I’ve Got a Bridge in Brooklyn I Can Sell Ya’

I never knew seasons before I moved to the East Coast.

I knew hot and dry, not so hot and dry, and the terror of driving San Diego freeways in the *occasional* rain. Before living in Philadelphia, I thought cold was 55 degrees.

It takes about 6 years of living in a region with four distinct seasons to really appreciate Perfect Weather. I’m not talking 72 and sunny, take-it-for-granted Southern California weather, but that crisp, on-the-verge-of-a-new season, mild sun, bright-blue skies weather that bookends summer.

Read Full Post »

Everything I Know About Canada I Learned from “How I Met Your Mother”: Road Trip Day 2

Canada is different from America. Logically, we knew that — it is a different country after all — but I guess in a way we didn’t really believe it.

Scott: “The green light is blinking. I don’t know what that means. WHY is the green light blinking?”

Me: “I think it means you can turn left. You know, because the car in front of you turned left when the green light started blinking.”

Read Full Post »

Compatibility Testing: The Road Trip, Day 1

When Scott and I decided to embark on a mini-adventure road trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto over Fourth of July weekend, we didn’t really consider what being in a car together for very long stretches of time actually means.

You know that portion of the the wedding vows (we went traditional with those) during which you commit to each other for better or worse? On a road trip, there are certainly betters and worses. Let me just say that nothing tests the stability of a brand-spanking new marriage like a three-day road trip. Not that the road trip was bad per se, it’s just that, erm, I’d never really USED a road atlas before, and somewhere around Scranton, PA (where Scott and I recited lyrics to “Lazy Scranton” ad nauseam) I learned that I was reading the map wrong.

Nothing irreversible, and we never REALLY got lost, but for a few tense minutes there may have been hint of testiness, a smidge of snapping, perhaps a teensey bit of pouting, and now I personally believe that this trip is concrete evidence that at least one of us needs some kind of smart phone, if only for access to Google Maps. At the end of it all, though, we got where we were going and came out of our trip with a once-in-a-lifetime experience (thanks, in large part, to the fact that Scott has the patience of Job). I think that if you can survive a road trip with your significant other with minimal bickering, then you are on the right path (pardon my pun) to a long and happy marriage. Go us!

And guess what, I can read a map correctly now!

******

Do you want to know what a road trip from Philadelphia to Niagara Falls looks like? Well, I’m sorry to tease you with the hope of photos, but we didn’t take any pictures of the journey itself. We took the long route to Buffalo, NY (via PA Route 6 across northern Pennsylvania) because it was supposed to be more scenic (which it was, but not as scenic as we had expected). We spent, oh, about five hours behind trucks, driving through small towns, some adorably quaint, some just…erm…rustic. We saw the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (we didn’t realize we passed through it until we saw signs indicating the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania was now behind us. “Oh, so it’s really just a forest,” I observed). We meandered past lots of cows, meadows, fields, and through the passes of seemingly endless mountains (I guess that’s why they’re called the Endless Mountains. Insight!)

As we approached Buffalo in the early evening, Scott’s mother called with what I think was the Most Brilliant Idea of the Day. While you’re in Buffalo, she suggested, why don’t you eat at the restaurant where buffalo wings were invented.

Can you say OMG brilliant?

I ate my first buffalo wing ever (although in Buffalo, I think they just refer to them as chicken wings). And my second. There’s something almost poetic about eating one’s first buffalo wing at the bar in which they were invented, don’t you think?

They.
Were.
Glorious.

Not too spicy, crispy and tender at the same time, tangy, and with a smidge of blue cheese dressing they were absolutely perfect. I probably would have eaten a third, but Scott was devouring the rest of the platter like he was about to be sent to the Gulag and would be forced to subsist on gruel for the rest of his life. I was afraid he’d bite me if my hand ventured too close to his food.

Because I love him, I will not post the terribly unflattering photo of him noshing on aforementioned buffalo wings. That one I will save for blackmail later on.

Read Full Post »

Make Sure to Wear Your Waterproof Mascara

A slow, steady mist rises in the distance, obscuring the view of the city on the other side.

“Is that from the falls,” we wonder? Indeed, it is our first clue that the Niagara Falls are just moments away. (You know, that and all the signs announcing Niagara Falls! This way!)

We hear them before we see them, a low thundering static sound, drowning the voices of the other tourists.  Over the ledge we catch the first glimpse, a cloudy white cascade of foam, sunlight throwing rainbows into the spray.

Read Full Post »

Words I Never Thought I’d Say…

Last night, Scott and I stayed at the Motel 6 near the Buffalo, NY Airport.

I haven’t stayed in a Motel 6 in ages, and I didn’t come in expecting much so I won’t spend much time discussing its merits (or lack thereof). If you’re in the mood for a road trip to Buffalo (come on, I know you are!), here’s the best I can do in terms of a review. It’s quiet, it’s convenient, there’s free morning coffee in the lobby, and the TV remote control is bolted to the bedside table.

Oh, and apparently management at the Motel 6 near the Buffalo Airport doesn’t mind wrinkly guests, because the room is iron and ironing board free.

You may be asking yourself, “Why oh why did Susan just spend the night at the Motel 6 near the Buffalo Airport?” The answer is that list you see to the right — my 30 before 30 list. That list, in fact is why I started this blog in the first place.

My 30 before 30 list really wasn’t devised because I’m turning 30 next February (takes deep slow breaths, OK maybe it is a little bit). The deadline is more motivational than anything else. I got to a point a few months back where I was tired of thinking, “hey I should really do that,” promptly forgetting whatever it was I thought I should do, doing nothing at all for a while, and then months later thinking to myself, “hey I should really do that, ” at which point the cycle started all over again. So, one night, in a fit of “my life needs more adventure and I’m going to do something about it!” I wrote this list.

I decided to post it this week after my friend Catherine posted her list on Facebook. And another blog I read has a similar list posted as well. I figured if anything, this is an opportunity for me to keep a record of my “adventures,” even if the concept is anything but original at this point.

So back to Buffalo. This weekend, we’re taking a somewhat impromptu road trip to Niagara Falls, a trip we’ve been talking about taking since we spent three hours one Saturday night last fall watching a documentary about said falls (because we’re cool like that — that’s how we roll).

One last word about the Motel 6 near the Buffalo Airport — even though the coffee is free, don’t drink it. Trust me, I will never steer you wrong when it comes to coffee.

Read Full Post »