Well, I had planned on a big ol' post to show you all the fun things I've been up to, like going to this cool underground art show with some girls from work....
... and going to my roommates' wedding with Kerri...
... and eating the most amazing gelato this side of the Atlantic Ocean (these were cayenne gelato and lime/mint sorbet)....
But I have been recently, some might say suddenly, informed that I get to go to L.A. with one of our editors for a week! I'm very excited....
... and very freaked out. But mostly excited. So, in another week I'll have a big ol' post about that. Until then, stay classy, America.
A couple of weeks ago, Shannon, Kerri and I decided to go to Philly for the weekend. Since car rental was much more expensive for more than 24 hours, we decided to make it super-quick.
We started off at 1:14pm on Saturday and Shannon valiantly volunteered to drive the first shift... the most difficult shift... the shift getting us out of the city. She did what any of us would have done: she panicked, freaked out a bit, made us navigate and guide her, took many deep breaths, and succeeded in driving us to Philly.
Kerri celebrated by getting down in the car with her special summer mix CD, featuring Alicia Keys.
We sadly looked to the fourth seat, empty, which should have been occupied by Jennifer. But she was too busy being in ITALY. Sheesh.
We stopped on the way at a rest stop/shopping area and tried on sunglasses.
Before we knew it (1.5 hours), the City Of Brotherly Love came into view.
We checked into our hotel and were surprised to learn that there was only one big bed.
Shannon was wary.
After cuddling for a few minutes, we arose and saw that Shannon had applied her messy-sexy look.
And I found that my sunglasses had gone a similar route.
We left the hotel to go see the sights. Well, a few of them. We went to a museum and saw this gorgeous, larger-than-life statue outside.
So we had some fun with it.
This was also the museum whose steps were featured in a little flick called "Rocky." So, like every other American who has been there, we mimicked the famous running/rejoicing scene.
Then we headed downtown to South Street, which, for those of you in AZ, or from AZ, is very much like Mill Avenue. Well, Mill Avenue in the late 90s. Sorta indie, sorta hippie, cultural and artsy downtown area. I liked it a lot.
We had pizza at a famous pizza joint. If you click on this pic and open it in its own window, you can see how funny and cantankerous the signs are.
Walking around, we saw lots of cool street scenery.
This was embedded into the asphalt on the road:
That night, we got all dolled up and went out dancing.
Afterward, we went out for some famous cheesesteaks, which are not pictured because I didn't take my camera out with us. But it's no big deal. I didn't really like the cheesesteaks.
The next morning it was already time to leave. We parted from the city misty-eyed.
Goodbye, Philly.
After another short hour and a half, we arrived at the... well, you can see.
We cranked up the New York City-appreciation mix CD and Shannon celebrated as Kerri drove.
... and we arrived at Dollar Rentals at 1:12pm. By the skin of our very noses, I tells ya.
By Saturday our trip was nearly over. We squeezed in a trip to the Bazar Sabado, or Saturday Bazaar for those not in the know. It's an in- and outdoor fair for crafts, food and more!
Sam, Phoebe and Caitlin accompanied us.
They have ALL kinds o' stuff there. Everything you can imagine as far as trinkets go. I was in souvenir heaven.
This face was huge!
This stuff was from a vendor who made little sculptures from found objects... i.e. trash. They were very cool though.
Here are a bunch of masks, similar to the ones in the Stephens' household.
Sam & Phoebe got some for their NYC digs.
They even had freshly-made food at the bazaar.
Dustin bought me a pair of gorgeous bright red earrings (which you can see in the first picture of this post) and I bought myself this bold yellow shirt. Oh so Mexican.
There were some characters there, to be sure.
We all decided it would be a great idea to get some jicama with lime juice & chili powder at the bazaar. It ended up being a terrible idea, but I'll get to that later.
We got home just before Mexico played their last World Cup game. Everyone was dressed for the occasion.
Mexico scored right off the bat and we all rejoiced.
... and then Mexico lost, unfortunately.
That night we went out for a final dinner all together. This restaurant (whose name escapes me) was amazingly beautiful, situated directly across the street from Diego Rivera's studio.
By the time we got there I was so hungry I thought I was going to pass out.
But I immediately ate some bread and we gathered out in the courtyard to have a full family + jenna portrait taken.
Then we all returned to our table and had a feast for kings (and queens).
Dustin and I took a little walk around the hacienda premises and found a little girl's birthday (we assume it was birthday) party.
And this cool gazebo (I have a thing about gazeebos).
This cute statue.
And Dustin took a picture of me beside the fountain out back.
And what would dinner be without seeing how nice the ladies' room is?
It was nice. We came back to the table to find the Stephens clan clowning around.
(Tommy, rock star brother, and Caitlin, actress sister) The ride home was a little crowded.
Later that night, we went to see Dustin's mom. She lived nearby in yet another beautiful house.
I finally got to meet Dustin's mama.
She was very welcoming to us, and even showed me some pictures of Dustin as a five-year-old.
So cute! After our visit, we went home and enjoyed the backyard by night.
The next day, Dustin, Phoebe and I all woke up feeling... how shall we say... under the weather. I think perhaps that the jicama had been soaking in tap water or something and it made us sick. Darn. We had been so good about not drinking the water.
Oh well. It was our final day, and Dustin said goodbye to his beloved rabbit Velvetina.
And the aptly named Sugar.
Dustin almost didn't even make it to the airport. So we traveled with some precautions.
Mr. Louis sat down with us in the airport and had some tea/coffee with us before our flight.
On the plane, Dustin was still fascinated by my peeling sunburn.
I wasn't very excited about flying. In a heartwarming addition to our flying comfort, a family with a handful of children (handful in every sense) made good use of the three empty rows surrounding them (which also happened to be the rows separating us from them). The kids ran around, yelled, played, jumped up and down on the seats... the works.
By the end of our five-hour flight, I was less than amused.
The culprit:
And we also had to watch "Failure to Launch" on the plane. My eyes hurt from rolling for two hours. Besides that, it was a wonderful trip. I finally got to relax, a feat I haven't accomplished in years. I got some fresh culture and got to spend time with a rad family. Each one of the Stephens' family members is smart, vivacious, creative... and kind. They made me feel very welcome and I had a blast in this beautiful city.
... and very freaked out. But mostly excited. So, in another week I'll have a big ol' post about that. Until then, stay classy, America.
... and very freaked out. But mostly excited. So, in another week I'll have a big ol' post about that. Until then, stay classy, America.
