SF Oh!

Spent the day in San Francisco yesterday. And I sure got my full day's worth:
-Took BART into town (free parking in Walnut Creek and 35 min train ride)
-Cable car to Wharf (hint: get the Muni All-Day passport, we took great advantage of it by riding 3 cable cars, 3 buses, 2 street cars, 2 regional trains)
-Sea lions
-Boudin bakery
-Ghiradelli Square - free sample fo' sho'
-Argonaut Hotel
-Coit Tower / Telegraph Hill
-Slices (see below) at G.B. Pizza
-Washington Square for nap
-Walked North Beach
-Cable car to downtown
-Alamo Square / Painted Ladies
-Bus to Pacific Ocean, it was cold but nice
-Walked Golden Gate Park (ponds, trails, Botanical Gardens)
-Dinner in Theater District at Sauce - I had the bacon-wrapped meatloaf
-Skipped through the Castro, brownie ala mode and Bailey's Irish Cream cheese cake at Orphan Andy's
-Union Square, watch the ice-skaters, Xmas window displays at Macy's
-Officially left my heart and the city of San Francisco
Great day, but I will focus on one thing, my favorite hole-in-the-wall pizza and beer hot-spot. Golden Boy Pizza is named after De La Hoya and is literally a hole in a wall of the Italian district. Clearly what I envision heaven looking like. Walls riddled with bumper stickers, iPod blasting a mix of obscure Rolling Stones and new Mos Def, counter-top seating only, with a sweet girl behind it who probably is involved in some sort of Roller Derby on weekends. What about the pizza? Big ceiling tile-size slices of sicilian, crunchy/chewy, crusted goodness. I went with the Clam and Garlic and had a Combo (pepperoni, sausage, tomato, onion, zucchini) for seconds. There is a large beverage selection including Root Beer on tap along with a dozen or so other "beers." I love places where it feels like you are getting more and you definitely get more than an isoceles "piece" at Golden Boy.

The Corner of Broad & Elation...

The parade was, well... worth the wait! They say how the Philadelphia sports teams go; so goes the city. It was evident yesterday that the greater Philadelphia area was feeling fine in the sunshine. Everyone and their Victorino seemed to take public transportation yesterday. I drove by the Claymont SEPTA stop and saw a sea of red. So I kept going, drove by car over the Platt Bridge, smoothly into the city, and even found a free street parking spot about 10 blocks from the celebration. It was a perfect closer, just like Brad Lidge.
Leading off and looking right at me, Jimmy Rollins:

One of the 2 million phanatics in attendance:

Uncle Cholly looked good in the pinstripes:

The trophy (w/ Dave Montgomery & Mayor Michael Nutter) on Broad, let's keep it here:

Speaking of politicians, this is definitely Obama terrority:

Hollywood Cole Hamels:

Flyin' Hawaiin with and his pineapple peeps:

Appropriately, the festive atmosphere took place on Halloween:

Pat the Bat was in the lead carriage. Couldn't help wonder if his days are numbered:
Unfortunately, So Taguchi was let go 24 hrs later. Biggest fan-base this side of Chinatown:

The gentle giant, Ryan Howard, joined by World Series clutch hitter, Carlos Ruiz:

Bret Myers had a good time & a good amount of alcohol:

So did Jason Werth, taking a photo of me and acting the fool:

Chase-ball (who made us embrace him even more with his speech):


Champions indeed Chase. Finally.

We Win!

PHAN-tastic. Felt like I was at a rock concert last night. Ears ringing, voice hoarse, and palms aching from high-fiving everyone in the City of Brotherly Love. Once in a lifetime.....

Don't Rain on OUR Parade

The last time there was a World Series game in south Philadelphia, it was the October 23rd evening of my 16th birthday. Super Sweet Sixteen indeed. My lungs were deflated after Wild Thing gave up that blast to Joe Carter.

The one good thing about being out in California for this series is that Carlos Ruiz' squib into the 5-man infield happened around 11:00pm Pacific time. I did get to see Clark Griswold jump into the pool 13 times throughout the night though. But honestly, I would have preferred to be in nail-biting crouch somewhere in the Delaware Valley at 2:00am. This is one of those rare "perfect storm" scenarios in and around the Sports Complex area.

A lot has changed since that fateful Game Six back in 1993. But some things have not- I STILL consider early 90's hip-hop my musical wheelhouse, my faith in the Phils STILL remains strong, it STILL takes me 2 months to grow facial hair, and St. Joe's alum Jamie Moyer is STILL throwing dazzlers!!!

Why Can't Us?

"In Philadelphia, we take the subway to Phillies games. In Tampa Bay, they go to Subway for Philadelphia cheesesteaks."

Ain't no stoppin' us now...

I think we need a rewrite of this song for the World Series next week. Thanks to my dad for the chuckle of the week. He was talking to my aunt (and Tampa resident) and she asked, "How many teams are in the World Series this year?!?"

Next chapter please...

"These men play baseball in a town where, for 25 excruciating years, the only excuse to hold a parade has involved a bunch of banjo-strumming folks in feathers celebrating the new year (possibly because it had to beat the heck out of the old year where, once again, not one stinking team had won anything)."

It seemed that Nomar's pop-up to Ruiz would never come down. It felt like 25 years. I am glad it finally did. Ya Gotta Believe!

Beat L.A.

Oh for October. Glad to see the Phils win game 1. Cole Hamels really buckled down and won the game in the 5-6-7th innings. The announcers were disheartening Brett Myers for Friday night, but let's hope he shows up. I know I will. In my apartment donning my Phillies gear. Woodland, CA will be Broad & Pattison West for this series.

Speaking of South Philadelphia, I made cheesesteaks this week. Had to resort to a Steak-Um-type product for the meat. After such a manly meal, I survived about 30 minutes of "The Jane Austen Book Club", on DVD. Looking forward to getting out of Woodland this weekend. There is a cool King Salmon Festival in suburban Sac, along the American River. I have also heard of several good orchard haunts nearby; though none nearly as nostalgic as cider donuts from Milburn. One area is Apple Hill and it is a several mile stretch of independent ranches that have unique orchards, vineyards, and breweries.

Punkinland at Linvilla. I'm not old, I'm OLD school!
Take care. Brush your hair.

Cole Turkey

"Philadelphia's previous postseason win was a 2-0 victory over Toronto on Curt Schilling's five-hitter Oct. 21, 1993. The Blue Jays clinched the series on Joe Carter's homer off Mitch Williams in Game 6."

Stay off the Obama...

Cinematic gold in Canby Park.

Home, home on the range...

All those nights at the Best Western Genetti Motor Lodge in Hazleton, PA paid off. I am staying at a BW in Salt Lake tonight. Day 3 is a wrap and last leg kicks off tomorrow. Amazingly, I've kept at a 700 mile / day clip pretty consistently.

I stopped off in Laramie, WY for lunch and nap. S.O.S.!!!vMom's supply of PB&J and ham and cheese are now ghost. Moved on to the Combo's. Other than that I rolled pretty much through the rest of Nebraska (high plains), all of Wyoming (plains, then bluffs, then mountains) and a nugget of Utah throughout the day.

I realized that I have not seen a single drop of rain on the trip. Weather is comfortable and I am rocking mesh shorts and a tee.

I took an hour to drive around downtown Salt Lake City. Very clean and very blonde. Easy trivia: The Utah Jazz were originally from what city? Bonus: How about the Los Angeles Lakers?

Peace out. Precious Cargo on the move!

Head West Young Man...

You have dysentery!

The G-quinox is rollin' towards the left coast. Everything has been smooth as Uncle Joe's bald head so far. I am in Nebraska right now. Watch out people, the view and the return of the joeyGjourney blog are lookin' kind of "corny"...

Random observations from Interstate 80...
-the prettiest river = 1)the good old Allegheny (maybe I'm biased to the Keystone State)
-the nicest truck stop = western Illinois - free air, ice, and smiles
-the greatest invention = Sirius satellite radio. My go-to song is actually a beautiful bluegrass tune - "Hills of Alabam" by Claire Lynch - click and preview track #4!
-Cabela's aren't just local to Hamburg, PA!
-Indiana looks like Ohio and Ohio looks like Pennsylvania
-Touchscreen/PhotoHunt is only a quarter/play in the midwest

I have been making great time and the drive has been pretty uneventful - both good things! My favorite pastime has been watching cars roll up on my left and stare at my DE license plate. I proceed to watch them mouth "Dela-where?" I happily oblige them with a tip of my Philadelphia Phillies hat. The cruise has also been in the budget. My mom did an awesome job packing me food to get me across the country (and probably back again!) and trusty GM equipped me with a vehicle that averages around 27mpg. I have been enjoying the scenery and talking to friends and family along the way. My friend Chris has an application that can track where I am to a map on his phone, which is very cool in a stalking-type of way. He knew I was in Des Moines before I did!

After breezing through the PA, OH, IN turnpikes, I stayed last night I stayed in South Bend, Indiana for my first night. I stopped by the University of Notre Dame. While not a big fan of the Fighting Irish (I prefer the Peaceful Polish), the campus was very classy. I wondered if the students strolling the campus ever took the time to look around and appreciate it. They had a bagpipe band rehearsing in the middle of the campus! Regardless, go Hurricanes!

A picture I took of "Touchdown Jesus"

Nice, but no Barbelin on City Line Ave.
Today I entered the Central Time Zone, crossed the Mississippi into Iowa, and nipped off a good chunk of Nebraska. I abandoned my never-ending supply of Mama G. rations tonight and ate in the quaint, rustic town that I am staying in -Kearney, NE. I ate at the Chicken Coop and yes, I had chicken. Day 3 is tomorrow with a run through the rest of Nebraska, winding through Wyoming, and ending with a hotel in Salt Lake City. Get your Mormon on! These four days are going quite fast, but well within the speed limit :)

The town in Iowa where I caught a little mid-drive shuteye

I hope everyone is doing well! Don't hesitate to call because I would love the company.

Alright, check your tire pressure... Swagger Like Us!

Back on the Scene...

I must be back. This morning I received a phone call from Bill Clinton. It wasn't a welcome back call; he was asking me to join him for a Hillary rally tonight at UPENN's Palestra. I wanted to tell him that the Palestra court is actually one of the few college courts that are longer (by 10 feet) than all regulation basketball courts. But I guess he was too busy to respond. My love to Chelsea.

My flight home was quite unique. It was one of the few public flights that actually goes over the North Pole. Instead of flying latitudially, the direct 17 hour flight went the longitudial route. We went due north over China, Mongolia, Russia, Antartica, & over the otherside & down Canada. No signs of Santa. But I did enjoy the scenes while Thai Airways pumped the new Radiohead (at least new to me!) into my headphones.
Arriving into JFK, I definitely was overcome by smallness. Physically, we were bigger than the Thai people and we were "looked up to" as being foreigners - de facto. NYC dwarfed me & I instantly noticed the melting pot mood while traveling on the bus to Penn Station . The guy who collected my money was Jamaican, the bus driver was Greek, the parents with their twin hijos sitting behind me were Hispanic, and the French newlyweds sitting in front of me were visiting America for the first time. And talk about feeling small, many of the major arteries around Queens and Manhattan were sealed off for one man - the Pope!

From Big Mango to Big Apple

I finally pulled into Wilmington and was greeted by my parents. I exclaimed, "Wilmington - A Place to Be Somebody!" At that time, a guy hobbled over to me and shouted, "Wilmington - A Place to Get Shot!" and proceeded to point to a bandaged gun shot wound on his leg. Sheesh, welcome to the jungle. The area looked the same, except for a few more Mexican shops and signs dotting Maryland Avenue. I was very impressed with the Extreme Home Makeover performed on my bedroom. It is very classy and feels like I am staying in a Doubletree Hotel. It is strange brushing my teeth with water from the tap, driving my car on the right side of the road, and seeing everyone I know. My road-dog Chris managed to totally pimp out his basement AND buy his girl a rock. My Grandmom has several "chores" for me to work on now that I'm back. And my Mom took my Dad and I for 10 bucks in Hold 'em!

Sunrise over Finger Lakes

Stay gold Poney-boy.

What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been...

Bags are packed and we begin our 12 hr train ride to Bangkok in a few hours. This blog and the associated pics will NEVER replace the real experience of living the past few months to the fullest. Lewis & Clark, Rocky & Apollo, Scooby & Shaggy, and now... Amanda & I officially made a great team. I was fortunate to share and make so many memories with her. Thank you for reading my travel tales, but don't worry, I'm sure there's more in store.....

Hey ma, HEAT UP THE MAC & CHEESE!!!

"I said I go from coast to coast to coast to coast to coast. You gotta go from coast to coast to coast to coast to coast. Yeah, and from sea to shining sea."
G. Love - Small Fish

Spot the Dumbo...

We did a triple threat last weekend - elephant riding, mountain biking, & whitewater kayaking. No pics of the mountain biking (which was 10K all up a craggly mountain) or the whitewater kayaking because the camera would have gotten soaked. About 5 minutes into it, my guide told me to "LEAN LEFT" at which point he totally dumped me over.

Amanda has more pics and description on her blog. Like an elephant, been busy here packin' my trunk(s). We've been trying to squeeze every last drop of Chiang Mai in. There have been several good meals with friends, our bikes and cell phones have been sold, and of course the world's biggest water fight - Thai New Year

There's something fun about squirting total strangers and shucking and jiving between soaked bodies everywhere. No one is safe from the guns, buckets, 55 gallon drums of water all over the city. Amanda walked 2 blocks for some broccoli yesterday and came back saturated. We keep a steady rotation of wet/dry clothes on the balcony. I try to jazz it up a bit. My signature move is the crack-attack. I sneak up on the backside of an unsuspecting Thai guy, usually sitting on the side of pick-up truck. I'll lift his drenched shirt and proceed to shoot him in the lower back and "where the good Lord split him." By the time he spins around, I am 30 yards down the flooded road looking for my next target. I'm a crack shot.