This past weekend, I finally ventured to Williamsburg with Auntie Anne, Uncle Afsheen, Tinne & Skye. On the way, we stopped by a record fair which made me totally regretful that I didn't bring my record player with me. There were so many gems that I would have loved to add to my collection. We hopped on the L at Union Sq. & got off at Bedford Ave. We were all starved so we headed straight for the trendy food vendors at the waterfront market. I kept calling it the Brooklyn Flea Market even though it wasn't the Brooklyn Flea Market. I had some pasta topped with the most amazing sauce I've ever had, Vietnamese iced coffee & an apricot raspberry popsicle from People's Pops.
Walking around the market was amazing. There were so many cool vintage booths set up. I ended up walking away with a little floral jewelry tray for $1 & a framed alphabet card that reads "n is for nest" to make my new nest a little nestier.
Then the real fun began. When we were heading back we popped into a couple cool bars & all of us, sans Skye, proceeded to get a little bit day drunk. I obviously can't remember any of the names of the bars but one of them had such a cool interior & an amazing playlist. When they started playing Fleetwood Mac & my tipsy self audibly declared that I do not like them. It wasn't until the very next song came on & I started singing all the words that I realized that I actually do indeed enjoy some classic Fleetwood Mac songs but only because I didn't know that they were Fleetwood Mac songs.
As we were all knocking back a couple bottles of wine, we ate the most amazing french fries & country pâté. When we were walking back home Uncle Afsheen mentioned meatballs & showed us this amazing little place but we weren't hungry enough to go in. Taking the subway back while drunk was interesting. Auntie Anne & I wore our sunnies the entire time & I was laughing at everything. When I'm intoxicated, I tend to think I'm a really good photographer so I added some of my masterpieces above. They truly show off my steady hand.
We had dinner in Chinatown at an amazing little place called Nom Wah Tea Parlor where I proceeded to eat everything in sight. It was delicious. The only reason that I remember the name is because of the photographic evidence. If you stop in, make sure to try their fried rice & pork buns. Too good.
I can't wait to adventure more this weekend.
Love,
A
Jake & I were invited to spend the weekend with his grandparents, Jim & Barbara Roosevelt who are lovingly known as Mima & Papa. They recently bought an A-class motor home, so we met up with them at Fort Wilderness campground in Orlando to help them break in their new RV.
We arrived on Saturday, got to know the RV & caught up with Mima & Papa. When our tummies started rumbling, we went to lunch at Trail's End, a restaurant at Fort Wilderness that has been open since the 70s. Papa had rented a golf cart so that we could drive around the campground at ease. J & I got to sit on the back of it while we drove around the different loops. The loops at Fort Wilderness all have sweet little nature-themed names such as Cottontail Curl, Quail Trail, Possum Path & Jack Rabbit Run. We were staying at site 526, which was part of Buffalo Bend.
Later that day, Mima & Papa had a visit from their friends of over 50 years. Drew, (Twinkle Toes) Tommy & Mary Ann shared some old stories with us & we even learned about Tommy's past as a performer in the 70s. Turns out that J & I get along famously with older people because we are a couple of old souls ourselves. Our childish tendencies quickly kicked in & we started to crave a caramel apple. Papa drove us over to the bus stop & we headed to Downtown Disney so that we could pay a little visit to The Candy Cauldron.
After walking around Downtown Disney for a little bit, J & I headed back for dinner at the RV. Mima & Papa made us a delicious lasagna, garlic bread & salad, and I tried extra hard not to get any of it on their light upholstery. After dinner we watched the fireworks & boat parade while we reminisced about the classic Disney stories we've all accumulated.
The next day, we spent the morning exploring more of the campground loops & had a wonderful breakfast together. During breakfast, Papa said something that really stuck with Jake & I. He said, "There aren't many people who enjoy life more than the two of you". Hearing him say that made us so happy because it's nice to know that people appreciate my & J's sense of adventure, especially Mima & Papa. It also became clear to me just how lucky I am to have a partner-in-crime who's as cool as J. He's always got my back when the heat gets hot, he's always ready for another adventure with me & I just love him madly.
J & I packed up our stuff & we all decided to head to Downtown Disney together as a last hurrah for the weekend. We leisurely wandered in & out of shops together. Mima convinced Jake to ride on a carousel with her. They were so cute & Mima dismounted ever so gracefully from the high horse she had chosen. We didn't want to say good-bye after having such a lovely weekend, but J & I are already planning our future adventures with them.
If there is one thing that I've learned over the weekend, it's that Mima & Papa have the very best stories. I could listen to them talk for days. They have been married for nearly 50 years, so they've been on tons of adventures, taken thousands of photographs & made millions of memories. J & I are forever inspired by the love that the two of them share for each other.
Love,
A
"Why are you guys going to Gainesville?"
Better yet, why are we going to Gainesville on a UF game day? Some things are better when they're not so planned out.
Friday afternoon, I sent a text over to my lady telling her to clear her schedule for a road trip on Saturday. We didn't know where we'd go, we didn't know what we'd do when we got there. All we wanted was a day away from the hectic fall semester, together. A & I settled on Gainesville. Not too far, & we hadn't been there together yet.
Always inquisitive, A made the drive fly by by keeping my mind occupied answering surveys from Tumblr. Before we knew it, she asked me who I last talked to on the phone four times & suddenly we arrived! Thanks Tumblr!
We wound up in Downtown Gainesville in the cutest little shopping district filled with vintage shops & record stores (hallelujah!!). A scooped a new pair of bold black sunnies from Wolfgang, I walked home with a live Black Lips record from Hear Again. Who doesn't love a souvenir?
We roamed the streets, hardcore. Who knew Gainesville was so hot? We walked up to the UF campus, which was mobbed with blue & orange toddlers and alumni. Not ones for school spirit, A & I ducked into the nearest Krispy Kreme for some sugary salvation. Phew. Close one. It was, however, hilarious to compare a school with a spirited, talented football team to our modest USF squad. (Editor's note: USF actually won this weekend's football game. #MIRACLE)
On our walk back to the car, we stopped for a quick bite at Relish, where we split a delicious cheeseburger. I did not know that one could put different condiments on separate sides of a burger, but apparently it can be done.
One of the recurring survey questions on the drive home was "what was the best part of today?" My answer is, confidently: spending the day wanderlusting with my best friend. Driving to a new city, roaming the streets aimlessly while sipping coffee & tea and checking out little indie shops & taking pictures of such a beautiful girl separated me from reality for a short while. For once, I wasn't consumed with school or responsibilities & was able to stop & enjoy life today.
Thanks A, for always being my little travel partner.
Love,
J
