Cardboard Kingdom

Almost one month to the date, I’m coming up for air and blogging again. Many of you know I’ve just made a monumental decision to a) leave my job in central Illinois, b) move to Baltimore, MD and c) start a new job. This is no small feat. Four insane weeks of work, goodbye meals and the constant rip and tear of packing tape in my cardboard kingdom.

packing forever

Thank goodness for friends who will work for carrot cake, because that’s how I paid my friend John to help me fill in the Ubox. For anyone who is considering moving in the future, I will go ahead and give a shameless promotion here: Uhaul Ubox is affordable and fits a whole damn lot. My entire 1BR is nestled in one right now. Remains to be seen when I will actually receive it, but that’s another story. I have enough in my car to live on until it arrives.

And suddenly, I’m in Maryland. I tossed it all into a Uhaul Ubox (aka POD) on Saturday, drove 7 hours to Pittsburgh last Sunday, then 4 hours into Baltimore on Monday and started seeing apartments immediately. I saw six apartments both in and outside of the city and made my decision pretty quickly. I ended up with a gorgeous place 2 miles from work and 10 miles from the city, no parking drama, no commute and an absolute mecca of activity compared to my former digs.

two rooms already in place

The stopover in Pittsburgh was a delight, as I got to rendezvous with a high school friend who I’ve not seen in some time. We dined at BRGR where I got so full so fast that I barely had room for the truffle cheese whiz dip for the fries (really). The pumpkin spiked milkshake won the day, without question.

I also forgot how palatial rest stops are in the East. While in the Midwest I spent a lot of time hopping on / off exits to a) take a pee break, b) gas up the car, c) get some food. Now here, I can do all three. My students, friends & faculty also made sure I had Starbucks cash to spare, so I managed to caffeinate accordingly. The roads were clear, the skies were blue and the leaves were all changing colors – it was the perfect road trip.

Now I’m blinking in the sunlight of civilization and can’t stop smiling.

Hello, world — I’ve missed you!

flat / not flat

aim your dart and go

I have a thing for maps. I have three hanging in my one bedroom apartment, two courtesy of National Geographic and one courtesy of a tiny bookshop in southern Spain. Yes, I do that thing where I keep track of my travels with pins. In fact, that map is at home in Pennsylvania – so, Mom, I hope you’re keeping up.

Here in Illinois I wake up to the World, the United States, and Spain. The United States map is a recent edition and one I’ve spent significant time staring at since I moved out here. Some startling facts: Alaska is nearly the size of the entire US, Illinois is bordered by five states, I haven’t seen the western half of the country.

You may remember that in the new year, I declared that I would see a new state every month. So how am I doing?

April: Memphis, Tennessee

May: Louisville, Kentucky

January: New Orleans, Louisiana

March: Madison, Wisconsin

The truth is, I’m behind, albeit for two great reasons: 1) Nicaragua, 2) Spain. International travel trumps domestic jaunts, every time. So here in the 7th month of the year, I’m trying to schedule some catch up. What’s on the docket?

• Indiana – namely, Indianapolis. I drove through on my way out, but who counts that? I’ve been doing some reading about this fair city and their marketers have just about convinced me I can spend a day or two there. It’s a two hour drive from Charleston, so it’s entirely do-able. The Indiana state fair is coming up in early August, and as my friend Michelle pointed out – the theme is Year of the Dairy Cow. That points to all of my favorite foods, so I’m there. I’ll dedicate the trip to my newly married blogger friend, Kaley, who has recently left Hoosierland for Spain.
• Iowa – destination: Des Moines. The summer state fairs are really proving useful for me in this quest; in fact three of them in neighboring states all run the same time span: August 9-19. Des Moines is nearly 7 hours from Charleston, but combined with a trip to nearby Sadelia, Missouri* (home to MO State Fair), it’s much more manageable. How much fried food can I eat? Don’t test me. *Yes, I’ve already been to Missouri
• Michigan – lake side living has a tremendous appeal in the summer months. This is the longest haul of them all, and I am seriously doubting my time frame in which I’d like to accomplish this road trip. Another 7 hours north and east of Charleston to get me to Ann Arbor. Grand Rapids is closer, and perhaps more kindly situated on Lake Michigan. Also of note: there is a city nearby called HOLLAND. Nickname: the Tulip City.

Stay tuned for more tales as I try to survive the Midwest…

Me & the King in Memphis

Based on some dart throwing and the pursuit of Operation See All States, Lisa and I met in Memphis, TN last weekend. It’s a six hour drive from Charleston, door to door. I found an apartment on HomeAway in East Memphis, a short drive from downtown and a mere $99 a night.

BBQ Nachos, Corky's BBQ

It started to rain by the time I picked up Lisa from the airport and we detoured to a local Kroger for some basics. By the time we got home it was 7 p.m. and it seemed like everywhere we wanted to go was closed. Turns out many places are Lunch Only – we just happened to find them all at the same time and while starving. We drove to Corky’s BBQ*, recommended to me by several people. They were so right. From our singing waitress who called me every pet name in the book (sugar, honey, baby) to the perfect pile of BBQ nachos and huge rack of ribs we consumed, Corky’s is ok by me.

*all restaurant / venue contact info can be found at the bottom of the post

Million Dollar Quartet: Johnny, Elvis, Jerry, Carl

On Saturday under cloudy skies, we made our way to Sun Studio for the first tour of the day. We took advantage of free parking AND a free shuttle that travels between Sun Studio, Graceland and Beale Street every hour. Admission is $13, and the still-active recording studio is a great first step in Memphis music history. It’s the place where Elvis was “discovered” – by a secretary, not Sam Phillips – and where greats from Johnny Cash to U2 have recorded and jammed. Kudos to the bodacious chalk art behind the bar, and the outrageously affordable beverages.

Tapestry & billiards, Graceland

The next obvious step was the postcard palace: Graceland. If you are a card-carrying AAA member, you can save $4 on admission, which is a whopping $32 for the basic tour. We opted out of the upstairs, the jets, and the top secret expensive stuff that other people apparently go in for. Approaching the grounds we had to wait for a wedding party to finish their photographs on the front steps of this modest mansion. No, the groom was not dressed as Elvis, and yes, I was disappointed. We toured the ground floor and basement, and wow, that is some serious decoration. From taxidermy to carpeted walls, there’s a lot going on. A worthwhile audio tour with some interesting facts comes with the price of admission. Stop in the gift shop(s) for postcards, mugs, Elvis Barbie, Elvis Potato Head and Elvis bobblehead .. to name a few.

King's Palace Cafe

All that crooning made us hungry so we took the free ride to the infamous Beale Street, which is supposed to be the city’s answer to NOLA’s Bourbon Street. By day it was lined with Corvettes, and still a sight cleaner and less abused than Bourbon Street (my memories of Bourbon smell like .. bourbon). We wandered out onto the patio of King’s Palace Cafe and chowed down on po’boys (shrimp or catfish) and listened to a local artist singing the blues. He did everything from Elvis to Tracy Chapman, and in the sunshine with a full stomach, everything sounds beautiful.

We drove back toward the apartment and swung into YoLo Frozen Yogurt, a local favorite and a delicious ice cream alternative. I was briefly distracted by the cupcakes but eventually made my way to Caramel and Espresso soft serve with about 43 toppings. By virtue of our most excellent metabolism, we managed to have dinner just a few hours later. Our website searching led us to Huey’s – a well known burger joint with numerous locations. We drove to Huey’s Midtown on Madison and enjoyed the toothpick ceiling art while sipping on Ghost River, the local brew. The onion rings we ordered as appetizers were approximately the size of my face and unbelievably delicious. My burger showed up shortly afterward, which was equally divine. Like a crazy person, I also took lemon ice box pie to go. Through tweets with @HueysRestaurant I learned that a waiter once dared a diner to eat a burger AND a whole order of onion rings. The prize was a high five and bragging rights .. I don’t think I could do it.

Brother Juniper's, open faced omelet

If you’re wondering how I managed to go somewhere without courting a breakfast place or two, don’t panic. We visited two very different places, which received equally high ratings from our stomachs & wallets. First up: Brother Juniper’s, labeled the best breakfast in Memphis by everyone and their mother. Those folks were also all in line on Sunday morning when we rolled up, but we got seated at the counter within 20 minutes (as opposed to the 40 mins we were originally quoted). Let me just say this to you: sit at the counter. As with any busy restaurant, that’s where the action is. Lisa and I barely spoke because we were so entranced by the reality TV show going on around us. Oh, and the food was delicious. Rachel Ray has given her stamp of approval to their open faced omelet concept – and I’m right there with her. The Florentine boasted two eggs, turkey sausage, tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach, sunshine and happiness with a side of cheesy grits and a biscuit.

Bryant's

The second breakfast joint is a schlep from downtown but worth the haul. Be advised you need to pay in cash at Bryant’s – and you can take your food to go (in tidy brown paper bags) or you can sit in the seating area and watch the parade. There are businessmen, painters, salesmen, laborers and housewives all lining up for the same good stuff. They are known for their biscuits, so I sidled up to a smoked sausage (read: kielbasa), egg and cheese. Lisa landed three biscuits on the side of her everything omelet, so those very awesome biscuits were car snacks for my ride home.

To round out the eating spree, we added another local restaurant and an expertly themed lunch joint to our final sweep through the city. For our last dinner in Memphis, we drove out to Interstate BBQ only to discover they were closed. I feared Sunday Night Syndrome and we hopped online to research closing times for other local eats. Gus’s Fried Chicken was open AND poppin’. We walked in and were seated immediately, in a perfect corner to enjoy the madness that is a Sunday night at the fried chicken place. Down home cooking is the name of the game – you pull up to a picnic table and figure out your chicken situation (2 piece white for me) and your sides (potato salad, slaw, fries). Gus’s was SO loud that once again, we hardly said anything. I was too busy watching the idiot moms with their tots, celebrating a birthday by ignoring their children post salon / high fashion / too much blush and Franzia. You know I had to take my chess pie to go to avoid freaking out entirely.

Lunchbox Eats

Lisa found a livingsocial deal for Lunchbox Eats – a hella cute place by the FedEx Forum (home of the Memphis Grizzlies). As the name suggests, these gourmet meals are fit for a lunchbox. Served on bright red cafeteria trays (compartments and all), you select your meal from a notebook paper menu, scratch your order on a slip of paper, and roll around in your old school wheely chair. I had the Third Period Smoking Birds sandwich (duck, turkey, chicken) and waddled away a very stuffed little bird myself. I’m still thinking about their mac and cheese … maybe next time.

Other notables include: riding the Riverfront Trolley (parked for free at bus terminal, rode for $1); Mud Island River Park has an excellent museum (tour a steamboat), scale model of the Mississippi River and beautiful river / bridge views; and yes, the Duck March at the historic Peabody Hotel. Seriously.

Bridge over the Mississippi

—

Corky’s BBQ – 5259 Poplar Ave – http://www.corkysbbq.com/
Gus’s Fried Chicken – 310 S Front St – http://www.gussofms.com/
Huey’s Midtown – 1927 Madison – http://hueyburger.com/
YoLo Frozen Yogurt – 6 S Cooper – http://www.yolofroyo.com/
King’s Palace Cafe – Beale St – http://kingspalacecafe.com/
Brother Juniper’s – 3519 Walker Ave – http://brotherjunipers.com/
Bryant’s – 3965 Summer Ave – http://www.bryantsmemphis.com/ – *cash only

Sun Studio – 706 Union Ave – http://www.sunstudio.com/
Graceland – 3765 Elvis Presley Blvd (obviously) – http://www.elvis.com/graceland/

Trade your latte for a plane ticket

Have you ever heard someone say, “Boy, if I had a [insert monetary amount here] for every time I heard that, I’d be rich”? Well I have. And here’s one phrase I hear often enough that, at the price of 25 cents per utterance, I could buy everyone in the state of Illinois an ice cream cone:

“You’re so lucky. I wish I could travel like you do.”

Aruba 2005

This is ignorant. You CAN travel like I do! I’m not a motivational speaker, but I am here to lay waste to your most common excuses on why you CAN’T travel, so listen closely.

* Money. You know, if you gave up that daily $3.45 latte, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You choose to spend your money on coffee, sofa, lunches out, happy hour, dinner out twice a week – and I choose to spend mine on plane tickets. I’m on a budget (have you seen what Educators make?). If I have to brown bag it 29 days out of 30 so I can afford a long weekend out of town, so be it. Priorities!

* Time. You need to plan ahead to get good deals, you need time to research, you just Need More Time. Unless you rob Hermione Granger for her Time Turner, that’s just not going to happen. You’re busy, I get it. Sometimes the best trips are a last minute decision, crashing on a friend’s couch and playing it by ear. You don’t need perfect weather or a long standing reservation. You need motivation. Get some.

* See also Timing. Just this past weekend I was at a local winery and the owner’s wife was waxing poetic about going to Spain. “My husband told me we could maybe possibly probably go one day. Before I die.” Imagine the look on my face. Imagine what I said in response: “Before I die is a poor excuse for a deadline. ‘In two years’ is a more achievable goal.” A billion people put themselves in this very same situation, shooting themselves in the foot before they even get started. When I talked about New Year’s resolutions, I mentioned SMART goals (like a true business student): specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Don’t get all wistful and misty-eyed and say you’ll go to Spain “someday” .. make it a reality.

* Marital status. Yes, my travel habits are born of independent decisions, but just because I’m single doesn’t mean I travel more, or less. If you’re in a committed relationship and travel is one of your goals / passions / ideals, don’t go pointing the finger at your partner, or your relationship and casting blame. Either make the decision together – or go solo!

* Fear of solo travel. If this is your beef, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I am at my happiest when traveling solo. You can point to Only Child Syndrome if you want to, but the reality of it is: group travel is the pits. Ask anyone who has traveled with an athletic team, debate club, or high school band for a prolonged period of time. People get on your nerves! While I realize that tandem travel is both more fun and arguably safer, who’s to say you can’t go it alone?

* Dependent status. Got kids? Take them with you! Get a babysitter! Don’t tell me I don’t get it because I’m not a parent. I’ve been traveling for years and have met tons of families, single parents and Mr. Moms from various walks of life. They figured it out, I’m sure you could, too. Who cares if your baby cries on a plane? Sometimes ADULTS want to cry on a plane (and do). Stop worrying about what other people think and just give it a go.

* Homeowner status. Yes, owning a home makes you king of the hill and responsible for mowing your own lawn. Do you know how many people snow-bird in the winter and take flight for warmer temperatures for months at a time? Surely you can leave your white picketed pasture behind and head for the shore for two days. Just because I rent doesn’t mean I can pick up and go whenever I want to. There’s this thing called Responsibility, and it has nothing to do with the way I pay rent.

* Age. The second most used statement is, “do it while you’re young.” Did you know that 7% of Peace Corps Volunteers are over the age of 50? Fact. There is no perfect time to travel. I do not recall the sound of chimes at 17 when I first got on a plane to Florida. The Mad Hatter and his hare did not usher me into my 20’s, pushing me onto a plane for Spain (it was an important date, but I was not late). I don’t know where this idea of a time frame on travel came from, but it’s bogus. A fairytale, if you will.

So make your own coffee, apply for your passport, throw a dart at a map and go. You’ll be glad you did.

Memphis, Tennessee for me this weekend. New city, new state, excess BBQ and the King. Thank ya very much.

Stateside challenge 2012

New Year’s resolutions can be really annoying.

As a friend recently pointed out to me, we learned in business school that goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. You can’t say “I want to lose weight” without a clear direction – you’re only setting yourself up for failure. Whereas if you say “I want to lose 10 pounds in 3 months” you have set yourself an achievable goal, and you can measure your progress against said goal.

So while I don’t resolve to do anything in particular, I think I just might see a new state each month of this year. As a Northeast native, I’ve run up and down the Right Coast for most of my stateside life. The month of March is on hold due to international travel (Nicaragua), but here are the top candidates for Stateside 2012:

courtesy of waistnotblog

1. New Orleans, Louisiana (January)
I started the year off right with a delicious 3 nights in the Crescent City. I tried so many new dishes, my tastebuds could hardly keep up. Except now that I know what a muffuletta is, I’m having a hard time forgetting about it.

2. Madison, Wisconsin (February)
With friends newly relocated to this beautiful place, it gives me an excuse to explore a city I’ve had my eye on for a while. It is also within road trippable distance (to me, 5 hours in a car with a friend is acceptable.)

3. Louisville, Kentucky (May)
Yes, I am bound for the Kentucky Derby this year, with glorious hat in hand. Holly and I decided to take advantage of our proximity to the world’s largest gathering of hats (horses? whatever) and plan a trip in early May.

4. Hawai’i (November)
A very tropical Thanksgiving is in the works.

5. Tennessee
With family nearby and Music City lying in wait, this is also a five hour drive from home.

6. Indiana
It’s two hours away. Really I’m not sure why else I should go there. The Formula One is back in the US, but in Austin TX. The Indy 500 does not interest me. And the NCAA tournament is everywhere but here in 2012. So … ?

7. Michigan
Again, why not? One thing I know for sure is that I will definitely not be going in the winter.

8. Rhode Island
Hoping to take a break in the Northeast this summer and rest my bones / see family in New Hampshire. This year a trip to nearby RI might be in order, along with a Pawtucket game.

courtesy of nationalgeographic.com

Up for Discussion:
9. Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon?
Or .. both. I have a long standing date with the west, and this will be the year I take advantage of it. No, I’ve never been to California either but that feels like less of a mission. And how do I even begin in a long state like that with so much to offer?

10. The land of National Parks: Lots of options here.
Yellowstone (Montana), Grand Teton (Wyoming), Bryce Canyon / Zion (Utah). Hike, bike, jump off a mountain or go canyoning (my personal favorite). I just read a brilliant article in AAA Traveler by a self-defined city slicker who visited several of these beautiful parks. The photos alone make me itch for the mountains.

Have you traveled the continental US? Where did you go?