Don't stop believin' (Nashville to Los Angeles, The End) (9/22/2012)

So that's it. The next morning, we finished things off by eating brunch at Cracker Barrel, basically the most southern restaurant of all time, which features items like ham, sausage, grits (look this up), eggs, biscuits, etc. We thanked my aunt Cathy, made it to the airport, and parted ways. Franc flew American and I flew Southwest (the superior airline). The plane ride was excellent, to say the least; read Charlotte's Web and sat behind some college grad bragging about all the guys she's screwed over.

Like I said before, I can't believe Franc and I actually pulled this off--and it feels oh-so-good. We camped in the Smokies, drove the Blue Ridge Parkway; we walked on Gettysburg, witnessed a little fall color; we saw the White Mountains of New Hampshire, made it to the coast of Maine; we explored the old city of Boston, walked through Mark Twain's house; we raged at Yale, introduced ourselves to New York, Philadelphia, and D.C. We drove over 3,000 miles in less than three weeks.

And despite all this, it was the little things that made this trip worth it. Just that feeling of "lighting out for the territory"--that freedom, that's what we loved. I recall a moment a few days ago when Franc and I were leaving Kobe's high school in Philly and were suddenly caught in a heavy, windy downpour. We were driving on a stormy highway, listening to the Eagles, when our surroundings opened as we crossed a bridge over the majestic Susquehanna River. That moment was reason enough for me to have taken this trip.

I wrote in the first post of this blog that we hoped to discover our country, and I think we did that--to an extent. The reality is that there is so much, so, so much, that this country has to offer, and my thirst for experiencing it is unquenchable. Between this road trip and the one I took last summer, I feel I have only barely cracked the surface of that discovery. Now before this starts sounding too cheesy, I want to say thanks for following us and hopefully you got a little piece of what we experienced. And if you ever find the chance, I strongly recommend trying to see this place we call home. Take a road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or from L.A. to Chicago, or, better yet, just go around the whole damn country. Because quite honestly, these highways are made for us.

Nashville skyline (Nashville) (9/21/2012)

Yeah! We made it back to homebase, Nashville. It felt so good to have completed this trip that just a month prior we were scrambling to put together. The '92 Ford Ranger, Ol' Stonewall, had given us zero problems--truly a miracle. We took my aunt Cathy out to dinner for some good old southern barbecue to celebrate.

And later that night, we journeyed into downtown as one final hurrah. On weekends, downtown Nashville is flooded with neon lights and little bars (called honky tonks) blasting live country music. There was so much noise and commotion everywhere, it was actually pretty exciting--though bittersweet because neither of us are twenty-one. And an interesting crowd, filled with dudes strutting around wearing boots and cowboy hats--a far cry from the hipsters of New York.

We decided to call it a night around 1am, headed back to Cathy's, and hit the hay--very hard.

Goodbye stranger (Bristol, TN) (9/20/2012)

We bade Kelly and Nancy goodbye and began our official trek back to Nashville. We took smaller highways through Virginia, down to Bristol, Tennessee. All the while, we were passing through just fantastically beautiful rural country, similar to the farms we saw during a certain stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Rolling hills, green as can be, old oak and hickory trees sprinkling our road with shade. It was one of those moments I would like to keep and stretch out for a few more days.

Anyhow, we made camp in lovely little Bristol, right on the edge of Cherokee National Forest. However, beforehand, we stopped at a gas station in town to "get our bearings," at which point Franco made one of the greatest mistakes to which I've ever bared witness.

Situation: Franc is pumping our gas, and I go inside the mini mart. When I come back out, we find our camping spot on his phone, set the navigation, get into our car (Franc driving), and pull away. At that moment, we hear a loud thud. Franc stops the car, peeks his head out the window, and immediately turns back toward me, shocked, his mouth open with disbelief. With this, I step out of the car, believing our bumper or something has fallen off.

Turns out, big-time Franc had pulled away from the station--with gas pump still in car. The best part was that the awkward teenage gas attendant, who had been sweeping out front, was frozen, staring at the detached hose. He was interrupted by Franco's hesitant inquiry, "So... what happens now...?"

In the end, nothing happened, and the manager told us to simply leave the station. We made a lot of similar mistakes on the trip while driving (leaving cell phone on top of car, leaving keys in door, leaving gas nozzle open, leaving shoes on top of car...), but Franc really did something special that day, and I applaud him for it. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better experience to end our last full day on the road.

Slow it down, Willy Boy (Washington D.C.) (9/19/2012)

The next morning we took the subway from Alexandria to D.C., a cleaner, better transport than in New York. We stepped out onto the National Mall (basically the strip between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, lined with various museums), took a breath of fresh federal air, then a confident step into the first of many museums, the Air and Space. Inside, we explored the wealth of actual planes on display, including Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and the Wright Brothers' Wright Flyer. Also on display were the space suits worn by Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and, I think, Michael Collins during the Apollo 11 mission. So many historic items in one place; it was very humbling.

Afterward, we headed over to the National Gallery of Art, which was pristine and held a good collection of American art. We also dropped by the capitol building, with the epic Grant Memorial out front. After this, we went over, off the main mall area, to the National Portrait Gallery and finally got to see some classic Hudson River School works--which was classic. With so much stuff to do and only one day, we just kept going, moving at a quick pace over to the White House to stare mindlessly through a fence with security in every direction. Regardless, that was cool. Walking down past the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, and the reflecting pool, we entered into the fairly sacred Lincoln Memorial. Once we walked past those pillars and stared up into the giant face of old Abe, it was actually pretty harrowing. There is little writing in the building, say for an inscription of the Gettysburg Address to the left, his second Inauguration speech to the right, and an epitaph above his head, dimly lit, that reads:

IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.

That was the closest thing to governmental sanctity I've ever actually felt; it was definitely my highlight of D.C.

Following this, we decided we'd cap off our night with something very Chesapeake: crab! So we walked down to the local fish market, just before closing time, and had ourselves a feast of crabcakes. It was damn good, and Franco says it was his favorite meal of our trip (which is really saying something).

We took the subway back to Kelly's, satisfied, both in our stomachs and our minds. We felt we had seen most of what we wanted in D.C., using our time economically. We both agreed the city was clean, beautiful, and that we would even consider living nearby.

Left my wallet in El Segundo (Philadelphia) (9/18/2012)

We left the infinity of possibilities that is New York City for our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. However, before doing the D.C., we stopped by Philadelphia to do the Philly cheese steak. Oh, and
Independence Hall. For the steak, we ate at one of those shops that always claims to originate a pretty generic idea; in this case, it was a cheese and steak sandwich. Even so, Pat's King of Steaks tasted beautiful.

Independence Hall, the place where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed, tasted equally delicious. Truth be told, nothing tastes better than freedom--with a side of
equality and justice.

After Independence, we made a final stop that unquestionably had to be done: a visit to Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA, a suburb of Philly. Yes, this is Kobe's alma mater, and it felt wonderful to be there. A staff member saw us lingering near the main entrance and kindly let us in. He showed us a glass display of Kobe's high school jersey in one of the corridors, then granted us access to the relatively new Bryant Gym that Kobe financed. Good stuff, and afterward we were soaked running through a heavy downpour to our car. It was worth it.

Onward, ho! To D.C., we drove. We stayed with my Uncle Kelly and Aunt Nancy in Alexandria, about twenty minutes outside Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, Kelly had just had a heart attack a few days prior to our arrival; but being the hard-as-nails guy he is, he was already home and looking great by the time we got there. We had dinner and talked with him and Nancy about what to do in the capitol the next day. Kelly is actually a former employee of the Department of Defense who worked extensively in the Pentagon, so he provided us with some great insight into and personal experiences with our federal government. It's also worth mentioning he's had a mustache since 1973. (Max, take notes.)

Manhattan keep on makin' it, Brooklyn keep on takin' it (New York City) (9/14/2012-9/18/2012)

New York has definitely been  the highlight of our trip. I'll break it down into a day-by-day synopsis to even attempt to capture what's happened.

Day 1 (9/14/12)

It was a pretty spectacular moment driving down the 95, coming around a bend, to see the horizon give birth to the New York skyline. This was definitely the biggest city we'd been in since we left LA. Once we got into it, we faced one of the biggest problems in New York: parking.

It took us about two hours to find an overnight parking spot for a "reasonable" $35 a night. Overall, I'd say it wasn't too brutal, especially since we were staying with my old buddy, Stephen Mackey, for free. This really alleviated the financial burden that is staying in New York.

Anyhow, once we settled in, Stephen took me and Raffi on a little tour towards Time's Square. It was a completely different world, with street performers and lights everywhere you looked. Among the highlights were sampling M&M's at the M&M store, reaching a restaurant at the top of the Marriott in Time's Square, taking the gondola to Roosevelt Island to check out an old abandoned small pox hospital, and trying the famous frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3.

9/15/12

Stephen had lots of reading to do, so Raffi and I decided to venture out as a duo on this day. We walked down through part of Chinatown, towards the World Trade Center. At the site, a small memorial marked where the twin towers had fallen eleven years and four days prior. Next to it stands the ongoing construction of the Freedom Tower, a skyscraper serving almost as a mirror to the sky. After paying our respects, we decided to head east towards the famous Brooklyn Bridge. I managed to slip into a music store and get a little piano jam sesh in with a shopkeeper before we hit the bridge, which was cool.

We crossed the bridge so many construction workers had lost their lives raising, and met Stephen at the Alma's Restaurant in Brooklyn Heights. The sun set as we ate our dinner, then Raffi left to meet up with his friend, another NYU student, Jason Boxer.

Stephen and I headed over the Barge Music to listen to a classical quintet play some Mozart. Rocking on the barge on the East River with a view of downtown Manhattan, the music really topped off the elegance of the moment. However the night only took off from there.

To keep things brief, (if you wanna know details, ask me in person) we walked back across the bridge, had a couple run-ins with Occupiers, the NYPD, and an NBC news van. We checked out the fanciest McDonald's, and had a beer in a small Irish sports bar then took a detour home. We walked along the Hudson, with a view of Hoboken, and into a huge turf soccer field. After taking some pictures and seeing some rats, we headed home. However, some house music distracted us on the way so we checked it out. Turns out we had walked into a gay club on Christopher Street. We stood awkwardly inside for a couple minutes until Stephen, noticing how dead the scene was, came up with the idea to start dancing like idiots and get the party going. We did. (Ask in person for more details. No worries, it's G rated..) Exhausted from our day's adventures, we finally made it home at around three in the morning.

9/16

With aching legs, Raffi and I wandered up north to hit up the famous Carnegie Deli to have ourselves a full blown New York pastrami sandwich. And what we asked for is what we got. The equivalent of about two steak's worth of corned beef and pastrami stacked on our plate with two measly slices of rye bread on each end. Along with some smack talking from a New Yorker sitting next us (I had apparently knocked a little bit of his coffee on his shirt), I'd say this ranks up there as one of the manliest meals I've ever had.

After the lunch, we took a pleasant stroll through Central Park, where performers of all sorts were pedalling for money. Although we stopped every couple minutes to watch, we eventually made it to the subway that would take us downtown.

Unfortunately, the Statue of Liberty tours were closed down, so we ended up just taking the Staten Island Ferry past the statue. But what a view it was! The sun set pretty much right behind the statue, accentuating Lady Liberty's crown and torch. The round trip took about an hour, so when we came back it was dark.

Walking back up, through Greenwich Village, we passed by Washington Square, where we heard the ringing of intricate piano playing. Surely enough, we ran across a man sitting on a Steinway grand piano under the arch, playing what were the most technically challenging pieces I've ever heard in person. He was just about finished, when he asked, "Anyone else wanna play something?" Realizing this opportunity may not strike again, I decided to play my original jazz ballad, "Maika," under the lit-up Washington Square Arch. Later, I clanked through the Rondo a la Turk, for which I earned ten dollars. Naturally, I gave the ten dollars to the player, who gave me a signed CD in return. The music had really built up an appetite, so we started food hunting.

We had passed so many Halal food stands in NYC, we decided it was time we grub. We ordered some gyros from a small falafel joint and had crepes for dessert. A successful day.

9/17

Since our friends were in class on this Monday, we thought it would be a good idea to check out the American Museum of Natural History. Raffi left the museum around three because he wanted to check out the Met across Central Park so we parted ways. I was in the museum until it closed at 5:45.

After my sunset stroll through Central Park, I headed to Chinatown with Stephen, while Raffi met up with Jason. We picked up some lemon pastry, ate a whopping three dollar dinner (from which we were stuffed), and had some boba. For once, we didn't pay a fortune for a full dinner in New York.

Stephen's roommate, Kevin is an intense swing dancer, so after dinner he was able to take me, Stephen, and Stephen's other roommate, Leef, to a swing concert. (In the meantime, Raffi took the famous ascent to the observatory of the Empire State Building.) I watched people dance as the band played classic Basie and Ellington swing tunes. It was a hip place to be. We ended the night on a long, political discussion at the apartment; another day well spent, and a fine way to end our stay in New York City.

Open arms (Hartford, New Haven) (9/13/12)

After a good night's rest at the Sigma Chi frat house's couch, Raffi and I headed out for New Haven. On the road there, we planned on stopping in Hartford first though.

Hartford harbors the Wadsworth Atheneum, home to the largest collection of the famous Hudson River School, and also the oldest art museum in the country (so they say). Anyhow, to our great disappointment the Hudson River School collection was temporarily not viewable. In an attempt to compensate for this let down, we decided to check out the Mark Twain house. Despite the pricey tickets, the house offered us a good hour of entertainment. The house was designed with features of a steam boat, and each room lay decorated in a variety of refurbished furnishing and wallpaper. We learned about Mark, actually named Samuel Langhorn Clemens, through interesting stories about his personal life, told by our charming, old-man tour guide.

We spent about another hour on the road, when we finally met Alex at Yale. Yale provided us with a stark contrast to the Harvard campus we had seen the night prior. Filled with Gothic style architecture -- as compared to the hardy brick building -- the campus was a breath of fresh air compared to the other ivy league schools we had seen. Also, Alex showed us the "Rare Books" library, which not only held two original copies of the Gutenberg Bible, but also a vacuumed pillar containing tens of thousands of original old books, ready to be taken underground in case of some apocalyptic scenario. Needless to say, this was place was pretty decked out.

We met Greg ushering at an a capella event, dressed in a full suit with sandals to replace the shoes. After his ushering duties, he met us up at Alex's place, where we all shared some drinks and laughs. As the night progressed, we shifted locations several times between the Lynnwood House, another party house where we met up with Sophie Miller, and a restaurant where Sophie recommended I get the "Wenzel."

It was a great night to say the least, and I slept well on Greg's couch. Thanks again to all of you for making this night a great one. You are always welcome at UCI and UCSB.