A little bit of home in London: Jersey Boys

After years of not being able to get tickets in New York (partially because I was only in the state for brief periods at a time and more with the incredible cost), I was able to score a pair to see the show here in London.

It was GREAT!

A couple of things struck me though about the London theater-going experience, especially since I expected them all to be snooty, uptight, Victorian types.
1) You don't get a Paybill or any sort of complimentary program when you enter. - Rather disappointing
2) You can take your drink from the bar with you to your seat. - Not the case in NY
3) Ushers don't hound you the minute you pull out a camera. My friend Julie was able to take 2 pics of us before the performance started without someone dashing over threatening to remove us or confiscate the camera. - Also, not the case in NY
4) After intermission there was no light dimming or universal announcement to return to your seats. We were back in time yet I still missed that "familiar" signal. - Obviously that's how it's done in New York.

Okay, so on to the show. I knew part of the story - the simple aspect that these guys had gotten into a few scrapes with the law before hitting it big. What I didn't know was all of the turmoil and other stuff that had gone down. It was entertaining and informative (E/I - just like those old "Saved by the Bell" episodes).

The humor was great, although I think most of it was lost on the London crowd who I guess just don't get what it's like to be an Italian from Jersey. Me, an Italian from New York, with roots in the old neighborhoods and countless family stories told over incredibly large holiday meals - I get it.

I don't want to give it away considering I'm probably not the only person back east who wanted to see it but couldn't afford a ticket, but it's a real roller coaster of emotions. What makes it more powerful, of course, are the songs. Especially when you get to "My Eyes Adored You".

Later in the show you're scratching your head wondering what is "this song" that Bobby is so sure is a hit and the record companies and radio stations won't play. Then when Frankie comes out and you hear the first few notes, you almost smack yourself in the head and wonder "what the F were these guys thinking? That's a great F-ing song." Well, if your from NY or NJ you say that. Everyone else can just wonder why it didn't originally get airplay.

It gets sad and happy again from that point on. But in the end, you have a great finale number and even if it took a few years and flying across the Atlantic, you know it was worth it.

Country Roads: Part 6 - On the way to Uncle's

Country Roads Part 6 - On the way to Lou's

Okay where I was I? Oh yea, Sikeston, Missouri in a really nice suite. So I did the usual, woke up, had breakfast, showered and jumped back in the car. Although this day was unlike all of the others, today was the day that I was going to make it to Memphis, Tennesse and get some of Uncle Lou's Fried chicken (as seen on the Food Network). It's not much of an exaggeration to say that it was actually Uncle Lou's which inspired this whole trip across the country.

I had seen it on TV and wanted it. Then I thought to myself - "honestly, when the hell am I ever going to go to Memphis?" Well I made up a reason, to get back to NY from SF. Sure, it's not the most direct route, but like I said, otherwise when would I really ever go to Memphis?

So in the car I hit the push button start and was on my back onto the highway south. I will admit that I got a little nervous for a minute when I saw the sign welcoming me to Arkansas because I had completely missed the fact that my route would take me through R Kansas for about half an hour. Once I had successfully cleared one of the states I was pretty sure that I'd never go to, I was into Tennessee. I was excited. And hot, it was already in the mid-90s and we're not even at noon yet.

As the in car thermometer hit 102 the GPS guided me into the non-tourst part of Memphis where I found Uncle Lou's Famous Fried Chicken in small and somewhat suspicious looking strip mall.

I walked in and despite the fact that there was a Dallas Cowboys flag hanging for some sort of fundraiser or something, I felt right at home. I quickly looked over the menu and decided on the mixed 3 piece meal with Sweet Spicy Love (the mild variety) and a large version of Uncle Lous cool aid. I took a seat at one of the tables and about 10 minutes or so later the man himself, Uncle Lou, emerged from the kitchen with my order. The meal came with french fries and a honey biscuit, both of which were just alright, but the chicken. Oh the chicken. Yeah, it was incredible. Sweet, Spicy Love is the sauce that our sauces should aspire to be. After a great meal I bought a bottle of SSL to bring home to mom to make her KFC take out, awesome.

Back in the car and it's about 105 degrees now as I make towards Kentucky. A few flash rainstorms (my first precipitation of the trip) got the temperature down to a cool 95 degrees. The incredibly hot temperatures have since caused a problem with my memory and I don't really remember the rest of Tennessee. I did stop at a gas station/souvenoir stand to pick up some gifts for my mom and grandfather (he was station in Tennessee during the war and really loved it) but other than that, I don't remember anything else.

Inside of Kentucky I had to fill up at a gas station, I think someways past Frankfurt. I ran in to grab a bottle of water as the temp had gone back up to 97, and was utterly shocked at the incredibly beautiful girl working at the counter. I noticed her as I walked in and made my way to the cooler to grab a bottle of water. As I picked out a bottle I started trying to figure out what the hell she was doing there. She was beauitful so why would she be working in a gas station in the middle of nowhere Kentucky? In NY she would have at least had a photo casting call to model...uhm, something but in Kentucky she was rotting away at a gas station. I wished I didn't have a carload of crap so that I could offer to take her away from this boring life (and 97 degree heat) and bring her back with me to the big city.

I paid for my water and she asked if I needed anything else. My head finally caught up and I scrolled through possible responses about asking for her number, or to run away with me. Instead though, I declined her offer and got back into the car to once again wish I had said something different.

Drove the rest of the way to Lexington where I stayed at a Red Roof Inn. It was pretty pricey but like most nights, I was exhausted when I got there and wasn't going to bother trying to drive around for a better rate. So I unpacked, showered and hit the bed. I was pretty close now - in the Eastern time zone, so it wouldn't be long now.

Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse

Before I left SF I made a trip to a local shooting range with a friend from school. I was psyched because I had always wondering what it felt like to fire a real firearm. So we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and made a left just slightly past San Quentin prison.

Inside the range we got to choose our weapon. My goal was to fire a SIG P229 (the standard issue sidearm of NCIS), but had to confess to the guy at the counter that I have never fired live ammo before.

He gave us a .22 revolver and a box of 50 bullets. We also got to choose our target, which was easy since there was a freakin zombie target. I was excited to pump some lead into him.

Out on the actual range, I hung up our zombie, loaded the revolver and squeezed off all six rounds. Due to the small caliber of the bullets I couldn't tell where I had hit on the target. I immediately understood why .22s are for women. Chelsea and I switched off until we had gone through the case of bullets. Afterwards we headed back to the counter to get a bigger gun.

This time I asked for the SIG. We got it and went back to the range, where on my first shot it jammed. Realizing that trying to fix it myself, without a knowledge of how it works could potentially be fatal, I went back to the counter. The guy came back to the range with us and started working on the gun. After a few minutes he declared that the firing pin had broken and we would need another gun. Back at the counter he asked what I would like to go with. Unfortunately I was only able to fire one shot with my Tony Dinozzo SIG, so I told him to just give me anything that would fire the ammo we had just bought (9mm).

This one had weight and the first shot felt much more satisfying than any of the .22s. We polished off our ammo pack and I bent down to police my brass and take a few casings as souvenirs. We exited and paid and then grabbed a quick lunch at In N' Out.

It was only when I got home and looked at my souvenirs that I realized I picked up the wrong shells. I had a .22 from the revolver and meant to have a .9mm from each of the two pistols but upon further inspection I had picked up two .45 caliber shells. it was a bit sad that I grabbed the wrong ones, but I'm still keeping them to remember this experience by.

The Container Store - where wallets go to lose weight

In preparation for my trip to London I headed to the Container Store on Market Street in San Francisco, after my sister informed me of a travel sale they were having. My plan was to pick up a few items - a couple of space bags (those vacuum type bags), a voltage converter and perhaps a pack-it cube to store some underwear type garments.

That was the plan at least.

When I walked in I was instantly bombarded with how much awesome stuff they had. Then to top it off they were having a demonstration on how to pack efficiently for your travels, starting in about 10 minutes, with a chance to win a $25 gift card. So I browsed aimlessly for a bit and then attended the session. It was only slightly informative, but it was nice to see the products in use in person. Unfortunately I did not win the gift card, which sucks because it really would have helped.

I started winding my way through the aisles, picking up small accessories, like a TSA travel lock, a collapsable drinking cup, a pair of small carabiners (to attach water bottles and other things to my laptop bag) 2 pairs of outlet converters, 2 packs of space bags (which contained 2 bags each), 2 pack-it cubes and the 20" pack-it folder, which is capable of holding up to 15 shirts/pairs of pants. Then there were all of the items I talked myself out of buying.

At the check out counter I held my breath as my total came up. It was something like $88. I was both horrified and relieved. I honestly could spend a few hundred dollars there.

Bless you container store, for you are wonderful.

Country Roads: Part 5 - Barbecue and Burgers

When we last left our hero he was laying down for a night's sleep in Lawrence, Kansas. I awoke the next morning ready to head back out on the road and finish another Agatha Christie murder mystery. First I grabbed some food from the continental breakfast. The bagel was horrible so I jumped into the shower and figured I'd munch on the fruit loops while I was on the road. After my shower I dressed and loaded up the car with no problems, except that I spilled the Fruit Loops in the parking lot. It was a little after 11 so breakfast at McDonald's was out of the question, but I figured I'd stop over for an orange juice and to borrow the Wi-Fi. Then back in the car I could just munch on another mini box of cereal I had brought with me.

I arrived at the Lawrence, KS McDonalds and my jaw dropped. Right there on the door was a sign - "Breakfast served until 11:30am EVERYDAY" (I added the caps). I was shocked, surprised and totally giddy as I probably scared the girl at the counter with my excitement that I could still get my regular breakfast. It was delicious. I mapped out my route and started driving towards my lunch spot - Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue in Kansas City.

As you would probably expect by now, the drive wasn't very exciting. The conclusion of "Murder in Mesopotamia" however was exciting.

After driving by the gas station that houses Oklahoma Joes I finally figured out where it was and was able to get a parking spot fairly close to the door, which was good since it was already 97 degrees. Now, I had looked up places in Kansas that Food Network had been to (specifically Triple D), but none of them were barbecue places. So I ran a Google search for the best barbecue in Kansas City. Oklahoma Joes was right at the top, and since it's inside of a gas station, I had to check it out.

So what did I order? The 2 meat combo plate - brisket and ribs which comes with 2 slices of buttered toast, a side of french fries and large styrofoam cup of Mountain Dew. I took my tray and found a counter stool by the window, facing out by my car. I immediately grabbed 2 sections of paper towel and was ready to dig in. From the beginning it had the makings of my best meal of the trip. I ate the brisket and while it was good I immediately regretted not having ordered the sausage instead. Oh well. Then I dug into the ribs. Yeah... Kansas City knows barbecue. The meat was perfect. Stays on the bone until it hits your mouth and then slides right off. Great flavor, great color and that's all you can ask for. I alternated rib and toast for a while, occasionally sipping on some Dew. When I finished, I was done. I began to worry about falling asleep at the wheel thanks to a food coma but figured that if I filled up the cup with some more Mountain Dew that could keep me awake until St. Louis.

On the way out I bought a bottle of their CowTown barbecue sauce to bring home to mom.

Back in the car and on the road, it's time for another mystery and some music. I was into Missouri now and really had no expectations until I hit St. Louis. And then I saw what I believed to be a mirage on the highway. I couldn't believe that I had seen what I thought I had seen. But if it was real, I couldn't let it pass by. I jumped off at the next exit to investigate. Had I been wrong and it was a mirage I would only lose about 5 minutes. If I was right I'd have a story to tell.

I pulled off at the exit for Wentzville, Missouri. It reminded me a bit of the Cortland Town Center in Mohegan Lake in terms of colors and structure for a strip mall. By now I had confirmed I was not seeing things and anticipation was building. It was only fitting that the Rolling Stones were playing as I pulled in to...

White Castle.

I ordered light, since I still had a few hundred miles to St. Louis and well, they don't call 'em Belly Bombers for nothing. So 2 burgers and an order of chicken rings. Of course I couldn't experience this alone, I sent texts to several people and called back to NY to my White Castle compatriot, Richie, who would appreciate this.

His first question, "any white people there?"
"They all are." I answered.

Not only that, but there was no bullet proof glass in front of the counter. It was a strange sight for me to see. But the food was still the food, so it was all good and I was back on the road.

As I was driving I realized this would probably be the best food day of the trip - the best McDonalds in the country, great barbecue and then White Castle. And I still hadn't eaten dinner yet.

I pulled into St. Louis and eagerly started looking for the Arch. I made the mistake of using the GPS again and all it could find was "St. Louis Art". Great, big help.

I eventually made my way over and found a parking lot to drop the car off while I did the tourist thing. First stop, of course, was the Mississippi River. I took some pictures, stuck my hand and acted like a real tourist. Then it was over to the arch. I didn't go inside for time and money constraints, but did stand in what I believe to be roughly the exact middle. Took some pictures, went over to Busch Stadium and took some more pictures, grabbed a burger at Hardees (specifically to use the restroom) and was then back in the car around 8 or so as the sun was going down.

Trying to make it as close to Memphis as I could, without running into my Arizona/Utah problem, when the GPS started reading "Low Battery", I had it find me a local hotel. Another Best Western in Sikeston, Missouri, so I figured it'd be pretty cheap. I pulled in and asked for a room. $73.95. At this point I was pretty tired from all the heat, and wasn't sure if the GPS had enough juice to get me to another place, so I reluctantly said yes.

I got the key to my room and brought my first load of stuff in. I opened the door and looked to the left for a light switch, turned on the lights and expected to see a small bathroom off to the side. Instead I found what looked like a closet. I looked ahead and didn't see a bed, instead I saw a mini-fridge with microwave, a couch, coffee table and arm chair. I stepped in a little more and saw a TV and desk and another room. Inside of the other room was a king sized bed, dresser, another TV, 2 lamp tables and then a separate bathroom. I suddenly wasn't so pissed about the price for the night. I brought in the rest of my stuff and then took a refreshing shower before going to bed.

Sikeston, Missouri - Southern Hospitality starts here. That's what the brochures say, and I'm inclined to agree.

Country Roads: Part 4 - The Bobo's Bungle

I had made sure to set my alarm to wake up in time to catch the tail end of the complimentary continental breakfast in the hotel. I wasn't expecting much, and it didn't disappoint. I grabbed an apple danish, a mini muffin and a bowl of fruit loops and headed back up to my room to shower and plan the next stage of the trip.

I chowed down, input my plans into Google maps and headed for the shower. When I dried off I realized I had forgotten all about the Fruit Loops and had to flush them for they had become too soggy to salvage. I gazed at the map and it's simplistic directions.

Get on I-70E
Arrive Kansas City (6xx miles)

I thought about how I didn't really want to drive 600 miles through Kansas and formulated some alternate plans, namely stopping for the night in either Topeka or Lawrence which were on the way. I was already planning on briefly stopping in Topeka to chow down at another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dive's joint - Bobo's Drive In.
I'll spare you the details of the drive, needless to say that it was far less eventful than the previous day. After leaving Colorado I reached Kansas... and that's all I have to say about that.

Fortunately, I had supplemented my iPods music catalog with a collection of audiobooks, and with nothing but flat lands and hundreds of miles between me and my destination, now seemed like the most opportune time to give them a whirl. I set the cruise control at a brisk 72mph and selected an Agatha Christie mystery to engage my mind and counteract awesome boringness that is Kansas.

I was at first caught off guard that my audiobook wasn't really an audiobook (where someone reads the book to you) but rather a BBC radio production of the book. SCORE! "We present John Moffet as Hercule Poirot, in Agatha Christie's 'Appointment with Death'".

I honestly couldn't tell you anything about my journey for the next hour or so because I was so caught up in the story. Fantastic production. When it ended I pulled over for some food. I believe it was another Burger King (gotta love those gift cards). After a quick meal, I got gas and popped in another mystery, "Murder in the Clouds".

Those stories, and later some music got me through most of Kansas.

I arrived in Topeka shortly after 10pm and set the GPS for Bobo's Drive-In. I got there too late. They close at 8pm.

8pm! In the summer! In Topeka, Kansas - where, I could plainly see, there wasn't anything else going on.

I was dejected. But I made the best of it, jumped out of the car and recorded my trip on my Flip so that it would forever be part of the video record that I was there, even if I wasn't able to eat there.

As I headed back towards the highway I was a bit hungry so I had the GPS tell me where I could find some other fast food options. Suddenly, I saw one that we don't have on the East Coast, and, to make things better, Marc Summers (yes, former host of Double Dare), had mentioned on the Food Network Show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" - Steak N' Shake.
I pulled up hoping they'd still be open. My fears were quickly put to ease as the sign read they close at 3am and have malts and shake happy hours from 2-4 (am and pm, eat that Sonic). I went inside to find a quasi-fast food joint, retrofitted to a '50s diner/soda shop motif. The waitress was young and nice and I asked her to excuse my wide-eyedness having never been there before as I looked over the menu.

4 meals for under $4 you say. And one of them is a triple steak burger with fries? Unheard of. Yes I'll have that. And to drink... hmm, double fudge shake sounds good. Yeah, let's go with that.
It was a delicious meal.

Afterwards, I hopped back into the car and headed towards Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Also known as, most hated college basketball team #2. (Seriously, it's the one title I'll gladly give Duke every year).

After crossing my first toll road of the trip ($1 to go about 4 exits), I made my way to the EconoLodge I had looked up earlier on Expedia - see, I'm learning. Well to my surprise the guy at the desk actually charged me $5 less than the Expedia rate I was planing on. Not one to argue I took my room card, and pulled the car around.

The room was your standard cheap for the night motel, but comfortable non-the-less. It lacked some of the outrageous amenities of the motel in Denver, but that was to be expected. I had my free wi-fi, plenty of outlets to charge my things and a comfortable bed. What was more, was that I was 4/5ths of the way through another Agatha Christie mystery, "Murder in Mesopotamia" and couldn't wait to get back on the road the next day to hear the conclusion.

I also decided that I would obtain more of these BBC productions once I returned home, and gather mother and sister around the iPod to listen to the stories as we ate dinner some evening. In old-timey Americana fashion. I thought the idea fit me well, merging the modern with the classic, as is so often my way.

And so with that thought I laid my head down to rest on yet another bed, in yet another state.

Country Roads: Part 3 - Highway to Heaven

I awoke on Day 3 around 6am as the sun began to shine through the windshield. I thought about repositioning myself so that the light wasn't in my eyes and trying to sleep a little more, but figured that it wouldn't be long before the hotel staff were awake and discovered me. And the last thing I wanted was to pay for a hotel room I didn't get to sleep in.

So I turned on the car and continued my journey. I needed gas so I made an almost immediate stop at the first place I saw. Bought a 24oz Lemon-Lime Gatorade for breakfast, took most of my medication (all of the important ones) and chowed down on a mini box of Fruit Loops I had packed for just such an emergency. Then I headed out.

I had crossed into Utah under the cover of night so I didn't really see much of it until the next day. The mountains were beautiful. I stopped at a few "scenic turnoffs" to snap some pictures. Then I would jump back in the car and continue to press onward.

Around the town of MOAB, Utah I passed by a McDonalds and needing to pee decided this was a good place to stop. Besides, since I had been driving since 6am I definitely deserved a proper breakfast. As I walked in I noticed the "Free Wi-Fi" sign on the door and after using the lavy (practicing for London), I ran back to my car and got my laptop.

I ordered the usual, 2 sausage biscuits and a medium OJ, and sat down to enjoy and map out my route for the day. I was heading towards Denver. And after the incident the night before, I was more vigilant in looking up places to stay. I got addresses and phone numbers in case the GPS crapped out on me before I got someone, I could call and ask for directions. I also updated my fledgling fantasy baseball teams, responded to some emails and updated my Facebook status. Honestly I could work out of a McDonalds now a days.

I got back in the car, directions in hand, breakfast in belly and continued my tour of Utah. I passed by a small shop offering ATV and Dirt Bike tours and turned around to drive by it 3 more times. I was seriously considering it, as it is on my life's to do list. However, I was exhausted. I realized that it wouldn't be as fun or safe in my current condition. So I continued towards I-70. Once I got on, I pulled over at the first gas station, circled around back and grabbed myself a trucker nap.

I woke up an hour or so later as the sun was now high over head and it was starting to heat up in the desert. I went inside the convenience mart, where I picked up some water and an enticing looking ice cream treat - Snickers Brownie Bar. It was damn good. I got back in the car and kept driving.

A little later on I pulled off again to grab another nap. This time it was at a Kum and Go convenience store. I mention the name only because this is obviously the work of a copywriter. Someone decided that they absolutely had to use a "U" instead of the "O "and "E". Then they realized it may be offensive and unappetizing to, well just about everyone, so they kicked out the "C" and replaced it with a "K" to add a coolness factor to it. I laughed a lot at that.

Back in the car and the day is really long. Stopped for gas and grabbed a quick bite at a Wendy's. But the real hero was the Frizzle.

It's like a slurpee. Whatever this chain of stores' brand. There were two options, "Rock n' Roll" which looked to be a combination of berries and "Dragon Fruit" which seemed to have grapes and a dragonfruit. I made my decision in the only logical way possible. Which one was purpler, because purple-ness is next to godliness. The Dragonfruit won out.

It was incredibly delicious.

Back on the road and I was into Colorado now. I had passed through maybe 2 counties and had seen the rockies (Rich, they really are big. John Denver wasn't lying) in the distance. Now I was driving on what I will forever call the "Highway to Heaven".

This has to be the most beautiful stretch of road in the country. You're driving in between the mountains. The Colorado River is on your side. East and West traffic are separated. There are tunnels through the mountains. The speed limit is 75mph. There's nothing about it that isn't perfect.

Remember in the end of Gladiator, when Russell Crowe is dying and he sees himself walking through the golden fields on the way to his family? I'd like this stretch of road to be what I see when I reach that moment. It's truely remarkable.

So after all that I made it to Denver. I passed by Invesco Field and stopped at a Burger King which had Wi-Fi (to change it up, plus I had a gift card) and got directions to a nearby motel. I called to check availability this time and the woman at the counter told me not to worry. So I inputted the coordinates into Google Maps and was off.

20 minutes later I was back at Burger King. Since my battery in my laptop was dying I didn't pay attention to my starting location, which was wrong, and therefore gave me directions I could never follow. I plugged in after finding an available outlet and re-tried to get directions.

Driving down the road I saw the hotel to my right. Then a sign saying the bridge was out. I went down the next turn and tried to find my way about 700 feet over to get to the hotel. Couldn't do it. Got frustrated and went to look for another way there. Came back again and this time noticed the orange Detour signs. Followed them and got to the hotel.

$39.99 for the night.

I wasn't expecting much. But they had a laundry room so I decided to wash all of the dirty laundry I was bringing with me (since it was the only bag of clothes I could reach and had worn the same shirt and shorts for the past 2 days). When I got to my room I was amazed.

A fridge. Not the mini kind, the same size as my apartment in Binghamton all those years ago.
A microwave.
A sink (kitchen).
A stove.
Plenty of outlets.
A king sized bed.
Plus free Wi-Fi

It was great. I ran down and put my laundry in. Brought up some drinks from the cooler and put them in the fridge. Started charging everything. When the clothes were done I got in the shower, did some internet work and then, around 1 or 2 in the morning, finally went to bed.