Dare To Be Domestic

The Best Trip Ever!

The. Best. Trip. Ever.

Can I say it again?  The best trip ever!  We finally made it from California to Maryland.  I became overcome with mixed emotions as we approached the end of our road trip.  I was partly sad that I would be giving up the freedom and uncertainty that comes with exploring different cities, meeting new people and sharing it all with one of my best friends.  Yet, I was also excited to be ending in Maryland, a place I had lived for 22 years of my life.  The experience gave me a whole new appreciation for my home state.  The air smelled different, the colors of the trees were more vibrant, and all the friends and family that awaited my arrival seemed all the more special. 

I arrived in time to celebrate my younger sister Natasha's 22nd birthday, hence all the red cups (I didn't  play party planner this time).

To the far right is my brother Corey.

My sister Natasha, the bday girl, is snapping the pic.

Me posing with my younger brother Troy.  I'm the oldest of six kids.  WOW!

I "bored" everyone at the party with hours of stories from my trip, but they all seemed entertained and excited to plan their own cross-country adventures.  They were especially interested in the $50 a day aspect.

Keisha is back with her family and dog, and we will do lunch today for one last laugh before I get on a plane back to Los Angeles.  I'll be flying Virgin America for the first time.  Very exciting.  But this time when I look down on those small, twisty roads through the desert and forests and ask, "who lives down there," I'll have a very clear answer in my head - WE ALL DO.

My only regret about the trip is that I waited until I was thirty years old to embark on such a journey.  I’ll forever have so many memories:

• 3421 miles
• 786 digital pictures
• $460.32 for gas
• $260 in hotels
• 94 pictures with complete strangers, now acquaintances
• $105.00 in food
• $69.00 state attractions
• $18 in ATM fees
• 15 states
• 14 state sign photos (the Welcome To Maryland sign was too hard to stop and get a pic)
• 10 bags of luggage
• 5 hotels
• 2 friends
• 1 flat tire

A big hug to everyone who helped make this trip a possibility:

Keisha for making a bi-coastal move and persuading me to take the journey with her

Chris for his thoughts on taking our unique route

Tasha for being my electronic bookie

Simone for editing all my rushed blog entries and for picking me up from the airport (this will happen on Wednesday)

Khary for our two free nights in ATL and a good deli dinner

Kamie for my free night in Charlotte and for being an amazing friend

Shalaine & Angel for a great dinner in Charlotte

Brittani for a fun talk over coffee

Kristi for taking care of my apartment

Sarah and Rosa (our Moms) for checking in on us while on the road

Montie for all his tech devices (i.e. portable navigation)

Jen for her encouraging words on keeping my budget low

& Everyone who read and left encouraging comments!

Here are some more artsy images to celebrate America The Beautiful.  I encourage everyone to Dare To Be Domestic and try this enriching cross-country experience for yourself. 

Now it's time to get back to being domestic at home.  Get ready for some exciting posts on ways to make home-life easy and fun!

THE BEST TRIP EVER!

To see our entire trip in pictures visit here.  Did I wear the same shirt for a week?  LOL!  Happy Travels.

Old Faces and New Spaces: Welcome to North Carolina

Hello North Carolina and bye-bye Atlanta, Georgia.  You will be missed, but I’m doing a quick dash away from all this fall/winter weather in hopes for drier land.  Here are some images as we made our exit.  One word - RAIN.

Soggy streets - ugh!

I thought LA traffic was bad...

The 1996 Olympic Park.

The CNN Center.

Our first stop in Charlotte, North Carolina was for dinner with great old friends Keisha and I met during college, Shalain and Angel.  Their first suggestion was Outback, but we ended up at a place called Boardwalk Willie’s instead.

I have another friend in Charlotte, Kamie, whom I have known since elementary school.  She took me in for the night.   I love having friends in different cities!  Keisha went to stay with family in a nearby town. 

Catching up with an old friend left me sleepless.  Kamie needed a little domestic help in her life—there were a whole lotta no-no's!  I only had one night, so we just gave her bookshelf a makeover, and I promised I'd come back to do the rest another time.

BEFORE

AFTER:  We moved the books forward and incorporated her frames into the reorganization to add a little interest.  We also removed all the paper book covers from the hardback books.

Banks rule in Charlotte.  The city's two biggest buildings belong to Wachovia and Bank of America.  Charlotte is most definitely a city in major development.  Notice all the construction in the pics below.  I have a feeling Charlotte will be a major attraction for travelers:  great restaurants, a cool downtown and everything is so new.

(l) Bank of America Building (r) Wachovia.

Very cool gold building.

An even cooler pink building.

We stopped into a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins and had donuts and coffee before hitting the road. Hey, I'm on vacation!

We captured this rainbow on our way out of Charlotte, heading to our final destination.  What an perfect ending to the "almost end" of our trip.

I'll be back, North Carolina.

NORTH CAROLINA BUDGET

Derrick in Charlotte:

Hotel:  NONE

Dinner Night 1 - $12.00

Drinks - $2.50

Breakfast @ Dunkin' Donuts - $9.00 

Lunch - Chick-fil-A - $8.00

Dinner -  NONE :-)

TOTAL:  $31.50

 

Atlanta... Like I'd Never Seen It Before

Finally we got a break.  After hustling and bustling through so many cities, we finally entered familiar territory – or so we thought.  Welcome to Atlanta, Georgia!

Of course, we passed though a couple other cities before we reached Hot-lanta.  Take a look:

  We arrived at night again, but this time we were staying at a friend’s house in downtown Atlanta.  Khary (pronounced Car – e) welcomed his weary travelers with open arms as a good host should.  His apartment was more breathtaking than any hotel we’d been to thus far.  He lives in the heart of the city in a historic building called the Healey.  The Healey Building was the last major skyscraper built in Atlanta during the pre-World War I construction boom.  The building is complete with doorman, barbershop, pizza parlor, amazing architecture and million dollar views.  In my previous trips to Atlanta I don't remember downtown being so trendy.  It's a great place to live!

Well, it was bound to happen… THE FLAT TIRE.  How in the world did a nail the size of Texas get lodged into Keisha’s brand new tire?  UGH!  I would like to tell you that the flat happened on some lonely highway in the middle of nowhere while it was raining—'cuz you know, that would be all dramatic.  But it didn't happen like that.  Our uber hospitable host Khary heard the leak as we were unpacking the car – PHEW!

So we got to meet Scott and the nice folks at W.T. Standard and Associates who fixed our flat in record time.  You guys were great!  TIP:  I also learned that if you can't get your bolts off to change your tire, try standing on the crow bar and give a slight bounce  – Thanks Khary!

I even got my hands dirty.

Me waiting for the car after I slaved over getting the spare tire on and then driving to the repair shop. Guess what Keisha was doing...

Of course.

This is Scott.  Thanks again Scott for helping get our tire fixed.  And no, you don't need to paint your shop  – I like the blue on white.

Mexican food in Atlanta?  The place looked nice; it was in a new part of the city, and we were starving and cranky.  So we stopped at a new trendy spot named Rosa Mexicano in a newly developed part of Atlanta called Atlantic Station.  The décor was immaculate, but  the food was okay – I might be a Mexican food snob having lived in LA for so long.  But I was in great company as always.

Though, they do make guacamole fresh at your table - FANCY!

Everything in ATL just seemed so new.

ATLANTA DAILY BUDGET

Hotel - N/A (stayed with a friend)

Breakfast  - FREE

Lunch - $6.00 each

Dinner - $20.00 each

Tire Repair - $15.00

TOTAL = $41.00 / 2 is $20.50

AND, I got to do laundry!  Expect to see some wardrobe repeats in the coming days.  I packed light.  RRRREEAALLLYYY light.

Party Like A Rock Star In Memphis

We left St. Louis heading to Tennessee, not knowing what to expect next.  Here are some shots of our exit from St. Louis:

Yep, those are cotton fields (above).

 We passed through The Natural State.

As we got closer to Memphis, Tennessee I become quite curious.  Any city where you enter on a bridge covered in glowing orange bulbs is worth taking note.

Southern hospitality can really put you in a good mood.  We arrived at night and were excited to get out an have some fun.  Our hotel concierge LaShonda pointed us to the trolley and told us to get off on Beale Street.  The trolley only costs $1.00.  We had no idea what we were in for.  But here's a hint, Memphis is the birth place of Blues and Rock N' Roll!

THIS CITY ROCKS!  I'd describe it as a mini New York City meets New Orleans on crack.  It all starts with the parties on Beale Street and concludes with the history that is only found in Memphis.  We didn’t expect to stay out too late because we wanted to get some sleep, but what do you know – we stayed out all night!  We hit up at least three clubs, saw great shows, drank cheap beer, and ate lots of fried food. Of course, any section of town where you can drink in the street is bound to be a good time!

Our first stop was Club 152, a great place we stumbled into.  Here is a clip of Wednesday's night performer and regular Grant Garland.  Keisha and I are his new biggest fans.  We couldn’t get enough!  He sang original music and covered everything from John Mayer to Justin Timberlake.  And this is just a small sample of the talent on Beale Street.

(Above) The All Star Band Featuring, Z-DA put on a great show at B.B. Kings Blues Club.  Z-DA worked the crowd.  A natural born performer.

Back at our hotel, I got the best sleep ever.  Crowne Plaza features what they call a seven layer bed.  The beds are so comfy; they actually give you seven extra soft pillows - SEVEN!  The pillows are down-like and hypoallergenic.  You can even buy them online.

Here are some ways to get your own super comfy bed:

• Flip your mattress
• Try changing out your old box spring. 
• Maybe opt for a platform bed for more even support
• Place a foam mattress topper directly on your mattress
• Place a feather bed on top of the foam topper
• Cover both layers with a mattress pad
• Add a blanket in-between your sheets and your comforter
• Switch to a duvet or down comforter
• Add seven pillows - LOL!
• Upgrade your sheets to a high quality cotton.  It’s a myth that the higher thread counts automatically mean softer sheets – it's about the cotton type.  Combed 100% Egyptian cotton would be would be best, but will cost you some cash.  

Enter Day 2 in Memphis.  It was time to get some history and culture but first, breakfast.  The entire trip, Keisha and I had been craving pancakes.  Our hotel concierge LaShonda recommended a small place called The Blue Plate Cafe.  OOOhhhhh it was great!  Get this, you get free biscuits and gravy while you wait for your food.  Needless to say we were so full.  Breakfast for 2 was $20.00, but we had so much food we couldn't finish it all.  (Though, trust me, we tried!)

Above:  Codey, the coolest waiter ever.  He'd talk you deaf and you wouldn't mind at all.  That southern hospitality, boy, if I could export that to Hollywood!  Thanks for everything Codey.  Hope to see you again real soon.

We started off by visiting the National Civil Rights Museum.  For the both of us, this was our first visit to the museum, which was erected in the Lorraine Motel; the location where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968.  "POWERFUL" doesn't even begin to describe it.  The museum does an excellent job of documenting the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, along with other civil rights movements throughout time.  Experiencing this museum at a time when Obama is on the verge of becoming president really put it all in perspective—it was only in 1954 that the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling desegregated America's schools!

The museum admission was $12.00.

(Above) The shot that killed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fired from the small, top row window on the right.  This building is also part of the museum and visitors get to look out from that window.

Let us never forget the world-changing ideologies for peace and equality set forth into our world by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Next we were off to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley.  Unfortunately, this attraction was out of our budget, but we did get to see the house and his private jet for free by asking a park employee how we could see the house without paying.  Admission to his home is $32.00 – WOW.  Elvis is makin’ mo-nay!  Even on a Wednesday the lines were out of control.  Here are a few pics:

Notice what he named his plane...  Talk about a baller! 

Last stop was the Mississippi River:

This house overlooks the river.  It's so me!  I'll think I'll put in an offer.  

Our Budget for Memphis

DAY 1

Hotel $26.00 each

Drinks $10.00

Dinner $8.00

TOTAL = $44.00 each

DAY 2

Breakfast $11.00 each

National Civil Rights Museum $12.00 each

Graceland FREE

Mississippi River FREE

McDonald's Iced Mocha $3.00

TOTAL = $27.00 each

Next Stop:  Atlanta, Georgia!

Oh The Games We Play… St. Louis Has So Much Charm!

Route 44 – I’d never heard of it, but if you wanna get from Oklahoma City to St. Louis, you will be on this stretch of road for a good 500 miles.  But have no fear, Route 44 is like driving therapy.  Its flat terrain, smooth road surface and the simply picturesque scenery have made it my new favorite US highway. 

As we drove, you could definitely tell we were getting closer to the East Coast as the trees were beginning to take on their colorful autumn personalities.  It was cruise control all the way!  We didn't even mind the $3.50 toll.

 We passed time listening to mixed CDs by DJ Lady T (my friend Taryn - thanks Taryn, we loved your music).  Everything from Alicia Keys to Sara Barilles.  Take a listen.

 If you think that video is bad, you should try playing some of the dumb car games we made up along the way:

Guess Those Lyrics (or, Don't Forget the Lyrics minus Wayne Brady) – We’d play a song we both knew and sing along.  Then we would go back and sing the same song A cappella.  Yeah, we didn’t really know the words as well as we thought!  Crazy fun.

 Or how about…

 Who Lives in that House? – You ever looked at house in the middle of nowhere and wondered who lives there?  We’d make up a whole story about who lived in a particular house, where they worked, and what they did for fun.  Sounds dumb, but it was a good time.

 Then there is…

They Sing That Too? – You pick a singer, say MC Hammer (ahem, rapper), and go back and forth naming songs by him or her.  The catch is you both have to sing a verse to keep you on your feet.  This game will make you say, “Oh yeah, that was my jam!”

Lastly...

State Slogans are Dumb - We would think of  funny state slogans for each state we entered into.

 If you know any car games, please let us know.  We need some new ones unless you want to see more videos of me singing.  LOL.

A couple of pics of Keisha doing what she does best while I drive.

... And before we knew it, we were in St. Louis.  We checked into another hotel in which we got a great rate using Kayak.com this time.  Little did we know that we would be right in the middle of everything!  We arrived at night but got up first thing in the morning to paint the town. 

St. Louis is so charming.  And you can't miss the Gateway Arch!  Did you know it stands taller than the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty?

 

Gastronomically, we've been champions thus far, but sadly in St. Louis, somehow we dropped the ball.  Or maybe it was dropped on us.  We should have known that it was a miss when we asked a local for a good place to eat, and all she could name were fast food chains.  Keisha and I dubbed her "Fast Food Francine."  We didn't dare snap a picture of her, because we were trying not to laugh the entire time Fast Food Francine was talking.

This is what Fast Food Francine recommended:  "If you want breakfast, there is a Starbucks around the corner.  If you want a burger, we got a Hardees, and if you want Italian there is a Pizza Hut right down the way."  Fast Food Francine, we salute you!  We did find a spot that was not fast food, but it was so not worth the $13.90 we spent.  Oh well, you can't win them all.

Our hotel, the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront, was a great bargain at $57.00, thanks to Kayak.com.  It was old school, but in midst of  renovations.  It even had a clothing butler.  Have you ever actually used one of those?

Oklahoma City is OK by Me.

Today was all about Oklahoma City.  After our plush night at the Crowne Plaza – which we got a major discount on – we were ready to hit the city.  As Keisha checked us out of Crowne Plaza, she met Vincent, a hotel employee who told her about the “must see” of the city.

Vincent looovvveeedddd Keisha!  Work it girl, get that insider info!!!

 Breakfast = FREE (fruit at the hotel)

Our day started off with somber memories dating back to April 1995.  The must see of the city is the Oklahoma City National Memorial, honoring the victims of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.  Keisha and I were deeply touched by what we saw.  The memorial evokes so many emotions as you walk through it, learning more about the tragedy and the individual lives affected.  The memorial is architecturally stunning and its import will bring chills to your spine.  

This is where the building once stood.  All that is left is a paved courtyard seen as a brick wall in the background.  These grounds house nine rows of 168 chairs representing each life taken on April 19, 2005.  The nine rows represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears an inscription of the person's name killed on that floor.  The nineteen smaller chairs represent children.  So sad and powerful.

There are two giant structures that read 9:01 and 9:03.  The times represent the moments before and after the bomb detonation.  You walk in the empty space between them which represents 9:02, the moment the explosion took place.

This statue stands across the street where a church once stood before the tragedy.  It reads, "And Jesus Wept."  Notice how his back faces the site.  WOW!

It was lunchtime afterward, and what better way to find out where to eat than to ask a local – which we did and got a recommendation to head to Bricktown.  We had a very memorable lunch at a small mom and pop restaurant called Bricktown Burgers.  Words can't describe how happy I was that we were referred to this place – BB is amazing! 

Their trademark burger is the onion burger.  It's a mess of fresh meat and grilled onions and tastes like everything you’d want an onion burger to taste like.

Emily the owner was the sweetest of the sweet.  Emily, thank you so much for making our lunch so memorable.  We loved meeting and chatting with you!  The next time you do Disneyland with the family, drop me an email so I can recommend some great places to eat in LA!

You don't get more domestic than this!

Lunch = $11.20

 Oklahoma City has lots of free activities (including visiting the National Memorial).  Here are a couple pics:

Me walking through Bricktown (Get it?  Bricks.  Yeah, I know.)

The Botanical Gardens.

Did I mention everyone is so freakin' nice?!!  Keisha and I had the most fun of any city we've stopped in yet, and we only spent $11.20 on this day!  We both agree, four thumbs up, OKC is a great place to visit!  Just do what the locals do.

Next up:  St. Louis, Missouri.

Oh yeah, the picture of me in front of the Welcome to Oklahoma sign was taken as we left the city.  We missed it coming in, and Keisha insisted we back track. Uh huh.

THIS JUST IN: My Videos Are Now Working!!!

Sorry guys, my computer was acting up, and I could not post these video earlier.  You'll get a little laugh!  The first video was filmed about 5 hours into our trip, the second when we first entered the Grand Canyon.  Enjoy my friends!

We Got Our Well Needed Slumber!

So Day 2 Totals are as follows ( costs of hotels and activities included):

Breakfast  $13.00

Entertainment - Walking Tour of Old Town Albuquerque, NM FREE

Lunch       $0.00 ( we had such a big breakfast at Owl Cafe)

Dinner     $24.00 ( we enjoyed ribs, chicken, brisket, fried okra, cole slaw and sweet potatoes.  So cheap, so much, so good!)

Hotel $52.00

TOTAL DAY 2 = $ 89.00 / 2 = $48.50 each. Right on the dot.

We are now in Oklahoma City.  FUN!  I  think.  They didn't have a welcome sign so there is no pic to show, which bummed us out.  After our haunted hotel experience in Albuquerque, we figured we should upgrade on our hotel for the sake of our sanity.  We logged onto Priceline  and named our own price.  We got a $180 room for 52.00 - Oh yeah!  We slept like royalty.  Even had the paper at our door this morning.  Thanks Crowne Plaza!

To see more pics click here

Texas, I Had You All Wrong

Okay, the accounts of my experience in Texas are based on a 500 mile stretch running along Route 40/ Route 66, with one stop in Amarillo.  It started off a little shaky because we got a speeding ticket.  Keisha was driving.  HAHA!  But I'm happy to report that the Texas Highway Patrol were pretty darn nice, if you can even say that after getting a $200 ticket.  And no, that was not part of the budget.

I forgot to mention during our New Mexico experience that we met someone from Maryland!  (Quick backstory note:  Keisha and I went to high school together in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  I moved to California seven years ago.)  The one thing I am noticing on this trip is that you can strike up a conversation with anyone who will listen and vice versa.  People are genuinely nice and always have a great story to tell!  So, Louella from Maryland spotted our vehicle's Maryland plates and approached Keisha.  Louella moved to Albuquerque fifteen years ago and works for the state.  Louella if you are reading this, we enjoyed meeting you and thanks for the  tip!  (She talked us out of visiting Roswell!  LOL.  Yeah that was my idea.)

Basically the drive between cities in Texas along Route 40 has nothing going on.  Having left New Mexico, things started to get a little green, but it was pretty much flat and unvaried.  Lots of cows, lots of old buildings, and lots of smells.  Is it me or does does Texas have a constant smell of cow manure? LOL!

You ever heard the saying, "Do It Big or Don't Do It At All?"  That's Texas.  We arrived in Amarillo around dinnertime and wanted something GOOD.  In Texas, that's BBQ.  We spotted from the distance a big red barn and took our chances.  When we walked in, we were not sure how us city kids would be received... but it was all good.  The restaurant was called Country Barn.  Check out the pics below—nuff said!

Country Barn exterior

The Country Barn bar

The bathroom hallway at Country Barn!  LOL!  I sang and did my Michael Jackson impersonation until people walked by.

And last but not least...

The Country Barn's men's bathroom sink.

We got good eats for cheap once again.  The food angels must have been watching over us on Sunday.  We still came in $20 under our budget.  Here's the breakdown:

Breakfast  $13.00

Lunch       $0.00 ( we had such a big breakfast at Owl Cafe)

Dinner     $24.00 ( we enjoyed ribs, chicken, brisket, fried okra, cole slaw and sweet potatoes.  So cheap, so much, so good!)

Total =$ 37.00 / 2 = $18.50 each

If we keep this up, we might even be able to cover Keisha's $200 Speeding Ticket!  Sorry girl.

Yes, Texas I had you all wrong!

Great Eats For Cheap: Owl Cafe - Albuquerque, New Mexico

So when you have $50 a day for your trip that includes all your meals and entertainment, you must be prudent.  You can't allow your stomach to run away with your wallet.  But, Keisha and I knew we both wanted a hearty breakfast in the morning—I mean we stayed at a hotel that ended up being haunted - HELLO! - We deserved scrambled eggs and home fries!  So on our drive into Albuquerque, we scouted out local eateries that had breakfast specials for those who venture out of their beds before 9AM.  And boy, did we find a great one...

The restaurant is called Owl Cafe, located at 800 Eubank NE.  Not only was the cafe totally charming and full of fun-spirited employees, the prices  and portions were out out of this world!  Take a look at what we had for breakfast and guess how much our bill was???

Well, our combined bill was $9.50!  Plus tax and tip, we paid in total $13.00.  I know, right!  We could have surely split one entrée and spent half that much. (Note to self, next place we dine ask how large the portions are first.)  Well, maybe not because the food was so GGGOOOOOOOODDDD!  One of our many goals for this trip was to find great places to eat for cheap without having to resort to fast food only, and the food at Owl Cafe tasted right from Mama's kitchen.

Vanessa our server was a sweet addition to our experience at Owl Cafe.  When we asked her what we could do only having one day in town she smiled and said, "I'll be right back!"  She brought back with her her colleague Mary.  Mary was great!  She gave us the rundown on what to do  in Albuquerque:  visit the museums, ride the tram, gamble... in that order.

We also got to meet the owner.  I love it when restaurant owners introduce themselves.   His name is Ski, and he's like your cool uncle.  I told him I loved his establishment and that my belly was full.  He proceeded to tell me a story about his mom being an athlete who would make her kids eat a lot because she was always in training mode and therefore, lived vicariously through their stomachs! 

Ski not only do you have a cool name, your restaurant made our quick stay in Albuquerque well worth it.  I mean where else in the country can you get a full plate of eggs, potato and toast for $1.99?  I'm smiling so hard thinking about it. 

We kinda figured we'd play it low key and just drive through the city.  But Mary, you had some great ideas.  We didn't want to ride the tram because I'm afraid of heights, and we thought gambling would be bad for our budget!  But, next time Mary, next time.     

WE LOVE OWL CAFE.  You all rock.