Santa Fe, New Mexico

This happens way too often. 

A little blurry but coolest state entrance sign we have seen!! 

     Santa Fe was a spontanous addition to our route and we could not be happier it worked out the way it did. Last night we stayed in a hostel(weird writing about a place when it actuallly just happened-hah!) that was different from any we had stayed in before. It was more along the lines of a commune compared to the others that were more occupied by international travelers. There were fridges filled with food that were up for grabs for anyone and we even had our own assigned chore to do in the morning.

     As we headed downtown we were in awe of how every building from banks to grocery stores kept consistent with the city's distinctive architectural style. Even though the looks varied every building seemed to be made with adobe brick- such a beautifully unique place. Since we drove in late the night before it made our first look at the downtown all the more dramatic. We instantly got such a good vibe between the musicians on every street corner to the strong Native American influence in the artwork and jewelry. It is by far our favorite shopping of the trip and we both had an awesome time doing some Christmas shopping. It's starting to hit show close to home we are getting(we no longer feel as special for having a California license plate)- such a bittersweet feeling. 

Dallas, Texas *Thanksgiving*

     While we were on the east coast and trying to figure out what we could do for Thanksgiving(we considered looking on Craigslist for a family to spend it with) Elaina got in touch with her family friend Chris who was kind enough to welcome us for the holiday. Such a great feeling to know we had a house to stay at and a family to spend Thanksgiving with. We got there early enough to get a thorough tour of Dallas from the daughter Erica. She drove us by houses that looked like castles- everything really is bigger in Texas! We stopped by Hyde Park and walked around- all the Christmas decorations were up and everyone was out with their families. Also, on the way back we saw the fence of George Bush's home. At night we went back out to see the Highland shopping center lights which were absolutely insane- rows of completely lit up trees. Thanksgiving dinner was absolutely delicious- its fun seeing how different families make it their own.
     It was both of our first Thanksgivings away from home and we could not have asked for a better place to spend it. We had such an amazing time with Chris, Steve, Erica, and Zach and could not thank them enough.

Baytown, Texas

     In between Austin and Dallas we stopped by Baytown, about an hour outside of Houston, to visit my(Brooke's) cousin Jenna who recently moved out there. It was such a treat to get to see her because we have lived so far away from each other our whole lives. She has two dogs, a German shepherd puppy and a beautifully colored weiner dog, that we were both so excited to play with. We went to a local restaurant down the street and got a little taste of Tex-Mex. So great how much family we have been able to visit because of this trip. :)

Austin, Texas

    Feels crazy to finally be in Texas-we had  been so excited and curious for this state since we both had such strong stereotypes in our heads about it (which quickly were proven wrong).

   We stayed with family friends, the Vancheeswaran's, for the night in Austin. When we got there we went to one of their family friends and had a traditional southern Indian dinner. The food was out of this world and we felt so lucky we got a chance to try it. All the spices in the food were incredible.They told us a about how India has a wide span of languages, cuisine, and cultures-things we hadnt previously known and were so interesting to learn. 

   After dinner we went to downtown Austin with Sidart and Pranav who were 18 and 16- they were so fun to hang out with and it was awesome that we all happened to be around the same age. 6th street and congress street were so cool too see. Definitely not what we were expecting of Texas - it was much more urban. We're almost embarrassed to say that we thought the state was completely run by cowboys. 

   The next morning we woke up to fresh coffee - since this trip we've become coffee addicts. Something we now both rely on for the long drives. The whole family pitched in to make a huge and delicious breakfast. We made: scones, eggs, and Nutella and fruit crepes. From there we all -including the neighbors - hopped in multiple cars and headed to Enchanted Rock State Park. We had no idea what to expect but once we got there we were blown away with how incredible it was! The mountain is all one HUGE boulder sticking out of the ground. It felt so good to be outdoors hiking again since we've had a lot of family and city visits. We adventured through these narrow caves that went under and  across the whole rock. We went inside down probably around 15 to 20 feet under and it became pitch black. It was so cool! 

We had so much fun getting the chance to hang out with a big family. Ashkay, the younger boy, was such a blast! Our Pokemon knowledge has became much more advanced since we got there! :) We truly had such an amazing time, it was a tough one to leave. But we started back on the road after the amazing hike and did a little back tracking to get to Brooke's cousin right outside of Houston! 

New Orleans, Louisiana

One of the strangest drives on this trips came from a complete mistake. after a couple hours after Elaina's driving shift we decided to check out where we were on a map. We must of been completely distracted with talking, because we were in Georgia when we were supposed to be heading west toward New Orleans instead of north. To get us back on track we had to take these small Georgia backroads. On the drive we came across this abandoned mansion in the middle of no where. We slammed on the brakes and got out of the car to see it better. Yet we didn't get to close, because we didn't want to trespass in a place where we didn't know anything about. Back on the road we came across a cotton plantation. It went on for miles! Nothing we've ever seen before - just read about in textbooks. Also drove by rusted abandoned school busses that were being eaten by the brush around them.  It was amazing to see something so different from main highways.  We would of never of been given the chance to have seen any of it without being on this random Georgia road. Getting lost was a blessing in disguise. 

We finally got to the hostel at 2:30 AM which was much later than we expected. We slept in pretty late and then went into downtown New Orleans! We walked through the French Market and there was so much amazing art from the local artists. Every building in the city was so unique with the architecture and colors. We went to the classic tourist  spot, Cafe De Monde to get their coffee and famous beignets. We now understand why it's so famous... Basically licked our plate clean. Once it got dark we started walking around Bourbon Street. Luckily there was 18 and over bars and we got our dancing on. There was so much live music that ranged from jazz to country to classic favorites of all time. We danced all night long-even got shout outs from the band! We never wanted to leave Bourbon street but there's only so long that our feet can handle dancing in heals (Not experienced heal wear-ers). So we got a cab back to the hostel at around 2am. Woke up nice and early for our long drive for the one and only big ol' Texas. 

Eckerd College, Florida

    Luckily we caught my friend Ally still at school before Thanksgiving Break. We arrived at the college after dark but we knew it was surrounded by water on 3 sides from google maps- how crazy! Ally gave us a little tour around campus and oh man what a cool school- they have their own white sand beach on campus with hammocks and everything.

     I cannot begin to describe how great it was to see Ally and find out what she has been up to and the places she has been for the year and a half since I had seen her. We had such a fun time meeting, hanging out with her friends, and exploring the college. The night ended with a refreshing swim- I can't even imagine being able to walk out of my dorm and jump in the ocean. Next morning- off to New Orleans!! 

Hobe Sound, Florida

The drive from South Carolina to Florida was...interesting. Driving through Georgia we both really wanted to get a classic Georgia peach. So we tried a small town off the freeway, and were in a search for just a local market. Which turned out a lot harder then you would think. We went to a town right on the water, and it looked completely abandoned. It was the strangest thing, as if it was a lively town at one point and one day everyone just got up and left. We tried a store that looked the closest to a market, and the second we went in, a horrible stench  came over us and the store was absolutely trashed.  So we tried the next town... Same thing. We were blown away how both the towns we tried had absolutely no market... Needless to say, we didn't get our Georgia peach. 

Once we got to Elaina's grandmas house in Hobe Sound we settled in. It was hot there! Got to wear shorts for the first time since California! Then went to dinner at Bonefish. It's always so exciting to get to go out to dinner on the trip, instead of our regular meals we make in the car.  When we got back the Rummikub tournament began. (The best game in the whole entire world) Brooke's first time playing and she's now an addict.  

It works out perfect how both of Elaina's grandmas live in towns right next to each other.  So the next morning we went to Allegro, the assisted living where Elaina's other grandma lives (Yaiyai), with Gram. We got lunch, met all of her friends, and watched an old black and white movie in the theater room. We both actually really enjoyed the movie. There was a funny connection how the assisted living reminded us of dorm life. It's basically the same exact thing and its awesome to see how much everyone living there loves it so much.  Yaiyai loves it there she introduced us to all of her friends! We had dinner at Allegro and then headed back to sleep at Grams, where the Rummikub tournament continued. 

We went to breakfast back at Allegro and then said our goodbyes to Yaiyai. It was so great to see her. :) On the way back to Grams we stopped at the local beach. We were at the ocean again!! And this time it was so warm, not like up north. The sand was warm and it was so amazing to be barefoot in the sun. The lifeguard flag had a high hazard warning up, yet the water still looked so inviting. We looked like those crazy tourists that have never seen the ocean before, but we couldn't help it. We were running around in the water with all our clothes on... Oh well :) Back at the house we said our goodbye to Gram and were off to the west side of Florida. 

Charleston, South Carolina

       Arrived pretty late into Charleston, so we didn't get to see the city in the light, but it was adorable all lit up. We headed to the local 24 hour McDonalds because we needed to get a few things done and it had wifi and was one of the only things open. The whole trip we've used Mcdonald for there cheap drive through coffee and the occasional fries, but this time we needed to get dinner. So after staring at the menu for way to long, our only solution was to get a cheeseburger with out the patty... Needless to say, classic Micky D's doesn't cater too well to vegetarians.

     We wish we could have stayed longer because we hear so many great things about the town, and it's now on our list for places to go back too because we didn't give it the time it deserves.  We woke up early the next morning and started our drive to Florida!  

Nashville, Tennessee

    Originally we thought we weren't going to be able to make it to Nashville because it was so inland from our route therefore we were so excited when we realized we would have time for it. We stayed with Elaina's family friend Morganne who is in college at Cumberland University outside the city- so fun hanging out with her and playing with her new puppy. :)

     We headed into Nashville the next day and the first thing we saw was the Parthenon- a full‑scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. Next we drove down Broadway which is the street with a ll the huge colorful signs that is features in so many shows and movies-it instantly blew us away. We walked around and even in the middle of the afternoon every other place we walked by had live music. So many places had pictures of famous country artists in their venue on the walls- it made us look at the bands playing at the moment and think how any of them could be the next big thing! 

     We met Morganne after one of her classes at an the Frisk art museum where we checked out two incredible exhibits- one on Norman Rockwell and the other called 30 Americans which was composed of works from many of the most important African American artists working over the last 30 years. Both very cool and significant in their own ways. Afterward we drove up to "the top of the world" where we had a stunning view of the city. 

     For dinner that night we had one of the best meals of the trip at a place Morganne recommended called The Pharmacy. It included THE BEST VEGGIE BURGER EVER, tater tots, sweet potatoe fries, and root beer floats- when we go big, we go big!!! On our way out the next morning we went to our first Cracker Barrel where we had the most delicous pecan pancakes and we both tried grits for the first time. You could say we ate very well while in Tennessee!! 

     

Culinary Institute of America: Poughkeepsie, NY

 

    On our way back South from Portland we got a chance to stop and visit Colin at his Culinary school a couple hours outside of New York City. The first thing we noticed was how nice and professional everyone was dressed(we stuck out a little bit in our comfy driving clothes). The whole time Colin was showing us around we were in awe- the classrooms were bustling kitchens just like you would see in the movies. The dining plan was the most shocking- their "cafeteria food" is beautifully plated gourmet meals. We had lunch in one of the restaurants on campus and it was delicous. It was so cool to see Colin go from cooking class in high school to such a prestigious culinary school- awesome seeing someone pursuing what they love!!

   

Washington D.C.

(Elaina's in a sorority now)

Finding the keys after ripping every item out of the back seat of the car on a major street in DC- we decided we might as well lay out a blanket and fold them and put them away the right way while we were at it(yes we got some crazy stares).

Obama's Motorcade!!!

Under construction...

    Our first night in Washington D.C. we stayed with Elaina's friend Shane who is a sophomore at George Washington University. He took us out that night and it was so fun meeting some of his friends and exploring the area. The next day Shane gave us the grand tour of some of the most famous spots in D.C. We went to the National Mall and walked around- It was such a beautiful day and there were so many people out. There were so cool monuments and museums to see- definitely could have spent another week there but we saw so much for only having one full day(it makes such a difference having someone show us around compared to us trying to figure it out on our own). What stuck out the most though was the Holocaust Museum- it was so amazing and well done.

     As we started heading back to campus there was a road completely closed off with sirens and all types of vehicles speeding by. Turns out it was Obamas motorcade!! Of course we immediately started freaking out and running around- we had some difficulty wrapping our head around the fact that for a brief moment we were at the same place at the same time as President Obama. Shane even said that people use Obama as an excuse for being late to class because the streets will be completely blocked off to traffic. I don't understand how anyone could get used to that.

     After saying our goodbyes we headed off to our next college visit in Washington D.C.- American University. We were staying with a friend from high school- Kayla who we have been so excited to see and exchange stories with because she had take a gap year the year before. It was so awesome to hear about all her adventures in Canada and South Africa. She introduced us to friends in her dorm- there was a good amount of y and gers!! Another friend, Emily goes there and we decided it would be fun to suprise her at her dorm- I can't imagine being across the country and two people from home randomly show up at my door. It was so great to catch up and hear about all the cool things she's been up to(she is learning Arabic!!). Even though it was a short visit it was so good to see and hang out with them both. :) 

     Even though it feels like we say this everytime this was absolutely one of our favorite places that we wish so badly we could have stayed longer in- good thing there is always next time!! 

Hoboken, New Jersey

   Our original plan for New Jersey was to drive to the shore but due to lack of time we decided to just stick with a drive through Newark on our way to DC. We went through Hoboken to infamous original Carlos' Bakery from the show Cake Boss. Unfortunately there was a long line just to enter the bakery so we did not get to step inside but it was fun to at least get to peek in!

Trumbull, CT

We had such an amazing time the first time there we had to stop again! Auntie Becky and Mel were so welcoming it felt like we were home again. When we got there we went out to a delicious vegetarian restaurant called Lime. From there we went to Stew Leanord's... The most AMAZING grocery store we've ever seen. It was like a continuous maze through the whole store that led you through every part. Along the way there was huge cucumbers singing to farm dogs on banjos to a band of life size electronic singing milk and orange juice cartoons. Auntie Becky completely stocked us up with food for the future that we could not be more thankful for. 

We were planning on leaving the next morning but of course we wanted to stay "just one more night". So we did. The next day, Melanie stayed home from school and lounged around all day with us. It was so perfect. We watched movies and got laundry done. It was exactly what we needed. That night we went to the most amazing sushi place and got a huge sushi boat! Yummmm it was delicious!! After, we went to the Christmas Tree Shop. It got us so excited for the holidays :) Jack (our car) got a holiday accessory that he's absolutely loving! 

The next morning we left early for Carlos Bakery! 

Portland, Maine

     We had a last minute epiphany that we would head to Portland, Maine(we had earlier cut it off the list because we didn't think we would have time). We left Burlington in the afternoon with intentions of drinking along the Maine coast.

     We drove in way after the sun went down, went to Trader Joes, and spent about an hour wandering around doing god knows what- the things driving  does to us. Afterward we realized we knew absolutely nothing about Portland, Maine so we decided getting some clam chowder on the water was what we would do. We went to a quaint little restaurant on the water called J's Oyster and had some great clam chowder and sweet rolls. The rest of the town was pretty much closed up so we ended our night with some bottomless hot chocolate from Denny's.

     A bit of a dysfunctional stop on our route but a great time nonetheless. 

Burlington, VT

     Got an early start leaving Rhode Island to visit Elaina's cousin Jeff who is currently attending Ministry school a few hours outside of Boston.

     Arriving in Burlington mid afternoon we decided to start off by exploring the church street/downtown area. As you can imagine it is the coldest weather we have experienced so far- 20's during the day! We loved the downtown with its brick buildings, adorable shops, and close proximity to Lake Champlain- so beautiful even without snow or colorful foliage!  As it became darker(and much colder!!) we settled in at an awesome coffee shop/hangout called Muddy Waters. Such a cool place to warm up in- they even had Vermont maple syrup as an option for sweetening your coffee! Since the weather did not allow for camping our only alternative was a cheap motel down the road. We were a bit hesitant at first especially when we saw the dead bolt was barely attached to the wall(don't worry parents we had the person at the front desk fix it!!) but it ended up working out quite nicely. We prepared our dinner in the room- pretty funny seeing our room covered in pots and pans and cooking ingredients!
     The next day we got a chance to get some info from admissions and explore the beautiful campus before heading off to Portland, Maine!

Glocester, Rhode Island

                      

                      

     The one and only stop in Rhode Island with Elaina's Aunt Arie and Uncle Bob. They made the most delicious vegetarian meals for us the two nights we stayed there. Even though it was pretty chilly outside we took the opportunity  the canoe out at sunset. Sitting in the middle of the lake right at sunset, felt peaceful and refreshing. We were enjoying it so much we stayed out on the water even once it got dark. The canoe was over 40 years old, it had so much character to it. The next morning we woke up early because we had a huge drive to Burlington, VT, which worked out perfectly because we just missed the snow in Rhode Island by a couple hours!

Attleboro, MA

    Forth Massachusetts stop is Attleboro to visit some of my family. We spent our time there watching movies and hanging out- exactly what were ready to do after the bouncing around we had been doing. After a night with Glen, Cindy, Savannah, Samantha, and Kimmy we were able to catch lunch with cousin Louise and her daughter Gale and her husband. So great to catch up!!! It was awesome seeing everyone for the first time in about 10 years!!

~Brooke 

Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, Webster, MA

Our next stop was to the longest named lake in America...good luck saying it! We practiced...a lot. My Nounu (godfather in greek), Zach, lives on the lake and we had delicious means with him and his incredible parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gianaris. Brooke and I got the privilage to hear incredible stories of when they were young and how they met. The next day we walked around Old Sturbridge Village and it brought us back to the feild trip days. It was so cool to see the way people lived a couple hundred years ago. Dessert that night was these cookies called hermits. First time seeing and trying the cookies. If you ever get the chance to try them, there something different! Mr. Gianaris lived for them, but according to Mrs. Gianaris they were nothing special. Brooke and I both loved them!   

Norwell, MA

 

Tracked back into Massachusetts to our next lovely family visit in Norwell. Elaina's Aunt and Uncle welcomed us in and we had an amazing dinner with the recently engaged, Cousin Mikey and soon to be cousin-in-law Theresa. :) The next morning we drove around Cohasset and then walked around downtown Situate, which had the cutest little beachy shops. Went to a beach in Situate and touched the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on the trip! Officially across the country!

Trumbull, CT/ New York City

       Getting to Trumbull was exciting for us for multiple reasons-we would be using it as a home base to see one of our big stops, New York City! After some brief stops it was going to be a nice change staying somewhere for 4 nights, and of course to see Elaina's Auntie Becky and Melanie. We had an amazing homemade meal and got the chance to catch up with Auntie Becky and Melanie.  

                             

     After an amazing french toast breakfast Auntie Becky made for us, we hopped on the train to the city. Our first day we met up with Colin who is in school at the Culinary Institute of America a couple hours outside the city. First thing we saw of the city was the amazing Grand Central Station. Colin took us to an Italian specialty food store that was selling some of the fanciest ingredients we had ever seen. They sold everything from quail eggs to homemade pasta to thousands of dollars worth of truffles. Next we checked out Little Italy and Chinatown. When you arrive in Little Italy the streets become very narrow and decorated- how we picture Italy never having been there before. Walking down the streets everything smelled incredible and there were hosts left and right trying to convince you to come into their restaurant in their thick Italian accents. The fish market in Chinatown was pretty gnarly-watching them skin the live fish and toss around squirming eels. The smell itself had us in and out pretty quickly. We were bummed knowing we wouldn't see the Christmas tree up yet but was so pretty seeing Christmas lights and ice skaters In the Rockefeller Center. Seeing the NBC set in person was so strange after seeing it on TV so many time throughout our whole lives!! After saying our goodbyes to Colin we headed toward none other than Times Square. Time Square was unreal. Incredibly overwhelming to just stand in the middle of all the madness. We met some people and went the very top of the empire state building! The elevator ride is so fast that your ears pop as you go up... so strange. The veiw was like nothing we've seen. You could see the city lights for as far as you could imagine. We will never forget the feeling of seeing the whole city below us.

     City day 2 we got an early start on the train, fell asleep, and probably looked like zombies when we woke up and strolled into Grand Central. We took the Staton Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. She was, of course, unbelievably majestic. After the ferry, we went of to the 9/11 Memorial. It was so beautiful. There is no way to describe how well they designed it. Its absolutely magnificent. The flowers in the engraved names, resembled it was that persons birthday. Our heart goes out to the families and friends. 

     The next day, Sunday, Auntie Becky, Melanie, Brooke and I drove to Springfield, Massachusetts to my grandfathers grave. Papou, being the incredible gardener he was, was in need of a beautiful garden around him. I had no idea how much I would love gardening(I think this trip got me started on a new hobby!) I feel so grateful to have even gotten to see his grave again since he passed last year, but to be able to give something back to one of the most amazing men in my life, was something I will cherish from this trip forever. After finishing with the new little garden around him, we got to visit my second cousin Peter and his family. Such a loving family, always with open arms. What an unforgettable day. 

~Elaina

The last day trip going into New York City, Melanie came with us! We spent the day slacklining and bouldering in Central Park. Who knew in one of the largest cities we would be rock climbing. It was the best weather we could of ask for with the sun shining all day. We met some really interesting people, who do Parkour (an activity where you jump and flip off of obstacles in any setting). So fun to watch them flip. They taught us the best way to jump over a fence! We must be using that one day in our life... right?

We are so lucky to have been able to stay in Connecticut and do day trips into the city not only because it was convenient but it also meant we could spend more time with Melanie and Aunt Becky.

Boston, MA

    Arrived in Elaina's cousin Mikey's town just south of Boston with just a few minutes to spare to make the train into the city (the next one was in 2 hours). With that said, we SPRINTED to the stop which is about a 5-10 minute walk. Running parallel with the tracks we watched the train leave... classic. So we walked back to the house optomistic that we now could see Mikey and Theresa after they got home from work and make dinner. Ended up being so helpful to get advice on where to go and how to get there. You'd think we would have learned our lesson and gotten to the train station with splenty of time to spare... but knowing us we had to sprint to catch the next one, which we did!

     At first when we got there the amount of police seemed a bit ridiculous- but we very soon realized it was 100% necessary. We wandered around Fenway  Park for the first half of the game- there were people everywhere walking around trying to peak into Fenway to watch the game on the TVs inside. When we were in line to get a drink at 7-11 we heard the crowd inside the park going ballistic- everyone in line was scrambling on their phones to try to figure out what happened- it took us about 5 minutes because the servers were so congested to find out they had scored 3 runs! Wooo!! 

     As the game progressed the police started pushing the crowds away from the Park and towards Kenmore Square where the real madness began. People were packed like sardines and the more apparent it became that the Red Sox were most likely going to win the higher the energy level raised. So many chants were happening at one time- it was funny how many more people were screaming  Yankees suck rather than Cardinals suck... The moment they won was nuts- people getting pulled off of flatbed trucks by the police, people hanging out of trees and light posts, and an endless sea of people jumping around and screaming. 

   It was one of the craziest nights of our lives and we feel so lucky to have been able to experience it. Can't wait to brag to my kids about it!! :) 

    The next night we spent with a good friend from home at Northeastern, Alicia Dias. :) It was Halloween so we went to goodwill, scrounged up some last minute costumes and walked around the city. Always so awesome to see friends from home in their new homes!