Up The Coast.

We drove from LA to San Fran on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was my favorite of the drives. Windows down, music blasting, ocean on my left, and mountains on my right. We stopped at Malibu Seafood and I got an amazing fried shrimp sandwich. I had gone there when I was 15 and I vividly remembered eating delicious seafood there so I wanted to go again. I also sat in the sun and attempted to soak up the last of the sun-rays I would have in a LONG time. Mary could not eat anything at this fish market, I felt bad but I HAD to get my sandwich. So after I ate it we were on our way. We eventually were away from the ocean and near farms and vineyards. California was very scenic.

We also saw the Kraft macaroni and cheese colored convertible in Malibu. Who chooses that color? Really? It is terrible.

At the end of the drive we crossed over the famous Golden Gate bridge and arrived at a really cozy house right outside of San Fran where a delicious dinner was waiting for us. And a really cute bunny too named BunBun. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of her.

California Girls.

Ahh yes. 3 relaxing days in LA. Mary and I skipped the Grand Canyon to relax from all of the driving. We spent probably an entire day in bed, with my cousins four miniature dogs jumping all over us. We tried going to the beach but it was gloomy and cold. Mary somehow still got sunburned. I naturally took a nap. It was our day to "veg" out. We watched loads of TV and at night we actually got to meet up with the boys we went to Europe with last summer. It was so nice to see them. Boy, how I missed their English accents.

The next day I took Mary to see my favorite parts of LA. We went to the Santa Monica Pier. Then had lunch at a restaurant called Lemonade, which has the BEST lemonade I have ever had. I had Blueberry Mint Lemonade. THE BEST. Their food is also delicious. They are set up in a cafeteria way where you go down the line and tell the people behind the counter what to put on your plate. All of the ingredients are really fresh and everything they served was unique. We also went to the Venice Canals which is where my dream home stands. I love it there. If you ever go to LA, please take 10 minutes and walk through the canals.

We also went to The Getty Center which is a huge art museum on the top of a hill. It overlooks all of LA. They were having a free concert at 6pm. We got stuck in traffic for about an hour. We also realized while in this traffic LA drivers are the worst. We waited patiently in the traffic and got cut numerous times by douche bags in their Mercedes. We got to see the sunset over LA and hear a band called The Antlers. The lights from the city and at the Getty Center were beautiful. It was our last night in LA and I was so happy to spend it there.

Flagstaff,AZ.

Wow. The roads through Arizona were nuts. Our little Versa was cruisin' through. The rocks were beautiful though. We jumped out of our car a few times to take pictures of the landscape. After our 3rd long drive in a row we were SO HAPPY to be in a hostel in a city we could easily walk around. We got into our room and jumped on the bottom bunks of the bunk beds, called our best friend who was about to depart for China and then went out and explored.

We ended up in a spanish restaurant/bar where I had a delicious bowl of chicken fajita soup and friend plantains and listened to a little live music. Then I looked into my drink and there were 4 flies in it!! I was so mad. We decided to leave on that note and started to wander around. We realized we were on historic Route 66 so we took a touristy picture. We tried going to a few bars but on a monday night nothing was really going on. I decided to go the old lady route and hit the hay.

The next morning we were supposed to go to the Grand Canyon. I still feel guilty about skipping it but after all that driving I just wanted to get to LA and lay on the beach. So that is exactly what we did. We went out for breakfast in Flagstaff and then hit the road. Sorry Grand Canyon, I'll catch ya next time.

The Beautiful Countryside.

Our most beautiful drive was through Colorado into Arizona. The difference between the two states was amazing to see. We took Route 285 south through Colorado which brings you literally right in between in rockies and by what are called the Collegiate peaks. My second picture is one of the collegiate points. They are some of the highest peaks in Colorado. We had our cameras our for almost the entire 8 hour drive. We then took a pit stop at the 4 Corners where you can be in 4 states at once (Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona). Sitting on the concrete border corners were HOT. I sat there for 2 seconds just to take the picture because it was boiling compared to those mountain ranges in Colorado. Arizona was amazing as well the red rocks and desert land was a beautiful place to watch the sunset. Although people drive like lunatics there! Everyone goes about 90 miles an hour and they pass you if you are not.

Denver.

I loved Denver. We arrived at 3:30 am because of the thunderstorm but we spent the whole next day walking around and exploring the city. We ate at a really good Thai place called Swing Thai which had a 3-5pm happy hour where Pad Thai was $5 with any beverage purchase. I tried my first glass of Thai iced tea with coconut milk. It was BANGIN'. What I really enjoyed about Denver was not just the beautiful views of the Colorado Rockies surrounding the city but the eclectic mix of outdoorsy and artsy people. In the streets were pianos with murals on them where anyone who could play could sit down and play a tune when they felt like it. There were all sorts of people playing the pianos. It kind of made me think how music brings people together and creates community among those who may not have been friends or acquaintances before.

Anthem.

Corn and Omaha.

Well I must say, never have I seen so much corn in my life. 3 states full of corn! Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois were full of corn. Flat land, corn and a bunch of giant windmills. I now know why UNebraska's mascot is the Husker. We drove for probably 12 hours at least through corn. We stopped at the Worlds Largest Truckstop and it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be according to the dozens of signs leading up to it on Route 80.

We stopped in Omaha, Nebraska for dinner where the restaurant we wanted to go to was closed. Our car was also making a weird noise so we brought it to a shop to get checked out. Luckily it turned out to be nothing serious. But Omaha was GHOST town. It was 5pm and no one was walking around! Shouldn't people be leaving work at that time? We felt even more awkward walking around with our huge backpacks. Since the restaurant we had planned to eat at was closed we ended up eating at a local pub where we felt like total NY snobs. We asked for a Hard Cider and the guy looked at us as if we were crazy and said they did not carry it. Then I looked at the menu and saw it listed and asked for "Woodchuck" and he said "Oh, you want that cider stuff?" HELLO! YES! Then when we showed him our identification and he saw where we were from he gave us a weird look. Kind of the "NY? NJ? what are you doing in Omaha?" look. Then the hilarious food order came. Mary is a vegetarian and is allergic to gluten so she cannot eat much on a pub menu in Nebraska. She decides to order a Mandarin Chicken salad with no chicken. This same clueless waiter looks at her and says "NO CHICKEN?" as if it was unheard of to not eat meat. I ordered a chicken quesadilla to keep things less complicated.

We finally left Omaha and I saw dark clouds ahead. I started to freak out. I was showing my true east coast naiveness at that moment(I believed that every thunderstorm in the midwest meant tornado). I made Mary phone someone immediately to see if there were Tornado warnings. Luckily there were no tornado warnings but we had to pull over for thirty minutes because of the heavy rain and terrifying lightning. We even considered getting a hotel room the storm was so terrible. Eventually the storm blew away and we got back on the road. 6 hours later...we arrived safe and sound in Denver.