it to a place we like to call home, New York, New York. We had been waiting all day for the only ride on the strip in Vegas...the roller coaster!! Maxing out at 67 mph, and dropping as high as 180 feet, with two upside down loops we were ready to be tossed around! We waited a little bit longer than necessary in order to sit in the first and second cars. Jen and I sat in the front, it was totally worth the wait. I'm almost positive we screamed and laughed the entire time. I was laughing so hard that I cried and smeared my makeup all over my face. Included in the "Family Fun Package" were two 5x7 photos, you better belive we got the action shots. If you ever need a good laugh just ask to see the photos, they are priceless. Re-ride for half the price?? H-e-double hockey sticks yeah!! That was awesome, we couldn't pass up a second time around! We hopped back on the line, screamed and laughed again and then booked it back to the car in order to make it to the hotel for a pita and hummus fix!
On the ride home, we asked ourselves if it seemed reasonable to pay $88 to ride a roller coaster... Unanimously we said no, but we're in Vegas, go big and hard or go home! To our dismay, crackers and cream cheese dip was the snack of happy hour. Oh well, we figured we'd save room for dinner anyway. After inquiring with a few places we decided on Capo's, an Italian restaurant located off the strip. We thought it'd be a good idea because we'd save some money. I plugged the destination into Delores, my GPS, and hoped she would cooperate. As we pulled into the parking lot, it seemed a little deserted. Being off the strip, we weren't too sure how safe the area was. There were a few lights on, but as we inched closer, we saw that the windows were boarded up! Susan, the front desk attendant, told me this place was an A+! You would think Susan would have known about this little riff in the road! Matt got out to go check the sign on the door. Thankfully the sign told us, they had relocated. Ok, Susan, you have one more chance to redeem yourself. A few miles up the road we spotted Capo's and to our advantage, there was a sign reading "2 for 1 Tuesdays!". Wow, Susan, you nailed it!! A+ for you, little lady!
We pulled into the parking lot and were about to snag a primetime spot but realized it had "valet only" painted in front of it. We opted for the spot across the way. Oddly, the entrance to this establishment was at the rear of the building...weird, but we went with it. As we entered there was a murky feeling lurking around us. The waiting room we walked into was painted red with pictures frames every which way you turned. Straight ahead was a door with a hand written note requesting that we "Ring the bell to enter" and to the right was a pay phone. What in the world is going on?! First a boarded up restaurant with an address to the "new location", now a back door entrance way with a requirement to ring the door bell?? I was shaking in my boots and reluctantly pressed the door bell. No one answered and we couldn't hear a thing! I wondered out loud if we should call the restaurant again and find out what the deal is. Suddenly, a voice begins to speak, "No, you don't have to call the man at the restaurant. I am right here". Jen and I looked like we just saw a ghost, we had no idea where the voice is coming from. I scanned the room, and jumped back as I made eye contact with a man looking through a small square in the upper right corner of the room. Just as I went to step back from the door to allow him to open it, the pay phone swung open....I forgot that Susan told me it was an Italian SPEAK EASY! Ha! That would have been a key aspect to remember.
We walked into this old fashion speak easy with pictures of the mob everywhere, chalk outlines of dead bodies on the floor, and the Godfather playing on television. As the manager sat us at our candle lit table he explained that if we do the 2 for 1, we just have to make sure whatever we order is under twenty dollars, with a two drink minimum. Great, I think, we came on the perfect day! Our server approached the table and took our drink order, we all ordered cocktails. After she walked away, Jen commented that I threw her off ordering an alcoholic drink, and then the rest followed suit. I don't know why they wouldn't have wanted to take advantage of 2 for 1 Tuesdays but whatevs, I guess they did now! I wasbstill a little confused as to why there was a $20 maximum...maybe people order cheap bottles of wine on 2 for 1 Tuesday? I quietly wondered to myself what kind of cocktails they mix here that could cost up to twenty dollars. No time to wonder about that, I needed to focus on the menu! As I was browsing the pasta dishes I vaguely heard Jen tell Matt that his meal must be under twenty dollars in order to get the 2 for 1 Tuesday deal. I kept looking over the menu but I was confused...why must you order a meal under twenty dollars in order to receive the 2 for 1 drink deal?? Doesn't matter, this didn't concern me at the time. I kept hearing them bicker over it and finally interjected with, "I don't get it, wouldn't they want you to order expensive meals?". This is where g I slowly began to understand the concept of 2 for 1. After laughing at me for a little bit, Jen explained that 2 for 1 is not in fact a drink deal but an entree deal! Well then, that changes everything! I was wondering why the manager told us that we could order soft drinks as well as cocktails. When he mentioned that, I sort of just shrugged it off, why would you want to order a coke when drinks are two for one?! Now I get it, entrees are 2 for 1 as long as they are under twenty dollars, and as long as two people order a minimum of two drinks. Ok cool, glad that little mystery stirring in my head was solved. Now, I was able to enjoy my meal without wandering off into a day dream, trying to figure out the 2 for 1 puzzle. Our soups and salads arrived and everyone was almost done with their first cocktail so we all decided that we should order a "soft" drink to try to keep the bill down. I don't really feel like a soda so I decide I just want a water. Holy moly, I thought everyone was gonna blow a gasket. Simultaneously everyone told me "You have to order another drink!". Woah, what is going on? As long as at least two of them were ordering another drink it shouldn't matter, right?! "But guys, if at least two of you are getting a "soft drink" it doesn't matter! You only need to make sure two of us order at least two drinks.". Laughter erupted and once again, confusion washed over me. "So, let me get this straight...2 for 1 entails, 2 entrees under twenty dollars for the price of one, and all persons must get at least two drinks, but they don't have to be alcoholic?". The chorus replied with a relieved "Yes!!". "So that's why you said I threw you off when I ordered a cocktail? Oh, this makes so much more sense now!". Who would have thunk that two for one Tuesdays could be so confusing?! I suggested a briefing on the way in for the next time.
Finally we wrapped up the majority of our food to feast on later and got the bill. Matt hands the young lady his credit card and less than a minute later she came back with it and said it's declined. He gave her another one and quizzically wondered why his card could possibly be declined, it's brand new? "Matt, did you call the credit card company and ask to put a travel notice on your card?". "No. Why would I have to do that??". "Hahah no wonder why! They definitely put a hold on your account after buying your watch.". "I don't get it, why would they do that?". "Stolen card, identity theft...they aren't just going to assume you are on vacation in Vegas". "I didn't have to call them when I went to Hawaii...or when I went to Florida a few years ago". "Matt, when did you go to Florida?!". "Ok, well maybe I didn't go to Florida..". Like I've said , sometimes I wonder...
After we finally found the exit of the restaurant, we walked outside to Bubble Cobalt and I realized the "valet" spot we wanted to park in earlier, was not a valet spot at all. There was no valet station, no one collecting keys, it was just a joke, just as the spot marked "Mr Sarentino". Oh boy, Capo's you really threw us for a loop tonight! The whole ride back to the strip we laughed at everything that occurred at dinner. We hadn't realized that was just a warm up for what was to come. We started off the night walking the wrong way down the parking garage ramp, oops, that's how Jersey taught us to do it! We watched the Ballagio water show and then finally made it to Paris for an Eiffel tower filled with a Miami Vice (half Piña Colada, half Strawberry Daiquiri). I had two coupons to receive $100 worth of free slot dollars at Casino Royale, so we made our way down the strip. On the way, we stopped in at Harrah's to use the bathroom but were soon drawn in by the Dueling Pianos bar. This time, the only drunk people were those in the audience. While Jen, Rob and Matt were watching, I wandered across to a black jack table. Kris, my dealer, was flipping through those cards so quickly that sometimes he surprised me when he threw some more chips my way. Wow, I won? Thanks Kris! After a little while of playing, a guy dressed in a blue plaid shirt, slumped down in the chair next to me and tossed two dollar bills on the table and sat there silently. The dealer and I looked at him as if he had three heads, but he doesn't even notice. Finally, I leaned over and as I pointed at the minimum sign I asked "Hey buddy, can you see those numbers?". His response was a big smile and a shake of his head. "So, you do realize that it's a ten dollar minimum, right?". Once again, big smile and a bob of the head. "Soooo, you are probably going to need eight more dollars in order to play". This time, I only received a big smile. The dealer called the pit boss over and the pit boss kindly explained that it may be in his best interest to go find some coffee and possibly take a little walk because he just didn't seem ready to play right then. Blue plaid shirt grabbed his two dollars, stuffed it in his pocket and stumbled away. God speed man, God speed.
After a few more hands my luck ran out and that was the end of my gambling in Vegas. I returned to the group to watch the piano players, who were absolutely amazing, and what did I see but a guy in a blue plaid shirt dancing up on the stage by the pianos!! I did a double take, and yes, it was indeed him!! I quickly told Jen what just occurred at the black jack table and the girl next to us overheard me and commented that "it would be okay if this was just the way he acts in Vegas, but he acts like this all the time". Little did I know, she saw Rob pointing him out earlier and asked if Rob was laughing at the guy in the blue, because he was with her. Beth, that was her name, told us that this young man had gotten kicked out of three casinos. Who knows, maybe he was going for a world record. I turned my attention back to Mr. Plaid, I couldn't get enough of his fist pump. It was a slow motion version of the Jersey fist pump, and for some reason, he liked to keep his free hand behind his back. Maybe he was afraid to go too wild with two fists, or maybe it helped him keep his balance, he certainly needed help with that. Whatever the case was, he was the sweetest character we had met the entire trip. This kid could not get enough of the stage, he kept going back for more. We asked Beth what Mr Plaid's name was, "David" she replied with. Oh, David,we are so glad to have had the pleasure to meet such a lush like you. During one of David's trips up to the stage, the pianist told him that any of the audience members that were uninvited to the s
stage must drop their pants. "Oh no, oh no!" shouts Beth. "I can't look, tell me what happens. Ohmygod, this is so embarrassing" Beth said as she turned around. David whipped his belt open, but didn't get any further and continued with his version of the fist pump. I then proceeded to tell the black jack story to Beth and before I could cover my eyes, she almost whipped her cannonball out to show me that she not only had his wallet, but his cell phone tucked into that baby. Wow! You would have never known, that bosom concealed those objects better than an undercover cop conceals his weapon.
While David wandered around, Jen filled me in on some other characters we had on our hands. The first winner of the night was Blue Tank Top. Apparently, this big boned girl had a few to many bevs this evening and was playing peek-a-boo with her stomach. She began by only flowing her shirt out, then she lifted it a few inches higher....then Woo, woooo, WOOOOO! That shirt was up and over her mountains and she was putting on a show for all. She, as well, had some pretty award winning dance moves that I was lucky enough to catch on video. Another class act, black dress, happened to be sitting right in front of where we were standing. Maybe the two were related because this girl also felt the need to pop her girls out and reveal them to the girl she was sitting with. This girl looked as if she were scarred for life. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself" black dress giggled as she settled herself back down. We didn't even need to go to a strip club, we had all the entertainment we needed right here at Harrah's. Whilst Jen caught me up on our people watchees, Beth caught Matt's ear and informed him that David and her were just "hooking up", he calls her a bitch all the time, he hates her mom, he enjoys getting drunk in her basement, and she was probably going to fool around with him later. Woah now, that's certainly a lot of information to be sharing with a stranger. By this time, David made it back out to the dance floor and was beckoning Beth to join him. No, no, she waved him off! Still with his belt hanging low, David rocked the one hand behind your back fist pump. I can't believe I never got a video of him, I think I may have been concentrating on not urinating myself on account that I lost it every time I looked in David's direction. As the pianists finished up and we began to collect our belongings, we lost sight of David. Robert spied him approaching the craps table with the same two dollars he had at the black jack table. Oh David, best wishes with this casino and whatever trouble you get yourself into this evening.
It was a great ending to our trip to Vegas. Although, I'm sure we all would have enjoyed some winnings but regardless, we had an amazing time. Next stop: Cali, yo dude! Peace, love, and happiness, The Nomads!
Wow, I think I'm really beginning to understand writers block! I'm stumped on how to begin this blog! Maybe my nostalgia is getting in the way. =\. Only forty-eight precious more hours with the Nomads and then back to reality.
Anyway, after opening the blackout shades (thank you Vegas) we forced ourselves up to begin the adventures of the second full day in Sin City. We began our trip by visiting the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. It is located in a very odd area after all of the "new" Vegas had been built. We attempted to have our picture taken all together but apparently Jeffrita thought we traveled all the way to Vegas to have only half of the sign in the background of our picture. Again, poor job on our part choosing a photographer. We decided that from there on out, the only people we'd even consider taking our picture must be holding a camera worth $600 or more. None of this handheld or disposable crap. Our photographer doesn't fool around so neither should any of the people who are blessed enough to capture such beauties. Oh shush! Everyone can be full of themselves sometimes, it's not my fault God put us to the top of his list. ;-)
Next stop, the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop! Pawn Stars ring a bell? You betcha! We wandered on over to the "old" Las Vegas to check out the location of one History Channel's top shows! We actually went at the perfect time, Rick, the owner, was being interviewed by the local news right in the store!! Unfortunately we couldn't get too close but we may have made the news! The store had awesome antiques and present day artifacts as well. There was an unopened album by the Beatles, Yesterday and Today, selling for two grand. Even though that's pocket change to this baller, I decided to let someone else have a go around with it. :) Jen and I decided that the next trip we take to Vegas, we are going to bring our Barbie dolls with us and sell them to Gold and Silver and then go crazy in Vegas! There were even trolls there! I couldn't believe that if we had kept the majority of our childhood toys, we could have made bank! After Matt made his biggest purchase of the trip, a watch made by Omega, the official watch of James Bond, we were ready for some grub!
The Wynn's buffet was the most magnificent thing I've seen since sliced bread! This place had the following stations: soup, salad, pizza, pasta, meat, sushi, seafood, vegetarian, cheese and spreads, Indian, asian, and last but not least, an entire room dedicated to desserts. My mouth was watering as we patiently awaited for Jesus to take our beverage order. Coincidence that his name was Jesus, I think not! We think Grandma and Grandpa sent him to watch over us and make sure our stomachs didn't explode! The Wynn did not know what was coming for them when the Amos family walked through their doors. Between the four of us, we put a good dent in each station. We hung out for a little bit in order to settle our stomachs before tackling the remainder of the casinos and hotels we haven't yet seen. Jen, Rob, and myself waited for Matt to return from the bathroom but we could no longer bare to wait after being crop dusted! We choked our way out of there and weren't sure if an employee should be warned to evacuate the northeast dining room! There is no way that smell would have been okay with the department of health. No wonder why the bathrooms were so roomy and private! I guess Jesus was so focused on our stomachs that he neglected to keep an eye on someone else's colon.
The roulette table was calling Jen's name so we went over with high hopes. Hmm, maybe in Vegas you should always approach something with low hopes so whatever the outcome is you won't be crushed. Jen was up and down for a while but finally it didn't end too well. Damn Vegas, you did us all dirty! As we were sitting there Rob mentioned a few times that he wanted to put $20 on one number. Would you believe that twice he called the number but sat back and watched instead of playing?! Of course, the dumb ball thrower had to rub it in his face and tell him that he missed out on $700. No more gambling at the Wynn for us, apparently we don't "Wynn" anything! Down the strip we went to see the elaborate decorations of each casino. We finally made it to a place we like to call home, New York, New York. We had been waiting all day for the only ride on the strip in Vegas...the roller coaster!! Maxing out at 67 mph, and dropping as high as 180 feet, with two upside down loops we were ready to be tossed around! We waited a little bit longer than necessary in order to sit in the first and second cars. Jen and I sat in the front, it was totally worth the wait. I'm almost positive we screamed and laughed the entire time. I was laughing so hard that I cried and smeared my makeup all over my face. Included in the "Family Fun Package" were two 5x7 photos, you better belive we got the action shots. If you ever need a good laugh just ask to see the photos, they are priceless. Re-ride for half the price?? H-e-double hockey sticks yeah!! That was awesome, we couldn't pass up a second time around! We hopped back on the line, screamed and laughed again and then booked it back to the car in order to make it to the hotel for a pita and hummus fix!
On the ride home, we asked ourselves if it seemed reasonable to pay $88 to ride a roller coaster... Unanimously we said no, but we're in Vegas, go big and hard or go home! To our dismay, crackers and cream cheese dip was the snack of happy hour. Oh well, we figured we'd save room for dinner anyway. After inquiring with a few places we decided on Capo's, an Italian restaurant located off the strip. We thought it'd be a good idea because we'd save some money. I plugged the destination into Delores, my GPS, and hoped she would cooperate. As we pulled into the parking lot, it seemed a little deserted. Being off the strip, we weren't too sure how safe the area was. There were a few lights on, but as we inched closer, we saw that the windows were boarded up! Susan, the front desk attendant, told me this place was an A+! You would think Susan would have known about this little riff in the road! Matt got out to go check the sign on the door. Thankfully the sign told us, they had relocated. Ok, Susan, you have one more chance to redeem yourself. A few miles up the road we spotted Capo's and to our advantage, there was a sign reading "2 for 1 Tuesdays!". Wow, Susan, you nailed it!! A+ for you, little lady!
We pulled into the parking lot and were about to snag a primetime spot but realized it had "valet only" painted in front of it. We opted for the spot across the way. Oddly, the entrance to this establishment was at the rear of the building...weird, but we went with it. As we entered there was a murky feeling lurking around us. The waiting room we walked into was painted red with pictures frames every which way you turned. Straight ahead was a door with a hand written note requesting that we "Ring the bell to enter" and to the right was a pay phone. What in the world is going on?! First a boarded up restaurant with an address to the "new location", now a back door entrance way with a requirement to ring the door bell?? I was shaking in my boots and reluctantly pressed the door bell. No one answered and we couldn't hear a thing! I wondered out loud if we should call the restaurant again and find out what the deal is. Suddenly, a voice begins to speak, "No, you don't have to call the man at the restaurant. I am right here". Jen and I looked like we just saw a ghost, we had no idea where the voice is coming from. I scanned the room, and jumped back as I made eye contact with a man looking through a small square in the upper right corner of the room. Just as I went to step back from the door to allow him to open it, the pay phone swung open....I forgot that Susan told me it was an Italian SPEAK EASY! Ha! That would have been a key aspect to remember.
We walked into this old fashion speak easy with pictures of the mob everywhere, chalk outlines of dead bodies on the floor, and the Godfather playing on television. As the manager sat us at our candle lit table he explained that if we do the 2 for 1, we just have to make sure whatever we order is under twenty dollars, with a two drink minimum. Great, I think, we came on the perfect day! Our server approached the table and took our drink order, we all ordered cocktails. After she walked away, Jen commented that I threw her off ordering an alcoholic drink, and then the rest followed suit. I don't know why they wouldn't have wanted to take advantage of 2 for 1 Tuesdays but whatevs, I guess they did now! I wasbstill a little confused as to why there was a $20 maximum...maybe people order cheap bottles of wine on 2 for 1 Tuesday? I quietly wondered to myself what kind of cocktails they mix here that could cost up to twenty dollars. No time to wonder about that, I needed to focus on the menu! As I was browsing the pasta dishes I vaguely heard Jen tell Matt that his meal must be under twenty dollars in order to get the 2 for 1 Tuesday deal. I kept looking over the menu but I was confused...why must you order a meal under twenty dollars in order to receive the 2 for 1 drink deal?? Doesn't matter, this didn't concern me at the time. I kept hearing them bicker over it and finally interjected with, "I don't get it, wouldn't they want you to order expensive meals?". This is where g I slowly began to understand the concept of 2 for 1. After laughing at me for a little bit, Jen explained that 2 for 1 is not in fact a drink deal but an entree deal! Well then, that changes everything! I was wondering why the manager told us that we could order soft drinks as well as cocktails. When he mentioned that, I sort of just shrugged it off, why would you want to order a coke when drinks are two for one?! Now I get it, entrees are 2 for 1 as long as they are under twenty dollars, and as long as two people order a minimum of two drinks. Ok cool, glad that little mystery stirring in my head was solved. Now, I was able to enjoy my meal without wandering off into a day dream, trying to figure out the 2 for 1 puzzle. Our soups and salads arrived and everyone was almost done with their first cocktail so we all decided that we should order a "soft" drink to try to keep the bill down. I don't really feel like a soda so I decide I just want a water. Holy moly, I thought everyone was gonna blow a gasket. Simultaneously everyone told me "You have to order another drink!". Woah, what is going on? As long as at least two of them were ordering another drink it shouldn't matter, right?! "But guys, if at least two of you are getting a "soft drink" it doesn't matter! You only need to make sure two of us order at least two drinks.". Laughter erupted and once again, confusion washed over me. "So, let me get this straight...2 for 1 entails, 2 entrees under twenty dollars for the price of one, and all persons must get at least two drinks, but they don't have to be alcoholic?". The chorus replied with a relieved "Yes!!". "So that's why you said I threw you off when I ordered a cocktail? Oh, this makes so much more sense now!". Who would have thunk that two for one Tuesdays could be so confusing?! I suggested a briefing on the way in for the next time.
Finally we wrapped up the majority of our food to feast on later and got the bill. Matt hands the young lady his credit card and less than a minute later she came back with it and said it's declined. He gave her another one and quizzically wondered why his card could possibly be declined, it's brand new? "Matt, did you call the credit card company and ask to put a travel notice on your card?". "No. Why would I have to do that??". "Hahah no wonder why! They definitely put a hold on your account after buying your watch.". "I don't get it, why would they do that?". "Stolen card, identity theft...they aren't just going to assume you are on vacation in Vegas". "I didn't have to call them when I went to Hawaii...or when I went to Florida a few years ago". "Matt, when did you go to Florida?!". "Ok, well maybe I didn't go to Florida..". Like I've said , sometimes I wonder...
After we finally found the exit of the restaurant, we walked outside to Bubble Cobalt and I realized the "valet" spot we wanted to park in earlier, was not a valet spot at all. There was no valet station, no one collecting keys, it was just a joke, just as the spot marked "Mr Sarentino". Oh boy, Capo's you really threw us for a loop tonight! The whole ride back to the strip we laughed at everything that occurred at dinner. We hadn't realized that was just a warm up for what was to come. We started off the night walking the wrong way down the parking garage ramp, oops, that's how Jersey taught us to do it! We watched the Ballagio water show and then finally made it to Paris for an Eiffel tower filled with a Miami Vice (half Piña Colada, half Strawberry Daiquiri). I had two coupons to receive $100 worth of free slot dollars at Casino Royale, so we made our way down the strip. On the way, we stopped in at Harrah's to use the bathroom but were soon drawn in by the Dueling Pianos bar. This time, the only drunk people were those in the audience. While Jen, Rob and Matt were watching, I wandered across to a black jack table. Kris, my dealer, was flipping through those cards so quickly that sometimes he surprised me when he threw some more chips my way. Wow, I won? Thanks Kris! After a little while of playing, a guy dressed in a blue plaid shirt, slumped down in the chair next to me and tossed two dollar bills on the table and sat there silently. The dealer and I looked at him as if he had three heads, but he doesn't even notice. Finally, I leaned over and as I pointed at the minimum sign I asked "Hey buddy, can you see those numbers?". His response was a big smile and a shake of his head. "So, you do realize that it's a ten dollar minimum, right?". Once again, big smile and a bob of the head. "Soooo, you are probably going to need eight more dollars in order to play". This time, I only received a big smile. The dealer called the pit boss over and the pit boss kindly explained that it may be in his best interest to go find some coffee and possibly take a little walk because he just didn't seem ready to play right then. Blue plaid shirt grabbed his two dollars, stuffed it in his pocket and stumbled away. God speed man, God speed.
After a few more hands my luck ran out and that was the end of my gambling in Vegas. I returned to the group to watch the piano players, who were absolutely amazing, and what did I see but a guy in a blue plaid shirt dancing up on the stage by the pianos!! I did a double take, and yes, it was indeed him!! I quickly told Jen what just occurred at the black jack table and the girl next to us overheard me and commented that "it would be okay if this was just the way he acts in Vegas, but he acts like this all the time". Little did I know, she saw Rob pointing him out earlier and asked if Rob was laughing at the guy in the blue, because he was with her. Beth, that was her name, told us that this young man had gotten kicked out of three casinos. Who knows, maybe he was going for a world record. I turned my attention back to Mr. Plaid, I couldn't get enough of his fist pump. It was a slow motion version of the Jersey fist pump, and for some reason, he liked to keep his free hand behind his back. Maybe he was afraid to go too wild with two fists, or maybe it helped him keep his balance, he certainly needed help with that. Whatever the case was, he was the sweetest character we had met the entire trip. This kid could not get enough of the stage, he kept going back for more. We asked Beth what Mr Plaid's name was, "David" she replied with. Oh, David,we are so glad to have had the pleasure to meet such a lush like you. During one of David's trips up to the stage, the pianist told him that any of the audience members that were uninvited to the s
stage must drop their pants. "Oh no, oh no!" shouts Beth. "I can't look, tell me what happens. Ohmygod, this is so embarrassing" Beth said as she turned around. David whipped his belt open, but didn't get any further and continued with his version of the fist pump. I then proceeded to tell the black jack story to Beth and before I could cover my eyes, she almost whipped her cannonball out to show me that she not only had his wallet, but his cell phone tucked into that baby. Wow! You would have never known, that bosom concealed those objects better than an undercover cop conceals his weapon.
While David wandered around, Jen filled me in on some other characters we had on our hands. The first winner of the night was Blue Tank Top. Apparently, this big boned girl had a few to many bevs this evening and was playing peek-a-boo with her stomach. She began by only flowing her shirt out, then she lifted it a few inches higher....then Woo, woooo, WOOOOO! That shirt was up and over her mountains and she was putting on a show for all. She, as well, had some pretty award winning dance moves that I was lucky enough to catch on video. Another class act, black dress, happened to be sitting right in front of where we were standing. Maybe the two were related because this girl also felt the need to pop her girls out and reveal them to the girl she was sitting with. This girl looked as if she were scarred for life. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself" black dress giggled as she settled herself back down. We didn't even need to go to a strip club, we had all the entertainment we needed right here at Harrah's. Whilst Jen caught me up on our people watchees, Beth caught Matt's ear and informed him that David and her were just "hooking up", he calls her a bitch all the time, he hates her mom, he enjoys getting drunk in her basement, and she was probably going to fool around with him later. Woah now, that's certainly a lot of information to be sharing with a stranger. By this time, David made it back out to the dance floor and was beckoning Beth to join him. No, no, she waved him off! Still with his belt hanging low, David rocked the one hand behind your back fist pump. I can't believe I never got a video of him, I think I may have been concentrating on not urinating myself on account that I lost it every time I looked in David's direction. As the pianists finished up and we began to collect our belongings, we lost sight of David. Robert spied him approaching the craps table with the same two dollars he had at the black jack table. Oh David, best wishes with this casino and whatever trouble you get yourself into this evening.
It was a great ending to our trip to Vegas. Although, I'm sure we all would have enjoyed some winnings but regardless, we had an amazing time. Next stop: Cali, yo dude! Peace, love, and happiness, The Nomads!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day ten
Day ten, July 18, 2011
Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump...that was the only thing I heard echoing in my head when I awoke from my slumber. Then I remembered we were in Vegas and things began to get a little more clear. Although we all planned on sleeping in today, my body was so accustomed to waking up early, that like clockwork my eyes opened at 8:30. After about a half an of stretching and ingesting water, Jen, Matt, and I decided breakfast was the way to go. Rob was still swaddled in the Yankee beach towel and needed a few more hours to recuperate after going BOS last night. We headed down to receive our continental breakfast but were a little confused on the entry way. There was only about a two foot space where we could be led to the food. We were then informed that breakfast ended five minutes earlier! Wtf?! I guess I read the times wrong! Fortunately, one of the men working there allowed us to grab whatever was left over! Thank god! All we needed was some eggs and hash browns to get us going!
After starting off the day right with some breakfast, Jen and I decided to get a pedicure. With scales rapidly forming on the soles of our feet, we thought it'd be best to clean up a bit for Vegas! By chance, there was a brand new salon, with a 20% off coupon in walking distance! On the way, we called Fusche (Aunt Donna) to wish her the happiest of birthdays! She got the grand treatment, we sang! We were also very proud of her and Face's 6 am Atlantic City adventure! The nail salon was very informative and told us about all the hot spots in Vegas that we should hit. They told us the most lively place to go to was this lounge located in one of the casinos. The dancers there are apparently really into their gig. The only issue was, we were a little afraid of how Matt and Rob would react if we blindly took them to a gay club!! Jen and I should have told them it was a strip club and blindfolded them. LoL. But we decided it'd be best if we avoided the gay scene, especially because of the strapping young men we were with.
We returned with bright nails and clean feet only to find Rob and Matt still in bed!! Amateurs, can't handle themselves in the big leagues! Jen and I wanted to go shopping, obviously, and the boys decided they would take a stroll around a casino to find a black jack table. We went our separate ways and planned on meeting at the Belaggio for the water show at 2 pm sharp! Jen and I stopped in Walgreens to (finally) get Jen a razor! Don't be alarmed, she was borrowing mine up until now! Who would have thought Walgreens was going to be a hotspot! Between the two of us, we spent over $100 on various souvenirs and toiletry necessities. Now that that was out of the way, it was time for a yard! We stopped in at Harrahs, ordered our normal- Stoli Razz and club with a splash of cran- and decided it be best to split one. We didn't want to be BOS before the evening even began. As we wandered through Harrahs and dropped a little bit of money on roulette, we came across this bar called Numb. Well let's just say the pomegranate slushy had us, hook, line and sinker! And who could pass up double the liquor at $4 more!? Now we each have a yard in hand and we figured we'd be set for the afternoon. We found our way outside by the shops and took a picture at the Big Balls stand. Get your mind out of the gutter! It was a Mardi Gras beads stand!! We made our purchase and continued on. It was not long before we ran into Tim. Timothy, Timothy, Timothy, your drinks should come with a warning label. We saw the yards that are double the size we have that you need a strap to carry over your shoulder. We needed that! Then, our eyes fell on the prize: the Guitar. It was like there was a beacon hanging above the guitar and it drew Jen and I in like a dog to a fire hydrant. Our mouths were watering at the thought of this 72 ounce guitar holding our drink. We asked Tim what we could get in it and he told us just about anything. We debated and decided that since we each have a drink, we should get a Long Island Iced Tea so the boys would be able to enjoy it, most of it. $64 later we were walking away with a guitar that played music and two full yards. Needless to say shopping was out the window. Our goal was actually to make it to Paris for an Eiffel Tower yard, but once again, I'm sure you can come to the conclusion that we did not see any of Paris that afternoon.
Now the adventure began, off to find the boys. Just imagine the two of us trying to carry $100 worth of souvenirs, a 72 ounce guitar, 2 yards and our purses...it was quite the sight to see. We got many comments and I'm sure our photos were even snapped a couple of times. Half in the bag, we approaches the Ballagio and tried our hardest to compose ourselves. Walking into this five star hotel, we must have looked like a couple of tourists straight out of Vegas Vacation. As we looked around the Ballagio we did not see a yard in sight, let alone an obnoxious blue guitar. But what did I care, I was in Vegas baby! I lived it up for the next two days! We had a sighting, Rob and Matt were at the black jack table and of course heard us giggling from yards away. They both turned and the expressions on their faces were priceless. Of course, Rob stood there shaking his head most likely praying that we'd walk past him and pretend we were with someone else. Matt loved it, he was laughing at us while sipping on a beer of his own. All of the dealers loved us as well! One asked me to play Stairway to Heaven, but I told him I wasn't in the guitar hero mood.
We made it outside to the sweltering heat for the water show and eagerly awaited for it to begin. I heard the beginning chords of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On and I knew this was going to be amazing. I videoed the entire water show and even joined Celine for a duet. Oh yes, that video will be posted on YouTube. I will provide the link when it is up and running. I'm hoping for a few thousand hits, I can't even do it any justice, it simply needs to be viewed. It brought me to tears when we watched it the following day. No, it was not that beautiful, it was that hysterical.
After the water show, we attempted to make our way back to the fashion center to be picked up by the shuttle. Instead Tiffany caught our ears when she was belting "FREE BEER PONG" at the top of her lungs. We veered off to the right and played boys versus girls. Jen and I were kicking butt at first but after we continued to sip on the guitar, our shots began to go array. The boys made a wicked come back and shot the last cup. We were put on the guest list for later but unfortunately we never made it back. It was getting closer to the shuttle pick up time but Jen and I had one more stop to make. We sent the boys ahead to hold the shuttle for us while Jen and I exchanged a pair of Mari Gras beads....we got our colleges mixed up and purchased a certain someone's rivals instead of his faves. Oops! On our way back to Big Balls we ran into Tim again and made a pit stop for an ice refill. We also told Tim that we were great advertisers and he should expect a bunch of people coming his way in need of a guitar! Right next door to Tim was Mikey and Wayne, employees of Big balls. We explained our little blooper and asked in our nicest voices if we could exchange our beads. Of course nothing is free anywhere, and these ball busters were looking for a tip. Too bad Jen and I had holes in our pockets and were empty handed expect for our yards. So what did we decide to do? Empty Jen's change purse into their hands, mostly consisting of pennies but hey, you can't have your cake and eat it too!!
We hustled back to the fashion center, literally jogging down Las Vegas Boulevard. Imagine seeing two drunk girls carrying yards and a guitar running down the streets of Vegas, it must have been a sight to see. I really wonder why there aren't cameras following us around, I swear we'd have a very large group of followers, possibly even groupies! We finally made it back to the hotel just in time for free happy hour. I hopped in the shower, with my guitar. No. Seriously. The guitar came in the shower with me, I think that was the downfall of my afternoon. I shouldn't have rocked it out in the shower, it caused devastating actions later on in the evening. Anyways, we hit up happy hour and spotted the pita and hummus. I'd like to apologize to any of the hotel guests that witnessed the hungry hungry hippos that attacked the hummus. I'm not ashamed to say we each went back twice for pita and hummus, it was that good!!
After a few more drinks and beasting through the hummus we took a taxi to the strip to go enjoy some dinner and Beatles Love. For some reason I thought I'd be able to master four inch heels through the streets of Vegas, clearly I was out of my mind. Two blocks later I was almost in tears, I even took my shoes off when we got into the casino, I have no shame. We finally made it to dinner and I was not feeling too hot, possibly even looking green in the face. I did my best to champ it out but the effects of the guitar were beginning to inch up my stomach. I ate my soup and was able to keep that down, but when my salad came out I couldn't even touch it. Jen suggested we take a taxi back to the hotel to change my shoes and put our leftovers in the fridge. I was all for it. I collected my shoes and our leftovers and we headed back to Embassy Suites. We asked our driver to wait for us, we'd be five minutes! We hobbled upstairs, I ditched my shoes and headed for the bathroom for trigger time. I'm sure you can all put two and two together to figure out what happened next. I brushed my teeth, threw on a pair of sandals and we rushed down to our friend who waited patiently. Five minutes on the dot! We are so perfect! We raced through the Mirage and found the boys right before they were about to enter the theater. Robert and Matt had the right idea when they slept in while Jen and I got pedicures. I had such a hard time staying awake, my head bounced from Rob's shoulder to Matt's shoulder and back again. The boys elbowed me all night to try to keep me awake. Rob told me to try singing to keep myself up, unfortunately my singing was like a lullaby and I kept on falling asleep while singing.
After this wonderful show that even brought me to tears at the end, we headed for the blackjack table! I guess it was my lucky day, I turned $100 into $290!! Woohoo!! Guess who paid for the taxi ride home?! That's ok, it's nice to feel like a baller!! It was a good way to end the evening! Peace, love, and happiness, The Nomads!
Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump...that was the only thing I heard echoing in my head when I awoke from my slumber. Then I remembered we were in Vegas and things began to get a little more clear. Although we all planned on sleeping in today, my body was so accustomed to waking up early, that like clockwork my eyes opened at 8:30. After about a half an of stretching and ingesting water, Jen, Matt, and I decided breakfast was the way to go. Rob was still swaddled in the Yankee beach towel and needed a few more hours to recuperate after going BOS last night. We headed down to receive our continental breakfast but were a little confused on the entry way. There was only about a two foot space where we could be led to the food. We were then informed that breakfast ended five minutes earlier! Wtf?! I guess I read the times wrong! Fortunately, one of the men working there allowed us to grab whatever was left over! Thank god! All we needed was some eggs and hash browns to get us going!
After starting off the day right with some breakfast, Jen and I decided to get a pedicure. With scales rapidly forming on the soles of our feet, we thought it'd be best to clean up a bit for Vegas! By chance, there was a brand new salon, with a 20% off coupon in walking distance! On the way, we called Fusche (Aunt Donna) to wish her the happiest of birthdays! She got the grand treatment, we sang! We were also very proud of her and Face's 6 am Atlantic City adventure! The nail salon was very informative and told us about all the hot spots in Vegas that we should hit. They told us the most lively place to go to was this lounge located in one of the casinos. The dancers there are apparently really into their gig. The only issue was, we were a little afraid of how Matt and Rob would react if we blindly took them to a gay club!! Jen and I should have told them it was a strip club and blindfolded them. LoL. But we decided it'd be best if we avoided the gay scene, especially because of the strapping young men we were with.
We returned with bright nails and clean feet only to find Rob and Matt still in bed!! Amateurs, can't handle themselves in the big leagues! Jen and I wanted to go shopping, obviously, and the boys decided they would take a stroll around a casino to find a black jack table. We went our separate ways and planned on meeting at the Belaggio for the water show at 2 pm sharp! Jen and I stopped in Walgreens to (finally) get Jen a razor! Don't be alarmed, she was borrowing mine up until now! Who would have thought Walgreens was going to be a hotspot! Between the two of us, we spent over $100 on various souvenirs and toiletry necessities. Now that that was out of the way, it was time for a yard! We stopped in at Harrahs, ordered our normal- Stoli Razz and club with a splash of cran- and decided it be best to split one. We didn't want to be BOS before the evening even began. As we wandered through Harrahs and dropped a little bit of money on roulette, we came across this bar called Numb. Well let's just say the pomegranate slushy had us, hook, line and sinker! And who could pass up double the liquor at $4 more!? Now we each have a yard in hand and we figured we'd be set for the afternoon. We found our way outside by the shops and took a picture at the Big Balls stand. Get your mind out of the gutter! It was a Mardi Gras beads stand!! We made our purchase and continued on. It was not long before we ran into Tim. Timothy, Timothy, Timothy, your drinks should come with a warning label. We saw the yards that are double the size we have that you need a strap to carry over your shoulder. We needed that! Then, our eyes fell on the prize: the Guitar. It was like there was a beacon hanging above the guitar and it drew Jen and I in like a dog to a fire hydrant. Our mouths were watering at the thought of this 72 ounce guitar holding our drink. We asked Tim what we could get in it and he told us just about anything. We debated and decided that since we each have a drink, we should get a Long Island Iced Tea so the boys would be able to enjoy it, most of it. $64 later we were walking away with a guitar that played music and two full yards. Needless to say shopping was out the window. Our goal was actually to make it to Paris for an Eiffel Tower yard, but once again, I'm sure you can come to the conclusion that we did not see any of Paris that afternoon.
Now the adventure began, off to find the boys. Just imagine the two of us trying to carry $100 worth of souvenirs, a 72 ounce guitar, 2 yards and our purses...it was quite the sight to see. We got many comments and I'm sure our photos were even snapped a couple of times. Half in the bag, we approaches the Ballagio and tried our hardest to compose ourselves. Walking into this five star hotel, we must have looked like a couple of tourists straight out of Vegas Vacation. As we looked around the Ballagio we did not see a yard in sight, let alone an obnoxious blue guitar. But what did I care, I was in Vegas baby! I lived it up for the next two days! We had a sighting, Rob and Matt were at the black jack table and of course heard us giggling from yards away. They both turned and the expressions on their faces were priceless. Of course, Rob stood there shaking his head most likely praying that we'd walk past him and pretend we were with someone else. Matt loved it, he was laughing at us while sipping on a beer of his own. All of the dealers loved us as well! One asked me to play Stairway to Heaven, but I told him I wasn't in the guitar hero mood.
We made it outside to the sweltering heat for the water show and eagerly awaited for it to begin. I heard the beginning chords of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On and I knew this was going to be amazing. I videoed the entire water show and even joined Celine for a duet. Oh yes, that video will be posted on YouTube. I will provide the link when it is up and running. I'm hoping for a few thousand hits, I can't even do it any justice, it simply needs to be viewed. It brought me to tears when we watched it the following day. No, it was not that beautiful, it was that hysterical.
After the water show, we attempted to make our way back to the fashion center to be picked up by the shuttle. Instead Tiffany caught our ears when she was belting "FREE BEER PONG" at the top of her lungs. We veered off to the right and played boys versus girls. Jen and I were kicking butt at first but after we continued to sip on the guitar, our shots began to go array. The boys made a wicked come back and shot the last cup. We were put on the guest list for later but unfortunately we never made it back. It was getting closer to the shuttle pick up time but Jen and I had one more stop to make. We sent the boys ahead to hold the shuttle for us while Jen and I exchanged a pair of Mari Gras beads....we got our colleges mixed up and purchased a certain someone's rivals instead of his faves. Oops! On our way back to Big Balls we ran into Tim again and made a pit stop for an ice refill. We also told Tim that we were great advertisers and he should expect a bunch of people coming his way in need of a guitar! Right next door to Tim was Mikey and Wayne, employees of Big balls. We explained our little blooper and asked in our nicest voices if we could exchange our beads. Of course nothing is free anywhere, and these ball busters were looking for a tip. Too bad Jen and I had holes in our pockets and were empty handed expect for our yards. So what did we decide to do? Empty Jen's change purse into their hands, mostly consisting of pennies but hey, you can't have your cake and eat it too!!
We hustled back to the fashion center, literally jogging down Las Vegas Boulevard. Imagine seeing two drunk girls carrying yards and a guitar running down the streets of Vegas, it must have been a sight to see. I really wonder why there aren't cameras following us around, I swear we'd have a very large group of followers, possibly even groupies! We finally made it back to the hotel just in time for free happy hour. I hopped in the shower, with my guitar. No. Seriously. The guitar came in the shower with me, I think that was the downfall of my afternoon. I shouldn't have rocked it out in the shower, it caused devastating actions later on in the evening. Anyways, we hit up happy hour and spotted the pita and hummus. I'd like to apologize to any of the hotel guests that witnessed the hungry hungry hippos that attacked the hummus. I'm not ashamed to say we each went back twice for pita and hummus, it was that good!!
After a few more drinks and beasting through the hummus we took a taxi to the strip to go enjoy some dinner and Beatles Love. For some reason I thought I'd be able to master four inch heels through the streets of Vegas, clearly I was out of my mind. Two blocks later I was almost in tears, I even took my shoes off when we got into the casino, I have no shame. We finally made it to dinner and I was not feeling too hot, possibly even looking green in the face. I did my best to champ it out but the effects of the guitar were beginning to inch up my stomach. I ate my soup and was able to keep that down, but when my salad came out I couldn't even touch it. Jen suggested we take a taxi back to the hotel to change my shoes and put our leftovers in the fridge. I was all for it. I collected my shoes and our leftovers and we headed back to Embassy Suites. We asked our driver to wait for us, we'd be five minutes! We hobbled upstairs, I ditched my shoes and headed for the bathroom for trigger time. I'm sure you can all put two and two together to figure out what happened next. I brushed my teeth, threw on a pair of sandals and we rushed down to our friend who waited patiently. Five minutes on the dot! We are so perfect! We raced through the Mirage and found the boys right before they were about to enter the theater. Robert and Matt had the right idea when they slept in while Jen and I got pedicures. I had such a hard time staying awake, my head bounced from Rob's shoulder to Matt's shoulder and back again. The boys elbowed me all night to try to keep me awake. Rob told me to try singing to keep myself up, unfortunately my singing was like a lullaby and I kept on falling asleep while singing.
After this wonderful show that even brought me to tears at the end, we headed for the blackjack table! I guess it was my lucky day, I turned $100 into $290!! Woohoo!! Guess who paid for the taxi ride home?! That's ok, it's nice to feel like a baller!! It was a good way to end the evening! Peace, love, and happiness, The Nomads!
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