SoCal: Day 2, Ducks Game

We freshened up and prepared for the game. I wore my old-school Mighty Ducks practice jersey, and Shok and Mary both wore Devils gear - white for Shok and red for Mary. We walked along Katella to the game and got there around the time the gates opened, taking pictures along the way.

We entered the arena and walked around some, checking out our seat location. We made our way to the Team Store where I picked up a new t-shirt, as did Shok, as well as a puck for Mary. We kept wandering and I found another shirt that I liked at a smaller stand, so I picked that up too ;)

We grabbed some snacks and headed down to our seats for warm-ups. It’s always fun to watch a hockey game, and I was hoping that the Ducks would pull this one out for me.

After warm-ups we headed back out and wandered some, making it back to our seats for the game.

During the 1st Intermission I headed upstairs to meet some friends, and hung out with Vicki, Abi and some new people that I met off of Twitter. After the 2nd Period I met Amanda, one of the Power Players I’ve befriended on Twitter. It was cool of her to de-skate and come out to visit during Intermission. She was dressed in a Snow White outfit for Halloween.

The third period saw the Ducks give up the lead and ultimately lose. That stunk, but I met a bunch of cool people…that helped take the sting out of things.

We left and headed back to the hotel. Along the way Mary got into a shouting match with some local rapscallions, which was quite amusing. After changing out of our game clothes we headed back out to find a bar for a few night caps. We found this cool little place next to the Grove in Anaheim where we could sit outside and enjoy a libation. Mary discovered on the dessert menu that when you order milk and cookies the bake the cookies fresh, so we ordered a round…which was quickly followed by another round - they were delicious! Though the Ducks lost, it was quite and enjoyable day and night.

Ducks Power Player Amanda cleaning the ice

SoCal: Day 2, Newport Beach

I slept in on Friday morning, which was much needed after such a busy Thursday. After a shower and shave I met up with Shok and Mary and we headed to the beach. I asked my SoCal Twitter friends for a recommendation and I decided on Newport Beach. It was the easiest to get to, which I liked. After stopping for coffee as well as swinging by the local sports shop (where I picked up a Ducks t-shirt and a few coozies ;) we hopped on the 5 to the 55 and out to the coast. I saw the name “Balboa” a lot in that area, which kept reminding me about Arrested Development. There’s always money in the banana stand.

We made it out to Newport Pier and parked the car. We walked onto the Pier to check it out. There were a lot of (presumably) local fisherman on the pier, and it was cool to watch them reel and catch…not so much to watch them clean. One lady, while reeling in her catch, yelped and started frantically reeling. Turned out a loose seal was trying to go after her fish. It would have been amazing to see her hook and pull up a seal.

We walked back to land and checked out a few local stores. Shok bought some flip-flops and we fed the meter, and then had lunch. There was a little seafood joint on the beach, and I had fish and chips…very tasty. After lunch we checked out the beach some and walked along, dipping our feet into the Pacific. We worked our way back to the car and fed the meter one last time, then walked along the beach the other way toward a rock jetty. We went and stood on the jetty for a while and spotted a seal swimming in the surf with the other surfers. The seal was actually surfing, catching waves and flipping over and playing. I can now see why sharks often mistake surfers for seals….they looked very similar in the surf. Well, except for the giant surfboards attached to their ankles. We walked back to the car and made our way back to the hotel to prepare for the game: Ducks vs. Devils!

SoCal: Day 1, The Rest

The flight was fine. My back wasn’t too much of an issue - it was a light flight and I had a row to myself. I was able to stretch when I needed to, which helped. I dozed for the first half of the flight, but was awake as we flew over the middle of the country. In past flights to California, I’ve always had an aisle seat so I’d be able to stretch my legs. Being able to sit next to a window was quite fun. It was amazing to look down at Kansas as we flew over - the perfect grid of farmland divided for miles and miles - truly awesome to see. The juxtaposition between that and the Rockies was quite wild. It was also cool to see the red rocks of Arizona from the air. It was a most enjoyable flight. And, of course, the Minute Maid CranApple was simply the icing on the cake!

The approach into John Wayne Airport was really cool - hills and mountains and little communities. There were lots of tennis courts and swimming pools and red roofs to check out as we made our decent.

John Wayne airport is small, but it did the job well. Getting out was a piece of cake - the rental car company was right on the premises and I was on my way quickly.

I was meeting my friends who were flying down from San Jose while following the Devils around California. Their flight was a few hours away, so I drove around the area a bit to find a supermarket and get some supplies. It’s a really pretty area, with colleges very close by. I began to think that I made a poor choice going to college in the Northeast…

I tried my first Carl’s Jr. meal. It was….meh. I had the chicken strips, which seemed on the verge of being under-cooked…but I needed to get some food in me - I wasn’t sure what the plan was for the rest of the day and I just had snacks on the flight. When my friends Ashok and Mary landed I made a pass by the passenger-pickup and grabbed them. John Wayne Airport is sooooo much easier than LAX.

Greetings out of the way, we headed up to our hotel near Honda Center and checked in. After freshening up we headed up to Disneyland. Much to our dismay, the park was closing at 8pm that night for some special party, and it was already 4:30. We parked in Daisy 6G (or, apparently, Andy Green, 6) and rode the tram to the Park.

We entered and I made a bee-line to the churro stand near the entrance for a stick of that cinnamonny-sugary goodness. It was delicious, and worth the trip alone. Not having much time we made our way to Adventureland. My friends are big fans of Nightmare Before Christmas and Jack Skellington, so the Haunted Mansion was now on our much shorter to-do list.

But first, Pirates of the Caribbean. The line was minuscule and we were quickly in a boat. Words cannot describe my absolute glee, so I won’t even try.

After Pirates, I resisted the urge to immediately ride it again and we walked over the Haunted Mansion. There was a little bit of a line, but that was okay - it was a nice time to catch up some more and people-watch. Shok and Mary really seemed to enjoy the Mansion, which was awesome. They really do it up nicely for Halloween.

A popcorn and diet coke later, and after shopping at the Jack Skellington kiosk outside the mansion, we wandered to Fantasyland and Alice in Wonderland. It was a Mary request, and I had never been on it before. The squeals of delight coming from the front of the car told me that it was thoroughly enjoyed, which was awesome. We wandered some more into Mickey’s Toontown, and did a little shopping there. We tried to take the Train over to Tomorrowland, but it was late and the train that showed up was being put to bed. Not wanting to waste 10 minutes waiting for the next train we decided to walk it, through the parade route.

Once in Tomorrowland, Shok and Mary went on line for Space Mountain. I was going to check out the revival of Captain EO, but had 20 minutes before the 8pm show. I walked back to Mainstreet USA and thought about grabbing a snack, but didn’t want to have a whole corndog. Instead, I ran back to Adventureland to check the line for Indiana Jones. It was non-existent, so I ran and did that. I figured I’d rather do that ride than see Captain EO, since my hatred of Michael Jackson is well documented. Indy is such a fantastic ride; I know I made the correct choice.

I booked it back to Captain EO afterward but the 8pm showing already closed. I hung out and waited for Shok and Mary to be out of Space Mountain - and almost saw a fight break out between some meatheads. That was fun.

After Shok and Mary got off the ride, we headed out to Mainstreet USA and walked toward the exit. I tried to grab one more churro but they were closed. (D’oh). No matter. We started to walk toward Downtown Disney and checked out World of Disney. Shopping ensued. After that we got some cotton candy and waited for the tram. Mary kept us all entertained, and especially a cute little blond boy next to us in line, and we boarded our tram. Somehow the boy and his mother didn’t get on our tram, and I regret not helping them out.

We got back to the car and headed back to the hotel. After contemplating going out for a nice dinner, we decided to hit up Dennys since I was starting to crash from the flight and time-difference. The Lumberjack Slam was just as good as I remembered. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel where I passed out shortly thereafter.

SoCal: Day 1, flight

I don’t know why I keep booking flights so early in the morning. The night before is always a jumble of packing and making sure I have everything I need, followed by too few hours of sleep, and then a mad dash to the airport only to sit there for over an hour waiting to board. But, no traffic and a breezy security screening means that everything is going to plan.

This morning I’m flying from JFK to SNA (John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA) on Delta. It’s my first time flying into Orange Country directly, and I’m looking forward to the convenience of NOT having to deal with LAX. Upon checking in I found that the flight is fairly light- I changed my seat to the back of the plane so I could have my own row. With my back still a little tight, this is most fantastic news!

Odd thing I just saw - we have a male flight attendant - a little older, very pleasant. He’s walking down the aisle offering blankets (for a fee, I’m sure). A few aisles away I heard him quip “it’s for the ladies - guys don’t use blankets.” I found it a little odd that a male in a stereotypically female job would make such an antiquated joke playing on traditional machismo. Eh. I laughed in my head.

I can’t wait to fall asleep.

North Carolina - Day 4

Today was rather uneventful. Woke up and packed up my belongings. After a nice hot shower and a last walk-through we headed out and Jeff gave me a ride to the airport. It’s simply amazing how easy getting to RDU is - no traffic whatsoever. I’m not used to that.

After arriving at the airport and saying our goodbyes, I printed my boarding pass and breezed through security. On the way to the gate I stopped by a used book kiosk. What a brilliant idea for an airport - I’ve never seen that before but it makes perfect sense to have one there. Bravo Raleigh!

I didn’t have to wait too long to board (which was way better than the LGA fiasco). It was just enough time check email and enjoy a banana-nut muffin.

As I type this, I’m on the flight with a can of Minute Maid Cran-Apple cocktail to my right and a smile on my face. For whatever reason, almost all the passengers on the flight are sitting near the rear of the cabin, but the awesome flight attendant allowed me sit up near the front where it was less crowded. Politeness and a smile go a long way - especially in the south.

Overall this has been an extremely enjoyable trip. It was great to catch up with my buddy Jeff and explore his world for a bit. His family and friends in North Carolina are beyond fantastic and hospitable. The weather could have cooperated a little better but it really didn’t hamper any plans that we made and we had a fantastic time regardless. I’m very glad I booked this trip and can’t wait to come back for a second visit.

North Carolina - Day 3

Woke up on day 3 and began watching the Lost finale. That took us to about noon, at which point we were really hungry. Being that I was still in the south, that meant more bbq!

We went to a place called Hog Heaven. It was less fancy than the place we went to yesterday, but the portion was more appropriate for human consumption. I had the pulled pork, which from what I learned is the North Carolina specialty. This pork was better than yesterday. I liked these hushpuppies better as well. I’m still trying to figure out why I got the slaw, as I don’t like slaw. It was good though.

I grew up around, live near and work in New York City. I've heard many many different accents and dialects of our language over my lifetime. It was here at Hog Heaven where, for the first time, someone spoke English to me and I had absolutely no idea what they were saying. This place was an order at the window place, and then someone brought it to you, and would check up from time to time if you needed anything. I suppose you’d call that person a server. Our server would pop by and ask us if we would like anymore sweet tea, or if we needed anything else. I looked at Jeff as if she was speaking German. It felt like I was in a foreign country, and I had that helpless feeling of “I have no idea what she just said.” He assured me it was, in fact, English. I then proceeded to poke fun at him for being able to understand her so clearly.

This restaurant was in Durham. We drove around there through the off and on rainstorms, exploring Durham and Chapel Hill, driving around the campuses of Duke and University of North Carolina. We stopped at Jeff’s favorite coffee house, 3 Cups, and met up with his buddy Ryan from last night. This place serves coffee, tea, as well as a rather extensive wine selection. The coffee is served in a French press, and you order in different sizes, either a 1 cup, 2 cup, 4 cup or 6 cup size press. They give you mugs (in our case, the store-named 3) and after it brews, you enjoy. It was such a simple yet awesome idea for coffee service. We spent about a half-hour to 45mins there, enjoying the coffee and the company.

After 3 Cups we did a little more exploring, checking out a specialty foods shop that had a myriad of kitchen supplies, from herbs and spices to kitchen-ware to wine to fresh meats and cheeses. It was like a supersized and extensive whole-foods without the misplaced sense of superiority. I’d be in a lot of trouble if I had one of those stores close to my home.

After leaving the market, we decided to give the Durham Bulls game a go. It had been raining off and on all day, but the clouds seemed to be breaking up a little. Having nothing else really planned, there was no harm in just trying. We got there and redeemed a few vouchers for some seats behind home plate (minor league ball is awesome for that).

We had a little time to kill so we wandered around the American Tobacco campus that was right next door. It looks like they revamped an old Tobacco factory -all brick buildings with new windows, new occupants, and an really cool stream running through it all. If you look up you can still see the conveyer sorter overhead. It was a really interesting place - I need to do a little research to find out more about it.

A trip to the team store and a hat/t-shirt late we headed inside for the game and to our fabulous and cost-effective seats. A quick stop for a footlong and a soda and we hunkered down for what turned out to be a gem from the Durham Bull’s own Jeremy Hellickson against the Pawtucket Sox. He took a perfect game into the 7th and a no-hitter into the 8th. The Bulls won 1-0 and it was an absolute perfect night for baseball. After the game it was announced that if you spent $20 in the team store you would receive a Jeremy Hellickson bobblehead. We went back to the store, showed our receipt (or, in Jeff’s case, showed MY receipt as he threw his out) and went home with a nice souvenir of a pitcher whom I'm sure we’ll see in the big leagues one day.

Back to the apartment, we watched a few favorite episodes of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia and then relaxed on the balcony with some libations. A little Dexter Gordon on the iPod made it the perfect ending to the night.

North Carolina - Day 2

I woke up today a little stiff, but it’s nothing a nice hot shower didn’t cure. We watched a little Mythbusters to start the day. Scattered Thunderstorms were on the docket for the day, and we were waiting one out before heading out the door. At one point, lightning had to have struck someplace really close, because there was a loud crack/boom that caused the cable to go out briefly and the fire alarms to go off. It was quiet impressive.

We headed out and Jeff gave me a tour of his neighborhood. We went around downtown Raleigh and the surrounding area. During this time, we made our way to the Pit, which was the venue for lunch.

The Pit is a BBQ joint - one that Jeff liked, but wasn’t the one he really wanted - that one is closed on Sundays. We arrived at the Pit and were seated right away. We ordered sodas, and I asked the waiter for directions to the Men’s room. I cannot make up what he told me, and this is a direct quote: “Follow the mats to the hogs head.” I….followed the mats to the hogs head. Perfect directions, really.

Lunch was a piece of fried chicken, pulled pork, fries, mashed potatoes and hush puppies. I couldn’t finish it all, and was full for the rest of the day. I’m not even joking. I don’t think I’ll have to eat for a while.

After lunch we headed over to the wine shop where Jeff works. He gave me a tour of it, and I met some of his co-workers. Some cool people work there. We stayed there for a little bit, then headed back out on tour of the area. We stopped at a cigar shop that he knows of to check it out, then headed back to the apartment.

The afternoon consisted of a little baseball, a little hockey, and a nap. Seriously, that’s a fantastic vacation right there. We watched the Blackhawks knock the Sharks out of the playoffs, and then headed to his buddy Ryan’s house for dinner.

Ryan is a former colleague of Jeff’s who is now one of his close friends. His wife Jenny is a peach of a woman and pregnant with their second child. They were very friendly and hospitable. We chatted for a while over a glass of wine and watched their little boy Liam run around and play, showing off for the guests. After Liam went to bed we headed into the kitchen to cook up dinner.

Dinner consisted of burgers inspired by the cuisine of Greece. I was still full from the BBQ lunch and ate as much of the burger as I could before bursting. We chatted for a while, also watching the Mets/Yankees game. It was a very enjoyable evening.

After leaving their place, we headed back to the apartment and watched the Lost retrospective special. It was getting late so we decided to save the Lost Finale for the morning, since it’s probably going to rain anyway.

Now I just have to stay away from the internet so it doesn’t get spoiled for me! I think I’ll just go to bed now.