Luckily, we were able to finish loading the car before the rain started because it didn't stop. It rained for 90 percent of the time that we drove through Florida. To make matters worse, we were already bored and suffered from the plague of incomplete jams. Basically, we were driving and listening to the radio on scan (the whole way there) and were trying to stop on the jam-worthy songs -- too bad the only time we heard songs that we remotely liked, they were within 30 seconds or less of ending.
Our first and only stop (other than to refuel) was in St. Augustine. At this point, it was dinnertime, and we ended up choosing Burger King. This BK was like something out of a bad '80s movie. The splattered paint effects on the walls and the weirdos that were there... I don't know which was worse. We ate quickly and escaped.
Shortly thereafter, we found our saving grace -- Jacksonville's X102.9, the only radio station that kept our attention! Thank goodness for that! X102.9 continued for a while into our Georgia drive, but, then, it was back to the incomplete jams.
I don't know if Georgia has state colors, but it should, and they should be orange (as a symbol of the never-ending construction) and red (for the endless line of brake lights). The term traffic gone wild does not even begin to explain my frustration. Mind you, there was no reason for this traffic, which made matters even worse. How about the white mini-van with "Love Is You" stickered on the back windshield? We hated that guy.
By the time that we got to South Carolina, it was dark. The boring scenery wasn't helping me stay awake, but maybe I should thank the drivers and their blinding headlights. You certainly can't fall asleep when you're being blinded by pretty much every car/truck on the road.
Another highlight was the flat tire that never was. The car was bumping all around, and it really felt like we had a flat, so, despite not wanting to stop ever because I wanted to get out of SC as soon as humanly possible, we exited to check out the tires, which were fine. Granted, I was thrilled and relieved that we didn't have a flat, but I was hating my life to think that the road was just in that bad of shape. Did South Carolina grow? It sure felt like this state got bigger.
North Carolina was equally annoying at first, but it quickly surpassed its neighbor to the south when we encountered the world's longest and most irritating detour. We had to get off I-95 and drive on country backroads for like 30 minutes. It was awful.
The rest of the states are a blur since (a) I was getting tired, (b) my co-pilot was nodding off like a bobblehead and could no longer take notes, and (c) I was driving the speed limit for so long (throughout Virginia) that I wanted to kill myself. Nonetheless, here are some noteworthy points:
- The driver's seat in the rental car was the most uncomfortable seat I have ever sat in in my entire life!
- The McCafe (creamy, steamy, and dreamy) billboard is the most popular billboard on I-95.
- When you are plagued with incomplete jams, you are forced to make musical sacrifices and listen to crap that you would never listen to otherwise.
- The most popular songs on the radio were Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me," Beyonce's "Halo," and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours."
- If you're bored enough and plagued with incomplete jams for long enough, you might start hallucinating.
Normally, I would recount all of the details of a trip, but, since this post is already lengthy, I'm going to try and keep it brief.
Day 1:
I slept a couple of hours after being awake for too many hours to count, hung out with AG, picked up Joanne and went to dinner at Gino's in Bay Ridge. Speaking of which, I need to review that on Yelp (lisaphone.yelp.com). After dinner, Jo and I went to pick up Duane and take him and some of his belongings to Williamsburg. Then, I took Jo home and hung out for a little bit before making my way back to 27B.
Day 2:
I woke up early this morning to return the rental car. Mind you, it was due at noon; I left Gerritsen Beach to head to Alamo on 40th and 8th in Manhattan at 10.30 am. I got there at 12.25 -- it took 2 hours to go 15 or so miles! WHAT THE CRAP?
Luckily, I had something to look forward to; I met Jennifer for lunch from F/Orange Circle Line Bagels, which ruled. From there, I went to Jo's and relaxed until she got home from work. We weren't able to do much that day because it didn't stop raining, but we did have Lobo for dinner!
Day 3:
Jo and I started the day with breakfast from F/Orange Circle Line Bagels and headed out for a journey to the trifecta. We should have taken it as a sign when we waited for 30 minutes for the A-train to never come, but we continued on and made it to the Staten Island Ferry for a high seas adventure!
When we got off the ferry, we got onto the craziest bus ever. There was a family of 7 (5 of which were kids) that ran that bus. From taking up the entire aisle to kids singing loudly enough that people couldn't hold their laughter in to being the most crowded bus ever... the hits kept on coming.
Three hours after we initially left Carroll Gardens, we FINALLY got to Denino's, where we devoured a pizza. From there, it was part 2 of the trifecta: Ralph's Ices.
Our mission was not over, though; we took another bus to the Staten Island Mall, where Jo quickly returned a few things. Then, it was back to another bus -- this one took us from the mall to 86th Street in Brooklyn. Over an hour later, we found ourselves having to take 2 more buses before getting back to Jo's apartment. What a mission.
It wasn't even over because we headed back to AG's after all of that.
Day 4, the 4th of July:
Jo, RG, and I got an early start and headed to the city to try to get discount tickets to see Rock of Ages. RG won the lottery! We ate lunch and headed back to the theater to see the show; it was awesome. Constantine might be my boyfriend. Hahaha. (Not if Joanne has anything to say about it!) I don't want to tell you much about the show, but if you like the idea of a musical set against an '80s soundtrack, go see it. I guarantee that you'll love it and laugh out loud throughout the whole show.
After the show ended, we had time to kill before the fireworks, and surprisingly, we weren't hungry. On a whim, we decided to go see a movie. We got to the theater, saw that The Hangover was about to start and quickly bought tickets. It was hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard and/or that much in a movie in my life.
From there, we headed to get a spot to see the fireworks, which were pretty amazing. After that, we took part in what seemed like a mass exodus and made our way to Union Square where we decided to have a late-night dinner at Coffee Shop. My food was delicious and the perfect ending to a great day.
Day 5:
AG made a breakfast feast and followed it up with a dinner feast! In between, Jennifer, Joanne, Tricia, RG, and I went to Prospect Park and took a little boat ride. There were 4 other people on the boat besides us and the captain. The boat ride was nice and relaxing -- so much so that I leaned back and closed my eyes while the captain was docking the boat. Little did I know that when I opened my eyes, Captain Jimmy would be so close to me that I could kiss him. I said, "dang... I didn't know it was going to be that kind of boat ride." Everyone was laughing, and RG quickly pointed out that this stuff only happens to me. He might be right.
Duane met up with us at the park, and we headed back for the dinner feast. After dinner, we had dessert, which was followed by a quick trip to Ralph's in Brooklyn before taking Duane home. We really are the fattest people ever -- who eats ices after dinner and dessert???
Day 6:
I took the Carroll Gardens car pool, hung at Jo's, had lunch with Jennifer, and hung out with Duane before meeting up with Jo, Allyson, and Oz at Joe's Pizza. I had to get my fix! From there, we walked to Magnolia, and we parted ways with Duane.
Allyson bought me a pair of sneakers for my birthday -- thanks, Al! Jo and I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and went to Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory before heading home.
Day 7:
I went to Pennsylvania. Mind you, it took 5 hours to get there because Uncle Carl had to run errands; I did, however, get to drive the H2, which was pretty sweet. I got to see everyone except for the Bean before having to head back to NY in the wee hours of the morning.
Day 8:
For my last meal in Brooklyn, I drove the brown beast to Brennan & Carr, where Tricia met RG, John, and myself for lunch. Then, I headed back to get my stuff and go to the airport.
All in all, the trip was a good one, and, once again, I didn't want to come home. Oh, and, for the record, I got lots of swipes -- 15, but who's counting???
