Worst. Road Trip. Ever.: March 2007

Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Birthday Gurl!

Happy Birthday, Jon! We miss you and we are on our way home for your Special Day!

Photos Courtesy of Ruane Family Archives, Inc.

WEOOOOO!

So the end has finally come. After having one last breakfast with Rotten Ralph and Screamin Tina, thanks again for your hospitality, and I hope the new bathroom is lovely (Hey Tina, are those tiles from Color Tile?), we packed up the HHR one last time.

But not before we went to Rotten Ralph's bus yard so Adam could geek out on the school buses. It was pretty hilarious to watch Adam on the bus. My camera was still being wonky, so here is an artists re-enactment of the scene...

G A Y!!!

With that we bid a fond farewll to Philly yo! I had a great time there, all of Jeff's friends were so amazing and welcoming. I can't wait to come back and visit. Could I write a few more run on sentences...I have an English degree, I swear. Anyway, we drove the stupid HHR up to Princeton New Jersey to have lunch with Tony Sitoy. It was so great to see her, and Jeff and Adam's other friend Shannon. But then they started reminiscing about the good ol' days at their radio statio PST. Hi, I might have been a little bored, but thats cool, Jeff and Adam were so excited to see them.

After lunch, we headed up to drop of the stupid HHR. We couldn't have been more excited. Arriving at National Rent-a-Wreck in Newark New Jersey, we were all in great spirits, we were heading to New York, we were finally getting rid of that giant piece-o-crap, when tragedy struck. We forgot to fill up the F'ing gas tank. AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

So we had to leave the rental lot and drive around Hell, aka Newark New Jersey looking for a gas station. After nearly dying 7000 times we finally filled up the car and dropped it off. I would have done a cartwheel, but I was too tired. So we hopped on the train and headed into NEW YORK!!!!!!!!

We checked into our hotel, Adam was very good with the planning, which was great because Jeff and I are idiots and can barely manage Mapquest. After freshening up, we hopped into a taxi and headed for Little Italy for dinner. The restaurant was absolutely delicious, we ate so much (big shock there), Jeff loved his meal so much he decided to wear it...

Mmmm, Gnochi

It is so amazing to have friends like Jeff and Adam, they truly are family (Jon was sorely missed though, we just aren't the same without the 4th Golden girl).

Look how fun!

Cafe Napoli, YUM!

After dinner we headed off to hit the bars. Adam was in charge and he took us to a couple of bars, called Splash and G. As we were heading there, I texted Brad and he siad "those are two of the most ridiculous bars in New York". I laughed, it was the perfect way to end the worst road trip ever! Actually the bars turned out to be equal parts fun and ridiculous, but the fun was mostly because I was with Jeff and Adam. It's sad to say, but now it's time for the last photo recap!

At Splash, still relatively sober

Cheese!

Aww, look how cute

And here is Adam ogling the bartender...

So, what's a guy like you doin in a place like this?

Everyone say Vodka!

Gurl, put your records on!

Uhh, I don't know what to say

Jeff get out!...unless you're paying

Watcha doin Bookie?
That looks like fun, I think I'll join you!

We had a great time at the bars. After partying we hopped into another cab and headed to a diner at about 100 o'clock in the morning. New York is a blast, especially with those 2 idiots! I'm sad that the worst road trip ever is over, but I am lookin forward to getting back to LA and seeing Brad. That's all folks, it's been real. Smoke em if you got em (I don't know what that means, but there you go). Hope you enjoy my entries, if not, who asked you anyway!

SEEYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OKbye

TGIFUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well Friday was a VERY exciting day for me. Jeff and Keith finally made it to my parent's place in Cherry Hill, NJ (after Jeff got lost for the 100th time...ofcoursehedid) and we headed for Northeast Philly, home of the Nucera household and one of Philadelphia School District's bus depots!!!! Now here's the thing....I kinda have a thing for buses. The way I descrobe it, some people like cars, some like planes, some like trucks and um...I like buses. So Jeff told me, if I was a good boy on the trip, we could go to see his father's school bus! At one point I thought it wasn't going to happen. Jeff yelled at me and I may have said "Hi, I'm nice!" ... so we made it to the bus yard!!!

When we got there, RottenRalph was patiently waiting for us by sweeping out his bus! He gave us a quick drive over to bus #583's parking spot at the yard and we got to watch him park it! It was sooo fun!!

Sit down and shut up!!!

Once he had #583 parked, I got to play!! He had me walk to the back of the bus and push the special button which allows the bus to shut down since no kids were left on the bus. And I ot to sit in the driver's seat. Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, I helped!

FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RottenRalph gives me the thumbs up while I hold the fire extinguisher.

I am VERY excited!!!

Then it was off to Princeton to see Toni and Shannon who Jeff and I used to work with at our old radio station WPST. I haven't seen Shannon since I moved to LA almost 5 years ago. It was so awesome to see her. And I was also VERY excited to see my Asian Beauty, Sitoy!!! HOT!!! We talked about old times...we laughed, we cried, we laughed again. Okgood.

Yay!! PST reunion!!

We love our Sitoy! And she tastes good too...kinda like chicken. HOT!!

Keith may have been alittle bored listening to us telling old stories....That's ashame for him.

Then it was off to the BEST city, NYC!!! I LOVE NYC!! I used to go out in NYC almost every weekend while in college and before moving to LA. This place is awesome!! It may be hard to believe, I used to be quite the club kid while in college, which may explain why I get so bored going out now. Every weekend out in NYC til 8am, Friday and Saturday nights. It was fun!!
I haven't been out in NYC for years! So we finally got into the City, checked into our hotel and headed out to dinner aorund 9:30...very typical for the City. After an INCREDIBLE dinner in Little Italy, where I think I gained 100lbs.

Food coma and happiness from the chianti!

After we were done eating it was almost midnight and time to head out to a couple bars!! Nothing ever closes in NYC, unlike LA where at 1:3oam, everything is closed. LAME!!! So we headed to 2 places I used to go to back in the day, Splash and G, both in Chelsea. Well of course we drank our faces off. I think I'm still drunk. At around 3am or so, we headed to the Tic Tock Diner in our hotel for some greasy diner food. YUM!!! Ofcourse we all may have been alittle drunk.

Drunks!!!

Nothin'!!

The last few days have been SUPER FUN!!! I'm so glad I joined Jeff and Keith!!!

Hi, he needs LOTS of help!

Hazy Daze

So we got to North 3rd, this great little corner bar in a part of Philly called Northern Liberties. I wish they had more bars like this in LA, because hi, it was fun! I continued my trend of having all things Philly, so I drank Yuengling beer, a local brew, that is soooooo good!!!! And here's the thing, it was only $3 a pint, fancy!

So we started drinkin....and drinkin...and drinkin, you see where this is goin? Hi, my camera even started drinking, hence all the hazy pictures to follow!

One by one Jeff's crazy friends started to show up, and they were all a complete mess, in the best possible way. Oh and Bookie's brother Matthew and his soon to be wife Monica were there too. It's a little weird with Adam and his brother together because they look exactly alike...

See what I mean

Thankfully I was too full of food to get drunk, but I couldn't stop drinking the Yuengling, it was delicious. Thought I can't really say the same for everyone else, because little by little everyone turned into a bunch of deviants. That's right folks, time for another photo recap!

Jeff and Keith joy

We miss you Jon!

Really!? With the bunny ears

That's StupiDonna's friend Michael O'Connell and just like Donna, that kid aint right!

aww Jeff and Stupid Staci

Megan tells the best F'ing stories in the world

Jeff, Jess and Rob joy

And here is Bookie holding one of the glasses that he ended up stealing from the bar! What's wrong with you Bookie. Stop your petty theivery, we're makin memories!

Do prison jumpsuits come in pastel?

Then things just started goin downhill from there. Jeff attempted to do a lame bit, normally he would just go to comedy jail, but the masses turned on him. I can't even remember what the bit was, but apparently it just sucked

Comedy jail death squad

Nobody has faith in me!

Say BOOB!!!

Then Adam, after having pint number 742, attempted to deface the giant roll of Mentos that Staci brought back all the way from Europia for Jeff.

Is that a Mentos roll in your pocket oro are you just happy to see me?

Jeff didn't find it quite as amusing as the rest of us...

You bitch!

Friday, March 30, 2007

City of Brotherly, Motherly & Fatherly Love

After dinner with the Bookbinders the other night, Keith and I went to my parents' house to sleep for five seconds.

I've been dreading this leg of the journey, seeing as how my parents are...eccentric. Just the other day, on our way out of North Carolina, my father called my cell and all I could hear was yelling. My father asked, "Are you sure you want to bring your friend here?" I asked what all the noise was in the background and he informed me that my brother Chris decided to be mad at my mom today because he bought her some sort of pill box, and she said she didn't want it. Oh--did I mention he gave this to her about twenty years ago?

When we woke up Thursday morning, Keith and I ran off to meet my brother Ralph for breakfast at a diner. My Philly friends all know how rare that is; despite having known some of them for 10, 15 or even 20 years, many of them have never even met him. (Most think he is made up.) He's kind of like Richie Cunningham's older brother. If you were paying attention early on, he was around. Otherwise, not so much. Although I'm pretty much cut from the same mold as my brother Chris and my sister Donna...Ralph chose a different path.

Yes, that's his truck. With a Nascar sticker.

Two Ralphs & a Jeff

After taking Keith around to have some real Philly food, we went to Dinner With My Family. My niece and nephew wanted to go to Friendly's, although my brother Chris desperately wanted somewhere where we could all drink--because he knows how our family gets.

It's not the same without StupidDonna!

For example, here's what happens when you ask my parents, Rotten Ralph & Screamin' Tina, for a "nice" picture.

I clearly didn't take after my father. . .

Although I was a little nervous putting Keith and Adam in front of my family, I think they enjoyed themselves.

"Oh God. There are a hundred of them."

I must admit, I wasn't just afraid of how my family would affect Keith and Bookie. I was a little scared that their deviant behavior would rub off on my niece and nephew.