"Whatever Happened to Predictability?"

January 3rd:
In true Michelle fashion, we had to fit in the most we could of this city before she was on her way home.  We woke up and drove out to Sonoma, about a half hour drive from our apartment.  We chose Sonoma because it is closer than Napa and it was a good choice.  We were able to hit three wineries and two of the three offered free tastings.  The only faux pas was that we got to the first winery before noon and it felt a little weird to start drinking before we really even had any breakfast.  Luckily this first winery also had Olive Oil tastings, so we started there and dipped some pieces of fresh bread into delicious oils.  They even had flavored Balsalmic Vinegar and Michelle took home a fig flavored one.  Problem solved. Now we felt better about drinking.

We made our way over to the room on the left where the wine tastings were.  We were allowed 4 different kinds without being charged.  A friendly woman was helping us and of course we started chatting about more personal things in life.  We found out she grew up in Ohio, very close to Pittsburgh, so she felt a connection to our roots.  She then told us her name - Pate' (pronounced like the food) Belichik.  Yes - her cousin is Bill Belichik.  She gave me her business card because she has friends in the hotel business.  We have been emailing and keeping in touch.  She is of course rooting for the Patriots next weekend.  This was all at the Jacuzzi Family Vineyard.

Next we hopped across the street to the Cline Cellars.  Very nice as well, but a lot smaller than Jacuzzi.  They are close partners to each other and I think may be owned by the same family.

We then drove a little farther into Sonoma and pulled into another driveway leading to another tasting room.  I am telling you - they are endless.  If you dedicated every weekend of your life to hitting the wineries in Napa and Sonoma, you could never hit them all.  At this next one, we had to pay for our tastings, but we also got to sit outside on their beautiful patio overlooking the vineyard and mountains.  It was a gorgeous day with plenty of sunshine and it was nice to sit and take it all in.

We had some things to see in the city and I was getting anxious that we wouldn't be able to fit it all in.  So we left.  Our main goals were to see the Painted Ladies (word of the week) and go down Lombard Street.  We hit both and since it was a week day we had free reign.  We learned on our bus tour that you sometimes have to wait in a 3 hour long line of cars to drive down America's most crooked street.  We had no lines at all.

Good Old Rav in bottom left

View with skyline in background.  7th house on corner is where the architect lives.

View from top of Lombard Street.  Coit Tower in distance.

View from the bottom of the crooked part of street looking up.  Lots of tourists!
Click here for a professional picture. - the flowers weren't in bloom when we were there :(

Since we learned that Fisherman's Wharf is the second most visited destination in California after Disney Land, most know for its fish market and Dungeoness Crabs, we had to make sure we took a closer look. We had another late lunch at Alioto's and got some chowder - I got the New England and Michelle got the Manhattan.  Do you know who got the red?  :)  And we each had half of a dungeoness crab.  It was delicious.  Talked with the couple next to us for a bit who were visiting from Korea.  The husband worked for Booz Allen Hamilton and I had to tell him about Ryan.  We said our goodbyes, went to see the seals, (here's a pic) and were exhausted and ready to go home.  We only had a couple hours before driving Michelle to the airport for her red eye home. :(

When it was finally time for her to go, we drove to the airport.  It was a weird drive and a weird goodbye.  Michelle leaving meant that was it!  It would just be me and Greg after that and my comforting link to home was gone.  I was very teary saying goodbye.  It finally hit me that this was real. I had such an amazing time the last week transitioning my life.  Once Michelle was gone, it meant the fun and games were over.  I was left alone to figure out this life of my mine.  So I silently cried the ride back while Greg drove.  I can't describe the emotions that were going on in me, but it was definitely strange.  The closest I can link it to is leaving home for college, but this was 10 times worse at least.  This time I was the only one leaving and I wouldn't be just an hour's drive away.  I was really on my own.  What was I thinking?!

Hop On - Hop Off

Michelle stayed with me for 3 more days.  We continued our touristy adventures and vacation.  January 1st was pretty typical.  We lounged around and recovered from our 5 day marathon and New Year's Eve.  Michelle had a little more "recovering" to do than me, but I was happy to be taking it easy.  The Jo(h)ns left and it was just the three of us.

January 2nd we were more focused.  We got up and took the first ferry to to the city.  This is a nice ride because the views of the Golden Gate, Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the city are so pretty.  We got off the ferry and took a mile and a half walk down the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf where we planned to hop on a double decker tour bus and learn about my new home.  We love these things!

Big Bus Tours - Hop On Hop Off

So we got our tickets and waited for the next bus to leave the station.  We of course get stuck with a man with the thickest Asian accent ever we couldn't understand what he was saying.  It took all of our energy to make out a couple of words here and there.  We decided we were going to hop off in Chinatown anyway since we did hear the guy tell us that Chinatown in San Fran is the biggest in the country.  So Michelle got right to her phone and started researching some good places to eat.  There were two places the bus would allow us to get off in Chinatown he said, so we waited to hear when he would give us the option.  Next thing you know we are in the North Beach section of city.  HELLO!!  Ugh.  So we finally made him stop with a few other angry passengers who wanted to get off in Chinatown also, and made our way back to our lunch destination.

Entrance to Chinatown

Mmm Sweet & Sour Chicken and General Tso's with some green tea and rice.

After we finished we took a walk to the place we were supposed to get off in the first place and waited for the next bus.  On our walk back through Chinatown, we walked through this area where bunches of men were gathered around different game boards.  We tried to get a closer look to see what they were playing, but we didn't recognize.  It was as if they were playing checkers, but in groups like poker or jacks.  Anyone have any insights to what this is?

Chinese games

 While waiting for the next bus, a woman sat down next to us while her daughter and grand-daughter went inside the hotel we were in front of to go to the bathroom.  In true Northern California fashion, she started talking to us and told us about some neat shops you can get beautiful dishes they use in the Chinese restaurants for very cheap.  When her family came out, she asked us if we had ever had flat fortune cookies.  We had never heard of them.  Her grand-daughter had just bought a bag, so she said we had to try them.  Just then our bus was pulling up and they were practically throwing their cookies at us.  We took some, thanked them, and "hopped on" the bus.  So nice.  And they were good!  Oh thank heavens... this tour guide we could understand!  He was from Boston.  Still an accent, but much more tolerable.  He asked us where we were from and then on the mic asked us if we ever learned not to take food from strangers.   We thought that only applied to candy.  Oh well!

We learned a lot more on this bus trip than the first one and I will try to convey as much as I can remember.  Let me know if you see any inaccuracies.

City Hall

Union Square - Shopping District

3 Witches

R.C. Church where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio took their wedding photos in front of.  Were actually married in city hall because Catholic Church has strict rules for divorcees.  

Steps and Door leading to front of Church

Colombus Street - longest in city

Starting to get a little chilly!

Coit Tower in the distance

The Bookcase Buildings.  Designed to look like books.

Other random facts:
The San Francisco Bay is not actually a bay because it has both fresh and salt water - which means it is an estuary
Population on the peninsula is 840,000
North Beach section is considered San Fran's Little Italy and is the safest section of the city.  Ironically, populated mostly by Chinese
The famous rotating restaurant on the top level of the Hyatt is no longer open to public.  Must be a guest of the hotel to dine there
Financial District is built on top of old abandoned ships
There are like 491 steps up to the Coit Tower - on my bucket list!
Buildings in the Wharf section can't be higher than 4 stories so they don't block the million dollar views people behind them have paid for

We could have stayed on longer, but it was getting pretty dark and Greg called to tell us it was time to meet him and Matt for dinner.  We hopped off the tour bus, asked a valet at a hotel where the real bus stop was, ran over and literally just made it on to the bus that would take us all the way to the other side of the city.  We ate at a beautiful restaurant on the Pacific Ocean, first built in 1863, called The Cliff House.  We would have seen a beautiful sunset if we didn't get there when it was already dark.  We ended the day with delicious dinner and wine and went home exhausted.

New Year. New Home. New Life.

It is now almost the end of January and I am just getting to New Year's Eve.  


We made it to the apartment by 7:30pm on NYE.  No time for unpacking, but time to say hello, check out the 4 rooms I would be inhabiting for the next undetermined amount of time, and figure out the plans for the night.


Our friend from college, Jon, was here with his cousin, John, from Chicago.  They were staying with Greg a few days before road-tripping it down the California coast.  It was nice to have a welcoming crew to share in the excitement and help party the night away.   We decided we would send the Jo(h)n's into the city first to scout a good place for us to go so we weren't all wandering aimlessly through the city.  Michelle, Greg, and I were hungry so we walked into town (Sausalito) and decided to get dinner at Sushi Ran.  It was perfect.  We were seated right away, there was a good crowd, the sushi was DELICIOUS, and we were all excited.  Our server supplied us with hats and crowns and the owner came over and gave us free shots of sake and took our picture.  We were super happy.  I have to mention the young couple seated next to us.  Girl decked in mini gold sequin dress and guy wearing a standard sweater and jeans, just to give you a visual.  The girl would not stop playing with pictures on her iphone and kept having her bf take pictures of her.  She may have taken 1 of him for every 10 he took of her.  Then they would look at them together and she would comment on the pictures of herself saying "oh cute, oh that's one's cute, cute" and then ones of him she would just pass by.  It was so ridiculous Greg had to tell Michelle and me to stop staring.  It is amazing that people like this exist.  At least it provided some entertainment. Holy cow.

NYE Dinner at Sushi Ran

Meanwhile in the city of San Francisco, the boys had found a fun place so we decided to drive in to meet them.  They were at Kelly's Tavern, or KT's as it is better known.  It is in the Marina section of the city - which is apparently a section filled mostly with young professionals.  We got there at about 10:30, so everyone was 3 sheets to the wind except us.  We ordered some drinks and met the Jo(h)n's on the dance floor.  This was the scene:

What was also interesting was that the Times Square celebration happening in New York was on the TV.  We obviously couldn't be watching it live since we are 3 hours behind.  It was weird to feel "slow."


We had a very nice welcome party our first night.  Our road trip ended with a celebration and then safely back to the apartment in Sausalito.  I had been waiting to mention we had no tickets or accidents the entire way!  No jinxing us now!  Cheers.

Vegas to San Francisco - Almost There and on a Mission

Day 5 - 481 miles - December 31, 2011
Left Vegas at 10am, arrived in Sausalito at 7:30pm
Conditions: 53 degrees and sunny

We left Vegas on a mission to make it to our final destination with plenty of time to ring in the new year in style.  We did not stop for anything except a gas and fast food.  Similar to the first day of our trip except the weather was much better, we had less miles travel, and we didn't hit any accidents that would slow us down.

We started the trip going south to get back on our route.  We passed through the border of Nevada into California in only a couple of hours.  Crossing the border into California, you have to go through a checkpoint.  We had never heard of this so we had no idea what to expect.  Were they going to make us get out and search the car?  Not that we had anything illegal, but we had a lot of crap in that car!  We waited in a line of cars like we were going through a toll booth.  It went pretty quick.  When it was our turn, a young man asked us where we were headed and if we had any agriculture or livestock with us.  Michelle told him we had bananas.  He told us to be careful and have a nice trip.

Soon after we decided to get some gas.  We were running low and noticed that fuel stations were few and far between.  At the next sign for fuel, we would exit.  So we did and came to a station priced regular 87 at $4.75 per gallon.  Highway robbery at its finest!  I only put $30 worth to hold us over.  You can do the math on how many gallons that equals.  So with about half a tank we were on our way.


The trip through California lasted forever.  We went through high rounded hills with wind turbines strategically placed on many of them.  I had never seen so many in one day ever in my life.  When they were on a hill, there were hundreds and hundreds of them.   The land flattened a bit and we passed through many different types of farms.  Lots of cows, horses, orange trees, and other types of tree farms.  We went through some pretty ugly and economically challenged areas.  Definitely not the picture you think of when you think California.  At one point we saw a hitch hiker headed in the other direction looking for a ride to Flagstaff, and a couple sitting outside their van with a sign asking for gas.  It was sad.

Wind Turbines

Hitch-hiker, botom left corner of windshield

We eventually had to stop again for gas and something to eat.  This second time stopping was much more reasonably priced and was near a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut combo so we each got a personal pan pizza and stretched the legs before continuing the journey.

The rest of the way lived off of snacks and water we had in the car.  I was driving after this last stop.  I am sorry California - but your drivers are awful.  The highway was 2 lanes in each direction and even though there are signs telling slower traffic to stay in the right lane, they do not listen.  I think it may have to do with the tractor trailer speed limit being 10 mph's less than the cars so no one wants to be in the right lane even if they are going as slow as the trucks.  Whatever the reason, it was very annoying and felt like there was no order or courtesy.

At the same time as Michelle was taking a sip of her Powerade, the most awful smell of dung came over the entire car.  I couldn't imagine having to swallow at the same time this awful stench is taking over your nostrils.  So we were both grossed out and wondering where it was coming from.  Next thing you know we are driving by this gated area of land with some barns all in a row by the highway and looking at literally thousands of cows mooing and packed together.  Not like the other cows we would see grazing in the grasses previously.  Ugh!  So gross.  I wish I had a picture but we were to enthralled by this unexpected sight and the smell that we weren't thinking.  And if we did, it probably wouldn't have come out very well anyway.

We were making great time and passed through other areas of California with huge hills and large houses tucked into the cliffs.  It was crazy to see and although the houses were nice and had spectacular views, we couldn't imagine living so dangerously and so remotely.  If you had a dog or a child, they would just tumble down these hills into traffic or thickets to their deaths.

We started getting texts and facebook messages hoping we would get there in time to celebrate the new year.  We thank you for all your well wishes!  Since we were 3 hours behind east coast time, as it was getting late for you, we still had some time.  As soon as it started getting dark, we knew we were almost there and as long as there wasn't any major traffic getting through the city, we would be fine.  The last hour was probably the coolest part of the trip, but for me, also the longest.  We first crossed the huge Bay Bridge, drove through the pretty city, made it onto the gorgeous Golden Gate - all lit up for the clear night sky - and made it into Sausalito.  Through winding steep downhill roads we finally made it to Rose Court.  We made it to my new home and Greg was there to greet us after the exciting long, but quick, 5 day cross country trip. YAY!!

After a total of 3,105 miles and $420.15 in gas and the following in Hotel expenses (including parking):
Holiday Inn Express Nashville - $160
Hampton Inn Oklahoma City - $130
Sage Inn New Mexico - $100
La Quinta Las Vegas - $110
Total:  $500 in hotels, split - so about $250 per person.

So for 2 people and 5 days, the trip was about $1000 (not including meals and entertainment).  Not bad!  Experience, knowledge, and stories: Priceless.

Now that this is done - I can get into the real cable car experiences of San Francisco.  Thanks for staying tuned!
-Colleen

Santa Fe to Vegas - Textbook Scenery

Day 4 - 615 miles - December 30, 2011
Left Santa Fe at 9am, Arrived in Vegas at 9:30pm
Conditions: Sunny, 44 degrees when we left, got up to 60 degrees


Once again Michelle started the drive.  We were able to see a lot more of the landscape of New Mexico in the daylight.  It was a little like going back in time.  The things we learned in elementary school about Pueblos, houses made of Adobe, came right back to us.  It was exciting to see them in person out of textbooks.  It made for a neat drive out of town.

The scenery along this part of the trip was my favorite.  It felt like we were in an earlier time period and it opened our eyes to the fact that people in our own country still do live these lifestyles.  The pictures do not do it justice, especially from my cheapo camera and taking them through the car window's glass.

You don't see this along the PA turnpike.

Driving through big boulders

This is very hard to see, but it is a colorful boxcar train.  We saw a few of these that would cut through the landscape and looked like toys.

More New Mexican Landscape

Tee Pee stores along the highway.  N.B.D.

Can you imagine going to your shopping plaza with that background?

Horrible picture of sign welcoming us to Arizona!

The landscape of Arizona went from beautiful red rock mountains to flat desert.  I forgot to mention that we had toyed with the notion of visiting the Four Corners, the only place in the US that you can be in 4 states at one time - New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.  It is close to nothing else and would add hours to our drive, so we ultimately decided not to do it. Our next stop for lunch was planned for Flagstaff, AZ.  No, we didn't get to the Grand Canyon either, but Michelle has already done that trip and I would want to make a whole day of it.


Flagstaff was a neat little town with people bustling down the streets.  Mostly everyone was dressed in preppy clothes and a puffy vest.  Then there were a couple people wearing ugly sweaters from 1981 or tube top sundresses, not sure of the decade or the temperature.  As you can see from the photos, it was sunny, but chilly.  The mountains that surround the town have snow covered peaks.

Flagstaff with mountains in the way back

In front of the historic Weatherford Hotel, across from the restaurant where we ate.  They drop a pine cone at midnight on New Year's and the clock below shows the countdown.  There were 32 hours and 18 minutes left when we took this picture.  This street turns into a mini Times Square - click here to see!

We had lunch at Monsoon on the Rim and Michelle asked our waiter to tell us some interesting facts about Flagstaff.  He told her they are famous for discovering Pluto in the Lowell Observatory right up the road.  On the way out we tried to visit the Observatory, but I was in the wrong lane and it was rush hour and I got directed off the path.  Oops.


We gained another hour in Arizona and are now on Mountain Time.  We left Flagstaff and were back to following the little nugget on Michelle's phone GPS.  We kept seeing signs for the elevation levels.  We were at 7,000 feet in Santa Fe and when we left Flagstaff we were around 3,000 feet.   Our ears would pop every now and then.


Eventually we made it to Nevada.  We saw another beautiful sunset into nightfall.  In Nevada you could see from the headlights on the curvy roads that we were driving through big gray rocked boulder things.  I could see this weird glow in the distance when we would drive through an area without the big rocks.  I said I bet you that glow is from the lights of Vegas.  We were at least 2 hours away still.  It got brighter and bigger as we got closer.  It was alien-like.  A subtle orange glow coming from a valley of the earth.  Amazing the energy it must take to light this city in the middle of the desert.


We made it to Vegas and saw not only the strip, but all of the casinos and hotels that aren't on the strip.  I have been to Vegas before, but this was definitely a whole new perspective.  I didn't realize how huge and expansive it really is.  We were not looking for the Vegas experience and found a cheap room at the La Quinta by the Las Vegas airport.  It was $89 per night and included breakfast.  It is also the company our new road friend Cory from PA was going to work for. We checked in and went right to bed.  I tried doing a blog post, but halfway through the internet stopped working and I lost everything.  So annoying.  In the morning we found there were more problems then just the internet. The sink would clog if you put the drain in, the shower would not drain and felt a little grimy, and the breakfast was standard, but packed and hot with a lot of weird and grimy people. We hardly ate, grabbed a banana each for the road, packed up and checked out.  Day 4 accomplished!

Oklahoma City to Santa Fe - "Where Everybody's Got a Story!"

Day 3 - 520 miles - December 29, 2011
Started the trip at noon, arrived in Santa Fe at 8:30pm (Gained an hour, so total drive trip was 9.5 hours)
Conditions: Sunny.  Temperatures ranged from 72 degrees in TX to mid 40's in Santa Fe

These entries are pretty long - but I don't want to leave any details out!  I want you to know everything that happened, and we want to remember :).  Thanks for staying tuned.

Michelle started the drive on Day 3.  She had been doing the night shift and it was her turn to take the wheel first.  We left OK City late for us after stretching our legs and searching around town to take it all in one last time.  Michelle got a text from Cory - our friend we made on the road.  He said he got pulled over in Amarillo for doing 80 in a 70 mph speed zone and warned us to be very careful in that state. That was planned to be our next stop, which is in the panhandle of Texas.  Michelle was very cautious of her speed the entire time in Texas.  At one point a black Charger pulled up behind Michelle and in front of a mac truck.  She had a weird feeling that it was a cop so she slowed down and kept to the exact speed limit.  Eventually the car pulled over the the left lane to pass us and we saw that in fact it was a cop - the Sheriff, nonetheless.  He then pulled in front of us and we could see him put his right hand up and shake his pointer finger at us like, "no no no" as if to tell us we were very close to being pulled over.  He got off at the next exit and we waived to him to say "Thanks!"  Moral of the story - Do Not Mess with Texas.

The landscape was flat and the only things to look at were some cows, horses, and some donkeys along the way.  I noticed the horses were pretty big.  It was nice to see how much space they had to run around.

Michelle is really into trying native cuisine so she was always researching places to go where we could really experience the culture, but also not be too far from our I-40 route.  She found this place called the Big Texan which was right off the exit in Amarillo - famous for its 72 oz. steak.  They say that if you can finish the steak in an hour, you get it for free.   So we had to make a stop to see what this was like.

Unfortunately no one was attempting this feat while we were there.  We split a grilled chicken salad and a chicken fried chicken with gravy and some mac and cheese.  No steak for us.  The waitstaff were all dressed like cowboys, cowgirls, and Indians.  It was very interesting... almost making fun of itself.   There was also a man that would walk around with a guitar and sing folk songs to tables.  Kind of like the balloon animal and magic trick guys do at certain restaurants for tips.  The scenery was straight out of a Pee Wee Herman movie, all colorful and cheery.  The smell was horrible, though.  Like we were standing in the middle of a cow farm.  But the temp was warm and the sun was shining and it felt good to be out of the car.

With a full stomach and our fill of Texas, we got back on the road.  We wanted to see the Cadillac Ranch.  No pictures since we did a quick drive by - but it was neat to see.  I had never heard of it before.  Click the link to see some online images.  Again- weird.

After a little bit, the landscape began to change.  The flat land starting cracking and turning into cliffs and rocky bluffs.  Took me back to the old western movies I would sometimes watch with mom.  I could imagine the cowboys and indians at the top of the hill on their horses looking down strategizing their next move to ward off the evil white man. :)  So many hours of wide open space.  The sky started to change color too since nightfall was approaching.  We tried taking pictures it was so beautiful.

We were coming to up to the border of Texas and New Mexico.  The city on the border is called Glenrio.  We googled the city to see if that is where the time would change and found out some more random facts.  The city is located on the border so it is in both states.  It is known as a forgotten ghost town and is very creepy.  The time on our phones changed as we went through it.  We had to get off to get some gas and on the side of the road at the traffic light was a dog- we called him Ghost Dog because we are so creative.  He was posted at the corner as if he was protecting his land.  You can kind of see the deserted-looking gas station in the distance.  Here he is:

We switched drivers and I took the wheel.  One other funny thing we noticed was that our phones said one time in Glenrio, but if you took a step to the left, it would change back an hour.  It would be very hard to keep appointments if you lived in that city.....

Then we entered New Mexico - "The Land of Enchantment" as the sign said and later would find out for ourselves.

To Be Continued....

I am back.  So sorry for the delay again.  I am losing sleep over this thing! I hate being so behind.

Our time in New Mexico was interesting to say the least.  We decided to stay in Santa Fe over Albuquerque (great word for Words with Friends with all those Q's!) based on the online reviews and friends recommendations of Santa Fe being a destination we shouldn't miss.  This did mean we had go out of the way and leave our I-40 to get there.  By the time we got to the exit that would take us into Santa Fe, night had fallen after another beautiful sunset.  I was back on the wheel and Michelle was navigating.  This next road was very dark and very narrow.  Since it was hard to see and the road was pretty deserted, it was making us both nervous.  You could only see black road in front of us and snow along the side.  We had no idea if we were driving on a cliff or through an open field.  The high beams didn't help either.  Eventually we came up to a minivan who was close behind an 18 wheeler so we just followed their lead.  Not that we had a choice anyway since it was only a 2 lane highway - one lane for each direction.

We finally made it into the town.  It was about 8:00pm.  We drove around looking for a place we could stay.  The town is so cute...quintessential as Michelle would say.  People were walking around the squares and there were shops and restaurants and hotels and inns with luminarias (click this link to see what they looked like).  There was a church in the center of the square.  Here is a picture I took with my phone from the car window.  Not too good, but you can kind of see what I am talking about.

It was a very artsy and eclectic town - also very clean.  We called around to a couple of hotels asking them for rates.  We finally found one that wasn't $289/night.  It wasn't exactly walkable to the town, but they had a free shuttle.  For $89 it was fabulous.  I would recommend the Sage Inn if you are ever there for only a night.  If you are visiting this town for the spas and skiing, it probably is worth a little splurge, but for our purposes, this was perfect.  And they include breakfast - which all of our hotels did this trip.  We checked in at 8:30 and found out that the complimentary shuttle stops running at 9.  So we got into the room and left.  No time to get pretty, which means another night out in Uggs.

A sweet older gentleman was our shuttle driver and he recommended we try Vanessie's.  He and his wife walk there all the time.  During the drive we started conversation with him and found out he lived in San Fran for 35 years - in Marin County to be exact (right next to Sausalito!).  When they retired 2 and a half years ago, they moved to Santa Fe and bought a house for $200K which he said they would only get a studio in San Fran for that much.  So I asked how much does 200,000 get you, square footage-wise?  Since I watch a lot of House Hunters.  He said, "1400 sq. feet.  How 'bout I show you?  Its right down the street from Vanessie's."  OK!  So we got to see the outside of his Pueblo-like house sitting on a cliff.  It was dark so we couldn't see the view, but he said the other side of the house was all windows and looked over the Sangro de Cristo Mountains.  We went to Vanessies.  When we walked in, we walked right out.  It was a fancy kind of place with a lot of old folks watching a band with a grand piano, cello, and singer.  Not exactly what we were looking for.  So we decided to walk around the town and see what else it had to offer.  It was cold and Michelle's feet were hurting (she put on nice shoes), so we walked into the first place that had music you could hear from the streets.  Evangelo's Cocktail Lounge it was.

We took the last two open seats at the bar.  It was a thin venue with bamboo walls and the bar along one of the long walls.  The band was on the stage in the left corner, so we swiveled around in our chairs to watch.  There was a line of tables in the middle filled with 4 tops or couples.  Ages ranged from our age to 50's and 60's.  We were lucky we got there when we did because it kept getting more and more crowded and people were standing around the outskirts.  The band was very good and Soulman Sam lived up to his name.  The bartender was an older man and a little rough around the edges.  He had a thinning gray mustache and wore a short brimmed Mexican Rancher type hat, a white t-shirt, and a back- brace belt.  He had the look and demeanor of someone you did not want to cross, but at the same time someone with a big heart who liked to flirt with the ladies.  Whether we were his favorites at the bar that night or not, he sure did make us feel that way.  We never waited long for another drink - even though he was the only person working the entire place.  Never did he get frazzled or frantic.  And no one seemed to be in need of a refill either. It was amazing.  At one point he came out from behind the bar and walked all the way down towards us since we were sitting close to the door.  He let us know he was going out for a cigarette break.  As if we were the only ones who needed to know where he was going to be. 

During a band break when it was easier to hear each other speak, we asked him about the pictures he had hanging behind the bar.  He told us they were of his father.  He said he jumped ship and came to New Mexico from Greece.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Army.  The framed photographs were American Icons.  One was even made into a stamp.  Do you recognize?

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We were of course amazed at this and kept asking more questions.  We found out his name name was Nick Klonis, his father was Evengelo and went by Angelo, Nick has 2 brothers, he is the middle child.  Said his father had so many great stories that he and a friend are writing a book about them that they are going to make into a movie.  He then whipped out the first chapter and asked if we wanted to read it.  No lie.

It was so good!  We wanted to keep reading.  Here it is:

Watch out for the book and movie entitled, "A Weekend of Mine."  He also had a picture framed of himself with Jeff Bridges.  He said they filmed scenes from the movie Crazy Heart right in his bar.  You can see it in the picture above...3rd one up from the picture of the 1st chapter.

Besides Nick, we met a creeper on vacation by himself who made us laugh by hitting on us with these lines:  "I'm from Virginia, I'm a virgin" and would crack up at his joke.  The we told him we were from Philadelphia, so he said "oooooh!  Some young phillies!  I don't see any rings on those fingers!" and then laughed at himself again.  We were cracking up because he was so off the wall.  But then he wouldn't leave and we had had enough.  Next we had a nice fellow named Daniel talk to us who was celebrating his 54th birthday.  He told us his story, too, of course.  He was incarcerated for 25 years for something he was wrongly accused of doing.  He came to New Mexico because an older woman he called his guardian angel wanted to help him.  She got him a job as an art dealer and introduced him to the friends he had there with him.  The whole bar and band knew him and made his birthday very special by calling him to the stage and singing to him.  His one friend was an Albert Einstein look-a-like who was a painter.  Like I said - a very eclectic artsy town with a whole 'lotta stories to tell!

We called for a cab and while we were waiting, decided to check out the downstairs portion of the bar.  WOW. It was a whole different world.  It was very dark with a bar and a DJ and the ceiling was so low even Michelle could reach up and touch it.  The DJ was playing Jersey fist pump music so we had to do our thing and show our east coast flavor.  Next thing you know we are so out of breath we had to take a break.  We forgot we were in high elevation.  Ooops.  Time to go anyway.

Our cab driver was from New York - we could tell by his accent.  He told us he enjoyed hearing our Philly accents.  We loved Santa Fe!

Nashville to Oklahoma City - "Mid-Western Pleasantries"

Day 2 - 689 miles - December 28, 2011
Started at 10am and finished at 9:30pm
Conditions: Sunny and pleasant - 62ish degrees.  Sun made it very warm in car.

I first have to apologize for the delay in posting.  It was not my intention.  But as to experience the most of every city, there just wasn't enough time in the hotels for much else than sleeping and showering.

Without further adieu...I give you Day 2 of our Cross Country Trip:

We left Nashville after feeling well rested after a fun day and night.  I started the drive again and Michelle was navigator.  I meant to give her credit in the first post.  If not for her, I do not know where we would be.    She mapped out all of our city stops pretty evenly spaced and located hotels in the safest areas.  Our trip was smooth sailing because of her.  She is a perfect road trip companion.  And she brings the snacks. :)  We were so close to Graceland that we had to make a stop in Memphis to see this American Landmark.  If not for Graceland, there is really no other reason to stop in Memphis.  Take my word for it.  Yikes.  Here are some photos we snapped from afar since there was no way we were standing in the endless line or paying for tour tickets.

In front of Elvis' mansion and grave.  Nativity scene set up for holidays.  You can see the stone wall behind us is covered in graffiti - The King's name in hearts is all over his majesties' walls.

Maybe my husband will buy me a plane and put my name on it one day;).

After leaving Graceland, we hopped back on I-40.  We definitely had our fill of Memphis and the Heartbreak Hotel.  Before we knew it we were going over the Mississippi River!  And then right after that were signs to Arkansas...

Mississippi River Sign

The River

Welcome to Arkansas!

While driving through the flat landscape of this next state and continuing our license plate game, we came across a Black Beamer with PA plates.  We waived hello and could see some movement behind the tinted windows.  Next thing you know, the car pulls up next to us in the left lane with their window down and it is two guys looking around our age shouting "Where are you going?!"  So now our window is down and Michelle is yelling "Oklahoma City!"  Then they are writing messages to us on scrap paper and holding it up.  Eventually they type a phone number and Michelle calls them to find out the deal.  They tell us that they are from Scranton area and the driver just graduated from NC State.  Cory - the guy in the passenger seat and the communicator, is moving to Palm Springs to be a Golf Pro at the La Quinta Golf Resort.   It is hard to hear since both parties had the phone on speaker.  They hang up and start texting.  Eventually they ask us if we want to meet for lunch, but being the smart girls that we are, we say nah, thanks.  And the story pretty much ends there, but it was neat to have made friends on the road.

We make a stop in Little Rock to grab lunch.  A late lunch.  It is almost 4 o'clock at this point.  The city of Little Rock is very small, but very clean and pretty.  It is on the River.  We had lunch at a place called the Flying Saucer on Bill Clinton Blvd.  Here are some pics from Little Rock.

Lunch Spot - First attempt was to go to a place Michelle saw online that Rachel Ray visited.  But they were closed until 5pm, so we went here. 

River Market - much smaller version of Reading Terminal Market

Random fact for this day:  When we got to the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma we passed through Fort Smith.  Michelle was driving so I looked it up to see if we would see the Welcome to OK sign before or after this city.  I found out that this city has a population of 86,000 and is the Fort where the movie True Grit takes place.

Once we crossed into Oklahoma, lit up signs for Indian Reservation Casinos were all over the place.  And the parking lots were always packed.  Pretty far into the state we finally came to Oklahoma City - our next destination for the night.  We found the first hotel we had in mind and checked into the Hampton Inn in Bricktown.  A nice young guy at the Front Desk told us about the history of this city.  It was re-built in the 90's, before that it was slums.  Everything was brand new and they just got their new basketball team, the Thunder.  The lobby was crowded with OK City Ambassadors in jackets watching the game vs. Memphis (Thunder ended up winning).  We got changed and walked around the city.  It was very quiet, but very pretty.  Reminded me of a deserted Pleasantville or something.  This was also the second night I went out in my Uggs.

Our hotel backed up to the Triple A baseball field.  You could see the outfield from our window.  They were using it in the off-season as a make-shift snow tubing hill.

We walked around the city.  It was almost 11pm and most places were already closed.  We ended up at a place called Whiskey Chicks, ordered a sandwich and beer each, then headed back to the hotel.

We wanted to see more of the town in the daylight, so before we started our next journey, we walked around the city to take in the scenery.  A little more alive during the day, but still very quiet.  We wanted to take a ride on the water taxi in the man-made canal, but they didn't start them until noon and we wanted to be on the road before then.  So after a few pictures, into the car we went and on to the next.

Snow tubing slide inside baseball field.

Water Taxi and Canal in OK City

Found a nice man who happened to be a photographer to take our picture.