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Source: http://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798</id><updated>2024-03-05T09:17:26.353-06:00</updated><category term="The Pearons"/><category term="Trips"/><category term="Food"/><category term="Coffee"/><category term="Exploration"/><category term="Walking"/><category term="London 2015"/><category term="Family"/><category term="United Kingdom"/><category term="London"/><category term="Summertime"/><category term="Underground"/><category term="Beach"/><category term="OBX"/><category term="Roadtrip"/><category term="The Outer Banks"/><category term="The Tube"/><category term="AirBnB"/><category term="Music"/><category term="North Carolina"/><category term="Aston Martin"/><category term="Flights"/><category term="Sunset"/><category term="The Hiltons"/><category term="The Maddoxs"/><category term="Library"/><category term="Louisiana"/><category term="New Orleans"/><category term="San Francisco"/><category term="Seattle"/><category term="The South"/><category term="Travel"/><category term="BART"/><category term="Sand Crab"/><category term="The Rockleys"/><category term="Crescent City"/><category term="Doctor Who"/><category term="Ferry"/><category term="Iceland"/><category term="James Bond"/><category term="Jazz"/><category term="Pike Place Market"/><category term="Rain"/><category term="Tacos"/><category term="The Big Easy"/><category term="Uber"/><category term="Aquarium"/><category term="Blues"/><category term="Café"/><category term="Coquina Beach"/><category term="Dallas"/><category term="Dancing"/><category term="Egypt"/><category term="Emerald City"/><category term="Falafel"/><category term="French Quarter"/><category term="Jockey&#39;s Ridge"/><category term="Kansas City"/><category term="Lighthouse"/><category term="MCI"/><category term="Museum"/><category term="Paris"/><category term="San Francisco Bay"/><category term="Seagulls"/><category term="St. Louis"/><category term="Sunrise"/><category term="TARDIS"/><category term="Texas"/><category term="Toronto"/><category term="Tour"/><category term="Vanquish"/><category term="Wedding"/><category term="Air Force One"/><category term="Algiers Point"/><category term="Andras Schiff"/><category term="Anniversary"/><category term="Apple"/><category term="Atlantic Ocean"/><category term="Beignets"/><category term="Biscoff Coffee Corner"/><category term="Books"/><category term="Bratwurst"/><category term="Burritos"/><category term="Carl the Crab"/><category term="Cheesecake Factory"/><category term="Chinatown"/><category term="Chinese Cuisine"/><category term="City Mapper"/><category term="Concorde"/><category term="Covent Garden"/><category term="Donuts"/><category term="Eiffel Tower"/><category term="Eurostar"/><category term="Ferris Wheel"/><category term="Festival"/><category term="Fish and Chips"/><category term="Flight Museum"/><category term="Fort Raleigh"/><category term="Fort Worth"/><category term="Frenchmen Street"/><category term="Gardens"/><category term="Golden Gate Bridge"/><category term="Google"/><category term="Greek Cuisine"/><category term="Gyros"/><category term="Harrod&#39;s"/><category term="Holidays"/><category term="Holocaust Museum"/><category term="Iguana Burritozilla"/><category term="Indiana"/><category term="International Spy Museum"/><category term="Japanese Tea Garden"/><category term="Japantown"/><category term="Jeff City"/><category term="Kayaking"/><category term="Kentucky"/><category term="Kerry Park"/><category term="King Tutankhamen"/><category term="Korean Cuisine"/><category term="Ladles"/><category term="Lake Pontchartrain"/><category term="Lincoln Memorial"/><category term="Little Venice"/><category term="Local Color"/><category term="Long Beach"/><category term="Los Angeles"/><category term="MSP"/><category term="Magazine Street"/><category term="Markets"/><category term="Memphis"/><category term="Metro"/><category term="Mississippi"/><category term="Nepalese Cuisine"/><category term="North Beach Gyros"/><category term="Notting Hill"/><category term="Oakland"/><category term="Ocracoke"/><category term="P.F. Chang&#39;s"/><category term="Pacific Ocean"/><category term="Pacific Science Center"/><category term="Painted Ladies"/><category term="Parasailing"/><category term="Penpals"/><category term="Pier 39"/><category term="Pizza"/><category term="Po Boys"/><category term="Poor Richard&#39;s"/><category term="Rebirth Brass Band"/><category term="Ruins"/><category term="SFO"/><category term="San Jose"/><category term="Sand Dunes"/><category term="Santa Claus"/><category term="Scooters"/><category term="Sea Lions"/><category term="Seahawks"/><category term="Shark Tooth"/><category term="Shelbyville"/><category term="Sherlock Holmes"/><category term="Ships"/><category term="Sky City"/><category term="Sky Garden"/><category term="Smithsonian"/><category term="Snow&#39;s Nest"/><category term="Soho"/><category term="Southbank"/><category term="Souvenirs"/><category term="Space Needle"/><category term="Symphony"/><category term="Taco"/><category term="Taxi"/><category term="Tennessee"/><category term="The Embarcadero"/><category term="The Golden Hind"/><category term="The Golden Hinde II"/><category term="Theatre"/><category term="Tours"/><category term="Towed"/><category term="Turtles"/><category term="Twin Peaks"/><category term="Twins"/><category term="Union Square"/><category term="Virginia"/><category term="Washington D.C."/><category term="West Virginia"/><category term="Westminster Abbey"/><title type='text'>Beauty and the Geek</title><subtitle type='html'>Traveling with the Pearons&#xa;https://CL3VER.life</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15801144354939156274</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>41</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-4294668252920473386</id><published>2018-12-17T12:49:00.003-06:00</published><updated>2018-12-17T12:49:52.336-06:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
2. <u><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">YOU ARE BEING REDIRECTED<br />TO OUR NEW BLOG SITE</span></u></h2>
3. <div style="text-align: center;">
4. Yes, that's right!  We've decided to move our blog in-house, so all traffic sent here <i>should</i> be automatically redirected to the new location.  </div>
5. <div style="text-align: center;">
6. <br /></div>
7. <div style="text-align: center;">
8. If you aren't redirected, click the link below:</div>
9. <div style="text-align: center;">
10. <a href="https://cl3ver.life/blog">https://CL3VER.life/blog</a></div>
11. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/4294668252920473386/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/12/you-are-being-redirected-to-our-new.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/4294668252920473386'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/4294668252920473386'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/12/you-are-being-redirected-to-our-new.html' title=''/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15801144354939156274</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-7867596587780177420</id><published>2018-10-18T01:08:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2018-10-23T18:19:56.445-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Blues"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Crescent City"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="French Quarter"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jazz"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Louisiana"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Memphis"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="New Orleans"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Rebirth Brass Band"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Scooters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tennessee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Big Easy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The South"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Travel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving New Orleans: Day Six</title><content type='html'>&lt;br /&gt;
12. This last post will be a joint effort, but Val will start us off.<br />
13. <br />
14. Our day technically started in the wee morning <span class="ILfuVd">hours</span> as we finished up at the Rebirth Brass Band concert.<br />
15. <br />
16. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
17. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeo0tob3MBcvLibiajX_cPGYvYo5ucjs7wWcESJUlUOGPYNhT7p5Gn4MbwIcWD_3C1q3EFbTHXxbbse7UQfJwGx00V-WTDFyr4hGSbpyQ4ZrbuLKr8LXUoFqOo9C-fejYmJaD0gwSDRLY/s1600/Rebirth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeo0tob3MBcvLibiajX_cPGYvYo5ucjs7wWcESJUlUOGPYNhT7p5Gn4MbwIcWD_3C1q3EFbTHXxbbse7UQfJwGx00V-WTDFyr4hGSbpyQ4ZrbuLKr8LXUoFqOo9C-fejYmJaD0gwSDRLY/s400/Rebirth.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
18. <br />
19. <br />
20. It was ... wow. Not just the band <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> which was epic <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> but the atmosphere just made you smile. I’m actually not sure a smile left my face the entire time. There were some free spirits dancing (as best they could in a shoulder-to-shoulder packed bar) and some singing along with the band.<br />
21. <br />
22. One of my favorite parts though was about halfway through the concert. The bar’s heat and humidity level could rival what we felt on the worst day in New Orleans, and a group next to us noticed the fan above wasn’t running.<br />
23. <br />
24. They convinced the tallest person in the group that he could reach up and pull the very short chain to get the fan running.<br />
25. <br />
26. I should note that due to the ceiling height in this place, I was doubting him.<br />
27. <br />
28. After about five or six times of him failing, he finally reached it. The cheering of about half the crowd was what got me. Mind you that the band we all came to see was playing their best stuff at the time and we’re all cheering for a guy in the middle of a huge crowd.<br />
29. <br />
30. Some things you’ll just never expect to see again, and that kind of silent prayer from a crowd of more than 100 people for a guy to just pull a chain still makes me smile.<br />
31. <br />
32. There’s a video and more photos on our <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>.<br />
33. <br />
34. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
35. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4TCkF2Shc4nz6my_Le26Z9IlRYiJKMjDb6gaSx3c1MrpE2o4Hh7FcQpQxgKe2yDadvCwnTJahUiOjx0HiDHbBHo0xEOZ4UsdZMLgvvqfQ2_aop9RWAsos_y26LtmlqkPfX5TNwTyusQ/s1600/FrenchTruckCoffee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4TCkF2Shc4nz6my_Le26Z9IlRYiJKMjDb6gaSx3c1MrpE2o4Hh7FcQpQxgKe2yDadvCwnTJahUiOjx0HiDHbBHo0xEOZ4UsdZMLgvvqfQ2_aop9RWAsos_y26LtmlqkPfX5TNwTyusQ/s320/FrenchTruckCoffee.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
36. After a few hours of sleep, we finished packing and loading our stuff into the car, but before leaving town, we made a last stop in the French Quarter for some coffee.<br />
37. French Truck Coffee has a few locations around New Orleans, but making our last stop in that specific area of the city just seemed to fit.The coffee was excellent and I’m pretty sure Matthew will be dreaming about the “cruffin” (croissant/muffin hybrid?) he got for quite awhile.<br />
38. <br />
39. Now that I’m finished writing about the fun parts of our last day, I’ll let Matthew fill you in on the 11-hour car ride home.<br />
40. <br />
41. <br />
42. Matthew here, tagging in for Valeri.<br />
43. <br />
44. <br />
45. Most of the rest of the day was spent behind the windshield, but we did make one interesting stop: Memphis.<br />
46. <br />
47. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS380OvGy8WiJZ2oMHxJH1Ggl_xwTEED2ICvJHP-gsH9fHTMLRdlrlB_J9gv689wzDjGARN51E-hCk-_0_JKlNilEqvRtr4Iqcw3_0V6T1cseI8x6qi7Kvf8BbiSamqHDbA5mdJReDcg/s1600/Guitar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS380OvGy8WiJZ2oMHxJH1Ggl_xwTEED2ICvJHP-gsH9fHTMLRdlrlB_J9gv689wzDjGARN51E-hCk-_0_JKlNilEqvRtr4Iqcw3_0V6T1cseI8x6qi7Kvf8BbiSamqHDbA5mdJReDcg/s320/Guitar.JPG" width="240" /></a>If you had to hazard a guess as to what the most interesting part of our Memphis stop was, what would it be?<br />
48. <br />
49. I'm sure your first thought was music <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> specifically the good ol' blues.<br />
50. <b>Well, you're wrong. </b> The correct answer was "scooters."<br />
51. <br />
52. <i>"Scooters?"</i> I can hear you ask yourself, quizzically.<br />
53. Yes, reader <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> scooters. Electric Scooters to be precise. <br />
54. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRyFQ41L_n7ZvVrD5AGJ6Q1TUIi0BhjPKYDNLDkMl9cTY_HzjsO0IMgrY1GQeT8vsw9xAmTdO3bI5zrreUYxb3VqUpIndnmJ0rY3rj1E7gTbV34tM286FrrGD2_-xgt4e-y6OpZCNcWs/s1600/SunStudio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRyFQ41L_n7ZvVrD5AGJ6Q1TUIi0BhjPKYDNLDkMl9cTY_HzjsO0IMgrY1GQeT8vsw9xAmTdO3bI5zrreUYxb3VqUpIndnmJ0rY3rj1E7gTbV34tM286FrrGD2_-xgt4e-y6OpZCNcWs/s320/SunStudio.JPG" width="240" /></a>After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Blues City Cafe, we decided to wander around Beale Street, perusing the over-priced offerings of the various gift shops. After getting our fill of that, we took off on a trek across town toward Sun Studios <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> the start of many famed musicians, including the likes of Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. ... It was a couple of miles <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> nothing major, but enough to cause me to notice the number of Bird Rental Scooters.<br />
55. <br />
56. We couldn't resist, and we are glad we didn't. They were an absolute blast. If you get a chance, hop on one and go for a spin.<br />
57. If you want to see how <strike> well </strike> it went for us, check out the video in the <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>.<br />
58. <br />
59. <br />
60. ... then it was back to tearing up the asphalt. Nothing much to report on this side of Memphis other than to say we made it safely back home. The Pearons are healthy, happy, and glad to be home.<br />
61. <br />
62. Vacation is a simple word with one largely accepted meaning: A break from whatever thing it is you normally do. For most, that thing is a job, and that break is nice. As much as I enjoy what I do (and I think I can speak for Valeri here as well), I find that I really look forward to our escapes. <br />
63. From what I gather, Valeri and I handle vacation a bit differently than most, forgoing the relaxed schedules for something a bit more structured, but that's the cool thing about vacation <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> it's yours to do with what you want.<br />
64. As long as you take the time to relish in those moments you spend hanging around the house with family, enjoying the nightlife with friends, sitting alone by the poolside, running off to the beach with your significant other ...it doesn't matter what it is <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> just enjoy it.<br />
65. <br />
66. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
67. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMbRHtuQ2brnXbj13ifiQSpAC5TNhpTPf6ygx7rDQjo0c7diGDJXWfchqSDoABO25eKFLPj-PGXCCn8Ocaeu1Cm3cya5z0W1XsI0GG5qRAs4UmC4UoMBqxw64Yi2WNu9l1ZaNuqJ7plM/s1600/BourbonStreet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMbRHtuQ2brnXbj13ifiQSpAC5TNhpTPf6ygx7rDQjo0c7diGDJXWfchqSDoABO25eKFLPj-PGXCCn8Ocaeu1Cm3cya5z0W1XsI0GG5qRAs4UmC4UoMBqxw64Yi2WNu9l1ZaNuqJ7plM/s400/BourbonStreet.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
68. <br />
69. <br />
70. <i><b>"How did you fall in love with New Orleans?"<br />"At once, madly. Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."</b></i><br />
71. &lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - Andrei Codrescu&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/7867596587780177420/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surving-new-orleans-day-six.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7867596587780177420'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7867596587780177420'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surving-new-orleans-day-six.html' title='Surviving New Orleans: Day Six'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeo0tob3MBcvLibiajX_cPGYvYo5ucjs7wWcESJUlUOGPYNhT7p5Gn4MbwIcWD_3C1q3EFbTHXxbbse7UQfJwGx00V-WTDFyr4hGSbpyQ4ZrbuLKr8LXUoFqOo9C-fejYmJaD0gwSDRLY/s72-c/Rebirth.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-381148938771954867</id><published>2018-10-17T01:08:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2018-10-17T01:08:14.483-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Algiers Point"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beignets"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Bratwurst"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Crescent City"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ferry"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jazz"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Library"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Louisiana"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="New Orleans"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Souvenirs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Big Easy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The South"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Travel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Uber"/><title type='text'>Surviving New Orleans: Day Five</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
72. </div>
73. Good afternoon! Matthew here, checking in from Downtown New Orleans.<br />Today’s blog is a little different, since I’m writing it significantly earlier than normal.  I try my hardest to squeeze the very last bit of useful time out of each and every day <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> even if that means sitting down to write the blog nigh midnight.<br /><br />Well, today I thought ahead.<br /><br />We will be at a music club later tonight, and that will possibly go until after midnight, and we have an early start tomorrow, so I don’t want to push it. I’ll touch on that concert in a bit. In the meantime, I’ll babble on about what the Pearons were up to today.<br />
74. <br />
75. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
76. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw5EdIb0Z3VfMwKC839bENhPgOnzFJn5Oi2gqvNOXIwBi8hq63oELJZmCGczqSTR9ymZXJMOhOOILHNT2ylrQMGjub1hNjJ_clO7-y83RNLo0XWwatZLl9WosDDu6eLCbE1m6ZEv93RY/s1600/CafeDuMonde3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YFUfHph6HNyW3k100W5CzYD9Wb12WLa-qaOIb4Nsrqd_nfSTxRF5Gj-UVXrP6DUlfNyKXe6nq8mQI7V005HpLJjWPW4KTgMT7f_W-ldm3QxMYaJjywYua-sMzOa4kZhnXqpc9ekiFDE/s1600/CafeDuMonde2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YFUfHph6HNyW3k100W5CzYD9Wb12WLa-qaOIb4Nsrqd_nfSTxRF5Gj-UVXrP6DUlfNyKXe6nq8mQI7V005HpLJjWPW4KTgMT7f_W-ldm3QxMYaJjywYua-sMzOa4kZhnXqpc9ekiFDE/s200/CafeDuMonde2.JPG" width="150" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw5EdIb0Z3VfMwKC839bENhPgOnzFJn5Oi2gqvNOXIwBi8hq63oELJZmCGczqSTR9ymZXJMOhOOILHNT2ylrQMGjub1hNjJ_clO7-y83RNLo0XWwatZLl9WosDDu6eLCbE1m6ZEv93RY/s320/CafeDuMonde3.JPG" width="320" /></div>
77. <br />
78. We decided to start the morning in true New Orleans style with a trip to the famed Café du Monde on Decatur Street. We partook of the typical tourist favorite: Coffee with Chicory, a Café Au Lait and Beignets. We can tick that off the list.<br />
79. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
80. </div>
81.   <br />
82. <br />
83. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pH_-XkxNDeDMkOKvtXYzu1skolGNIxNKz9ieevt-hE6ysfLNfzvOCO5VIAPLq0RCSsbZ_YoXU1tFqX3N6Usuv9tJKGCXTtCNzeQV98KyavidZnAw2mz-K5yFSSTXxYlEqyNYWqhr7vc/s1600/AlgiersPoint.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pH_-XkxNDeDMkOKvtXYzu1skolGNIxNKz9ieevt-hE6ysfLNfzvOCO5VIAPLq0RCSsbZ_YoXU1tFqX3N6Usuv9tJKGCXTtCNzeQV98KyavidZnAw2mz-K5yFSSTXxYlEqyNYWqhr7vc/s320/AlgiersPoint.JPG" width="320" /></a>Next up was a <strike> quick </strike> trip to Algiers Point.<br />If I could strike through that word multiple times, I absolutely would. The ferry ride there wasn’t bad <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> too short, if anything — but the wall from the terminal to Library was awful in the midday sun.<br />Algiers Point is a neighborhood separated from New Orleans proper by the mighty/muddy Mississippi River and with that physical separation goes the metropolitan feel.<br />There are no skyscrapers on Algiers Point, no busy intersections, no peddlers attempted to shift their wares <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> and oh yeah <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> there’s no shade either. The sun beats directly down on you, causing your body to employ its only cooling mechanism: sweat. Yuck.<br />No matter what you do, you just can’t escape the heat. No high rise buildings to cast shadows, and the large tide-blocking berm around the area prevents even the slightest bit of a breeze from reaching you ... but hey, boat rides are cool, right?<br />
84. <br />
85. <br />
86. <br />
87. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
88. </div>
89. <br />
90. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B5b6VG2vM0AccqXhtifNN2oMW_6cpG-tN-AV4VZobxcvky5By1niIqBHmLmyDRVONCxbN-_tFmVrr7pnqzepx3CpEjubrOEbqEhL7lsDDQQ5K9UVAw7Tw2om9eS_osGahqHiMbwu094/s1600/BratzYall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B5b6VG2vM0AccqXhtifNN2oMW_6cpG-tN-AV4VZobxcvky5By1niIqBHmLmyDRVONCxbN-_tFmVrr7pnqzepx3CpEjubrOEbqEhL7lsDDQQ5K9UVAw7Tw2om9eS_osGahqHiMbwu094/s320/BratzYall.JPG" width="320" /></a>Anyone hungry? We sure were ... and I had Bratwurst on my mind (as did the itinerary). We headed over to Piety Street’s own Bratz Y’all. I cringe every time I have to say or type that abomination of a word.<br /><br /><i>Y’all.</i> Ugh. <br /><br />Does that even deserve the title of “word”? I don’t think so. It’s been purged from my vocabulary.<br />
91. <br />
92. We generally pick up minor gifts for family when we go on vacation. I’m not sure why, really. To them, it’s just a random object <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> be it a coffee mug or some other trinket. It  really only holds memories for me and Valeri. To them it’s a “Hey, remember that time I <i>didn’t</i> go to New Orleans?” Either way, we like to bring home goodies to clutter other people’s homes.<br /><br />Normally, we’re big on walking, but with hands full of bags, a 28-minute walk in the sticky New Orleans air didn’t sound fun, so we resorted to Uber. Usually that is a quick, simple solution and we’ve never had any issues. This time, we watched on the map as our driver took wrong turn after wrong turn, ending up on the complete wrong side of town. We’re not sure what happened, but after 20 minutes of waiting for her to arrive, we were notified the ride had been cancelled and another driver was being dispatched.  That driver showed up quickly and expertly delivered us back to our Airbnb.  It was time for a quick break to recharge our various devices and relax for a few minutes before hopping in the car and heading off to our next event.  <br /><br />This next event ... it’s a big one guys. It doesn’t have an official name, so I’ll assign my own. I think I’ll call it, “Being Lost in Rush Hour Traffic: A Tale of Frustration.”<br />Let me tell you ... an absolute blast. If you couldn’t tell, that last comment was positively drenched in sarcasm. I’m having to mop the floor due to how much was dripping from it. We got so turned around trying to find a coffee shop (the trick was actually finding parking) that we end up crossing the same bridge twice. I’ve absolutely no idea how that worked, but it did.<br /><br />
93. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX3iz8F3SRq3obqmG7c7s3-Mh0pUOtgoF2LLh6O2X-k8fEOU6uPlLAhUchmiN8NB9rYgaGqOou6smlHTDUbrkvbkPqFJU-q8YMjx0VHFfe4RdUaAMOe6qmXEgji6FFRg0tssI0GJimEU/s1600/Stumptown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX3iz8F3SRq3obqmG7c7s3-Mh0pUOtgoF2LLh6O2X-k8fEOU6uPlLAhUchmiN8NB9rYgaGqOou6smlHTDUbrkvbkPqFJU-q8YMjx0VHFfe4RdUaAMOe6qmXEgji6FFRg0tssI0GJimEU/s320/Stumptown.JPG" width="240" /></a>After quite a few miles, much muttering and probably too many insults to Valeri’s skills as a navigator (you have my most sincere apologies, dear), we made it to a coffee shop. Stumptown Coffee Roasters.  Valeri and I are kicked back on a sofa in one of their seating areas listening to some sort of Rock/Jazz/New Age hybrid music blasting in one of the other connected rooms. I haven’t decided whether I like it or not.<br />
94. <br />
95. <br />
96. Speaking of music, our last stop for the night is a concert at The Maple Leaf Bar.  The Rebirth Brass Band will be gracing the venue with their sound.  It’s sure to be a good time and I’m sure we will grab photos and videos for your viewing pleasure. Keep your eye on the <span class="ILfuVd"><a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a></span> for that.<br /><br />Alright ... I’m done prattling on. I’ll leave you fine people to go about your lives and I’ll go back to sipping my Cold Brew Coffee and wondering if this music will ever get better.<br />
97. <br />
98. <i><b>"How did you fall in love with New Orleans?"<br />"At once, madly. Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."</b></i><br />
99. &lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - Andrei Codrescu&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/381148938771954867/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-five.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/381148938771954867'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/381148938771954867'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-five.html' title='Surviving New Orleans: Day Five'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YFUfHph6HNyW3k100W5CzYD9Wb12WLa-qaOIb4Nsrqd_nfSTxRF5Gj-UVXrP6DUlfNyKXe6nq8mQI7V005HpLJjWPW4KTgMT7f_W-ldm3QxMYaJjywYua-sMzOa4kZhnXqpc9ekiFDE/s72-c/CafeDuMonde2.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>New Orleans, LA, USA</georss:featurename><georss:point>29.951065799999991 -90.0715323</georss:point><georss:box>29.511172299999991 -90.7169793 30.390959299999992 -89.4260853</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-7328172291506150009</id><published>2018-10-15T23:38:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2018-10-15T23:38:23.188-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Café"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Dancing"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Donuts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="French Quarter"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Frenchmen Street"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="James Bond"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Louisiana"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Magazine Street"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="New Orleans"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Penpals"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Towed"/><title type='text'>Surviving New Orleans: Day Four</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
100. </div>
101. 22,965 steps ...<br />
102. Surprisingly only my feet hurt. During past vacations, Matthew and I have found which parts of our bodies are most likely to give out first (Matthew's hip and my right knee). I guess our bodies are giving us a break this trip.<br />
103. <br />
104. Okay, on to the day's events.<br />
105. This is Val and I'll be your guide. <br />
106. We started with, you guessed it ... coffee. More specifically, coffee and a cinnamon and sugar doughnut at District Donuts Sliders Brew.<br />
107. <br />
108. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
109. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYMuTUAnPUL35CDgvbxK54zmKn0dLjERRowji8T2F3VPsdGiiL1_CnsQBf2r94Ftw4Kcqpg9Fo18CEDDBL-Dx9O8DfWgdE7lgfin6W6Y_1FccDCcYiEENcFHSteQXSzU93ZpygKGySsY/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYMuTUAnPUL35CDgvbxK54zmKn0dLjERRowji8T2F3VPsdGiiL1_CnsQBf2r94Ftw4Kcqpg9Fo18CEDDBL-Dx9O8DfWgdE7lgfin6W6Y_1FccDCcYiEENcFHSteQXSzU93ZpygKGySsY/s320/IMG_0059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
110. <br />
111. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
112. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkGDL7IbddOwLDdf0T2F6OectVoOVUWOF8sk8t5SsUF1GpXOjppAcmo-DibMY-6WxpqsrmalnkvqkfujEV4DUHgjGdY2jNiymy2g13FrqYonmyrQwmRKJ4XE63XXAjw3t0_eC4MWDjtY/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="1600" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkGDL7IbddOwLDdf0T2F6OectVoOVUWOF8sk8t5SsUF1GpXOjppAcmo-DibMY-6WxpqsrmalnkvqkfujEV4DUHgjGdY2jNiymy2g13FrqYonmyrQwmRKJ4XE63XXAjw3t0_eC4MWDjtY/s320/IMG_0058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
113. <br />
114. <br />
115. Although it was truly the most humid day I've ever experienced, we sat at a shaded table outside to enjoy the atmosphere of Magazine Street. It's a neat area, but we wished more of the stores were open on Mondays.<br />
116. <br />
117. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
118. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEXvAWAEeB8F30oYNMWZ4IwABxh8uozbsfH03ddGgMw_HoGOwDMdRJkYZWL12-X_sZ95OpMIUnVB-muMvKsmj9IG3fcpvRkQ0qJ1Vf54Vj6Jq2QUHZ5TC99oZzbgtLzZDwegUYwRDsfU/s1600/IMG_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEXvAWAEeB8F30oYNMWZ4IwABxh8uozbsfH03ddGgMw_HoGOwDMdRJkYZWL12-X_sZ95OpMIUnVB-muMvKsmj9IG3fcpvRkQ0qJ1Vf54Vj6Jq2QUHZ5TC99oZzbgtLzZDwegUYwRDsfU/s320/IMG_0075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
119. <br />
120. We did happen upon a little book store where I found some postcards to send back home and to some penpals. <br />
121. It never fails that we end up standing at the register chatting with the elderly woman behind the counter. It's happened in a few different mom and pop bookstores throughout the last few years, and it's always fun listening to their stories.<br />
122. <br />
123. After about 20 minutes of exploring the area, we realized how much of a mistake we made with wearing jeans, so headed back to the Airbnb to change into shorts.<br />
124. <br />
125. Now the forecast today called for a decent morning (with a "dash" of humidity), followed by rain at noon and through the evening. So we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and walked to a James Bond filming location.<br />
126. <br />
127. <br />
128. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
129. </div>
130. <br />
131. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
132. </div>
133. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
134. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqh3CW3HwObRiLheB6_gZYA5rZ-jbcRiINlbXVtjYl9wRqo_KihwT6k2PMYBCUt8dQ5_6feJwt7m9ACeeK5dWT3d5wK3zYtkIRmYr6LGT3AwjaknBOtTwAby8mgyfWN7hkNSxh-mzE-0/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqh3CW3HwObRiLheB6_gZYA5rZ-jbcRiINlbXVtjYl9wRqo_KihwT6k2PMYBCUt8dQ5_6feJwt7m9ACeeK5dWT3d5wK3zYtkIRmYr6LGT3AwjaknBOtTwAby8mgyfWN7hkNSxh-mzE-0/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
135. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live and Let Die, 1973</td></tr>
136. </tbody></table>
137. <br />
138. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
139. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHMMmmFL7P1hU2UcxX75Tr9joajd70TywdnBI6gwFjU7ItZEVPylGeZy5Ig8S7aqI_n87JFxFlr_AVMqccJYe4-EA6YHAerq98Et0OVwkOPh7IU95BlsBkSo_3RpvZJiPKMZIOxkiUKU/s1600/IMG_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHMMmmFL7P1hU2UcxX75Tr9joajd70TywdnBI6gwFjU7ItZEVPylGeZy5Ig8S7aqI_n87JFxFlr_AVMqccJYe4-EA6YHAerq98Et0OVwkOPh7IU95BlsBkSo_3RpvZJiPKMZIOxkiUKU/s320/IMG_0068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
140. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surviving New Orleans, 2018</td></tr>
141. </tbody></table>
142. <br />
143. The location was in the French Quarter, so we decided to stay and explore.<br />
144. This is when the off and on rain began. I'll take the bits of rain here and there over an all day downfall, so no complaints from me.<br />
145. <br />
146. Between the little moments of rain, we made our way to the waterfront to take in the huge ships and a nice breeze off the water.<br />
147. <br />
148. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
149. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKotYsdy8G0KZvkT7WuvFDy2bbQgVq9DBu6NDD3l_Ys70BjQ19LITC86F6MWDsb1KapArvxdcgp38617RCiD7gkSkZPZKtXvFkop936GNuNh8zQrmlK6B-5PM8tepDyixI8wX91NMalk/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKotYsdy8G0KZvkT7WuvFDy2bbQgVq9DBu6NDD3l_Ys70BjQ19LITC86F6MWDsb1KapArvxdcgp38617RCiD7gkSkZPZKtXvFkop936GNuNh8zQrmlK6B-5PM8tepDyixI8wX91NMalk/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
150. <br />
151. We ended up at an eatery called Cochon in the Garden District. My goodness. I had the Smoked Pork Ribs and Watermelon Pickle ... yea, I had no clue what watermelon pickles were, but they were delicious. Matthew got the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo Soup.<br />
152. <br />
153. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
154. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWomu_WXAWVoR5aQ4S2NjK-Q_RGuI5aFxrmfQc2HOhcUD2PO-oPSJvpO3i8UexOP0p11nYm9bqZPtPN_ZQsonRgqOzHjSROovVNaaJGmHtYsMnJiiNfN6iNIES2skWLWbJF1APMBrZu4U/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWomu_WXAWVoR5aQ4S2NjK-Q_RGuI5aFxrmfQc2HOhcUD2PO-oPSJvpO3i8UexOP0p11nYm9bqZPtPN_ZQsonRgqOzHjSROovVNaaJGmHtYsMnJiiNfN6iNIES2skWLWbJF1APMBrZu4U/s320/IMG_0071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
155. <br />
156. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
157. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4HOUl9RF6xZZucyDrgjSHlwkp0I7HALsWUcdL1TGIB6QewDMfCPBkV4QLnQ6nTR6DtSoAyIn2rxcH9_q4KhKWCCRGZTT1YpB0IB0DssjlZoWz49QqhNZtkc8DteQhfZNuj1gdw8YOA4/s1600/IMG_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4HOUl9RF6xZZucyDrgjSHlwkp0I7HALsWUcdL1TGIB6QewDMfCPBkV4QLnQ6nTR6DtSoAyIn2rxcH9_q4KhKWCCRGZTT1YpB0IB0DssjlZoWz49QqhNZtkc8DteQhfZNuj1gdw8YOA4/s320/IMG_0072.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
158. <br />
159. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
160. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOtgYt61bQr8onXNyXj74U-NtVJn11VX28Uf0o-r9MAbYrVJIodjD-Z0vtaDJSQ0cnoM5oI4lvpvlbbLwyrVC2HjU8JC0T62n062OrOwhm96KqB9NgmTitM-uPQN22LgzcK0biG6XANI/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOtgYt61bQr8onXNyXj74U-NtVJn11VX28Uf0o-r9MAbYrVJIodjD-Z0vtaDJSQ0cnoM5oI4lvpvlbbLwyrVC2HjU8JC0T62n062OrOwhm96KqB9NgmTitM-uPQN22LgzcK0biG6XANI/s320/IMG_0073.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
161. <br />
162. The hour following our delicious lunch was interesting.<br />
163. Something you should know first about the Pearons ... we barely remember where we park our car at the grocery store. Seriously, I've thought on many occasions to "pin" our parking location when we go to the grocery.<br />
164. So you can imagine the challenge an entire city offers.<br />
165. Long story short, we forgot we had dropped our car off at the Airbnb after coffee in order to walk the rest of the day. So when we went to look for it on Magazine Street after lunch and found it gone, naturally our first thought was that it had been towed. Panic.<br />
166. It wasn't until we had searched the same street for 10 minutes and started heading to the impound lot that I remembered we had relocated our car to the Airbnb earlier in the day.<br />
167. <br />
168. Our evening was filled with music at The Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street. Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen Street All Stars gave a rowdy performance while a few patrons danced.<br />
169. <br />
170. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
171. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZtCSXZSqxGHz3Gy5zSDKk9MWEbXq0v-mp8u4vq75MHSG4mMki41l64-_G73ExBkOHtOjL1H5hEmMX4UJwxb0NWLpgT6YBuTDYJHiVFS3U-7UWAVLdA5YUcyp1zDyapq6lNESncrdrdQ/s1600/IMG_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZtCSXZSqxGHz3Gy5zSDKk9MWEbXq0v-mp8u4vq75MHSG4mMki41l64-_G73ExBkOHtOjL1H5hEmMX4UJwxb0NWLpgT6YBuTDYJHiVFS3U-7UWAVLdA5YUcyp1zDyapq6lNESncrdrdQ/s320/IMG_0066.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
172. <br />
173. I'm not going to post any videos here, but you can find them on our <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>, along with more photos.<br />
174. <br />
175. <i><b>"How did you fall in love with New Orleans?"<br />"At once, madly. Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."</b></i><br />
176. &lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - Andrei Codrescu&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/7328172291506150009/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-four.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7328172291506150009'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7328172291506150009'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-four.html' title='Surviving New Orleans: Day Four'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYMuTUAnPUL35CDgvbxK54zmKn0dLjERRowji8T2F3VPsdGiiL1_CnsQBf2r94Ftw4Kcqpg9Fo18CEDDBL-Dx9O8DfWgdE7lgfin6W6Y_1FccDCcYiEENcFHSteQXSzU93ZpygKGySsY/s72-c/IMG_0059.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>New Orleans, LA, USA</georss:featurename><georss:point>29.951065799999991 -90.0715323</georss:point><georss:box>29.511172299999991 -90.7169793 30.390959299999992 -89.4260853</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-2029354335764482729</id><published>2018-10-15T00:56:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2018-10-15T00:56:24.743-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Blues"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Crescent City"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Festival"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lake Pontchartrain"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Long Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Louisiana"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mississippi"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="New Orleans"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Po Boys"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Seagulls"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Big Easy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The South"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Travel"/><title type='text'>Surviving New Orleans: Day Three</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
177. </div>
178. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
179. </div>
180. <b>Rest easy New Orleans </b><b><span class="ILfuVd">—</span> the Pearons have arrived.</b><br />
181. <br />
182. Matthew here, reporting from the Big Easy. Today was a mix of several different types of activities: more roadtripping, bridges, beaches, seashells with unexpected animals in them, blues festivals, moments where I wanted to hit people/things with the rental car and/or my fists, and food ... you know, all the usual stuff <br />
183. <br />
184. Any of those items pique your interest? Yeah, I'm a sucker for bridges too.<br />
185. <br />
186. After the amazing wedding ceremony and reception last night (<a href="http://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-two.html" target="_blank">want to read about it?</a>), we left Dallas and made it as far as Marshall, Texas <span class="ILfuVd">— which was the location of our arranged Airbnb. That's where I'll start.</span><br />
187. <span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span>
188. <span class="ILfuVd">If I were to start this story with the same punctuality as we started our travels this morning, you could take a nap and come back in about 45 minutes.  </span><br />
189. <br />
190. <span class="ILfuVd">Yep, we were late. Stop your silent judging </span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">— we all do it sometimes.</span></span></span><br />
191. <span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span>
192. <span class="ILfuVd">After sleeping a bit too long then taking a bit too long to get ready, we hopped in the car and headed east on I-20. It was a pretty uneventful drive (probably a good thing), talking about 5.5 hours of actual drive time plus about an hour between all the stops for food/drinks/restrooms.</span><br />
193. <span class="ILfuVd">We did have a couple of snafus with two of our scheduled stops:</span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"> our morning coffee shop (due to inaccurate hour postings) and our breakfast venue (because we just messed up). These things happen,</span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"></span></span> and as much as we like to adhere to a plan, the Pearons are pretty flexible. So concessions were made, routes were expertly recalculated (by our best buddy, Siri), and we eventually enjoyed coffee and breakfast in two new locations: First Watch for breakfast and Grind & Tamp for coffee. The latter</span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"> showed off a bit of the local culture.</span></span></span></span><br />
194. <br />
195. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
196. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpOfm5SuNzPXF5RzASA1x_4gDTE45Jm57fARgtQNGTgi3YbdDgAWjNk7J0vGQo0dUfX81EMsZkPVOBQHiiN_KfV4Z4NOj1HbUFVHRwZk6lgSj6v8VSMOJDccS8OGZcHGUF9d8WJUQZV4/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpOfm5SuNzPXF5RzASA1x_4gDTE45Jm57fARgtQNGTgi3YbdDgAWjNk7J0vGQo0dUfX81EMsZkPVOBQHiiN_KfV4Z4NOj1HbUFVHRwZk6lgSj6v8VSMOJDccS8OGZcHGUF9d8WJUQZV4/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
197. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Watch</td></tr>
198. </tbody></table>
199. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"> </span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
200. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp412Wk-06ibopORNT9alL7m7esTfuK6Hxznm1P-b1CdCi_jaGI7qxsozVQJ9mrQEPmIyMR4mHwi7geoRSNbe1nH-6Krf0yCVfEp5t9KPlqEPsvXTbBVlV9Zq7lnQvVg-Dt1QUiugj1g/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp412Wk-06ibopORNT9alL7m7esTfuK6Hxznm1P-b1CdCi_jaGI7qxsozVQJ9mrQEPmIyMR4mHwi7geoRSNbe1nH-6Krf0yCVfEp5t9KPlqEPsvXTbBVlV9Zq7lnQvVg-Dt1QUiugj1g/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
201. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamp & Grind Coffee</td></tr>
202. </tbody></table>
203. </span></span><br />
204. <br />
205. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
206. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3g1xmBnFhKM86SQo8Mu7hebMvUb2-dD1y7eCxNdDu7J1GcdjsrUis41omN1q-ZbKWYIUZRFfCypj-a1jswVsp3aqILvN1F9xH0swJSsjb96eYuXNAEdbh7ZZ1zB7FvHgbaLCNys7qSE/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3g1xmBnFhKM86SQo8Mu7hebMvUb2-dD1y7eCxNdDu7J1GcdjsrUis41omN1q-ZbKWYIUZRFfCypj-a1jswVsp3aqILvN1F9xH0swJSsjb96eYuXNAEdbh7ZZ1zB7FvHgbaLCNys7qSE/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
207. <br />
208. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
209. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TSh2ugDYLL556Kbi9sJpbVtefEAJ4A0WXvA5nd-0Blu39tM5a8Ut6qWfXpzP5-L_646sZsXemwk0_XcI4DjAI5i9CBKF-RQH-cv2gzqY_rtR2yPtvHzqj9ePu9m1OdCKxNurdY0vvh8/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TSh2ugDYLL556Kbi9sJpbVtefEAJ4A0WXvA5nd-0Blu39tM5a8Ut6qWfXpzP5-L_646sZsXemwk0_XcI4DjAI5i9CBKF-RQH-cv2gzqY_rtR2yPtvHzqj9ePu9m1OdCKxNurdY0vvh8/s320/IMG_0033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
210. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Color</td></tr>
211. </tbody></table>
212. <br />
213. <br />
214. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">Fast forward a couple of hours and we're beginning to see marshland and drive across more bridges than we can remember. Fast forward another hour or so and we've just crossed the New Orleans city limit.</span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">Our first New Orleans event was to eat. What were you expecting? We're little piggies.</span></span><br />
215. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">We found a lunch spot called Pirogues on Bayou Road in the Seventh Ward. It was a tiny little bar with one of the most relaxed hosts we've even encountered.  As he approached our table, his first words were "Hey guys. I'm just going to have a sit." He then proceeded to do just that, slumping into the booth seat opposite us to take our order. Alright, I know you've paused to think about part of my last sentence, and before you start that silent judging thing again </span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">—</span></span></span></span> yes, my wife and I always sit on the same side of the booth; and yes, we know it's weird. Moving on.</span></span><br />
216. <br />
217. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
218. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7G1gele8CeTQP3A5qg8Lart42CCAZYkIky3mRO3e5NKLfWYb-59oqUOeZVl_KUPHb-_UU0cIb_uWqOkNFCqpQO6ZH3x3N20CSrD-7d2flVb5FuEIQM2-DCBVr22FVwqZGnBz560SmhcQ/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7G1gele8CeTQP3A5qg8Lart42CCAZYkIky3mRO3e5NKLfWYb-59oqUOeZVl_KUPHb-_UU0cIb_uWqOkNFCqpQO6ZH3x3N20CSrD-7d2flVb5FuEIQM2-DCBVr22FVwqZGnBz560SmhcQ/s320/IMG_0057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
219. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cubano and Smoked Turkey sandwiches</td></tr>
220. </tbody></table>
221. <br />
222. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">After wolfing down our meal, we left Louisiana. We took another (shorter) road trip Long Beach, Mississippi. The trip took us across </span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span>Lake Pontchartrain and the longest continuous bridge in the world. Twenty-six miles of concrete over water is quite a feat of engineering. Anyway, the whole point of this side journey was simply </span>to see a beach </span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">— and what a beach it was. The photos will say more than I ever could, so I'll let them.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
223. <br />
224. <br />
225. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
226. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dnwKOUYkyZOIYl1wo-x01-4kHEhYZbBAIUgUPnsmQLYziCqHDgNKQ8xwpRy7U94kDMK3UrmKINuvJM3yUzA5QkMCo3uHF1AvpRlU987X8T2KpByUTG3VRoR2sRYiMG_tBmJlvpYxKbQ/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dnwKOUYkyZOIYl1wo-x01-4kHEhYZbBAIUgUPnsmQLYziCqHDgNKQ8xwpRy7U94kDMK3UrmKINuvJM3yUzA5QkMCo3uHF1AvpRlU987X8T2KpByUTG3VRoR2sRYiMG_tBmJlvpYxKbQ/s400/IMG_0038.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
227. <br />
228. <br />
229. <br />
230. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
231. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
232. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_21AUzi8kgT6zuq-c57wu9gnEH-op-cn95Nmfx2weaFqOI29dTfVEn9v3gxZGtTl2zO-aGwwloxLpyVmFFMoP5KQcBhM9Jq26ZJ2TTxhE6ycoUGZ5QNCyXX4J9Ibb005rYoHAXGU0yU/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_21AUzi8kgT6zuq-c57wu9gnEH-op-cn95Nmfx2weaFqOI29dTfVEn9v3gxZGtTl2zO-aGwwloxLpyVmFFMoP5KQcBhM9Jq26ZJ2TTxhE6ycoUGZ5QNCyXX4J9Ibb005rYoHAXGU0yU/s320/IMG_0039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
233. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">Every time we visit a beach, I am reminded that people actually do live in places like that, and that little green monster (envy) pops up.<br />When this happens, I try to employ some logic that I remember my parents using on me when I asked why we didn't move to Florida: "Why ruin a perfectly good vacation spot?"</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
234. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
235. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33ZsQj_Ghpblybj_vXBEslHohJZF0X2t8AxpTIV2GAUB8piRw2_VzJqRfXW9r-juKXEF7MOERKyW4RGERZB-D9_uTpjphOlkyrhAJHSwvtwrt5qIjmJYx0kY0y2VJojMAvn4WLTOqIJ4/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33ZsQj_Ghpblybj_vXBEslHohJZF0X2t8AxpTIV2GAUB8piRw2_VzJqRfXW9r-juKXEF7MOERKyW4RGERZB-D9_uTpjphOlkyrhAJHSwvtwrt5qIjmJYx0kY0y2VJojMAvn4WLTOqIJ4/s320/IMG_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
236. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">I completely understand that response ... but every time we walk back to the car and drive away from the smooth white sands, the rolling surf and the gulls, a little bit of my heart gets left behind on the shore. Ugh.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
237. <br />
238. <br />
239. <br />
240. <br />
241. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
242. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB-aKEg3a_IChdFgnRnFBR4_-9yG11YaW6FBhHD3L99EAu10Zg24dc0ZQewtZcZQpeDwmjVrsUflVA1UQiJKbjJBUmIuYAiRnE7lHkU3743ywRJCcrJChAxSWmtK275CdGHJclUNri4w/s1600/MatthewOnBeach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB-aKEg3a_IChdFgnRnFBR4_-9yG11YaW6FBhHD3L99EAu10Zg24dc0ZQewtZcZQpeDwmjVrsUflVA1UQiJKbjJBUmIuYAiRnE7lHkU3743ywRJCcrJChAxSWmtK275CdGHJclUNri4w/s320/MatthewOnBeach.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
243. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><i>Side Story:</i></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><i><br /><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">Whilst
244. walking along the beach, I spotted a neat little shell, and insisted Valeri take it home as a memento ... then a couple more popped up, so
245. we grabbed those too. It wasn't until the fourth shell moved on its
246. own volition that I realized it wasn't vacant ... and neither were
247. the ones Valeri had been carrying around. She put them all down pretty
248. quickly.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
249. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
250. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">Since we woke up later than expected, we left the beach later than expected (that's how we justified the extra few minutes spent at the beach), and returned to New Orleans in time to catch the last of an absolutely phenomenal performance by Don Bryant, Percy Wiggins and The Bo-Keys at the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival. Don Bryant was surprisingly animated and engaged the crowd very well, which made the energy about the place a lot of fun. We wish we had a bit more time than we did, but our stomachs were rudely announcing their desire for a New Orleans classic: Po' Boys. We headed to Parkway Bakery & Tavern for these beauties:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
251. <br />
252. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
253. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AyJIZQNGjrKUAf8PONTTdFFsak5hGXPtivSoHre8RgPSvAgCZ3QsNvW6D-XzA7irBlP9qZF05BEuoSmmkM8b9h1nwMdpa0-SkFIjZbnr89l-e3ZKPQ2g4q2xI3Kam-G43WgguhsopyY/s1600/PoBoys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AyJIZQNGjrKUAf8PONTTdFFsak5hGXPtivSoHre8RgPSvAgCZ3QsNvW6D-XzA7irBlP9qZF05BEuoSmmkM8b9h1nwMdpa0-SkFIjZbnr89l-e3ZKPQ2g4q2xI3Kam-G43WgguhsopyY/s320/PoBoys.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
254. <br />
255. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
256. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUjEXG-Fk3ylatHKTZKilfoLDLyOR0oQC6kBVNWLTAHj8Tn7-QMJJESHLpDC0dr1ZJh7Wv4Vxue21gQyn7Dz-W_D0IU7kag0GKOxev5nzdqdb-7EKLxzbNiIEL0ASm5W3W863Mka2CrU/s1600/ParkwayBakeryTavern2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUjEXG-Fk3ylatHKTZKilfoLDLyOR0oQC6kBVNWLTAHj8Tn7-QMJJESHLpDC0dr1ZJh7Wv4Vxue21gQyn7Dz-W_D0IU7kag0GKOxev5nzdqdb-7EKLxzbNiIEL0ASm5W3W863Mka2CrU/s320/ParkwayBakeryTavern2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
257. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
258. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
259. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkn5Arp0DhSwDDtYJHJWkphN0podKtKuOAfkzD52vjJ80PXFsWwILCWupeR-e2amB6vdyqyypJEe6mBMO9Yf2NXrLpI5Du5YeYFXh6gvPL8RV29rJ0ochPhjdl1_ueReWwSTOHvKBy5U/s1600/ParkwayBakeryTavern.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkn5Arp0DhSwDDtYJHJWkphN0podKtKuOAfkzD52vjJ80PXFsWwILCWupeR-e2amB6vdyqyypJEe6mBMO9Yf2NXrLpI5Du5YeYFXh6gvPL8RV29rJ0ochPhjdl1_ueReWwSTOHvKBy5U/s320/ParkwayBakeryTavern.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
260. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
261. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">After satisfying our stomachs (and taste buds), we began the trek to our Airbnb.  Due to the location, this process was frustrating. You know that bit earlier where I mentioned wanting to hit people/things? This was that.<br />We drove past the driveway three times before finally finding our way (via too many one-way streets) to a gate that we couldn't open.<br />I hopped out of the car and began the search for a very well hidden lock box.  This normally wouldn't be a big deal, but it was dark and I couldn't be sure there weren't dozen of baddies hiding in the shadows ... oh yeah, and once I found the lock box, it wouldn't open. Cue the hitting things.<br /><br /><i>Note: If our Airbnb host is reading this, I just vigorously tapped the lock box </i></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><i><span class="ILfuVd">—</span> I pinky promise.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
262. <br />
263. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd">As I've been tapping away at this blog entry, my leftover dessert (Bread Pudding) from Parkway Bakery & Tavern has been calling to me. I'm going to answer it.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
264. <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
265. <span class="ILfuVd">For more photos, check out our <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>.</span><br />
266. <br />
267. <i><b>"How did you fall in love with New Orleans?"<br />"At once, madly. Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."</b></i><br />
268. <i><b>   - Andrei Codrescu</b></i><br />
269. &lt;span class=&quot;ILfuVd&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;ILfuVd&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;ILfuVd&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;ILfuVd&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;ILfuVd&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;ILfuVd&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/2029354335764482729/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-three.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2029354335764482729'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2029354335764482729'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-three.html' title='Surviving New Orleans: Day Three'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpOfm5SuNzPXF5RzASA1x_4gDTE45Jm57fARgtQNGTgi3YbdDgAWjNk7J0vGQo0dUfX81EMsZkPVOBQHiiN_KfV4Z4NOj1HbUFVHRwZk6lgSj6v8VSMOJDccS8OGZcHGUF9d8WJUQZV4/s72-c/IMG_0056.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>New Orleans, LA, USA</georss:featurename><georss:point>29.951065799999991 -90.0715323</georss:point><georss:box>29.511172299999991 -90.7169793 30.390959299999992 -89.4260853</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-777714672393926858</id><published>2018-10-14T00:09:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2018-10-14T00:09:50.569-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Anniversary"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Dallas"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fort Worth"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Rain"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Texas"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Maddoxs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The South"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Travel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Wedding"/><title type='text'>Surviving New Orleans: Day Two</title><content type='html'>Val here!&lt;br /&gt;
270. <br />
271. First of all, I'd like to point out that on this day six years ago, we were getting married and the rain held off until the photographer snapped our last photo.<br />
272. <br />
273. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
274. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p1OZ6C6feo1OKm1cN6lsOl806U6ctS5oHIWsEicg-v4iN1yqkPucFCop_riGYUBfacTUjKOW7VUzx8MIC2n__TTTdEkOd1UWUCBENLLnfnUxS9Ys7J2aA0dULjhhgGVAD-pikq_Fz-g/s1600/525738_609698907092_2110825117_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p1OZ6C6feo1OKm1cN6lsOl806U6ctS5oHIWsEicg-v4iN1yqkPucFCop_riGYUBfacTUjKOW7VUzx8MIC2n__TTTdEkOd1UWUCBENLLnfnUxS9Ys7J2aA0dULjhhgGVAD-pikq_Fz-g/s200/525738_609698907092_2110825117_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
275. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 13, 2012</td></tr>
276. </tbody></table>
277. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
278. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImwmJH-GPX7WaxKD79dFuOisypBfcUELgFL0DnKwi7nEqXKcOz_CQwG2aQ29lkzhU5V797Aa3PiOP1PBQloulOLdJNthunJNPZ6ariPsHS8bQXHERq7eh7h2OKz1zFqtOB7de0sTtZcg/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImwmJH-GPX7WaxKD79dFuOisypBfcUELgFL0DnKwi7nEqXKcOz_CQwG2aQ29lkzhU5V797Aa3PiOP1PBQloulOLdJNthunJNPZ6ariPsHS8bQXHERq7eh7h2OKz1zFqtOB7de0sTtZcg/s200/IMG_0023.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
279. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 13, 2018</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
280. </tbody></table>
281. <br />
282. We had no such luck today ...<br />
283. We woke up to a very rainy Dallas, but it didn't deter us from going out to experience a new coffee place <span class="ILfuVd">— one of our favorite things to do in a new city.</span><br />
284. <span class="ILfuVd">Today's coffee venture was Avoca Coffee in Fort Worth. That's right ... we drove 45 minutes for coffee. Matthew was skeptical, but after being able to experience a coffee drink he's never had before (the Charlie Sheen) ... he said it was worth it.</span><br />
285. <span class="ILfuVd">Matthew grew up in a coffee shop ... and from my experience with him and coffee shops, there have been very few times Matthew has seen something on a coffee menu and not been able to explain what it was. So this was a bit more of an experience than normal.</span><br />
286. <span class="ILfuVd"><i>*The Charlie Sheen: A mix of Coca Cola and Espresso</i></span><br />
287. <span class="ILfuVd">We weren't able to stay for long since we had a lunch date an hour away, but what we did experience was worth the trip.</span><br />
288. <br />
289. <span class="ILfuVd"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
290. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPHb5Wug4cSSzYO_ZcEhywx9fZVCdUt5_YNHs6O6TETOWXToMCwNTm5WhpIQxX0BkresGJDO5BqKt_eVa6YyIody4NLFmhF0rX-mUZj0-vuPJzLb3MpDayxpe_UAU9m7Sy1Fc1Gk51_I/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPHb5Wug4cSSzYO_ZcEhywx9fZVCdUt5_YNHs6O6TETOWXToMCwNTm5WhpIQxX0BkresGJDO5BqKt_eVa6YyIody4NLFmhF0rX-mUZj0-vuPJzLb3MpDayxpe_UAU9m7Sy1Fc1Gk51_I/s400/IMG_0015.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
291. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had a latte (and muffin) and Matthew had a macchiato and the Charlie Sheen (not pictured). Also pictured is my day-late Inktober sketch of a whale's eye.</td></tr>
292. </tbody></table>
293. </span><br />
294. <br />
295. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
296. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrEeDeTYyYX9OWygUArO3BmF4L3tIKQK_ZEkrokdzoHo_nJ_XTlE6WkMYmdtfnsdZEXrACn6v8RFrRhjYrFY6oOn4q95AdTAa4usXhBOkPqT7HAxxBlpIdmUxbApMuSwrQPCY6Q4ngbk/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrEeDeTYyYX9OWygUArO3BmF4L3tIKQK_ZEkrokdzoHo_nJ_XTlE6WkMYmdtfnsdZEXrACn6v8RFrRhjYrFY6oOn4q95AdTAa4usXhBOkPqT7HAxxBlpIdmUxbApMuSwrQPCY6Q4ngbk/s640/IMG_0016.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
297. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As good of a photo we could get of the scene at Avoca Coffee.</td></tr>
298. </tbody></table>
299. <br />
300. <span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span>
301. <span class="ILfuVd">After coffee, we headed back to Dallas to meet up with Mom, Dad and Aunt Trish at a little Italian restaurant. It was a yummy little hole in the wall. Props to Aunt Trish for the find.</span><br />
302. <span class="ILfuVd">It was also nice to just sit and chat. I only get to see Aunt Trish a couple times a decade, and the sass her and Mom bring out in each other is always entertaining.</span><br />
303. <span class="ILfuVd">After lunch, Matthew got to meet Aunt Trish's dog, a Shetland named Allie ... so he was on cloud nine.</span><br />
304. <span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span>
305. <span class="ILfuVd">Our night ended with a celebration of my cousin, Dan, and his now-wife, Allie, getting married ... which meant a chance to dress in our fancy duds.</span><br />
306. <span class="ILfuVd">And my goodness what a party it was.</span><br />
307. <span class="ILfuVd">The wedding was gorgeous and the meal was yummy, but my favorite part was the live band </span><span class="ILfuVd">— a Beatles Tribute Band.</span><br />
308. <span class="ILfuVd">Truth be told, Matthew and I aren't reception-type people. (We only dance at home in our kitchen and about 90 percent of that is us being complete goofballs.) However, this band had me itching to do more than just tap my foot. ... Matthew was more for keeping our dance moves to ourselves.</span><br />
309. <br />
310. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
311. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EDasAekuyEoDQhu55PhNaDibJGdfYG7NXOlZqTNQBi0y0TG6w-O70Itl0FQDQAtb0XFJBC5-0M698WKF-y5J5UlwSeW4-lp5gEWSRuvRNk1qoDZi0DrN7qNqwsdj-lIC0_3MXGdkA-A/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EDasAekuyEoDQhu55PhNaDibJGdfYG7NXOlZqTNQBi0y0TG6w-O70Itl0FQDQAtb0XFJBC5-0M698WKF-y5J5UlwSeW4-lp5gEWSRuvRNk1qoDZi0DrN7qNqwsdj-lIC0_3MXGdkA-A/s400/IMG_0026.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
312. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo with the bride and groom.</td></tr>
313. </tbody></table>
314. <br />
315. <span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span>
316. <span class="ILfuVd">We knew this day was going to be more of a catch up with my aunt and cousins than it would be a day to celebrate our anniversary, but that's what we have the next few days in New Orleans for.</span><br />
317. <span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span>
318. <span class="ILfuVd">Meet us back here tomorrow for our first day in New Orleans!</span><br />
319. <br /><span class="ILfuVd">For more photos, check out our <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>.</span><br />
320. <br />
321. <i><b>"How did you fall in love with New Orleans?"<br />"At once, madly. Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."</b></i><br />
322. <i><b>   - Andrei Codrescu</b></i><br />
323. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/777714672393926858/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-two.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/777714672393926858'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/777714672393926858'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-two.html' title='Surviving New Orleans: Day Two'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p1OZ6C6feo1OKm1cN6lsOl806U6ctS5oHIWsEicg-v4iN1yqkPucFCop_riGYUBfacTUjKOW7VUzx8MIC2n__TTTdEkOd1UWUCBENLLnfnUxS9Ys7J2aA0dULjhhgGVAD-pikq_Fz-g/s72-c/525738_609698907092_2110825117_n.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-358853947930949995</id><published>2018-10-13T00:13:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2018-10-13T00:13:58.391-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Dallas"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jazz"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Louisiana"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="New Orleans"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Texas"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The South"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Travel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Wedding"/><title type='text'>Surviving New Orleans: Day One</title><content type='html'>Good evening, readers! Matthew here. &lt;br /&gt;
324. I would like to start by welcoming you to another adventure with your favorite virtual travel companions, the Pearons. This year, our adventure is leading us to the southern half of the United States, to a place of many names. A few of the names we've run across: The Crescent City, The Birthplace of Jazz, The City that Care Forgot, Paris of the South, NOLA, N'erlins (<a href="https://youtu.be/A3J7Lt25fRw?t=140" target="_blank">thanks, Ryan Gosling</a>), The Big Easy <span class="ILfuVd">—</span> among others. Whatever you want to call it, we're headed to New Orleans, <span>Louisiana.</span><br />
325. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
326. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCl8oZ00URZTskCdw7Z8sJIVmlBON48rUReZFwZt7G0qSNBjRe3gG_jWVlsJzjypG6ofizqIXaknCf5dSWenI46v2DTejuHeJh6syjv2ktl2Ki4ckRexiB-Imc4_6IJChgZwMAY4a7oY/s1600/IMG_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCl8oZ00URZTskCdw7Z8sJIVmlBON48rUReZFwZt7G0qSNBjRe3gG_jWVlsJzjypG6ofizqIXaknCf5dSWenI46v2DTejuHeJh6syjv2ktl2Ki4ckRexiB-Imc4_6IJChgZwMAY4a7oY/s320/IMG_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
327. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had breakfast with Beth, Miles and Hazel in Springfield, Missouri.</td></tr>
328. </tbody></table>
329. <br />
330. <span>Our route isn't quite as direct as I generally like to make them because we were invited to attend a wedding in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, Oct.13. Most of our time today was spent between solid and dashed lines painted on asphalt ... I won't bore you with the details, but I'll include a few photos throughout this post. The biggest event today was a pre-wedding celebration that I'll touch on in just a bit </span><span><span class="ILfuVd">—</span> but first, a rant.</span><br />
331. <span></span><br /><span></span>
332. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
333. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHN5fTrTc_MGxuuE8Rp96XtH7z8f_WBozebVVFIMPTl3AXRrUcqr0HBcfHmr3cU_pn9Phq75uawrgeQSESQbZKgXtlWQVubONmS8RqRBFeaiYv2WdoSFIF6xNLbHLf5oTKCjnB2730o44/s1600/AngelsDiner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHN5fTrTc_MGxuuE8Rp96XtH7z8f_WBozebVVFIMPTl3AXRrUcqr0HBcfHmr3cU_pn9Phq75uawrgeQSESQbZKgXtlWQVubONmS8RqRBFeaiYv2WdoSFIF6xNLbHLf5oTKCjnB2730o44/s320/AngelsDiner.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
334. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our lunch stop was at a little diner in McAlester, Oklahoma.</td></tr>
335. </tbody></table>
336. <br />
337. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
338. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruOo2dmpoCmeHJ8pRZykVDXP_hvSnTQpI677A9kB5ceeUDEQTNqB1HVralmd8SwOvJU8SiGKWPVc7KklnTJEGruqBUDN4vNh0aessa2xKOEab6xji4Kgx0mp7yB30CpJ7UJKdYmIwQCw/s1600/AngelsDiner2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruOo2dmpoCmeHJ8pRZykVDXP_hvSnTQpI677A9kB5ceeUDEQTNqB1HVralmd8SwOvJU8SiGKWPVc7KklnTJEGruqBUDN4vNh0aessa2xKOEab6xji4Kgx0mp7yB30CpJ7UJKdYmIwQCw/s320/AngelsDiner2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
339. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We obviously eat very healthy while on vacation.</td></tr>
340. </tbody></table>
341. <span><br /></span>
342. <span><br /></span>
343. <span>I might offend some people here (please don't hate me), but Texas has just never been on my personal list of dream travel destinations. For whatever reason, I've just never had the desire to spend much time (or any time, honestly) in the Lone Star State. I'm not sure if it is the Southern Drawl, the oversized trucks, the endless Longhorn emblems, the "everything is bigger and better in Texas" attitude or some other nonsensical reason I developed in my brain </span><span><span class="ILfuVd">—</span> I just haven't really wanted to see Texas.</span><br />
344. <br />
345. <span>You're angry with me, right? I get it. I've just insulted a massive number of extremely decent people for absolutely no reason. Well, dear reader, stick with me for a bit and allow me the opportunity to undo that offense.</span><br />
346. <span><br />Are you ready for it? </span><br />
347. <br />
348. <b><span>I was wrong.</span></b><br />
349. <br />
350. <span>Yes, I actually said it. <i>Texas is just fine.</i></span><br />
351. <br />
352. <span>The people we've encountered here have been as pleasant and welcoming as any person could hope to be. I offer two simple examples to support my statement:</span><br />
353. <span>1. The host of <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9315963?euid=c64d1171-f944-e11d-7e72-b8d2b6e5c79c" target="_blank">our stunning Airbnb</a> has been one of the best we've interfaced with. Very responsive, full of local tips and nice things to say. The apartment is furnished well enough that I'm actually a bit sad to have to move on from it in the morning.</span><br />
354. <span>2. As part of the pre-wedding celebration, Valeri and I were welcomed into the beautiful home of people we had never met </span><span><span class="ILfuVd">—</span> but were greeted like we had been friends for years. A big smile and a plate of food is probably the quickest way to my heart, and these people attacked on both fronts.</span><br />
355. <br />
356. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
357. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJxvoyj7TvttvZP6UQbdnIZK3KB3OUtW27THUsYjxpaEYH59NrDAn1J9JaD2xq4kuUkJxqGfHoXtPAodzETAvvH5bzf25uBAe6AMCrt21wAwRTief3NkrpeNxYJkyl2vKAwcFsdVJYJA/s1600/IMG_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJxvoyj7TvttvZP6UQbdnIZK3KB3OUtW27THUsYjxpaEYH59NrDAn1J9JaD2xq4kuUkJxqGfHoXtPAodzETAvvH5bzf25uBAe6AMCrt21wAwRTief3NkrpeNxYJkyl2vKAwcFsdVJYJA/s320/IMG_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
358. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valeri and her mother, Joy, during the pre-wedding celebrations.</td></tr>
359. </tbody></table>
360. <br />
361. <span><br /></span>
362. <span>Are you okay with me now? If not, it's okay; maybe I'll grow on you throughout the rest of the blog entries. Worst case, read every other entry, because Valeri and I take turns writing these things.</span><br />
363. <span><br /></span>
364. <span>We have another full day in Texas before moving on to Louisiana. It will consist of some quick exploration of Dallas, a wedding and hopefully lots of good food.  Check back tomorrow for more updates!</span><br />
365. <span><br /></span>
366. <span>For more photos, check out our <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kG4TcsmuNZ6Su" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>.</span><br />
367. <span><br /></span>
368. <i><b><span>"How did you fall in love with New Orleans?"<br />"At once, madly.  Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."</span></b></i><br />
369. <span><i><b>   - Andrei Codrescu</b></i></span><br />
370. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/358853947930949995/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-one.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/358853947930949995'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/358853947930949995'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2018/10/surviving-new-orleans-day-one.html' title='Surviving New Orleans: Day One'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCl8oZ00URZTskCdw7Z8sJIVmlBON48rUReZFwZt7G0qSNBjRe3gG_jWVlsJzjypG6ofizqIXaknCf5dSWenI46v2DTejuHeJh6syjv2ktl2Ki4ckRexiB-Imc4_6IJChgZwMAY4a7oY/s72-c/IMG_0001.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Dallas, TX, USA</georss:featurename><georss:point>32.7766642 -96.796987899999976</georss:point><georss:box>32.3496592 -97.442434899999981 33.2036692 -96.151540899999972</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-433811130112451559</id><published>2017-07-18T18:24:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-18T18:24:13.197-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Dancing"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Nine</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Okay, this is going to be a short one for a couple reasons:&lt;br /&gt;
371. <br />
372.      • We've been driving for 14 hours and have only stopped for fuel, restrooms, fast food and most importantly for taffy, which ended in me having to settle for gummy bears (what kind of convenience store doesn't have taffy?).<br />
373.      • The only thing my mind is currently able to focus on is my head hitting my pillow in t-minus 120 minutes.<br />
374. <br />
375.      Also, I apologize in advance for how goofy/ridiculous this blog post may be ... I blame it on being stuck in a car for what feels like years.<br />
376.      There are a few things of note though that happened during our trip back. The first is that we saw a trailer full of piglets. Matthew, being the person he is, spotted their snouts sticking out through the spaces in the trailer and made me hurry to take a photo. So you can thank him for the cuties in the photo below.<br />
377. <br />
378. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
379. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhwIkjDh50WkCRdXBeRCCOCH0StZMR0-pXRQG2SVWqovXuixDuPghc4vcAov_ZRMUFxkuugulAJbd50WRFIcfD99xByq2q0s1DVFETSWYeeHa82U_mQqkunziigwOaRTCPX0bMskr0GU/s1600/Piglets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhwIkjDh50WkCRdXBeRCCOCH0StZMR0-pXRQG2SVWqovXuixDuPghc4vcAov_ZRMUFxkuugulAJbd50WRFIcfD99xByq2q0s1DVFETSWYeeHa82U_mQqkunziigwOaRTCPX0bMskr0GU/s400/Piglets.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
380. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jody's text response: "Wilbur!"</td></tr>
381. </tbody></table>
382. <br />
383. <br />
384. Secondly, my constant ability to <strike>entertain</strike> embarrass Matthew with my singing and dance moves. However, he did compliment me once for knowing where the back beat was.<br />
385. *bows*<br />
386. <br />
387. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
388. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_cBckDQciV32bipCsRg4T2f4aSVhCzQNmoaeNH8dP7zJwgIWOB1nqGKnMKJbou09B-Qll6cFTxwBA-00182N1bjR5H6Ylry8JWVt9yLElJknqNs5TXm6NXuGhBtgU3aSW-7zNbxgm0c/s1600/CarDancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_cBckDQciV32bipCsRg4T2f4aSVhCzQNmoaeNH8dP7zJwgIWOB1nqGKnMKJbou09B-Qll6cFTxwBA-00182N1bjR5H6Ylry8JWVt9yLElJknqNs5TXm6NXuGhBtgU3aSW-7zNbxgm0c/s400/CarDancing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
389. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I point my fingers when I dance. Also, my favorite is the one where it looks like Matthew is giving the camera the "Jim Halpert look."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
390. </tbody></table>
391.      We had a 150-mile battle with a fly. There were many grunts of aggravation from Matthew; I also tried baiting the fly toward the window with the smell of gummy bears.<br />
392.      I'm sorry, no, I don't have a photo of the fly ... he wasn't worth the phone space.<br />
393. <br />
394.      Then we thought we saw a second fly appear when we were about 500 miles from home. It was 8.5 hours into the trip, so it may have been hallucinations.<br />
395. <br />
396.      And finally, we learned "Top 40" actually means "Top 5."<br />
397. <br />
398.      At this point (St. Louis), we're in the slap happy portion of the trip and it looks like I need to help Matthew with his driving-while-eating skills ... they're abysmal.<br />
399. <br />
400. <br />
401. <hr />
402. <br />
403. <br />
404.      Matthew here, tapping in for Valeri to wrap things up.<br />
405. <br />
406.      If you're reading this, you've made it — you've survived yet another adventure with the Pearons! Congratulations! We know, at times it can be rough, and at other times it's smooth sailing...but through the ups and downs, the sharp corners and the breakdowns, you've stuck with us. We like to think you're better for it!<br />
407.      Something we should bring to your attention, though...some of our readers have reported a weird side affect from reading our blog.<br />
408.      They all mentioned something about their sanity level or something.<br />
409.      Not sure what that is about, exactly...but whatever it is, we're certain it's a temporary condition.<br />
410. <br />
411.      Probably.<br />
412. <br />
413.      Either way, this particular adventure is over! Throughout the last week, we road tripped, did the beach thing, got in little bitty boats and didn't sink, flew through the air a couple of different times, visited the political and economic center of the United States, ate good food, and we kept great company. We've decided we will probably end up ticking the "success" box on this trip...unless this sunburn never fades.<br />
414. <br />
415. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Until next time...</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/433811130112451559/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-nine.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/433811130112451559'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/433811130112451559'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-nine.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Nine'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15801144354939156274</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhwIkjDh50WkCRdXBeRCCOCH0StZMR0-pXRQG2SVWqovXuixDuPghc4vcAov_ZRMUFxkuugulAJbd50WRFIcfD99xByq2q0s1DVFETSWYeeHa82U_mQqkunziigwOaRTCPX0bMskr0GU/s72-c/Piglets.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-54103725848702493</id><published>2017-07-16T23:29:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-16T23:29:24.591-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Chinese Cuisine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ferry"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lighthouse"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ocracoke"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Seagulls"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Hiltons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Eight</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Good evening, everyone! Matthew here, signing on from the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX).
416.     This is the last blog post authored from the OBX, as we're regrettably beginning our 16-hour trek home tomorrow morning.<br />
417.      If you've been following along, you'll know we've done a lot of outdoorsy/adventurous things on this vacation. In the beginning, I can't say I was all that thrilled with the idea of a bog-standard beach vacation - it's all too domestic for my taste - but this one has turned out to be quite a lot of fun, really.
418.          A few firsts for the Pearons: lighthouses, kayaking, parasailing, small aircraft flight (new to Valeri) and seeing a kite festival. Plus, it was our first real road trip together. We traveled with a couple of close friends on the US 101 in California last year (<a href="http://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-one.html" target="_blank">you haven't read that one yet?</a> ) - which was about five hours - but this was a whopping 16-hour journey.  Granted, there was a break in the middle...but that's a long time to be in the car by any standard.  The not-so-awesome realization that I'm having right now is that we're going to have to do the same thing again tomorrow.  It's going to be tiring, but we'll make it through.<br />
419.      Anyway, you're here to read about the adventures of today, not the troubles of tomorrow, so I'll get to it.
420. We started the day out by heading south toward Manteo - ultimately ending up at Ocracoke Island - which is a tiny little spot of land with a single road leading from end-to-end (roughly 13 miles, by our calculations).  We couldn't do this without a bit of sustenance, so we made a pit stop at Bros' Sandwiches.<br />
421. <br /><br />
422. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
423. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzdqVtRNhe8F8INA7UC7UpHl_RcnFPh0qzxCBOWuGgVPA_mo3Ad3-Brmc7bG8DRl9XnRXcKVVwX0BQLUXbG0SRxMk_IaMVaYXJ_g_OFjm2zb5h-9EHFYk4Uf6CelA2E0aFePOqZ3-HII/s1600/BrosSandwich2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzdqVtRNhe8F8INA7UC7UpHl_RcnFPh0qzxCBOWuGgVPA_mo3Ad3-Brmc7bG8DRl9XnRXcKVVwX0BQLUXbG0SRxMk_IaMVaYXJ_g_OFjm2zb5h-9EHFYk4Uf6CelA2E0aFePOqZ3-HII/s320/BrosSandwich2.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
424. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's French Dip</td></tr>
425. </tbody></table>
426. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
427. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEviXRfOKVonWWGrycgtlw_ppB1ZLExapbmdjCBoKfu9wCseL_T7xp-vUzkbR-GTKelzfhJYOZPhJk6Ie6yVbk1I0OIYL867URUUYRm54MZSxz7FizBVJvlMHBWIz77EPaTJPQuKiGCK8/s1600/BrosSandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEviXRfOKVonWWGrycgtlw_ppB1ZLExapbmdjCBoKfu9wCseL_T7xp-vUzkbR-GTKelzfhJYOZPhJk6Ie6yVbk1I0OIYL867URUUYRm54MZSxz7FizBVJvlMHBWIz77EPaTJPQuKiGCK8/s320/BrosSandwich.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
428. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valeri's Barbecue Nachos</td></tr>
429. </tbody></table>
430. <div style="border-image: none;">
431.  </div>
432. <br /><br />
433.      After feeding our faces, we resumed our southern journey toward Ocracoke (don't worry - we don't really know how to pronounce it, either; although, some very amusing attempts we made).  Along the way, we encountered Hatteras Light House. We walked around the grounds a bit, took a few photos, then moved along...<br />
434. <br /><br />
435. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
436. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TORMcK9yAaIAn9Z2qO_UajUr47E2K6JcAKIedk4JbY6nqpUfV7cybczpyv_UF-lSbcTYLks6wAKzuyISA-piJVbL_nLqFb3_F9QIb2nDogX_JoNAxMG_6KUHhRpOxdcIskfKvpI7zLE/s1600/HatterasLighthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TORMcK9yAaIAn9Z2qO_UajUr47E2K6JcAKIedk4JbY6nqpUfV7cybczpyv_UF-lSbcTYLks6wAKzuyISA-piJVbL_nLqFb3_F9QIb2nDogX_JoNAxMG_6KUHhRpOxdcIskfKvpI7zLE/s400/HatterasLighthouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
437. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hatteras Lighthouse</td></tr>
438. </tbody></table>
439.      The next leg led us to a ferry terminal, where we had ice cream while waiting to board the ferry.<br />
440. <br /><br />
441. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
442. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSOI2tEx1GnLF65ssCtEAbZ1-IdPqA3T9ADK7IShZkqvqopodzWTNlHuXUroVN3NmM1rY4cTOQER_UUfFFjY9KwaqlpYi8Pb0Ee-zeTJUGs5Z2z5UFK2GGBcz78rfYzo4GPg5hNMHkXk/s1600/IceCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSOI2tEx1GnLF65ssCtEAbZ1-IdPqA3T9ADK7IShZkqvqopodzWTNlHuXUroVN3NmM1rY4cTOQER_UUfFFjY9KwaqlpYi8Pb0Ee-zeTJUGs5Z2z5UFK2GGBcz78rfYzo4GPg5hNMHkXk/s400/IceCream.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
443. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valeri begging for treats ... as usual</td></tr>
444. </tbody></table>
445.      We had experienced ferries in San Francisco, but not one that you <i>and</i> your car went on. Very big ship. Once the cars were all loaded like sardines, and the ship had left port, we were able to get up and walk around.  The views were great out there - but you can only get so many shots of the sea/sky division before it's played out.<br />
446. <br /><br />
447. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
448. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjhybHL4Hzfj2BBBXRkmRkA8SAP2p_J4SEGK7kB0pkUURRxquNwIiJlWxStAoPk-vMeuyJ1SNbWAmY_MDUlBsRl0zbAsCW8uaJWh7wrv5Z1F9fheEZbkYKx3NfyCJuPAqYJQLDoRXCNY/s1600/FerryView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjhybHL4Hzfj2BBBXRkmRkA8SAP2p_J4SEGK7kB0pkUURRxquNwIiJlWxStAoPk-vMeuyJ1SNbWAmY_MDUlBsRl0zbAsCW8uaJWh7wrv5Z1F9fheEZbkYKx3NfyCJuPAqYJQLDoRXCNY/s640/FerryView.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
449. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the back of the ferry</td></tr>
450. </tbody></table>
451. <br />
452. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
453. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Z2WIoMc2-7fu-v_xPnfqdMynKblXvUUn7T-mAyk2WEu6UjZn-8a6NeZztDUodDMO-zusG1nhN0EEKhf0AC3PfIbT0OVMNyUbv2m4y5J9sOvUW8Xe88SdiV457dCbEhcMSviQTGhhI1k/s1600/Ferry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Z2WIoMc2-7fu-v_xPnfqdMynKblXvUUn7T-mAyk2WEu6UjZn-8a6NeZztDUodDMO-zusG1nhN0EEKhf0AC3PfIbT0OVMNyUbv2m4y5J9sOvUW8Xe88SdiV457dCbEhcMSviQTGhhI1k/s400/Ferry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
454. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
455. </tbody></table>
456.      An hour later, the ferry and its crew expertly delivered us to the shores of Ocracoke Island without incident.  Once we hit solid ground, we went on to the downtown area - which was more of a small village full of tourist shops and restaurants. Neat, but not something that would draw us for very long, which is why we turned back around and began our return journey.
457. To see how this went, please re-read the paragraph above.  One fascinating thing we noticed is that the seagulls follow the ferries around; when two ferries meet in the middle of their routes, several of the seagulls fly to the other ship and return back to their original port. This happened on both routes several times.<br />
458. <br /><br />
459. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
460. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrsLzhgXI0RxlbCzC2pdPr4tbvf2LZPnCILohocBH9iTjMWqSiL60L6-pMrGTvOgpj41ybMzYp7VyoSW_B06AyBv_gGiGWI658LBnDuAvLE19OVk74-NZ59ZUy8fUGLM07n-XJmG82J4/s1600/ValeriOnBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrsLzhgXI0RxlbCzC2pdPr4tbvf2LZPnCILohocBH9iTjMWqSiL60L6-pMrGTvOgpj41ybMzYp7VyoSW_B06AyBv_gGiGWI658LBnDuAvLE19OVk74-NZ59ZUy8fUGLM07n-XJmG82J4/s400/ValeriOnBeach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
461. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made our last beach stop during our trip to Ocracoke.</td></tr>
462. </tbody></table>
463.      All-in-all, there was a lot of sight-seeing today.  Nothing too terribly interesting, but fun nonetheless.
464. After we made it back to the house (stopping en route to pick up some delicious Chinese food), we sat down and watched a couple of movies with some of our remaining family members.  It was a nice, easy night - which gives us plenty of time to pack up for tomorrow's drive. Here is to safe travels and favorable traffic patterns!<br />
465.      Matthew, signing off.<br />
466. <br /><br />
467. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
468. <i>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,<br />but mood to moment."</i><i><b><br />-Anonymous</b></i>    </div>
469. <br /><br />
470. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; More photos can be found by clicking the PhotoStream icon &lt;a href=&quot;http://cl3ver.life/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/54103725848702493/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-eight.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/54103725848702493'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/54103725848702493'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-eight.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Eight'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzdqVtRNhe8F8INA7UC7UpHl_RcnFPh0qzxCBOWuGgVPA_mo3Ad3-Brmc7bG8DRl9XnRXcKVVwX0BQLUXbG0SRxMk_IaMVaYXJ_g_OFjm2zb5h-9EHFYk4Uf6CelA2E0aFePOqZ3-HII/s72-c/BrosSandwich2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina</georss:featurename><georss:point>36.0307226 -75.676010099999985</georss:point><georss:box>35.9279801 -75.837371599999983 36.133465099999995 -75.514648599999987</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-4033064743319943600</id><published>2017-07-15T23:17:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-15T23:17:47.547-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Aquarium"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Atlantic Ocean"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Flights"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jockey&#39;s Ridge"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ladles"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sand Crab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunrise"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tacos"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Hiltons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Maddoxs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Turtles"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Seven</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;border-image: none;&quot;&gt;
471.      Today started with a plan to get up at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise on the beach. This is how this scenario actually went:</div>
472.      *Valeri (me) wakes Matthew at 5 a.m.*<br />
473.      *Matthew whines*<br />
474.      "Nooooo. I don't want to."<br />
475.      *Valeri rolls her eyes and starts to get up*<br />
476.      *She looks outside and sees it's still lightning*<br />
477.      *Decides: can't watch the sunrise in the rain or a lightning storm*<br />
478.      *Crawls back into bed*<br />
479. <br />
480. <br />
481. <div style="border-image: none;">
482.      So watching the sunrise didn't go so well ... or at all. We really should've planned it for a morning earlier in the week, because now all we have is Sunday morning to catch it. Le sigh.</div>
483.      After sleeping for a few more hours, I once again tried to wake Matthew, but ended up having to leave him to his slumber. Life's so hard while on vacation.<br />
484. <div style="border-image: none;">
485.      I would like to point out that Matthew is normally the one who has to push me to get out of bed in the morning while on vacation. So this goes to show how much a beach vacation has made him a lazy bum.</div>
486. <br />
487. <br />
488.      Okay, so on to the good stuff.<br />
489.      Since we were expecting rain all day, we'd moved most of our stuff (kayaking, Jockey's Ridge State Park, etc) to a different day ... as you can tell if you've read our past blogs.:) However, due to moving everything, that didn't leave us with a lot planned for today.<br />
490. <div style="border-image: none;">
491.      So it was kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants type day, and if you know us at all, you'll know we don't normally do that. Yea, we might have a few hours where we wander around or explore, but not an entire day.</div>
492.      Well, for those of you who've made fun of us in the past for our itineraries, the day we had was made for you.<br />
493. <br />
494. <br />
495.      We started with a walk to the beach and along the surf. It was a nice 76 degrees when we left the house, which is absolutely glorious compared to the heat we've had while in the Outer Banks. As we walked for a couple hours and made a couple new friends (see below), we also picked up some shells and took a couple photos.<br />
496. <br />
497. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
498. <br /></div>
499. <br />
500. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
501. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFH4nDl5z4PNvMEV9kK6kSXQeVk2RVWhleSy4Vv0bdytts7msIpv0hR90JM7X5hKKBksP4AGmBk_sUf9HP7tilOcwes4WWbSakRyJ_h8OyL5jX-b123lX0pZctybhq-VS8jbcHwCGUfM/s1600/NewFriendCarlTheCrab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFH4nDl5z4PNvMEV9kK6kSXQeVk2RVWhleSy4Vv0bdytts7msIpv0hR90JM7X5hKKBksP4AGmBk_sUf9HP7tilOcwes4WWbSakRyJ_h8OyL5jX-b123lX0pZctybhq-VS8jbcHwCGUfM/s400/NewFriendCarlTheCrab.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
502. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tiny crab Matthew spotted</td></tr>
503. </tbody></table>
504. <br />
505. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
506. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgcTngfUlpm8ZPyKVDUv2hkcUmy5-Oal5DeOLcCfzS5oFau8zPoPyp3CsLlU9x4forHnzi0jJeIqCPPn49bpZadULbrIb2xOnFl0IW6MvEcCx4DPsNtf1oav9PMZjkTRrXmh27EOXt4w/s1600/NewFriendDog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgcTngfUlpm8ZPyKVDUv2hkcUmy5-Oal5DeOLcCfzS5oFau8zPoPyp3CsLlU9x4forHnzi0jJeIqCPPn49bpZadULbrIb2xOnFl0IW6MvEcCx4DPsNtf1oav9PMZjkTRrXmh27EOXt4w/s400/NewFriendDog.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
507. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good pup that posed for the photo</td></tr>
508. </tbody></table>
509. <br />
510. <br />
511.      Once the temps started to rise, we headed back to the house to cool down and think about lunch.<br />
512.      We ended up eating at a place called Ladles. We were a little leery at first about eating at a soup and warm sandwiches shop, which doesn't usually go well with 90 degrees/85% humidity. However, we figure they had air conditioning, so it was worth a shot.<br />
513.      We were glad we went because it was delicious. I had a Grilled Cheese with Chicken Noodle and Matthew had a Turkey Rueben with Greek Lemon Chicken soup. <strong><em>So</em></strong> yummy.<br />
514. <br />
515. <br />
516. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
517. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEo8gisTOeUxDG34uHtniQqHUTbv9RlhLwzvP8hF6yx_fK3LsDSXxozEtFSuecQqLxrL6o3CR5m2I2bJkOMZDWR6zuHXyI784FOf2_7EN0bldjzOFF-_wE-dk7Hcw6QHOhWhWFbIcdYA/s1600/Ladles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEo8gisTOeUxDG34uHtniQqHUTbv9RlhLwzvP8hF6yx_fK3LsDSXxozEtFSuecQqLxrL6o3CR5m2I2bJkOMZDWR6zuHXyI784FOf2_7EN0bldjzOFF-_wE-dk7Hcw6QHOhWhWFbIcdYA/s400/Ladles.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
518. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladles in 90-degree weather ... *grabby hands*</td></tr>
519. </tbody></table>
520. <br />
521. <br />
522.      After having our hot lunches, we stepped back into the 1,000-degree heat to head to Manteo. It was around 1 p.m. by this point and the weather said rain was <em>suppose</em> to hit around 3 p.m., so we figured we'd just visit the aquarium while it rained.<br />
523.      Well, the weather apps and local stations fooled us because there was no rain. Fibbers.<br />
524.      However, we enjoyed the aquarium. We've tried to take in the aquarium in each city we visit; with the exception of San Francisco. We like to see what each offers and so far the only one that's disappointed us was London (you can read about that in our London blogs if you haven't already).<br />
525.      I do believe this was the first aquarium that showed us sea turtles, which Matthew loved. There were <strong><em>so</em></strong> many turtles. Also, it was the first one that showed us crocodiles, which I enjoyed. As long as they can't get to me, I enjoy watching them.<br />
526. <br />
527. <br />
528. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
529. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtG1Xd5ubkGh1C24vIpxuMicBYo0HN1V5BmRFSpabj6JolSTE-pCXPzzJIpiNp9ZO4yPOy2FRhZIuHfKR4qWv1ehKvu_XgcEIzfGQd3IQXm0HZnt_9LnKlU_D2mQnM90Waxsme-ceGI8/s1600/Turtles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtG1Xd5ubkGh1C24vIpxuMicBYo0HN1V5BmRFSpabj6JolSTE-pCXPzzJIpiNp9ZO4yPOy2FRhZIuHfKR4qWv1ehKvu_XgcEIzfGQd3IQXm0HZnt_9LnKlU_D2mQnM90Waxsme-ceGI8/s400/Turtles.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
530. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's turtles</td></tr>
531. </tbody></table>
532. <br />
533. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
534. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNbzP91jEYa_WAU_wPehJ6GewM-OfHbw9vB3lJuoOt571OYjCttdcc-qYg4ja6IIZ6kxOQ9ncDa-CZ5MKoD-sisM2y6-6lFRxyRsMUqVRHoSFrBFtYjoraTDLoiTlSpL74IA5GhYQP0k/s1600/SeaTurtle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNbzP91jEYa_WAU_wPehJ6GewM-OfHbw9vB3lJuoOt571OYjCttdcc-qYg4ja6IIZ6kxOQ9ncDa-CZ5MKoD-sisM2y6-6lFRxyRsMUqVRHoSFrBFtYjoraTDLoiTlSpL74IA5GhYQP0k/s400/SeaTurtle.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
535. <br />
536. <br />
537. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
538. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KSV2X5V7o63GkY235pPQbEHQVb70_wKFSVfyf541yKRPd38fvnt95SP_6ZPUV5L-7Z_1pWeFneMrG9nP1-DJOhVfOnGdytQcZIYSxfbdtCbVKVAvpnHJu3naP650YsO9z0-o5vl-CRM/s1600/Crocodile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KSV2X5V7o63GkY235pPQbEHQVb70_wKFSVfyf541yKRPd38fvnt95SP_6ZPUV5L-7Z_1pWeFneMrG9nP1-DJOhVfOnGdytQcZIYSxfbdtCbVKVAvpnHJu3naP650YsO9z0-o5vl-CRM/s400/Crocodile.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
539. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The almighty crocodile</td></tr>
540. </tbody></table>
541. <br />
542. <br />
543.      So as I said, Matthew's favorite part was the turtles. <em>My</em> favorite was the sting rays. They had them where you could reach into the water and touch them while they swam around. They're just so slimy it made me giggle like a child every time I touched one. We only got video of that, so you can find those on our <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0kGWZuqDucEqnV" target="_blank">PhotoStream</a>.<br />
544. <br />
545. <br />
546.      Okay, on to our favorite part of the day.<br />
547.      As we were pulling out of the aquarium, Matthew spotted the airport and asked if we could go back and look at some of the planes.<br />
548.      While pulling up to the airport he saw a sign for $15 plane rides. It seemed too good to be true, but after confirming it, we knew we couldn't pass up a flight over the Outer Banks.<br />
549. <br />
550. <br />
551. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
552. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCDL6nlva7jGgszUreq-j5sWOBKejl2Xh0AUm2RdEH585nf3vJz-EYwvGRL_gmWtx5Na6VdWGZu0BG9qF7-LQPfq2PAn9FEWNgITSMxSmyqW60nQdKD_jo5G50OUCNSudf1MkDoffTiM/s1600/FlyingWithAndy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCDL6nlva7jGgszUreq-j5sWOBKejl2Xh0AUm2RdEH585nf3vJz-EYwvGRL_gmWtx5Na6VdWGZu0BG9qF7-LQPfq2PAn9FEWNgITSMxSmyqW60nQdKD_jo5G50OUCNSudf1MkDoffTiM/s400/FlyingWithAndy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
553. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Andy in the air</td></tr>
554. </tbody></table>
555. <br />
556. <br />
557.      So Andy, our pilot, flew us over the OBX for about 15 minutes. The plane was a Cessna 170, which seats two in the front and two in the back. I gave Matty the front since they told him whoever was up there would get to fly the plane for a little bit and I didn't really have that kind of nerve.<br />
558. <br />
559. <br />
560. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
561. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MElCMCHdi8cay1vLFQE6ZjMBmusMg_cBiwWfS8zN7T0GKZYBPbTWEL4BhIFl5hBp96f1kyf7A3H4k0eQe35xMQMgmledFOXvgllJdUB85xbq0S6qtGpW7mH9SPbbn1APoYuEd0-YRXc/s1600/FlyingWithMatthew.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MElCMCHdi8cay1vLFQE6ZjMBmusMg_cBiwWfS8zN7T0GKZYBPbTWEL4BhIFl5hBp96f1kyf7A3H4k0eQe35xMQMgmledFOXvgllJdUB85xbq0S6qtGpW7mH9SPbbn1APoYuEd0-YRXc/s400/FlyingWithMatthew.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
562. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew flying the plane</td></tr>
563. </tbody></table>
564. <br />
565. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
566. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MgPdYPMDqV5GptES0aPVPNW7hodtxnS393Pb6_yZa1Xb_apvtxV881Z25HrU2yljpdhbL0f8VSaey9XGpq6FAyhQqra0D1rV4Gxjs3PCuJfirDc5JzmDa4e4HuP1Bh9tKm7O6D26ADg/s1600/FlyingPano.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="1600" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MgPdYPMDqV5GptES0aPVPNW7hodtxnS393Pb6_yZa1Xb_apvtxV881Z25HrU2yljpdhbL0f8VSaey9XGpq6FAyhQqra0D1rV4Gxjs3PCuJfirDc5JzmDa4e4HuP1Bh9tKm7O6D26ADg/s640/FlyingPano.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
567. <br />
568. <br />
569.      It was awesome to see the OBX from the sky. We flew over Jockey's Ridge State Park, the Wright Brother's Memorial Museum, part of the Atlantic, etc. Andy also pointed out a ship wreck just off one of the beaches we've been to frequently ... blew my mind.<br />
570.      We took quite a bit of video/photos while up there, but I'm going to only include a few photos here. You can watch our video montage at the end of the trip to see some of the videos.<br />
571. <br />
572. <br />
573. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
574. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVvv8iFCUommGKCfFYAvHV6-mfPZWGNNoDRz8mhyv_JKjQL6psDeAo0L6EaslaZTjoTXwIoOC27vAruTDmk6RN7A_74sqDFvzYoPXGG1-y6RVtT6pyTRTuUAQA_kQnFY65UloFEeu8Mk/s1600/FlyingWithoutTheRain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVvv8iFCUommGKCfFYAvHV6-mfPZWGNNoDRz8mhyv_JKjQL6psDeAo0L6EaslaZTjoTXwIoOC27vAruTDmk6RN7A_74sqDFvzYoPXGG1-y6RVtT6pyTRTuUAQA_kQnFY65UloFEeu8Mk/s400/FlyingWithoutTheRain.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
575. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy said we chose a good time to come since the incoming rain (shown behind us) made us the last flight.</td></tr>
576. </tbody></table>
577. <br />
578. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
579. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyKOpnewzajfj-VQNHMPAbiH2yYVB52IK_JccB7_XJgBCHgzwCsHn0Ry1U1f1Coqfyg0DUfwAevfNFNUfMUUo3X_Zh_eVVx3Doqo-o2vz1i8QyjiqwKOZh2GD2m9bR-Rsomnp6FwZ_IM/s1600/FlyingWithThePlane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyKOpnewzajfj-VQNHMPAbiH2yYVB52IK_JccB7_XJgBCHgzwCsHn0Ry1U1f1Coqfyg0DUfwAevfNFNUfMUUo3X_Zh_eVVx3Doqo-o2vz1i8QyjiqwKOZh2GD2m9bR-Rsomnp6FwZ_IM/s400/FlyingWithThePlane.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
580. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pearons with the Cessna 170</td></tr>
581. </tbody></table>
582. <br />
583. <br />
584.      After landing, we headed back to the house to relax and have our last family dinner in the OBX.<br />
585.      It was Mom and Dad's night, so that meant tacos. <strong><em>Yum! </em></strong>It's hard to beat tacos in my mind.<br />
586. <br />
587. <br />
588. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
589. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujSD-8QMwrWEonwcID-P3KkeDt0gT6I2bEJ8r2DAUFelV0RFEb1o7H1idrcP1w-BvRo-b-wI0SW0hBatHIm_b5J6J6tD8Cl-WPvAswA54WhyphenhyphenVTSR-yhMCQRx_mMZxIsT-pMEFYAktWUo/s1600/FamilyNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujSD-8QMwrWEonwcID-P3KkeDt0gT6I2bEJ8r2DAUFelV0RFEb1o7H1idrcP1w-BvRo-b-wI0SW0hBatHIm_b5J6J6tD8Cl-WPvAswA54WhyphenhyphenVTSR-yhMCQRx_mMZxIsT-pMEFYAktWUo/s640/FamilyNight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
590. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Night in the OBX</td></tr>
591. </tbody></table>
592.      After dinner, which included finally mastering a family selfie ... it's way too difficult to fit eight people into a selfie and for everyone's faces to be showing. To take it up a notch, trying to take an eight-person selfie with the Instax Camera I have is even harder. However, we finally did it. We've failed at doing this two other times in the past four months, but as they say, third time's a charm.<br />
593.      I'll be posting a snap of that photo on my Facebook and Instagram tomorrow, along with other Instax photos I've taken throughout the week.<br />
594. <br />
595. <br />
596.      Until then ...<br />
597. <br />
598. <br />
599. <div style="text-align: center;">
600. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,</em></span></div>
601. <div style="text-align: center;">
602. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>but mood to moment."</em></span></div>
603. <div style="text-align: center;">
604. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em><strong>-Anonymous</strong></em></span></div>
605. <br />
606. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; More photos can be found by clicking the PhotoStream icon &lt;a href=&quot;http://cl3ver.life/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/4033064743319943600/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-seven.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/4033064743319943600'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/4033064743319943600'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-seven.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Seven'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFH4nDl5z4PNvMEV9kK6kSXQeVk2RVWhleSy4Vv0bdytts7msIpv0hR90JM7X5hKKBksP4AGmBk_sUf9HP7tilOcwes4WWbSakRyJ_h8OyL5jX-b123lX0pZctybhq-VS8jbcHwCGUfM/s72-c/NewFriendCarlTheCrab.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina</georss:featurename><georss:point>36.0307226 -75.676010099999985</georss:point><georss:box>35.9279801 -75.837371599999983 36.133465099999995 -75.514648599999987</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-2540538971238733092</id><published>2017-07-14T22:23:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-14T22:23:40.953-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coquina Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jockey&#39;s Ridge"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Parasailing"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sand Crab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sand Dunes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunset"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tacos"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Hiltons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Maddoxs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Six</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Hello, everyone! Matthew here, reporting from the Outer Banks. Today is day six of our North Carolina adventure, and what a day it was! I&#39;ll give you a rundown.&lt;br /&gt;
607. <br />
608.      We started the morning by heading to Coquina Beach for some family photos - which is generally not one of my favorite activities - but the sound of the surf rolling in beside us made it a bit easier to smile big for the camera. Here are a few of the shots:<br />
609. <br />
610. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
611. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGblgmsNjCdCEyoXqGIUC1nKsqzPXijC4rnThI_5j_xaenU7tMvsLI9DrSQkHnM8CsBTrkbwXMM4nFOikIQRBxtZ6abYRxfIMfqyQxFa5rEnPWwOgVRoYulAZrgN_tvbAjtd4a3JyojEI/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGblgmsNjCdCEyoXqGIUC1nKsqzPXijC4rnThI_5j_xaenU7tMvsLI9DrSQkHnM8CsBTrkbwXMM4nFOikIQRBxtZ6abYRxfIMfqyQxFa5rEnPWwOgVRoYulAZrgN_tvbAjtd4a3JyojEI/s400/family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
612. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Rory Clancy Photography</td></tr>
613. </tbody></table>
614.      While we were out there, we were able to capture a video of a sand crab (which we had encountered on day three) emerging from his hole in the sand. We haven't reviewed and edited the footage just yet - but it's bound to be pretty neat.<br />
615. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
616. <br /></div>
617. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
618.      After we had finished with the pictures and returned to the Airbnb, it was just about time for lunch. Valeri and I split off from the group to grab a bite to eat at the Bonzer Shack, which is a neat little venue within walking distance of the beach. Valeri had the Chicken Tacos, and I decided on the Royale (grilled BBQ chicken topped with smoked gouda cheese and smoked applewood bacon). The entrees received top marks from the Pearons. Very tasty indeed.</div>
619. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
620. <br /></div>
621. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
622. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOmvkVoEyLoKtWb1iw-NjXSrmZxD_XyBltvg30jP5V2gHFJTd0hez0lfJbjbI7i-DhaSTiT8cAt9acsFMv4uvKM4RuaxJ-m5LcyLkUrg9WDrt9ZfgurLUIzHF_Sm3j-gN8BS2TMiPSYw/s1600/food1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOmvkVoEyLoKtWb1iw-NjXSrmZxD_XyBltvg30jP5V2gHFJTd0hez0lfJbjbI7i-DhaSTiT8cAt9acsFMv4uvKM4RuaxJ-m5LcyLkUrg9WDrt9ZfgurLUIzHF_Sm3j-gN8BS2TMiPSYw/s400/food1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
623. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
624. <br /></div>
625. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
626.      This brings us to the most interesting part of our day: Parasailing! Other than a slight timing issue at the beginning, this was an absolute blast. We went 1,000 feet above the Roanoke Sound in a tandem harness. Technically, the flight only lasted 12 minutes, but it felt so much longer while we were up there. Something we hadn't considered (being our first time), was the noise level at that altitude. You would think being dragged through the air at any sort of speed would include quite a lot of wind noise, but the complete lack of wind noise was almost eerie. It was so quiet up there. We love an urban setting - including the noise - but that was actually a really nice escape from all of that. For just a few minutes, you are able to just bask in the beauty of the coastline without thinking about what awful noise is being emitted from a random car's ridiculously loud stereo, the sirens in the distance or the dull roar of the motorway. It all just falls away and you just watch. Beautiful.</div>
627. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
628.      While that was a nice feeling, and we wanted to hang on to it for a bit, we knew we couldn't...because we were about to get dunked. That is how this particular Parasailing company decides to finish your adventure - with a swim! After they ensure you're thoroughly soaked, they whip you back up into the air for a bit, then winch you back onto the launch platform. Very cool, and highly recommended.</div>
629. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
630. <br /></div>
631. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
632. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrbf6We02wGxFVrYLsRVadU_RuH4ZS2C0XDL9wrDZ1aZ_c3Ac171spPPDEGi0NA53TdGak8U0Ll64onxY-MEaRgIDGelmPEonhW4rzrSwWA34ljU4wcK6lE9bg92IlF38WSs4d-ITvn8/s1600/para4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrbf6We02wGxFVrYLsRVadU_RuH4ZS2C0XDL9wrDZ1aZ_c3Ac171spPPDEGi0NA53TdGak8U0Ll64onxY-MEaRgIDGelmPEonhW4rzrSwWA34ljU4wcK6lE9bg92IlF38WSs4d-ITvn8/s400/para4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
633. <br />
634. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
635. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKyKi_7eUyF9AC-0aXy-9TG9adeP4GSHElrPud36exaWBXUoYDUUxAXo_-qt5EEBCcA8_XGnAw5Dw9q2vuyQnUHIyVyTYvrLD1rXl8GpPh1trZnXMOgJ2fmP9-EGUcLoss6vFosC5jjo/s1600/para3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKyKi_7eUyF9AC-0aXy-9TG9adeP4GSHElrPud36exaWBXUoYDUUxAXo_-qt5EEBCcA8_XGnAw5Dw9q2vuyQnUHIyVyTYvrLD1rXl8GpPh1trZnXMOgJ2fmP9-EGUcLoss6vFosC5jjo/s400/para3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
636. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
637. <br /></div>
638. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
639.      After our flight, we headed back to the house to get ready for a family supper at Miller's Seafood and Steakhouse. This place was great, and although I do not have any photographic evidence to prove it, I can proudly report to you that my lovely (but <i>very</i> picky) wife tried sushi...and liked it! Thank you to our sister-in-law, Jody, for sharing!</div>
640. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
641. <br /></div>
642. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
643. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvBZ5YnAzgi04rKd1N-487Vc7Sjk1olquXZh3D1tm3RpP2brmSQUWNYahuPutJVkjWLzTIfd_qySU5AL839OET2YoDjMfIlkMDld91txQlhRL4M32CweerpoZswvcSeSkB27vM3jmIW4/s1600/food3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvBZ5YnAzgi04rKd1N-487Vc7Sjk1olquXZh3D1tm3RpP2brmSQUWNYahuPutJVkjWLzTIfd_qySU5AL839OET2YoDjMfIlkMDld91txQlhRL4M32CweerpoZswvcSeSkB27vM3jmIW4/s400/food3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
644. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miller's Seafood and Steakhouse</td></tr>
645. </tbody></table>
646. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
647. <br /></div>
648. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
649. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwS3ikvC1tX2nRHgU46v5EW78J16-k-_BSyT7nuorLc-Y97-W1qMZkti84481DP0zsNqqJTCGo2lo6vI1970F5LYXjv17xbuClZNwuimVqob9Ku9n43dWibeq3NraXWSHjnNjVqwwYzE/s1600/food2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwS3ikvC1tX2nRHgU46v5EW78J16-k-_BSyT7nuorLc-Y97-W1qMZkti84481DP0zsNqqJTCGo2lo6vI1970F5LYXjv17xbuClZNwuimVqob9Ku9n43dWibeq3NraXWSHjnNjVqwwYzE/s400/food2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
650. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jody's sushi that Valeri tried</td></tr>
651. </tbody></table>
652. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
653.      After supper, we headed to Jockey's Ridge to take in a sunset.</div>
654. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
655.      The hike was long, and there were far too many people there - but the colors in the sky made up for it. Here are a couple of shots to back that up:</div>
656. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
657. <br /></div>
658. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
659. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBAkWVqRT59qgvcoWzXS2TyUC2qVvi1Jy0GIFTBwpsaxWHCdSSDwEZklonsTKrMIsW_sZGzpJiDBWbDuwPWIan65Z1116LJnF_hsHAgg0LQr2jHYAHIZkP_S0awbuQ_NOrD-89QDMR9w/s1600/jockeysRidge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1600" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBAkWVqRT59qgvcoWzXS2TyUC2qVvi1Jy0GIFTBwpsaxWHCdSSDwEZklonsTKrMIsW_sZGzpJiDBWbDuwPWIan65Z1116LJnF_hsHAgg0LQr2jHYAHIZkP_S0awbuQ_NOrD-89QDMR9w/s640/jockeysRidge1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
660. <br />
661. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
662. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWQJNmbRagxIRGmkj6nJkW0_uz59OclnHoKpuxAmi6O_gfHMouzue-cN-JoCH2oVvxbKvN_eYccBOc9oDlEplafyHSupRQ0jQqAJP32bP6wd084dMT9eROwGyxo6-uYA-BsUPzsEr4OI/s1600/jockeysRidge2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWQJNmbRagxIRGmkj6nJkW0_uz59OclnHoKpuxAmi6O_gfHMouzue-cN-JoCH2oVvxbKvN_eYccBOc9oDlEplafyHSupRQ0jQqAJP32bP6wd084dMT9eROwGyxo6-uYA-BsUPzsEr4OI/s640/jockeysRidge2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
663. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
664.      We attempted to capture a timelapse of the sunset, so we might have a video to show you later.</div>
665. <div>
666. <i></i><i><br /></i></div>
667. <div>
668.      Anyway, that sums up today's activities! Join us tomorrow for some more fun in the sun!</div>
669. <div>
670.      Matthew, signing off.</div>
671. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
672. <br /></div>
673. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
674. <i>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,<br />but mood to moment."</i><i><b><br />-Anonymous</b></i>    <br />     More photos can be found by clicking the PhotoStream icon <a href="http://cl3ver.life/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
675. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
676. <br /></div>
677. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/2540538971238733092/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-six.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2540538971238733092'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2540538971238733092'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-six.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Six'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGblgmsNjCdCEyoXqGIUC1nKsqzPXijC4rnThI_5j_xaenU7tMvsLI9DrSQkHnM8CsBTrkbwXMM4nFOikIQRBxtZ6abYRxfIMfqyQxFa5rEnPWwOgVRoYulAZrgN_tvbAjtd4a3JyojEI/s72-c/family.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina</georss:featurename><georss:point>36.0307226 -75.676010099999985</georss:point><georss:box>35.9279801 -75.837371599999983 36.133465099999995 -75.514648599999987</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-8801677070275668781</id><published>2017-07-13T23:22:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-13T23:22:48.214-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Kayaking"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunset"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Hiltons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Maddoxs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tour"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Five</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Good morning, readers. Valeri here.&lt;br /&gt;
678. <br /><br />
679.      Wow am I tired.<br />
680.      I'm not sure whether it's due to our Washington, D.C., trip, the kayaking we did this morning or if it's just the heat getting to me, but I am ready for a week of nothing but sleep.<br />
681. <br /><br />
682.      As I mentioned, one of the culprits of this exhaustion is kayaking, which was this morning. By the time we got there at 9 a.m., it was already close to 90 degrees. Yikes. At this point I was a little worried because the description of the kayaking tour mentioned it was good for beginners since the trees shielded you from having to deal with wind ... and we were going to need that wind to help cool off. Turns out the description was wrong and we actually got a few good gusts during the trip.<br />
683.      Aside from worrying about dying of heat stroke, my other fear was flipping my kayak or just falling due to my inadvertent clumsiness. Matthew told me more than once that he'd be ready with the GoPro. He was 90% sure I would be in the water at some point ... what great support from my lovely husband.:) Well, the joke's on him - I didn't fall in once.<br />
684. <br /><br />
685. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
686. <br /></div>
687. <br />
688. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
689. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jmtRkIP-ijjt60VmCBMBS00sbY3Kv8GUfA-74pjicCST4aOdL6NBFAXZaoCtc6BVdVR8dVwdYoyEFcBVuBp7UNKO04LyYLCob-qJL0YoWzledAwLmHNpz2CRKh9kBPHZtIzkMIWoXfk/s1600/Kayaking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jmtRkIP-ijjt60VmCBMBS00sbY3Kv8GUfA-74pjicCST4aOdL6NBFAXZaoCtc6BVdVR8dVwdYoyEFcBVuBp7UNKO04LyYLCob-qJL0YoWzledAwLmHNpz2CRKh9kBPHZtIzkMIWoXfk/s400/Kayaking.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
690. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking pretty awesome in our kayaks.</td></tr>
691. </tbody></table>
692. <br /><br />
693.      So the kayaking tour was about two hours long and I believe it was around 2 miles long. It was a piece of cake in the beginning ... even somewhat relaxing; I can't say the same about the second leg. My arms were screaming at me by a little over halfway through the tour. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me really; I can barely do more than five push ups in a row, so paddling for two hours without my arms turning into spaghetti was wishful thinking.<br />
694.      Not only did the tour consist of physical torture, but our tour guide (Caroline) gave information about plants and animals in the area, but also about how Kill Devil Hills got its name. I'll let you look up the background story to why this area is named Kill Devil Hills since it's too much to tell here, but I'll just say it was related to prohibition. It's an interesting story and while you're at it, make sure to look into "The Bridge that Leads Nowhere."<br />
695. <br /><br />
696. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
697. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNybOMe2XNoZ-BYlOa297inhbDWxCKWylTD2TRI7BAynY4-J53nDIdoSsrqw2y7AWwMFJorcJ7K25bKtUplIUeczqXmf4WjTw8Xri761WTBpUJOa6O4XiwSjnfcTWgsHItRHjaP1aLmFY/s1600/BridgeToNowhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNybOMe2XNoZ-BYlOa297inhbDWxCKWylTD2TRI7BAynY4-J53nDIdoSsrqw2y7AWwMFJorcJ7K25bKtUplIUeczqXmf4WjTw8Xri761WTBpUJOa6O4XiwSjnfcTWgsHItRHjaP1aLmFY/s400/BridgeToNowhere.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
698. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us in front of "The Bridge that Leads Nowhere"</td></tr>
699. </tbody></table>
700. <br /><br />
701.      Okay, after two hours of paddling and taking in the sun, we headed back to the house for some downtime. We had originally planned to rent some bicycles today to ride around the OBX, but the heat made us rethink that plan.<br />
702. <br /><br />
703. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
704. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug3BD5Fbr3o4ZyEqgpg9IKZhzXX_BAUnMI52RGNVNRZ8sKsH5zq6UoPIL1-EjViy_BcecldOOBlxFl0qNlG0EHaaxE1uNvFwUgTLw4iPQdGLgT9dhlbvsnxPqCrwKy2Siq0_Ixaxg8kY/s1600/HammockTime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug3BD5Fbr3o4ZyEqgpg9IKZhzXX_BAUnMI52RGNVNRZ8sKsH5zq6UoPIL1-EjViy_BcecldOOBlxFl0qNlG0EHaaxE1uNvFwUgTLw4iPQdGLgT9dhlbvsnxPqCrwKy2Siq0_Ixaxg8kY/s400/HammockTime.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
705. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new favorite of us.<br />
706. During our downtime, we relaxed in the hammock</td></tr>
707. </tbody></table>
708. <br /><br />
709.      After relaxing for a couple hours, we decided to get some frozen custard and then meet the Hiltons at the beach. We went to Kill Devil's Frozen Custard and it wasn't as great as we would've liked. It was practically melted by the time they handed it to us, but our moods shifted once our toes were in the surf.<br />
710. <br /><br />
711. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
712. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLVKaPYZC_gDAAHAvZ8D6PHx_DdKOSFLmtPwVx35rm1EsmKHhb4Oot85iQTRNRdFlEVcVYB14YAG98cIDVecVkexE9mvMyf3AHKeWn0En-NW4V02tymgZR-XLaHZgJQ7mwpti3ZqOQh0/s1600/EveningAtTheBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLVKaPYZC_gDAAHAvZ8D6PHx_DdKOSFLmtPwVx35rm1EsmKHhb4Oot85iQTRNRdFlEVcVYB14YAG98cIDVecVkexE9mvMyf3AHKeWn0En-NW4V02tymgZR-XLaHZgJQ7mwpti3ZqOQh0/s400/EveningAtTheBeach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
713. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guys, I'm seriously surprised he got one photo of me with my eyes open ... that sun was torture.</td></tr>
714. </tbody></table>
715. <br /><br />
716.      I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but I could walk in the surf for hours and never tire of it. I still don't have a desire to live in this type of climate - I'd much prefer the mountains - but even on extremely hot days, walking in the surf is relaxing.<br />
717. <br /><br />
718.     Tonight was another family dinner night, so David and Jody ordered pizza from a local place. It was delicious and as always, it's nice to just sit and relax with family. Jody and I made our way up to the crow's nest around sunset to see the view and also enjoy the breeze the crow's nest provides.<br />
719. <br /><br />
720.     After catching up with Mom about her and Dad's day, which included a road trip to the southern most point of the OBX (something we will experience Sunday) and a ferry ride, I found myself sitting in the living room feeling like I was forgetting something.<br />
721.     *lightbulb*<br />
722.     It's 10:30 p.m. and I still have to write a blog. So here you find me ... trying to recount the day with a little bit of color. However, as my cousin Beth said to me today, "No offense, Matthew's posts are my favorite" and I have to agree with her. Which is something we can all look forward to tomorrow.:)<br />
723. <br /><br />
724.     Until then ...<br />
725. <br /><br />
726. <div style="text-align: center;">
727. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,</em></span></div>
728. <div style="text-align: center;">
729. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>but mood to moment."</em></span></div>
730. <div style="text-align: center;">
731. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em><strong>-Anonymous</strong></em></span></div>
732. <br />
733. <br />
734. <br />
735. <br />
736. <br />
737.      <br />
738. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; More photos can be found by clicking the PhotoStream icon &lt;a href=&quot;http://cl3ver.life/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/8801677070275668781/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-five.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/8801677070275668781'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/8801677070275668781'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-five.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Five'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jmtRkIP-ijjt60VmCBMBS00sbY3Kv8GUfA-74pjicCST4aOdL6NBFAXZaoCtc6BVdVR8dVwdYoyEFcBVuBp7UNKO04LyYLCob-qJL0YoWzledAwLmHNpz2CRKh9kBPHZtIzkMIWoXfk/s72-c/Kayaking.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina</georss:featurename><georss:point>36.0307226 -75.676010099999985</georss:point><georss:box>35.9279801 -75.837371599999983 36.133465099999995 -75.514648599999987</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-5952029351174170891</id><published>2017-07-13T00:04:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-13T00:04:51.188-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Falafel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Holocaust Museum"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="International Spy Museum"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lincoln Memorial"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Metro"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Museum"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Smithsonian"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Hiltons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Washington D.C."/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Four</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Hey, there! Matthew here, checking in on day three of Surviving the Outer Banks.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; If you&#39;ve been keeping up with our trip, you&#39;re aware we are on an adventure in North Carolina. Today is a bit different, though...we&#39;re in Washington, D.C.! I&#39;ll be writing this entry throughout the day today - in fact, I&#39;m tapping this bit out on our metro ride into the city. We&#39;re at King Street station, starting from Franconia-Springfield, and we&#39;ve just been moved to another rail car due to the air conditioning system failing in the car we were in previously.&lt;br /&gt;
739. <br />
740. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
741. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCosZWFW98OsEGhHmcrxYGPBSndewPnKGU-DT3UbVWtWKds84kJ2sgGHOZHaa2l1Pu8FesD5XWghQrPnsS151yK4_oY-etmMTEHRxgBPgjhIRxhgdrV-k4R3dol0AHilnch4nxGDVge0/s1600/Metro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCosZWFW98OsEGhHmcrxYGPBSndewPnKGU-DT3UbVWtWKds84kJ2sgGHOZHaa2l1Pu8FesD5XWghQrPnsS151yK4_oY-etmMTEHRxgBPgjhIRxhgdrV-k4R3dol0AHilnch4nxGDVge0/s400/Metro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
742. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the metro into the city</td></tr>
743. </tbody></table>
744.      That is one thing Washington, D.C.'s metro has over the London Underground - air conditioned cars. A few of the Tube's newer stock are equipped with it, but not all of them. Hopefully by the time we go back that will have changed for the better.<br />     On that note, I'll add that due to our trip to London in 2015 (<a href="http://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-one.html" target="_blank">want to read about it?</a>), Valeri and are pretty familiar with the way urban rail transportation systems work, and have grown quite fond of them. I was actually quite looking forward to the metro commute.<br /><br />     Before I get very far into this entry, I need to mention the drive up here.<br />     If you've ever been within earshot of Valeri's brother, David, you've probably been exposed to his peculiar communication style - which consists mostly of quotes from movies you have never seen before. Entertaining, but at times confusing. Of the few movies I do recognize, he does a decent job of impersonating the actors. Don't tell him I said that though - pride and all.<br />
745. <br />
746.      Our first stop was the Lincoln Memorial - which was much grander in scale than I could have ever imagined. The amount of skill and craftsmanship that went into creating that structure had to be immense. Everything is so very precise and well thought out - and massive!<br />
747. <br />
748. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
749. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5c0T9SdbVIIU-MGAuPhT_hISEIhlcq-UXB3e2mj6ls5wF9_OdRxCO0ofBrlnefh7mURiUv8Hnvkzmh9RehAtBPbocBUj8oI9mlrZuc2JcIfIBtW1XL5ZirrT2fSqNwTa3czMw-HDJeo/s1600/LincolnMemorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5c0T9SdbVIIU-MGAuPhT_hISEIhlcq-UXB3e2mj6ls5wF9_OdRxCO0ofBrlnefh7mURiUv8Hnvkzmh9RehAtBPbocBUj8oI9mlrZuc2JcIfIBtW1XL5ZirrT2fSqNwTa3czMw-HDJeo/s400/LincolnMemorial.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
750. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a quick snap with Lincoln</td></tr>
751. </tbody></table>
752. <br />
753.      For lunch, we made a stop at Amsterdam Falafel Shop. I had the Lamb Shawarma Bowl, Valeri had the Chicken Pita, David had the Lamb Shawarma Pita and Jody had the Falafel Pita (which was a little non-traditional: Falafel smashed inside a pita). It was all pretty tasty. Well...I didn't go around taking bites of everyone's food, but it was reported to me that everyone enjoyed their selection.<br />
754. <br />
755. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
756. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCSTsEScQDWUmG76K75YIeXBPexLufjbsS1e2u_N_c9DyiHsIjRGxflGRPRB8RORHWN0cNUHnCgRy-yGzK7Ku5AZiPzcEajnFMJYmuKy_hQojjSXn02I34-lK_raEguOcd0tEG_wMrLA/s1600/AmsterdamFalafelShop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCSTsEScQDWUmG76K75YIeXBPexLufjbsS1e2u_N_c9DyiHsIjRGxflGRPRB8RORHWN0cNUHnCgRy-yGzK7Ku5AZiPzcEajnFMJYmuKy_hQojjSXn02I34-lK_raEguOcd0tEG_wMrLA/s400/AmsterdamFalafelShop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
757. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam Falafel Shop ... yum</td></tr>
758. </tbody></table>
759.      Honestly, at that point, the food could have been prison gruel, and we would have still been glad because the facility was air conditioned.<br />
760. <br />
761.      We then ventured on to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The entry exhibit was fascinating, but there must have been a bit of a breakdown with the crowd control in the main exhibit, because it was a solid mass of people. Shoulder-to-shoulder is too spacious a description for this. We ended up giving up on forward movement and left.<br />
762. <br />
763. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
764. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojNQqnsNhWflp6Ffp7-vjZoOCdWMIA-a2xlsLs_9_nn0T3K1lMqqDFijzNbC6LwBRiYT9_VlRfiDwIJy9tIhPHHZR8NFoHcFDOSuG8vJrWhTQ_yojZmZJHXuY1_s1riTtKdd-8gsG5rs/s1600/HolocaustMuseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojNQqnsNhWflp6Ffp7-vjZoOCdWMIA-a2xlsLs_9_nn0T3K1lMqqDFijzNbC6LwBRiYT9_VlRfiDwIJy9tIhPHHZR8NFoHcFDOSuG8vJrWhTQ_yojZmZJHXuY1_s1riTtKdd-8gsG5rs/s400/HolocaustMuseum.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
765. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting our tickets to the tour</td></tr>
766. </tbody></table>
767.      It was a bit sad, because it's an interesting part of history; a very sad bit, but interesting nonetheless. Just before the main exhibit, we were issued identification booklets - but they contained the identity of a Holocaust victim. The booklet told the victim's story, including whether or not they survived.<br />
768.      Here are the IDs we were given and how the victims fared:<br />     Valeri:       Judith Schwed, of Hungary, Fallen<br />     Matthew:  Wiadyslaw Piotroski, of Poland, Fallen<br />     Jody:         Emma Arnold, of France, Survivor<br />     David:       György Pick, of Hungary, Survivor<br />     One of the neatest parts of this was that at the reception desk, we were greeted and assisted by a holocaust survivor, Rae Goldfarb.<br />
769. <br />
770. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
771. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWy-iBFJE9yDcjXQaKbuirGKhFwKoe4EojcmXPWbqQaDfKvWvoNKHKWEP83OJeYfSWbGJ3iWkDRmoecq1_u2xCdOQSS2EBC38UGE0OnKRPljmJHpUGEf_mFMKj7P_Em3oLtDcwFsbZZ8/s1600/RaeGoldfarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWy-iBFJE9yDcjXQaKbuirGKhFwKoe4EojcmXPWbqQaDfKvWvoNKHKWEP83OJeYfSWbGJ3iWkDRmoecq1_u2xCdOQSS2EBC38UGE0OnKRPljmJHpUGEf_mFMKj7P_Em3oLtDcwFsbZZ8/s400/RaeGoldfarb.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
772. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holocaust survivor and museum volunteer, Rae Goldfarb</td></tr>
773. </tbody></table>
774. <br />     David and I decided to explore the International Spy Museum while Valeri and Jody perused the Smithsonian Art Museum collection.<br />
775. <br />
776. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
777. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7yy_0Vjupm0vACAPkA5CQV0wSD8e3J9qHrSavqpsd-TRPyEYK2Rvl7p9JSf9dVfi0JTFvERjJEVKEHF3rlPPGdu_Gy26AVL3aJK0iWjl9t2aX-YVHdNiP0EJnafBOZG93nn4FewPrQw/s1600/AstonMartinDB5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7yy_0Vjupm0vACAPkA5CQV0wSD8e3J9qHrSavqpsd-TRPyEYK2Rvl7p9JSf9dVfi0JTFvERjJEVKEHF3rlPPGdu_Gy26AVL3aJK0iWjl9t2aX-YVHdNiP0EJnafBOZG93nn4FewPrQw/s400/AstonMartinDB5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
778. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The International Spy Museum had the Aston Martin DB5</td></tr>
779. </tbody></table>
780. <br />
781. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
782. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT8KGMXorkLjyBGaXHogkKO8cFgQRHyivl1iltv7mZHon7VKZ0OHnXCC5cp-18Iafo5gpgUqZmQo7HInUf8sPhImCDfnOo94M1wYjId_5t0kKKDYElLmkJ8WMrY8kO66rIDrZmSECaTI/s1600/NinjaDavid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT8KGMXorkLjyBGaXHogkKO8cFgQRHyivl1iltv7mZHon7VKZ0OHnXCC5cp-18Iafo5gpgUqZmQo7HInUf8sPhImCDfnOo94M1wYjId_5t0kKKDYElLmkJ8WMrY8kO66rIDrZmSECaTI/s400/NinjaDavid.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
783. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Introducing Ninja David</td></tr>
784. </tbody></table>
785. <br />     I can't speak about Valeri's adventure with any authority, but I can say David and I had a lot to look at. We didn't even have enough time to get through everything. If you're interested - even in the slightest - in the world behind the shadows, definitely check it out.<br />
786. <br />
787. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
788. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhq-0rPPgMVioSnre6l9bsYmk7fsboXEq9Cxxg0YupZv4XKMTRd1MRGs1_n_fuDhPYS_jBOXm1LY5Nm8hbwvUpNfH2f2Oprhc2BVKBua74Qr0oQisfsVn38RQbDLoGaVX7_RU3mBRDeM/s1600/SmithsonianArtMuseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhq-0rPPgMVioSnre6l9bsYmk7fsboXEq9Cxxg0YupZv4XKMTRd1MRGs1_n_fuDhPYS_jBOXm1LY5Nm8hbwvUpNfH2f2Oprhc2BVKBua74Qr0oQisfsVn38RQbDLoGaVX7_RU3mBRDeM/s400/SmithsonianArtMuseum.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
789. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
790. This is Val ... loved the Smithsonian Art Museum</div>
791. <div>
792. This is Jody taking in one of the sections</div>
793. </td></tr>
794. </tbody></table>
795. <br />
796. <b><br /></b>
797.      Unfortunately, the temperature was far too high to be comfortable. Big surprise in July, huh? We survived, but there were a few times throughout our journey that I seriously doubted we would. I think we all lost a few pounds via perspiration.<br />
798. <br />
799. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
800. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93i5zwnMu1lCF_I8-SW-PDTHQJSbe3mcKqzmFoA9yREzTE8UvHNhyphenhyphenNELx7B4Nfl4aCoy11PyuFVNMl6esIYtA5t7_Poq8e9mCAezkyPLR0_S1N-UeSNivxV5oEWYAMbfQKPAd0Vecx8I/s1600/WhiteHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93i5zwnMu1lCF_I8-SW-PDTHQJSbe3mcKqzmFoA9yREzTE8UvHNhyphenhyphenNELx7B4Nfl4aCoy11PyuFVNMl6esIYtA5t7_Poq8e9mCAezkyPLR0_S1N-UeSNivxV5oEWYAMbfQKPAd0Vecx8I/s400/WhiteHouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
801. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before leaving the city, we checked out the White House. It's the speck of a building behind us.</td></tr>
802. </tbody></table>
803.      Due to the heat and the fact we had woken up pretty early, we decided to head out of D.C. a bit earlier than we'd originally planned - and it is a good thing we did, because Siri's idea of the ideal return route didn't quite live up to its name.<br />
804.      We did finally make it home - and after 17 hours of commuting to D.C., exploring D.C. Then commuting from D.C., this bed has never felt so comfortable!<br />
805. <div>
806. <b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><br /></strike></div>
807. <div>
808. <div style="text-align: center;">
809. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,</em></span></div>
810. <div style="text-align: center;">
811. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>but mood to moment."</em></span></div>
812. <div style="text-align: center;">
813. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em><strong>-Anonymous</strong></em></span></div>
814. <br />
815.      More photos can be found by clicking the PhotoStream icon <a href="http://cl3ver.life/" target="_blank">on our website</a>.</div>
816. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/5952029351174170891/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-four.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/5952029351174170891'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/5952029351174170891'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-four.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Four'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCosZWFW98OsEGhHmcrxYGPBSndewPnKGU-DT3UbVWtWKds84kJ2sgGHOZHaa2l1Pu8FesD5XWghQrPnsS151yK4_oY-etmMTEHRxgBPgjhIRxhgdrV-k4R3dol0AHilnch4nxGDVge0/s72-c/Metro.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Washington, D.C.</georss:featurename><georss:point>38.9071923 -77.036870700000009</georss:point><georss:box>38.7094553 -77.3595942 39.104929299999995 -76.714147200000014</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-7620451368349917152</id><published>2017-07-11T22:57:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-13T22:49:21.112-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coquina Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fort Raleigh"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lighthouse"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Poor Richard&#39;s"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sand Crab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Shark Tooth"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Snow&#39;s Nest"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunset"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Hiltons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Maddoxs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Three</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Valeri here.&lt;br /&gt;
817. <br />
818. <br />
819.      First things first, Matthew and I have managed to not turn into lobsters our first full day. #Winning<br />
820.      We are still just as pale as when we left Missouri ... just in case you were wondering. The SPF70 we used may have helped.<br />
821. <br />
822. <br />
823.      Okay, on to the day.<br />
824.      We woke up later than we planned (8 a.m.) and we're blaming that mainly on the road trip wearing us out. Blah. So we got up and had some coffee and conversation with Jody up in the crow's nest while we took in the view.<br />
825. <br />
826. <br />
827. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
828. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNasqf05wiLJQWPgJBvC-n-6HAsJDQ5vjgeUs-JR6zfvD3HhIf-q7erOL3RJwhiMnCS0uPtop_86JYpNtg9guG71j7HbKB4EnkS05S77o2Wpz9Vh_CUoK5roEHiIhm_K69YG96wRwfxM/s1600/SnowsNest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNasqf05wiLJQWPgJBvC-n-6HAsJDQ5vjgeUs-JR6zfvD3HhIf-q7erOL3RJwhiMnCS0uPtop_86JYpNtg9guG71j7HbKB4EnkS05S77o2Wpz9Vh_CUoK5roEHiIhm_K69YG96wRwfxM/s400/SnowsNest.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
829. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the crow's nest at the top.</td></tr>
830. </tbody></table>
831. <br />
832. <br />
833.      I'm not sure we've told you about the crow's nest yet. The house we're staying at has a little elevated deck on the roof, which happens to be the highest crow's nest in the OBX. It provides a great view and also a perfect coffee spot in the morning/evening.<br />
834. <br />
835. <br />
836.      After coffee, Matthew and I grabbed bagels/cream cheese to take with us to the beach.<br />
837.      The walk was about 10 minutes, which isn't bad since we enjoy a good walk. However, as we found out a couple hours later on our walk back, 10 minutes in North Carolina's July heat isn't so wonderful.<br />
838.     We walked along the beach toward a pier we had seen the night before. Matthew gave me lessons in searching for sharks teeth along the surf ... which is also not a dry sport. By the time we got to the pier, we were drenched from the waste down.<br />
839. <br />
840. <br />
841. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
842. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklsXEDWYXoOQs1PTREVF1fWklyAnnsNkk2njncgGttdJd2qU-1TjQm_IPwZ4ADOBPLYffCBPfsik44AWmP4jf0ODHWcyHoKBD7lPysJ-8Yrtf1_cPq5T-db3XGc-Zd_s7VQut-WmlCqk/s1600/SharkTooth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklsXEDWYXoOQs1PTREVF1fWklyAnnsNkk2njncgGttdJd2qU-1TjQm_IPwZ4ADOBPLYffCBPfsik44AWmP4jf0ODHWcyHoKBD7lPysJ-8Yrtf1_cPq5T-db3XGc-Zd_s7VQut-WmlCqk/s400/SharkTooth.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
843. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shark's tooth Matthew found</td></tr>
844. </tbody></table>
845.      The cold waves though were a nice relief from the heat.<br />
846. <br />
847. <br />
848. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
849. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdC1-Ga2SNnolLwwG1wxqUMMPZezjiOCPVkkyxXMHMQpil8aWFaFUXjQo5UhOBp7jW05g8A7aB1Tj_9DJZfeFgd29L6zWw1n8N9ab3iimgbU-Xg2TEUZnHmr7KiXiXC85qzxcqICmEvw/s1600/BeachMorning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdC1-Ga2SNnolLwwG1wxqUMMPZezjiOCPVkkyxXMHMQpil8aWFaFUXjQo5UhOBp7jW05g8A7aB1Tj_9DJZfeFgd29L6zWw1n8N9ab3iimgbU-Xg2TEUZnHmr7KiXiXC85qzxcqICmEvw/s400/BeachMorning.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
850. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our morning walk in the surf</td></tr>
851. </tbody></table>
852. <br />
853. <br />
854. <br />
855. <br />
856.      About an hour later, we met up with the rest of the family and watched while most of them swam. It was funny seeing Dad have to hold onto his straw hat as he went underwater to avoid a wave. I'm still surprised he didn't lose it at some point. I'm sure you'll get a glimpse of what I'm talking about in our video montage at the end of the trip.<br />
857. <br />
858. <br />
859.      After getting some sun and enjoying the surf, we made our way back to the house to change for lunch.<br />
860. <br />
861. <br />
862. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
863. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Yp7jvtOF7pcnj-6e6XmODSY-7V3O7l9ghGBpNu2a6LJZqJc_E1qd933hP0gNdo5CkO8DgwHndrvAr4pNUQ0gvssQfL8uMo6z8chikJzf1w8nqGNR-uO9dShyUwD2GSKwxi0hCZlOXaI/s1600/FamilyPoorRichards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Yp7jvtOF7pcnj-6e6XmODSY-7V3O7l9ghGBpNu2a6LJZqJc_E1qd933hP0gNdo5CkO8DgwHndrvAr4pNUQ0gvssQfL8uMo6z8chikJzf1w8nqGNR-uO9dShyUwD2GSKwxi0hCZlOXaI/s320/FamilyPoorRichards.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
864. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The family at Poor Richard's</td></tr>
865. </tbody></table>
866. <br />
867. <br />
868.      Lunch was at a small sandwich shop in Manteo called Poor Richard's. It definitely didn't disappoint. Matthew had the Philly Cheesesteak and I had a turkey and swiss on rye.<br />
869. <br />
870. <br />
871. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
872. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCdn2ivxfjxH5-OAiM0vya-BLzoSRcck_0GpIcF7BMGiyMOj-8JamxQHm8vwWNw5GSolMD4RwopRmwF55kMAoiUA43nra5_Sz12RpJiZf0Q1AwLqXlb_ctKVIQgvyOD6zprkPW6uhvTo/s1600/PhillyCheesesteak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCdn2ivxfjxH5-OAiM0vya-BLzoSRcck_0GpIcF7BMGiyMOj-8JamxQHm8vwWNw5GSolMD4RwopRmwF55kMAoiUA43nra5_Sz12RpJiZf0Q1AwLqXlb_ctKVIQgvyOD6zprkPW6uhvTo/s400/PhillyCheesesteak.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
873. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's Philly.</td></tr>
874. </tbody></table>
875. <br />
876. <br />
877.      Not only was the food in Manteo good, but the buildings and little shops gave a fun atmosphere. We made sure to visit a small bookstore before heading to Fort Raleigh National Park.<br />
878. <br />
879. <br />
880.      Fort Raleigh is a good place to learn about the history of the lost colony and the National Park was beautiful. Jody spotted a neat tree, so we ended up doing a little photo op.<br />
881. <br />
882. <br />
883. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
884. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxba2R_2fnHmS53yD6LMqQ4DkV1i4SxcJU5ARb2XyXuOnf7R3LlSK6MGI8isd-ErG94VxOFG3W-s9NjHRd3NJszuEniaNJrxvIe_JEsuU_5q_AK4ZF83j5ANkq4zZcB5d9hI3BG63ChIY/s1600/FamilyFortRaleigh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxba2R_2fnHmS53yD6LMqQ4DkV1i4SxcJU5ARb2XyXuOnf7R3LlSK6MGI8isd-ErG94VxOFG3W-s9NjHRd3NJszuEniaNJrxvIe_JEsuU_5q_AK4ZF83j5ANkq4zZcB5d9hI3BG63ChIY/s400/FamilyFortRaleigh.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
885. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The family at Fort Raleigh National Park</td></tr>
886. </tbody></table>
887. <br />
888. <br />
889.      So for today's last family outing, we visited Bodie Island Lighthouse. I'd never seen a lighthouse in person, so I was excited.<br />
890.      I'm not really sure how to describe it, so I'll just let the photo speak for itself.<br />
891. <br />
892. <br />
893. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
894. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8YA5kgNYXw7cGTWRr42HPKU2-Z4eexVgBXCk_4KSi7Zg0yLCjvoiu_R0_Uo4PKEqO5nWn1f1mCJ7XJ3A0IH5WN_pIk9zW6FJl1MwuGrvTIgERb6QeMLchoCfXLc2E1GqB3oaPlrySEk/s1600/Lighthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8YA5kgNYXw7cGTWRr42HPKU2-Z4eexVgBXCk_4KSi7Zg0yLCjvoiu_R0_Uo4PKEqO5nWn1f1mCJ7XJ3A0IH5WN_pIk9zW6FJl1MwuGrvTIgERb6QeMLchoCfXLc2E1GqB3oaPlrySEk/s400/Lighthouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
895. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow ... right?!?</td></tr>
896. </tbody></table>
897. <br />
898. <br />
899.      There was also a little overlook area that we walked out to where we could see some crabs swimming in the water and Katie continually freak out about the "Venomous snakes have been seen in tall grass, so stay on the walkway" signs.:)<br />
900. <br />
901. <br />
902. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
903. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLKvd8BLFlcPAjqJYiSOzn-qo8IJZ1LNBfGFb6euKpmNfug2e01dGuA7O44SIolTxEiBitfyeNEixOWogOJzqymo4Pnx2uHE9KpHoCl7ADbXRyYo5NXghsf2-yCP9d_52eC6b9DG4M1o/s1600/ScenicOverlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLKvd8BLFlcPAjqJYiSOzn-qo8IJZ1LNBfGFb6euKpmNfug2e01dGuA7O44SIolTxEiBitfyeNEixOWogOJzqymo4Pnx2uHE9KpHoCl7ADbXRyYo5NXghsf2-yCP9d_52eC6b9DG4M1o/s320/ScenicOverlook.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
904. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three smiling faces and one wise guy</td></tr>
905. </tbody></table>
906. <br />
907. <br />
908.      I think everyone was ready to get back to the house to relax a little, however, there was no rest for the Pearons since it was our night to cook the family dinner.<br />
909.      So we made a grocery run and did our thing in the kitchen ... well, Matthew did while I lent a hand when it was needed.<br />
910. <br />
911. <br />
912.      After dinner we scurried off to Coquina Beach to watch the sunset. We made it just in time, but plan to go back so we can set up the GoPro for a timelapse.<br />
913. <br />
914. <br />
915. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
916. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6KtDMPiyzBb-q25f1OX1T88AfupYg0nvNLyqPaGJv923daPb6CE_U2MMUjX3C_JEWM23grJ2XVyONtYeb9ep2SoF76AyjJRH9mzQrcGYnquzkcQO8vLwtKZfbYuaMzPZbrpZWqBnCPg/s1600/CoquinaBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6KtDMPiyzBb-q25f1OX1T88AfupYg0nvNLyqPaGJv923daPb6CE_U2MMUjX3C_JEWM23grJ2XVyONtYeb9ep2SoF76AyjJRH9mzQrcGYnquzkcQO8vLwtKZfbYuaMzPZbrpZWqBnCPg/s640/CoquinaBeach.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
917. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coquina Beach at sunset</td></tr>
918. </tbody></table>
919. <br />
920. <br />
921.      Not only did we see the sunset while there, but also a <strong><em>lot</em></strong> of sand crabs. So many that I was afraid of where to step. I actually think Matthew stepped on one and he had to somewhat run away from another one ... <strong><em>so</em></strong> many.<br />
922. <br />
923. <br />
924.      I'm seriously wiped out. I'm surprised I made a through writing this without passing out.<br />
925.      I apologize though for the lack of original storytelling ... my brain wasn't wanting to work that hard tonight. Thank you though for sticking with me.<br />
926.      Tomorrow is our day in Washington, D.C., and you'll have Matthew's recap. He's pretty excited about a day in the city, so I'm sure he'll give you a wonderful play-by-play.<br />
927. <br />
928. <br />
929.      Until then ...<br />
930. <br />
931. <br />
932. <div style="text-align: center;">
933. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,</em></span></div>
934. <div style="text-align: center;">
935. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>but mood to moment."</em></span></div>
936. <div style="text-align: center;">
937. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em><strong>-Anonymous</strong></em></span></div>
938. <br />
939. <br />
940.      <br />
941. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; More photos can be found by clicking the photostream icon &lt;a href=&quot;http://cl3ver.life/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/7620451368349917152/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-three.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7620451368349917152'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7620451368349917152'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-three.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Three'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNasqf05wiLJQWPgJBvC-n-6HAsJDQ5vjgeUs-JR6zfvD3HhIf-q7erOL3RJwhiMnCS0uPtop_86JYpNtg9guG71j7HbKB4EnkS05S77o2Wpz9Vh_CUoK5roEHiIhm_K69YG96wRwfxM/s72-c/SnowsNest.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina</georss:featurename><georss:point>36.0307226 -75.676010099999985</georss:point><georss:box>35.9279801 -75.837371599999983 36.133465099999995 -75.514648599999987</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-7477861135628932056</id><published>2017-07-10T23:48:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-10T23:48:05.907-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Carl the Crab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Carolina"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="OBX"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sand Crab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Outer Banks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Virginia"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="West Virginia"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Two</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Matthew here, signing on from North Carolina&#39;s beautiful Outer Banks!&lt;br /&gt;
942. <br />
943.      I'm sure by now you've read the first entry authored by my lovely wife, Valeri (if not, click here), but this is my first contribution, so I would like to start by welcoming you to yet another adventure with your favorite virtual travel companions: the Pearons. We're glad to have you along...now buckle up and settle in.<br />
944.      Today was a lot of...well...nothing, really. It consisted almost entirely of staring at hard, black asphalt and watching white and yellow lines zip by. There was the occasional reprieve from the roads via a rest stop or fast food restaurant. For the most part, it was uneventful. Now for the nitty-gritty details of the day.<br />
945.      We started the day at our hotel in Shelbyville, Kentucky, with a quick breakfast of eggs, waffles, bagels, yogurt and juice – all of which was provided by the hotel. We were actually ahead of schedule, but it seemed like it took an eternity to escape the city limits. I think we ended up actually leaving town by 07:20.<br />
946.     ...and then came the afore mentioned driving. A lot of it. I can throw units of time around here (10.5 hours / 603 minutes / 37,800 seconds / eternity), but I don't think any of those properly convey how much road tripping was actually done here. Don't get me wrong, I love to drive, but this was a bit much. It was mostly interstate travel, and the vehicle was a very small commuter, so other than some neat scenery, there wasn't much to be excited about.<br />
947. <br />
948.      Anyway, enough about the drive - lets get on to the destination.<br />
949. <br />
950.      Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Outer Banks:<br />
951. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
952. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vWlJCmh2gdapgsVB0yZF6f9jiH0TIQX_kWunExmUB5tWFJndNniXQrxxyN2lPKuL7Ru6LQK4Iu_a7I5zGoOc3D6_oJqd3Lx69vHrJ-2IAZ-RC3FlnFwgidEyLM7sli1X0Lv7NYk-_lY/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vWlJCmh2gdapgsVB0yZF6f9jiH0TIQX_kWunExmUB5tWFJndNniXQrxxyN2lPKuL7Ru6LQK4Iu_a7I5zGoOc3D6_oJqd3Lx69vHrJ-2IAZ-RC3FlnFwgidEyLM7sli1X0Lv7NYk-_lY/s640/beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
953.      Enough said? Yeah, I thought so too. It is early days yet, so the verdict is still out - but this might have been worth the trip.<br />
954. <br />
955.      This is only Valeri's second beach outing, so I had to snap a quick shot of her taking it all in.<br />
956. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
957. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHeG5SnNuXQKrdTZwJeooTAlpZr_Lb7x3chr9zOzYOsBlFy43PH1szZJ3EhguWHhTnPZfvd70mMzRVZW8WZlQEzt7cUuDsrDtP7MOIo9CXnKRG0MgxrRDo_FnPWP_TOchq8Si-2K8iHs/s1600/beach3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHeG5SnNuXQKrdTZwJeooTAlpZr_Lb7x3chr9zOzYOsBlFy43PH1szZJ3EhguWHhTnPZfvd70mMzRVZW8WZlQEzt7cUuDsrDtP7MOIo9CXnKRG0MgxrRDo_FnPWP_TOchq8Si-2K8iHs/s640/beach3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
958.      Gorgeous, huh? The beach isn't half bad, either.  ;)<br />
959. <br />
960.     We were joined in our wonderment of the jaw-dropping sunset by a sand crab. After this sighting, Valeri was hyper alert to where she was placing her feet. She wasn't very keen on the idea of having a crab nip at her toes.<br />
961. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
962. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4x-OOLlQosDrxx2_7LRA4_qfTM9PY_9GB7l3hBigT1upoarEn1eQX-fB1V-_PrpW_CzCnm2oyaj7l36uwfzatA-qK3mGiiUFphXmQEi3bWhvs54j6GOOrTHwmge8wD5UqLESGpI60XNM/s1600/beach4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="1159" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4x-OOLlQosDrxx2_7LRA4_qfTM9PY_9GB7l3hBigT1upoarEn1eQX-fB1V-_PrpW_CzCnm2oyaj7l36uwfzatA-qK3mGiiUFphXmQEi3bWhvs54j6GOOrTHwmge8wD5UqLESGpI60XNM/s640/beach4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
963.      Meet Carl. He's blending pretty well, which made it tricky to get him in focus.<br />
964. <br />
965.      We have several very busy days ahead of us - which start bright and early tomorrow morning - so I'm going to let you fabulous people stop reading my ramblings and go about your business!<br />
966. <br />
967.      This is Matthew, signing off.<br />
968. <br />
969. <br />
970. <div style="text-align: center;">
971. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,</em></span></div>
972. <div style="text-align: center;">
973. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>but mood to moment."</em></span></div>
974. <div style="text-align: center;">
975. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em><strong>-Anonymous</strong></em></span></div>
976. <br />
977. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; More photos can be found by clicking the PhotoStream icon &lt;a href=&quot;http://cl3ver.life/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;on our website&lt;/a&gt;.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/7477861135628932056/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-two.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7477861135628932056'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7477861135628932056'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-two.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day Two'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vWlJCmh2gdapgsVB0yZF6f9jiH0TIQX_kWunExmUB5tWFJndNniXQrxxyN2lPKuL7Ru6LQK4Iu_a7I5zGoOc3D6_oJqd3Lx69vHrJ-2IAZ-RC3FlnFwgidEyLM7sli1X0Lv7NYk-_lY/s72-c/beach.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina</georss:featurename><georss:point>36.0307226 -75.676010099999985</georss:point><georss:box>35.9279801 -75.837371599999983 36.133465099999995 -75.514648599999987</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-7556338304210991604</id><published>2017-07-10T09:07:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2017-07-19T12:41:36.744-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Indiana"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Kentucky"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pizza"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Santa Claus"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Shelbyville"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Summertime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Maddoxs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><title type='text'>Surviving the Outer Banks: Day One</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;font-family: &#39;Helvetica Neue Light&#39;, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;&quot;&gt;
978.      Okay, where to start?</div>
979. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
980.      Well, let's start with the fact that this is my second attempt at this post. Also, this is Val.</div>
981. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
982.      I was typing away while Matthew was driving, then something went wrong and here I am back to a blank page. I apologize in advance ... my quick wit was in that first entry, so there may not be as much left for this one. Le sigh.<br />
983. <br /></div>
984. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
985. <br /></div>
986. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
987.      Since I'm a lover of all things roadtrips, I volunteered to write this first entry. If Matthew would've written it, it would've consisted of, "We drove. The end." Such poetry.<br />
988.      So I volunteered him for the second entry, which now that I think about it, doesn't seem like a great idea since it'll consist of 10 hours on the road. Oh well, that's a heads up to tomorrow's readers ...<br />
989. <br /></div>
990. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
991. <br /></div>
992. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
993.      Anyway, our day yesterday began with leaving the house at 11 a.m. with Mom and Dad not far in front of us. We met up with them in Kingdom City for some lunch.</div>
994. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
995.      Now, we normally don't eat at fast food places while on vacation, but there's not much to choose around Kingdom City. So Burger King it was. However, Matthew was happy to have some chicken fries.</div>
996. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
997. <br /></div>
998. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
999.      After lunch we headed across the street to see a firefighter memorial Dad had told us about a few weeks ago. It was an interesting memorial. We didn't snap any photos while there, but if you're ever in the area, it's something to see.:)<br />
1000. <br /></div>
1001. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
1002. <br /></div>
1003. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
1004.      We then hit the road again to drive ... and drive ... and drive.</div>
1005. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
1006. <br /></div>
1007. <div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
1008.      We then drove some more.<br />
1009. <br />
1010. <br />
1011. <br />
1012.      I'm going to just jump ahead to our stop in Santa Claus, Indiana. As anyone who knows me can probably assume, I was excited to see a 22-foot-tall statue of Santa.<br />
1013.      However, after looking for the statue and not finding it, we asked Santa himself at the Christmas Store. He happily obliged.<br />
1014.      He showed us on a map how to get there and mentioned since it closes at 5 p.m., we may have to climb the gate to get to the statue. I'd like to note Santa didn't bat an eye when suggesting criminal activity.<br />
1015.      He sent us off with, "After you go trespassing, head down to the Candy Castle and get yourself a frozen hot chocolate."<br />
1016. <br />
1017. <span id="goog_1126793480"></span><span id="goog_1126793481"></span><br />
1018. <br />
1019. <br />
1020. <br />
1021. <br />
1022. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1023. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xvjaF1gp0ac86YNqntYGxNabMihT87r19-HOxyOTTt3jSVbtvqs2tQlYCybsC19lUAJTfFYi509oTou6HRnrYzOwIv20ErntfFTwSqglgFQNt2xgoenSpsF_jaCiWihgohMdiyQU_I0/s1600/Santa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xvjaF1gp0ac86YNqntYGxNabMihT87r19-HOxyOTTt3jSVbtvqs2tQlYCybsC19lUAJTfFYi509oTou6HRnrYzOwIv20ErntfFTwSqglgFQNt2xgoenSpsF_jaCiWihgohMdiyQU_I0/s400/Santa.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1024. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Mom, Dad and Santa in Santa Claus, Indiana</td></tr>
1025. </tbody></table>
1026. <br />
1027. <br />
1028.      After seeing the statue and getting some very sweet frozen hot chocolate, we hit the road again.<br />
1029. <br />
1030. <br />
1031. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1032. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzURNZ9YYLbiEf-gjdvccq3C1H3mrI0jXzYh9UAQO5esDG6ZN-6WDlEnf9El6bMrfkzb5_AnY6fWZSiFiafJw7rvU_281MStR94SkXhQZAsKGaaNXNyu8OIg82Frl4PP4axVvBg0BiLk/s1600/CandyCastle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzURNZ9YYLbiEf-gjdvccq3C1H3mrI0jXzYh9UAQO5esDG6ZN-6WDlEnf9El6bMrfkzb5_AnY6fWZSiFiafJw7rvU_281MStR94SkXhQZAsKGaaNXNyu8OIg82Frl4PP4axVvBg0BiLk/s400/CandyCastle.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1033. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of Santa's Candy Castle</td></tr>
1034. </tbody></table>
1035. <br />
1036. <br />
1037.      It wasn't too long until we hit Louisville, then Shelbyville, Kentucky.<br />
1038.      We planned to meet Mom and Dad and the Hiltons at the hotel. We were just a few minutes behind Mom and Dad, but arrived about 20 minutes after them. There's a much too infuriating story about a Garmin navigation system making us miss an exit, but we won't go into that here. Let's just say the Garmin was a few seconds from being thrown out the window.<br />
1039. <br />
1040.      Once we were at the hotel and checked in, we noticed how late it was and knew we needed to get to Hometown Pizza before they closed.<br />
1041.      I had researched this place and saw it had 4.9 stars and great reviews. Well, it definitely didn't disappoint. It earned that rating.<br />
1042. <br />
1043. <br />
1044. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1045. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPiSVpmhDUWSzThWR9giALc0ewhtb8NbNdiidExpic2grMoZyFyPa6VPMlus3l3X8EF9Ws773Ch53F8xVmaj-8udYalv8VvPLMt6T3QIE-YDpr_nI5In9gCbpihiULGzoF77g4iyoOiU/s1600/Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPiSVpmhDUWSzThWR9giALc0ewhtb8NbNdiidExpic2grMoZyFyPa6VPMlus3l3X8EF9Ws773Ch53F8xVmaj-8udYalv8VvPLMt6T3QIE-YDpr_nI5In9gCbpihiULGzoF77g4iyoOiU/s400/Pizza.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1046. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's Chicken Artichoke and White Chicken pizza</td></tr>
1047. </tbody></table>
1048. <br />
1049. <br />
1050.      Matthew had a small pizza (half Chicken Artichoke and half White Chicken) and I had an individual pepperoni pizza. Mom and Dad also had the White Chicken.<br />
1051.      It was delicious. Their crust was so crisp ... I'm still dreaming about it.<br />
1052. <br />
1053. <br />
1054. <br />
1055.      After dinner we headed back for some much needed shut eye, which is why I'm writing this blog while we drive through a very hilly Kentucky countryside. More about that in the second blog post though ... if you're lucky. Like I said, Matthew will be writing it.<br />
1056. <br />
1057. <br />
1058. <div style="text-align: center;">
1059. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>"At the beach, life is different ... time doesn't move hour to hour,</em></span></div>
1060. <div style="text-align: center;">
1061. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em>but mood to moment."</em></span></div>
1062. <div style="text-align: center;">
1063. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><em><strong>-Anonymous</strong></em></span></div>
1064. <br />
1065. <br />
1066. <br />
1067. <br />
1068. <br />
1069.      More photos can be found by clicking the photostream icon <a href="http://cl3ver.life/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
1070. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1071. <br /></div>
1072. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/7556338304210991604/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-one_10.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7556338304210991604'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/7556338304210991604'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2017/07/surviving-outer-banks-day-one_10.html' title='Surviving the Outer Banks: Day One'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xvjaF1gp0ac86YNqntYGxNabMihT87r19-HOxyOTTt3jSVbtvqs2tQlYCybsC19lUAJTfFYi509oTou6HRnrYzOwIv20ErntfFTwSqglgFQNt2xgoenSpsF_jaCiWihgohMdiyQU_I0/s72-c/Santa.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-2962818005244679573</id><published>2016-10-11T17:29:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2016-10-11T17:29:57.737-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="BART"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Biscoff Coffee Corner"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Falafel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Flights"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Greek Cuisine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Gyros"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="MCI"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="North Beach Gyros"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pier 39"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sea Lions"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="SFO"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Embarcadero"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving San Francisco - Day Five</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!&amp;nbsp;Matthew here.&lt;br /&gt;
1073. <br />
1074.      We apologize for the delay in posting this, but we were pretty worn from our journey last night, so my body decided you fine people could wait an extra day.<br />
1075. <br />
1076.      Our last day in San Francisco was a short, but busy one.<br />
1077.      After checking out of our Airbnb (which was an interesting one - see <a href="http://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-four.html" target="_blank">Day Four's entry</a>), we began the day (as is usual) with a coffee run. This morning's choice was Biscoff Coffee Corner on Pier 39.  <br />
1078. <br />
1079. <br />
1080. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1081. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MquSG6AmYxO4S8PwrBky5WvAC2u6een6GNZRi1BU28b0gQzlvKVxAfvq31hcgI9GNhMx9Ow8Nn511H-3sHmfV0tJDzAGPuPXRuh4fH2-av63p4w2rIuY7e0x9NQLX9taC7BLIU5IfLM/s1600/Biscoff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MquSG6AmYxO4S8PwrBky5WvAC2u6een6GNZRi1BU28b0gQzlvKVxAfvq31hcgI9GNhMx9Ow8Nn511H-3sHmfV0tJDzAGPuPXRuh4fH2-av63p4w2rIuY7e0x9NQLX9taC7BLIU5IfLM/s400/Biscoff.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1082. <br />
1083. <br />
1084.      This gave us the opportunity to experience the piers during the day. We had briefly walked along The Embarcadero at night, so we got to see a few of the lights and peeked into a few of the shops, but most of them were already closing, so we couldn't stay long.<br />
1085. <br />
1086. <br />
1087. <br />
1088. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1089. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU1JylJtrba4Sl4jxIesq9LKq2lVoZ6tQm2lalQ3xG2hTipZiUiDPYJSk9kHO1APpqVgBln0jN1MYXVYCnFzEAnht-6Ra34dOJQFiyKZPmp0quFc_TyRbTriWURWAKw9R6SFbwnCxaNU/s1600/Pier39+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU1JylJtrba4Sl4jxIesq9LKq2lVoZ6tQm2lalQ3xG2hTipZiUiDPYJSk9kHO1APpqVgBln0jN1MYXVYCnFzEAnht-6Ra34dOJQFiyKZPmp0quFc_TyRbTriWURWAKw9R6SFbwnCxaNU/s400/Pier39+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1090. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us at Pier 39</td></tr>
1091. </tbody></table>
1092. <br />
1093. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1094. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa3zHjjFtbqk20Fux7kuL9GXM9Id3efXkywwodVeV0_TMrKl6NYYzAIuddINty7lAi-nCznfbXo-seWI7_q5YMXimjOStpXl0YWtWsiptoX0MMY1QcBqYLyIWn4z4rvII-ELipGJib18/s1600/Pier39.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa3zHjjFtbqk20Fux7kuL9GXM9Id3efXkywwodVeV0_TMrKl6NYYzAIuddINty7lAi-nCznfbXo-seWI7_q5YMXimjOStpXl0YWtWsiptoX0MMY1QcBqYLyIWn4z4rvII-ELipGJib18/s400/Pier39.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1095. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pier 39 with some birds making their way into our photo.</td></tr>
1096. </tbody></table>
1097. <br />
1098. <br />
1099.      It's a carnival atmosphere. People are everywhere. Little shops cover every square inch, lights are strewn about overhead in a haphazard fashion, music is playing and sea lions are barking in the distance. Yes, sea lions! We got to see to the famous Pier 39 Sea Lions. They were absolutely hilarious to watch and hear. They get riled up and shove each other off the docks all while barking like mad at one another for reasons unknown to me.<br />
1100. <br />
1101.      Next, we headed out to find North Beach Gyros. This was quite a walk and I had tweaked my knee at some point the day before, so it was a slow walk. If you've been out and about with us, you know our normal walking pace is anything but slow. We're not quite sure why that is, but moving that slowly was torturous. Either way, the trek was very much worth it.<br />
1102. <br />
1103. <br />
1104. <br />
1105. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1106. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKDlrN4_0ync7KpRnqXr-DzqrNZT03Mq1PqUY_24VfJYxKGNo6gE2ZUXbI0CuKlFC7BEMQ9hrdnXDZ4tTZi_sN0nxUjPR2_RM-3yN85RV509Zjts9tNUHBxYOEKN40Ag_Bviub0fzIps/s1600/NorthBeachGyro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKDlrN4_0ync7KpRnqXr-DzqrNZT03Mq1PqUY_24VfJYxKGNo6gE2ZUXbI0CuKlFC7BEMQ9hrdnXDZ4tTZi_sN0nxUjPR2_RM-3yN85RV509Zjts9tNUHBxYOEKN40Ag_Bviub0fzIps/s400/NorthBeachGyro.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
1107. <b><br /></b><br />
1108. <b><br /></b>
1109.      This was absolutely phenomenal, and receives top marks in my book. If "the toppest of marks" was a valid phrase, I would have used it there - it was that good. We started with a Falafel order, which was a first for both of us. I am <i>very</i> proud of my wife for sampling (and enjoying) this. Her culinary decisions tend to lean toward the adventurous side when we are on vacation. No complaints here!<br />
1110. <br />
1111. <br />
1112. <br />
1113. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1114. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIGej7nYFbHird3S21eFxVcF2YUkSFuzfuU-1lUz7hyphenhyphenwOHhKhyvOSyUgfv0b2BTCP2aQ1D1TnFDsE1FFKsIDcLY7POFOpfe9UZnSPHNby2H3u5yztq0oPoCRQEJ3l0ixvclcAt8-TZ8I/s1600/Falafel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIGej7nYFbHird3S21eFxVcF2YUkSFuzfuU-1lUz7hyphenhyphenwOHhKhyvOSyUgfv0b2BTCP2aQ1D1TnFDsE1FFKsIDcLY7POFOpfe9UZnSPHNby2H3u5yztq0oPoCRQEJ3l0ixvclcAt8-TZ8I/s400/Falafel.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1115. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Falafel</td></tr>
1116. </tbody></table>
1117. <br />
1118. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1119. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswVWh_fEaLxJKU0TIJ21-H0DJSF8zewaxfRiTwddw6p5iX-RBgKbc5o1HjoPxVUZdJEQnCHjU_AbBQz6GxtFmlrzb5NqxF-qsrkXlqcLK2jpKgW96hyimDH6fPAuuh75AU7-60EDHRSs/s1600/LambGyro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswVWh_fEaLxJKU0TIJ21-H0DJSF8zewaxfRiTwddw6p5iX-RBgKbc5o1HjoPxVUZdJEQnCHjU_AbBQz6GxtFmlrzb5NqxF-qsrkXlqcLK2jpKgW96hyimDH6fPAuuh75AU7-60EDHRSs/s400/LambGyro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1120. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Lamb and Beef Gyro plate</td></tr>
1121. </tbody></table>
1122. <b><br /></b><br />
1123. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1124. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnsma59kg_AJT3G9NOn88gdbSMVEnoULrH7eIb1Xo4HEmOY0aEv8uSYtx5a-8Nw1mMHGcgTP8IX2mD39JTfictcyAVK0RYaSbQL7-EOWFZc8BF0bGv06SqCBtGMvcsP4s-OBLpMYzrnE/s1600/ChickenGyro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnsma59kg_AJT3G9NOn88gdbSMVEnoULrH7eIb1Xo4HEmOY0aEv8uSYtx5a-8Nw1mMHGcgTP8IX2mD39JTfictcyAVK0RYaSbQL7-EOWFZc8BF0bGv06SqCBtGMvcsP4s-OBLpMYzrnE/s400/ChickenGyro.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1125. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valeri's Chicken Gyro plate</td></tr>
1126. </tbody></table>
1127. <b><br /></b>
1128.      As you can see in the photos above, alongside the Falafel appetizer, I had the Lamb and Beef Gyro plate and Valeri had the Chicken Gyro plate. (I'm not saying mine was better ... but mine was better!)  If you're ever in the North Beach area, definitely check this place out. The service was great and the food was amazing. This was the perfect last meal in San Francisco.<br />
1129. <br />
1130.      After cramming our faces full of gyros, we had to make the trip to the airport. We didn't have the rental car today, so we hopped on BART. This is how the natives travel, so it's always kind of fun (as long as you can secure a seat).<br />
1131. <br />
1132.      There isn't much to say about the journey at this point, so I'll fast-forward to the airport.<br />
1133. <br />
1134.      San Francisco International (SFO) is a very nice airport - especially for being as big as it is. The layout is logical and very easy to navigate. As an added bonus, the TSA agents actually smile! We had arrived a few hours early, so we milled around the airport for a while, then sat and waited ... and waited ... and waited. Finally it was time to board!<br />
1135. <br />
1136.      Fast forwarding again...<br />
1137. <br />
1138.      Three hours later, it was wheels down at Kansas City International (MCI). Our friend was at the terminal gate waiting for us (in his new Mercedes C250, no less), so making the journey back home was underway. All of this put us in at around 2 a.m. this morning, which is why this blog is just now being posted. We like sleep.<br />
1139. <br />
1140.      I can officially sat the Pearons have survived San Francisco! Or did San Francisco survive the Pearons? I'll leave that decision up to you.<br />
1141. <br />
1142. <br />
1143. <br />
1144. <br />
1145. <div style="text-align: center;">
1146. <i>"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."</i></div>
1147. <div style="text-align: center;">
1148. <i>- </i><b><i>William Saroyan</i></b><br />
1149. <br /></div>
1150. <b></b><br />
1151. <div style="text-align: center;">
1152. <b>To view our PhotoStream, <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0k532ODWunLzab" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">click here</span></a>.</b></div>
1153. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/2962818005244679573/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-five.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2962818005244679573'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2962818005244679573'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-five.html' title='Surviving San Francisco - Day Five'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MquSG6AmYxO4S8PwrBky5WvAC2u6een6GNZRi1BU28b0gQzlvKVxAfvq31hcgI9GNhMx9Ow8Nn511H-3sHmfV0tJDzAGPuPXRuh4fH2-av63p4w2rIuY7e0x9NQLX9taC7BLIU5IfLM/s72-c/Biscoff.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-5805432092949512779</id><published>2016-10-11T13:35:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2016-10-11T13:35:04.007-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="BART"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Burritos"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="City Mapper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ferry"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Iguana Burritozilla"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Oakland"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco Bay"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Jose"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunset"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tacos"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Rockleys"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Twin Peaks"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Uber"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving San Francisco - Day Four</title><content type='html'>&lt;div&gt;
1154.      This is Val and oh my word, where do I even begin to tell you about our day?</div>
1155. <div>
1156.      Well, after finishing our second blog post at 1 a.m. Sunday, we noticed we had yet to pack our stuff to leave the AirBnB. So we decided not to leave at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, rather we left at 9:30-ish to head into San Francisco.</div>
1157. <div>
1158.      We decided to drive the rental into the city and park it at one of the piers rather than later in the day having to make our way back out to the AirBnB to get it before taking the Rockleys to the airport.</div>
1159. <div>
1160.      Well, plans fell apart fast when traffic took up quite a bit of our driving time into the city. So we decided to just drive the Rockleys to the airport so they'd arrive on time. Yeeeeeaaaaah ... we arrived at the airport about five hours before their flight was scheduled to leave. Oops.</div>
1161. <div>
1162.      No problem, we'll just go get some food. What better place to get food than an hour south of the airport in San Jose. Alyssa was in the mood for Mexican, so we set out on a search. We found one place via Yelp in San Mateo, but when we pulled up, Matthew and Ricky quickly decided the area seemed sketchy. So the next place we found was called Iguana Burritozilla in San Jose. This place was what looked to be a two-story house and was painted purple ... the purpliest of all purples.<br />
1163. <br /><br />
1164. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1165. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZDnQnFLjF_1jaSl5xsX0fS5LzG7d-WzvqOnFhIjL6Z2DMPUC79gotqgt99dLsU5YI_tvyzvIb3-BFwtQVSGTQFQKUey0n5v0VIO75fO57wvwXe3NF710B1FMYAoRvoVWZL-nJHEr5_I/s1600/IguanaBurritozilla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZDnQnFLjF_1jaSl5xsX0fS5LzG7d-WzvqOnFhIjL6Z2DMPUC79gotqgt99dLsU5YI_tvyzvIb3-BFwtQVSGTQFQKUey0n5v0VIO75fO57wvwXe3NF710B1FMYAoRvoVWZL-nJHEr5_I/s400/IguanaBurritozilla.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
1166. <br /></div>
1167. <div>
1168.      I had some nachos and Matthew had a specialty burrito, which were both good. We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather. The last few days had been a little too warm during the afternoons, but today was perfect.</div>
1169. <div>
1170.      After filling our tummies, we hopped back in the car to take the Rockleys back to the airport and returned the rental car, so we could head to our next destination.</div>
1171. <div>
1172.      We wanted to see an overlook of the city. We had a few options, but we decided on Twin Peaks since it was on our way back into the city. To get to Twin Peaks we decided on riding the BART about halfway there and then getting an Uber to save on time.<br />
1173. <br /><br />
1174. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1175. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ID4AiUx3eypzwxNdg33xynuP80c0qWKxJeI7hwaLJH0cjoLyYww3SlwZaqwhIOxFHbOuVnfQhyMbkGUc0fHqXt8neaTlr64-pvL5MvMdr1jDGoRW5mZNHGPz_GyUBBo6r3ihE11rjeA/s1600/TwinPeaks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ID4AiUx3eypzwxNdg33xynuP80c0qWKxJeI7hwaLJH0cjoLyYww3SlwZaqwhIOxFHbOuVnfQhyMbkGUc0fHqXt8neaTlr64-pvL5MvMdr1jDGoRW5mZNHGPz_GyUBBo6r3ihE11rjeA/s640/TwinPeaks.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
1176. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlook of San Francisco from Twin Peaks</td></tr>
1177. </tbody></table>
1178. <br />
1179. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1180. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8_9lADYZnwW4rjTDUlRgW55fTylcXo15aFHOw-2vmsM2NOUN2T3FPrPOfRSrJlYiMLlwM0epqIjP7L1q9kh1LgqQ4-BPkS1lSPumwKZb3QnhUj9x849Sf8V28vq-vVWD0V0IOQUCdHo/s1600/TwinPeaks2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8_9lADYZnwW4rjTDUlRgW55fTylcXo15aFHOw-2vmsM2NOUN2T3FPrPOfRSrJlYiMLlwM0epqIjP7L1q9kh1LgqQ4-BPkS1lSPumwKZb3QnhUj9x849Sf8V28vq-vVWD0V0IOQUCdHo/s400/TwinPeaks2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1181. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
1182. </tbody></table>
1183. <br /></div>
1184. <div>
1185.      Twin Peaks definitely gave a captivating overlook of San Francisco, but the journey back was a bit of a hassle.</div>
1186. <div>
1187.      The first thing you need to know is that we had our luggage with us, which we planned to drop off at our next AirBnB location after Twin Peaks. The second thing you need to know is that Twin Peaks is up on a very high hill (hence the overlook spot) and the streets are a crazy mix of jagged and steep. The third thing you need to know is City Mapper (an app using google maps) likes to torture us.<br />
1188.      We set City Mapper to get us to the ferry station, which first meant walking to the bus stop ... no biggie. Ha. Ha. Ha. BIG biggie when that walk includes extreme stairs and by extreme I mean three different extremely steep flights. Poor Matthew had our big suitcase (~40 lbs) and was having to carry it down the stairs. We also came across a few areas that you wouldn't think would be on a map ...<br />
1189. <br /><br />
1190. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1191. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp9DDi_zBGRw6pHmvUr_rhs9vei3ztlblrdhDKGBr97L0BriRzxHr9E4CuECVnoCwNgkJQdhyphenhyphen8qssjbbIyKLvB20d5NWxH6QIFcJLIcuGsY7bwa9zWDYe4YEHoq_53VWbg62en6XIzOY/s1600/CityMapper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp9DDi_zBGRw6pHmvUr_rhs9vei3ztlblrdhDKGBr97L0BriRzxHr9E4CuECVnoCwNgkJQdhyphenhyphen8qssjbbIyKLvB20d5NWxH6QIFcJLIcuGsY7bwa9zWDYe4YEHoq_53VWbg62en6XIzOY/s400/CityMapper.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1192. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not really sure how this can be considered part of a road, but City Mapper seems to think it is. Before walking over to it, we seriously thought it had led up to a dead end. This little dirt pathway then led us to the infamous stairs.</td></tr>
1193. </tbody></table>
1194. <br /></div>
1195. <div>
1196.      Something I find funny though is that the stairs we had to walk down had a street name ... even though it was only wide enough for one person. Strange.</div>
1197. <div>
1198.      The coolest part about this little side adventure was that we got to wander amongst the houses in the hills. These houses are stacked on top of each other in rows and I was afraid I wouldn't get to admire them up close, but thanks to City Mapper's adventurous side, I was able to.:)</div>
1199. <div>
1200.      Once we got to the bus station, we had to wait about 20 minutes, but the view was awesome while we waited. We finally got to the ferry building and made our way across the bay to Oakland.</div>
1201. <div>
1202.      I had never ridden a ferry before, so I'm glad I was finally given the chance. It was such an experience and the views of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge were jaw dropping.<br />
1203. <br /><br />
1204. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1205. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho45u9SVvhJNvvY9v0xao35-aUh3GDQpM0smIDYdJO77e5dp0U7y52qkF2VTjQ5N6EmR8ZEQ5vl5ru3R-vHBGZ1VPqFx_ZqrbwiXKkTw0PxrMk3WxSudEBu8oJTr4LLQHBuysnMxkbzfM/s1600/FerryRide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho45u9SVvhJNvvY9v0xao35-aUh3GDQpM0smIDYdJO77e5dp0U7y52qkF2VTjQ5N6EmR8ZEQ5vl5ru3R-vHBGZ1VPqFx_ZqrbwiXKkTw0PxrMk3WxSudEBu8oJTr4LLQHBuysnMxkbzfM/s400/FerryRide.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1206. <br /></div>
1207. <div>
1208.      We then made our way to the boat we'd be staying in for our last night. It was parked in a little marina in Oakland.<br />
1209. <br /><br />
1210. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1211. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZGS3Qs9rBuyDwxhWi3g20IUd0Ki7WTFCczn36u7jQuBuF8hIHN4CYd4_8OsQTaHkGKW3FF6Krh1CK806EkREepsaOc_xETXIG1lIHR8FQkMRnxaf4CLxbZY2he3QpXcqVEiv8TktHsI/s1600/AirBnB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZGS3Qs9rBuyDwxhWi3g20IUd0Ki7WTFCczn36u7jQuBuF8hIHN4CYd4_8OsQTaHkGKW3FF6Krh1CK806EkREepsaOc_xETXIG1lIHR8FQkMRnxaf4CLxbZY2he3QpXcqVEiv8TktHsI/s400/AirBnB.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1212. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Andiamo</td></tr>
1213. </tbody></table>
1214. <br />
1215. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1216. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALSOzYsUB6n5hGYET-Jsh2gJVph2lvk7XZPsBcxUARQ1TV4ehTv8ce0eLmBDfyavJc69QZcMdkbeqrD4y-WSrOkoFs07XdqAAqyd3AxVnzjxczgqg7GY0bTKTmjFivz4NuLSNFQu-270/s1600/AirBnB2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALSOzYsUB6n5hGYET-Jsh2gJVph2lvk7XZPsBcxUARQ1TV4ehTv8ce0eLmBDfyavJc69QZcMdkbeqrD4y-WSrOkoFs07XdqAAqyd3AxVnzjxczgqg7GY0bTKTmjFivz4NuLSNFQu-270/s400/AirBnB2.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
1217. <br />
1218. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1219. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-skCTPfRNR80F0TPMmM6gjx3aJT-lYzw3JOnAOVWczajL7unYg4v4DwgfmxzdMeML0k0wFD8NvQxEX3Y0eJpRkgqWVVV7xXS6PwU7wJok_2ikQHBF5xCP6nHmpg90iF4mHMBrOTXtTc/s1600/AirBnB4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-skCTPfRNR80F0TPMmM6gjx3aJT-lYzw3JOnAOVWczajL7unYg4v4DwgfmxzdMeML0k0wFD8NvQxEX3Y0eJpRkgqWVVV7xXS6PwU7wJok_2ikQHBF5xCP6nHmpg90iF4mHMBrOTXtTc/s400/AirBnB4.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
1220. <br /></div>
1221. <div>
1222.      We were able to see the beginning of sunset from the boat before we decided to head back into the city for a night walking along The Embarcadero.<br />
1223. <br /><br />
1224. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1225. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEKtqxfpzVG9RXSBR7995oelLaXSR_eVkbRhC5lW0fsYanlORyODKSDw8lL-JNMgZdSmRhiYG6pWQlyINsBq3BLFA9kyv2Mms04XgU2Yq2-tnYKSL9iAzcYJrSqUMmM6gn9OqXUjxscw/s1600/AirBnB5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEKtqxfpzVG9RXSBR7995oelLaXSR_eVkbRhC5lW0fsYanlORyODKSDw8lL-JNMgZdSmRhiYG6pWQlyINsBq3BLFA9kyv2Mms04XgU2Yq2-tnYKSL9iAzcYJrSqUMmM6gn9OqXUjxscw/s400/AirBnB5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1226. <br /></div>
1227. <div>
1228.      We started at the San Francisco Ferry Building and walked up the coast.<br />
1229. <br /><br />
1230. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1231. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPD236Vr_2pkIdANRGnqYPy0S-7fzsoItj0hc8VUFTGqnL5kgyOv1RE0KhshPpcvYYaTMHJgXsm8x4ht2_9Lble_SQptMzV1g96DXF8h5Fbsnmy7MWFNRmv9mqDayETALiRmcvkaL506c/s1600/FerryStation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPD236Vr_2pkIdANRGnqYPy0S-7fzsoItj0hc8VUFTGqnL5kgyOv1RE0KhshPpcvYYaTMHJgXsm8x4ht2_9Lble_SQptMzV1g96DXF8h5Fbsnmy7MWFNRmv9mqDayETALiRmcvkaL506c/s400/FerryStation.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1232. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco Ferry Building</td></tr>
1233. </tbody></table>
1234. <br /><br />
1235.      Our first stop was actually inside the ferry building for a Blue Bottle Cold Brew Float, which is Vietnamese cold brewed coffee with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. If you EVER have a chance to try this, DO IT! I can't really find the words to describe it, but it's extremely delicious.<br />
1236. <br /><br />
1237. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1238. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD2YLkrd90Rvjy3OR3IsqNoW4282ryNA-txCt-3DXwzJn6_6DzhyphenhyphenRy0KZX0DwuSdO_hMATkeIToa6Z_kSXXyNz76c_gJ5UBqbMl9mu71azs2D_1ZJ9JZfWEqyBXLhYSld_maw5_5cheg/s1600/BlueBottleFloat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD2YLkrd90Rvjy3OR3IsqNoW4282ryNA-txCt-3DXwzJn6_6DzhyphenhyphenRy0KZX0DwuSdO_hMATkeIToa6Z_kSXXyNz76c_gJ5UBqbMl9mu71azs2D_1ZJ9JZfWEqyBXLhYSld_maw5_5cheg/s400/BlueBottleFloat.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1239. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Bottle Cold Brew Float</td></tr>
1240. </tbody></table>
1241. <br /></div>
1242. <div>
1243.      Speaking of extremely delicious things, just a little further down The Embarcadero, I came across the best chicken tacos I've had in my life. My mouth is just now getting the feeling back, but I'd come back to San Francisco just for those tacos. It sounds extreme, but it's true. They were cooked in some kind of Cajun sauce and the soft taco shell was made out of sourdough, which was something I wanted to try while in San Francisco since that's a food their known for.<br />
1244. <br /><br />
1245. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1246. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnynbtyS48K1VAYLv5xjWxo7yYAtV6_IvW8Wd9QjokJ9G8Jb2HdDipxLOszSTEgu29VKMmGMTn9C_j5-ucxAEEgXL94BHX5rwVyWpHjwk1grQ9Hk5m02VI_Rwm1x-Hp6Sd3belUY-IAb0/s1600/TACOS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnynbtyS48K1VAYLv5xjWxo7yYAtV6_IvW8Wd9QjokJ9G8Jb2HdDipxLOszSTEgu29VKMmGMTn9C_j5-ucxAEEgXL94BHX5rwVyWpHjwk1grQ9Hk5m02VI_Rwm1x-Hp6Sd3belUY-IAb0/s400/TACOS.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1247. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My tacos and Matthew's Chicken Pesto sandwich with tomato soup in a sourdough bread bowl</td></tr>
1248. </tbody></table>
1249. <br /></div>
1250. <div>
1251.      The tacos were the perfect way to end the night.</div>
1252. <div>
1253. <br /></div>
1254. <div>
1255.      I'll leave you on that high note so I can lay down for a snooze before having to wake up for our early morning start.<br />
1256. <br /><br />
1257. <div style="text-align: center;">
1258. <i>"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."</i></div>
1259. <div style="text-align: center;">
1260. <i>- </i><b><i>William Saroyan</i></b><br />
1261. <strong><em><br /></em></strong></div>
1262. <b><i></i></b><div>
1263. <br /></div>
1264. <b></b><br />
1265. <div style="text-align: center;">
1266. <b>To view our PhotoStream, <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0k532ODWunLzab" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">click here</span></a>.</b></div>
1267. </div>
1268. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/5805432092949512779/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-four.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/5805432092949512779'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/5805432092949512779'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-four.html' title='Surviving San Francisco - Day Four'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZDnQnFLjF_1jaSl5xsX0fS5LzG7d-WzvqOnFhIjL6Z2DMPUC79gotqgt99dLsU5YI_tvyzvIb3-BFwtQVSGTQFQKUey0n5v0VIO75fO57wvwXe3NF710B1FMYAoRvoVWZL-nJHEr5_I/s72-c/IguanaBurritozilla.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-3146958032236044808</id><published>2016-10-09T03:26:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2016-10-11T13:21:51.829-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="BART"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Beach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Café"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Japanese Tea Garden"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Japantown"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pacific Ocean"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Painted Ladies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ruins"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco Bay"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving San Francisco - Day Three</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Hello again! Matthew here, reporting in from Walnut Creek, California!&lt;br /&gt;
1269.      This entry is to chronical our third day in California. We had a blast, and I hope I'll be able to convey that in the next few lines.<br />
1270. <br />
1271.      Our day started at 8 a.m. with the normal 30-minute trek into San Francisco proper via BART and landed us in the hands of Ritual Coffee Roasters on Octavia Street. Ritual is based in a very small walk-through kiosk-style building with ordering at one end and pickup at the other. Valeri had a Latte and I had a Macchiato.<br />
1272. <br />
1273. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1274. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFpyvITVVVTDY6UWiSKV2kgFP6C8fN8RwYzri7K2gvhNWRk6IVWnE-oM9kNmy0Ftx2-Zh2TjhAFU-t-99X3t01n5ewZHtUzjVqS8dHTTsmXCIujmycd5OruS-25rMQFCeuWznin9tFHY/s1600/RitualCoffee2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFpyvITVVVTDY6UWiSKV2kgFP6C8fN8RwYzri7K2gvhNWRk6IVWnE-oM9kNmy0Ftx2-Zh2TjhAFU-t-99X3t01n5ewZHtUzjVqS8dHTTsmXCIujmycd5OruS-25rMQFCeuWznin9tFHY/s400/RitualCoffee2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1275. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1276. <br /></div>
1277. <br />
1278. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1279. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORpieLsQBvvK70pxKRO7VwMFzQw0iCAbCQ-uXy3qWuR6xnLPUhAMLbjSAKFgtIIW4cnLMH2Oqrloh3HZR-lSjFSZ5JtSFh4Exv05-iYlKYLgMnUAfAcBti4jmWYjzdPwntG9-4_Ee1q0/s1600/RitualCoffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORpieLsQBvvK70pxKRO7VwMFzQw0iCAbCQ-uXy3qWuR6xnLPUhAMLbjSAKFgtIIW4cnLMH2Oqrloh3HZR-lSjFSZ5JtSFh4Exv05-iYlKYLgMnUAfAcBti4jmWYjzdPwntG9-4_Ee1q0/s400/RitualCoffee.jpg" width="331" /></a></div>
1280. <b><br /></b>
1281. <b><br /></b>
1282.      Next, we were off to enjoy our coffee whilst enjoying a view of one of San Francisco's most popular attractions: The Painted Ladies. Due to some untimely renovation works, we weren't able to recreate the Full House introduction image, but we did get a picture that should give you the general idea.<br />
1283. <br />
1284. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1285. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIyBcxVZreVeLyjWhOf4erdTK9rxh9E85CK5JJhGmG6EswVB7OuFiiRsbfhl8d_5U7yEiJEPgj9Gjsg0kvDM3owM3b7AYQPeI1JCIWEjxiRVqKKXpRw8ZLNmV7MZaqxszoHqacE9yrMQ/s1600/PaintedLadies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIyBcxVZreVeLyjWhOf4erdTK9rxh9E85CK5JJhGmG6EswVB7OuFiiRsbfhl8d_5U7yEiJEPgj9Gjsg0kvDM3owM3b7AYQPeI1JCIWEjxiRVqKKXpRw8ZLNmV7MZaqxszoHqacE9yrMQ/s400/PaintedLadies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
1286. <b><br /></b>
1287. <b><br /></b>
1288.      You might look at these and think to yourself, "Well, those are just little houses crammed together in a line" ... and you would be correct. The thing that you might not be able to tell by the photos is the meticulous decoration. Each house is unique - perfectly so. Both in design and in color. It's odd, because as a collective group, they all match; they look like they were designed to sit right there together; but the closer you get, the more you see the personality of each one and how different it looks compared to those adjacent.<br />
1289. <br />
1290. <i>Side note:</i><br />
1291. During this entire portion of the morning, the theme song for Full House was playing over and over in our heads - and at times aloud from our mouths.  <br />
1292. For that last bit, I apologize to the fine people of San Francisco. You didn't deserve that.<br />
1293. <br />
1294.      ... and then there was food! Good food! For breakfast, we wandered just down the street to Eddie's Café on Divisadero Street. This was a tiny little shop, built into the corner of a block of buildings.  There was quite a line and that meant we had to wait quite a while to be seated.<br />
1295. <br />
1296. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1297. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH9ZesPQaeJK1E5fVeBYukiOmRdLXVsGjD8pTgv0Uv9ftKffaN4jkvxDo2_akT5406CUZzPKBcg0ceZpnPXNhvHBOSZKH1iB0gmQzMaHPQ-SbZ5Z8xQAnaVCX6DgCL7zhqQeAIGkFL9Y/s1600/Eddie%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH9ZesPQaeJK1E5fVeBYukiOmRdLXVsGjD8pTgv0Uv9ftKffaN4jkvxDo2_akT5406CUZzPKBcg0ceZpnPXNhvHBOSZKH1iB0gmQzMaHPQ-SbZ5Z8xQAnaVCX6DgCL7zhqQeAIGkFL9Y/s400/Eddie%2527s.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1298. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Valeri had the eggs, bacon and hash browns and Matthew had the eggs, hash browns and salmon patties.</i></td></tr>
1299. </tbody></table>
1300. <b><br /></b>
1301.      The place was tiny, but was oozing with quirkiness. Every mug was different and the decorations were so random that the word "eclectic" brings too much order to the situation. There was just no way to tell what they were trying to do. Whatever it was, it worked.<br />
1302. <br />
1303.      After breakfast we made our way to San Francisco's Japanese Tea Gardens. The grounds were filled with all sorts of plant life - including bamboo! There was quite an extensive Koi Pond, a traditional Japanese Pagoda and a few scattered bridges - one of which was <i>very</i> large and <i>very </i>steep so we avoided it at all costs. Near the end, we found a little café on the grounds and placed a quick order of Miso Soup and Mochi Ice Cream. The soup was absolutely phenomenal and the ice cream was interestingly prepared and fun to eat.<br />
1304. <br /><br />
1305. <br />
1306. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1307. <br /></div>
1308. <br />
1309. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1310. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEgsPrR-9iLAlT-OPa5IrsBfWrddm8503gpqtYFOK7wADmaF65uvqoAE_Q8pcX8FPCSxDj5AmpJZ2828EoNd01tSPA-U3UwLQtRGEKbAFD5QoW3LYycV_osyuqSWYfdhaf6yr08R5uog/s1600/TeaGarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEgsPrR-9iLAlT-OPa5IrsBfWrddm8503gpqtYFOK7wADmaF65uvqoAE_Q8pcX8FPCSxDj5AmpJZ2828EoNd01tSPA-U3UwLQtRGEKbAFD5QoW3LYycV_osyuqSWYfdhaf6yr08R5uog/s400/TeaGarden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
1311. <b><br /></b>
1312. <b><br /></b>
1313.      Valeri had never been to the beach before today, so this was a first for her and we have it well documented! Beyond the normal sand/water combination most beaches are so proud of, this beach had ruins of what once was the world's largest public swimming pool: the Sutro Baths. This is odd to say, but the story behind this place is actually quite fascinating and I recommend you peruse the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutro_Baths" target="_blank">Wikipedia article</a>. The statistics for the facility alone are astounding.<br />
1314. <br /><br />
1315. <br />
1316. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1317. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPLuF4YNM6iqFJV68dM8DiVe1ioCz0iKlazXQ5tBLBE1Sc_nTuWmv7X7CeEfFM2dwE9JE6Z7c-nOgMReAMplXETj7p4HAIC3jAi_hrGb0GxtMWO7vTnOGDN0EDy1KKO9oflp7JHk26RY/s1600/Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPLuF4YNM6iqFJV68dM8DiVe1ioCz0iKlazXQ5tBLBE1Sc_nTuWmv7X7CeEfFM2dwE9JE6Z7c-nOgMReAMplXETj7p4HAIC3jAi_hrGb0GxtMWO7vTnOGDN0EDy1KKO9oflp7JHk26RY/s640/Beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
1318. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1319. <br /></div>
1320. <br />
1321. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1322. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwDD-sR1nmidb9Wao1oeypucyEZhMeHJeqnwTfTrEFBP2PeyuRF7_KCzVaxP30Tods6Kf1VKzlqRT6lWctPowTi5La9srFIQlRFMsz-oYnMu6wkk4_iZK-qvFlbPb7s2E2zXFI5mVKAg/s1600/Beach2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwDD-sR1nmidb9Wao1oeypucyEZhMeHJeqnwTfTrEFBP2PeyuRF7_KCzVaxP30Tods6Kf1VKzlqRT6lWctPowTi5La9srFIQlRFMsz-oYnMu6wkk4_iZK-qvFlbPb7s2E2zXFI5mVKAg/s640/Beach2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
1323. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1324. <br /></div>
1325. <br />
1326. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1327. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEpDbzqDxjaTNdv59UX__gdFvSywQur6vLWwgy5KlBdWc4frTeDbtYOmFHLL_-zdwgM9n08rfO-ce3EhzLqzRHADYyK-0vR8uO8Kq3lgzlSrxcOVnQOQNVzsuQCDE1rAvI3uH6rA3Azw/s1600/Beach4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEpDbzqDxjaTNdv59UX__gdFvSywQur6vLWwgy5KlBdWc4frTeDbtYOmFHLL_-zdwgM9n08rfO-ce3EhzLqzRHADYyK-0vR8uO8Kq3lgzlSrxcOVnQOQNVzsuQCDE1rAvI3uH6rA3Azw/s400/Beach4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
1328. <b><br /></b>
1329. <br />
1330. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1331. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLS9SZpm4l3gsKewXcziaLnbhRm1VDbStgqJUeCU8Pe83A6VCzJeZvI3oZn7tX4MGuJU1Vn1Y6FqxyfptvMQg1105PEsb1iufZF_iqrs_Fd_i_D5DI2V7mq_vx-nNIzXh0ejLiN9LNXyY/s1600/Ruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLS9SZpm4l3gsKewXcziaLnbhRm1VDbStgqJUeCU8Pe83A6VCzJeZvI3oZn7tX4MGuJU1Vn1Y6FqxyfptvMQg1105PEsb1iufZF_iqrs_Fd_i_D5DI2V7mq_vx-nNIzXh0ejLiN9LNXyY/s640/Ruins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
1332. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a small portion of the Sutro Bath Ruins.</td></tr>
1333. </tbody></table>
1334. <br />
1335.      After climbing about the ruins for a while, it was time for a late lunch, so we hiked back up from the beach and paid a visit to the Lands End Café. The place had great food and a great view to accompany it.<br />
1336. <br /><br />
1337. <br />
1338. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1339. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_3ZT9tl9Q5KmmDGIOuqFYadgRt-Og2z9LOvRpeMATaU_DaiN4ZNHqfjg2z0yTkBLoAit0lUBDBs5QI8PuhXoW1MHotJQeOLsOftjtyCX-EO_LKII5JrKcetzBe89mihihUbItDIzp8g/s1600/cafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_3ZT9tl9Q5KmmDGIOuqFYadgRt-Og2z9LOvRpeMATaU_DaiN4ZNHqfjg2z0yTkBLoAit0lUBDBs5QI8PuhXoW1MHotJQeOLsOftjtyCX-EO_LKII5JrKcetzBe89mihihUbItDIzp8g/s400/cafe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1340. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey, tomato, avocado, lettuce, aioli and honey mustard on ciabatta bread.</td></tr>
1341. </tbody></table>
1342. <br />
1343.      Our next leg brought us to Japantown, which was in the same vein as the Japanese Tea Gardens. All things Japan seemed to be the theme for the day. Japantown was filled with cool little shops packed with clever trinkets, extremely ornate cookware and the likes. My absolute favorite part was experiencing Dragon's Breath. If you don't know what this is, definitely look it up, because it's neat.  The shop that sold it had to have a warning sign with evacuation procedures - that's how neat it was.<br />
1344. <br />
1345. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1346. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa7yn_9LAJuNnBn3e9E97CCyeCHlqs67-vY7F6vyC_2GTEUlfBtMKJIFzSm4ieOYN9rbg9wxp6s2nRue2qtBEFFfaNhV9SZ7xYXykW5Mg_eo8Z1JYxLStLO4hbjNKPtB2lhOqvzUczZY/s1600/DragonsBreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa7yn_9LAJuNnBn3e9E97CCyeCHlqs67-vY7F6vyC_2GTEUlfBtMKJIFzSm4ieOYN9rbg9wxp6s2nRue2qtBEFFfaNhV9SZ7xYXykW5Mg_eo8Z1JYxLStLO4hbjNKPtB2lhOqvzUczZY/s400/DragonsBreath.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
1347. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragon's Breath</td></tr>
1348. </tbody></table>
1349. <b><br /></b>
1350.      Technically, this was the end to our planned day - but we decided to keep rolling as we walked, rather. We walked, walked, walked and walked some more - bringing our day three total to just about 10 miles, and landing us near Fisherman's Wharf just in time to see an epic sunset over San Francisco Bay. We used this time to FaceTime our parents and share the sights.<br />
1351. <br /><br />
1352. <br />
1353. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1354. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj581yrM26JZdBviwtPdnwR3B7x0lGuQvJ9K5ANqqRWidERUZFHV4bAjgikf-9Q7ztYE0XP9pdisYPjJ8b8Mua5HA9EPPSfLpFSKd1vm1F-EfexkAuwth1QctLGJRfabtRl3oM3uj8O2f8/s1600/Bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj581yrM26JZdBviwtPdnwR3B7x0lGuQvJ9K5ANqqRWidERUZFHV4bAjgikf-9Q7ztYE0XP9pdisYPjJ8b8Mua5HA9EPPSfLpFSKd1vm1F-EfexkAuwth1QctLGJRfabtRl3oM3uj8O2f8/s400/Bay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
1355. <b><br /></b>
1356. <b><br /></b>
1357.      On our way back to Walnut Creek, we were fortunate enough to get a ride on a classic Street Car rather than a bus. It was very neat, but very crowded - which had diminished the effect on the "fun factor" of the ride itself. One redeeming factor is that, while waiting, we met a lovely British couple (they hailed from Northampton, specifically) that we were able to share the experienced of last year's  <a href="http://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-one.html" target="_blank">London trip</a> with. For me, this was one of the highlights of the entire day.<br />
1358. <br />
1359.      Anyway, that is day three for you! We survived it and we came away with lots of photographs and videos that we will share with you soon. Thank you for sticking with us!<br />
1360. This is Matthew, signing out.<br />
1361. <br />
1362. <br />
1363. <br />
1364. <div style="text-align: center;">
1365. <i>"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."</i></div>
1366. <div style="text-align: center;">
1367. <i>- </i><b><i>William Saroyan</i></b><br />
1368. <strong><em><br /></em></strong></div>
1369. <b><i></i></b><br />
1370. <div>
1371. <br /></div>
1372. <b>
1373. </b><br />
1374. <div style="text-align: center;">
1375. <b>To view our PhotoStream, <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0k532ODWunLzab" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">click here</span></a>.</b></div>
1376. <br />
1377. <br />
1378. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/3146958032236044808/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-three.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/3146958032236044808'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/3146958032236044808'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-three.html' title='Surviving San Francisco - Day Three'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFpyvITVVVTDY6UWiSKV2kgFP6C8fN8RwYzri7K2gvhNWRk6IVWnE-oM9kNmy0Ftx2-Zh2TjhAFU-t-99X3t01n5ewZHtUzjVqS8dHTTsmXCIujmycd5OruS-25rMQFCeuWznin9tFHY/s72-c/RitualCoffee2.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>San Francisco, CA, USA</georss:featurename><georss:point>37.7749295 -122.41941550000001</georss:point><georss:box>37.373501499999996 -123.06486250000002 38.1763575 -121.77396850000001</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-6662850175934350897</id><published>2016-10-08T02:47:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2016-10-11T13:22:45.389-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Aston Martin"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="BART"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Chinatown"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fish and Chips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Golden Gate Bridge"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Nepalese Cuisine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunset"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Rockleys"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Uber"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Union Square"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving San Francisco - Day Two</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;This is Valeri and I&#39;m here to fill you in on our day. Simply put, day two was a success!&lt;br /&gt;
1379. <div>
1380.      I'm sure most of you think "The Pearons'" first stop was for coffee, however, that wasn't true this morning. You see, on our way to In-n-Out Burger last night, Matthew saw we were mere blocks from an Aston Martin dealership ... so yes, that was our first stop this morning.</div>
1381. <div>
1382. <br /></div>
1383. <div>
1384. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1385. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1386. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrXWWD4RaDwwD5OdXT314eMTZER2Uyp1DwYHuiPCYUWUnWDAAw8yRrpqtsoXFrrU_KVUXxnyIUDlDbDG1KWBP6Y6ylYAa91KKttkmc1itOMW2oAVjNdC8PT2soC2Gjd484J-2S4Ut06c/s1600/AstonMartinDB11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrXWWD4RaDwwD5OdXT314eMTZER2Uyp1DwYHuiPCYUWUnWDAAw8yRrpqtsoXFrrU_KVUXxnyIUDlDbDG1KWBP6Y6ylYAa91KKttkmc1itOMW2oAVjNdC8PT2soC2Gjd484J-2S4Ut06c/s400/AstonMartinDB11.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1387. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aston Martin DB11</td></tr>
1388. </tbody></table>
1389. <strong><br /></strong></div>
1390. <div>
1391. <br /></div>
1392. <div>
1393.      Those of you who know Matthew know we spent a good amount of time there ... which is always well worth it just to see him act like a kid in a candy shop.</div>
1394. <div>
1395. <div>
1396. <br /></div>
1397. <div>
1398.      After seeing his beloved cars, we made the trek into San Francisco.</div>
1399. <div>
1400.      Our Airbnb place is in a town called Walnut Creek, which by BART (the metro) and Bus, it's about a 40-minute ride from San Francisco. So after seeing the Astons, we walked to BART and made our way into the city.</div>
1401. <div>
1402.      We arrived in San Francisco just in time for brunch, so we made our way to Mazarine Coffee. This place was delicious! I had a latte and Belgian-style waffle; no syrup needed and that's saying something since syrup is my third love (after Matthew and butter). Matthew had an Americano and Basil/Ricotta/Tomato Toast. Now, you may be thinking, "Toast? Like ... toast, really?" Ohhhhhh ye of little faith. Try to expand that imagination of yours and then look at the photo below this paragraph.</div>
1403. <div>
1404. <br /></div>
1405. <div>
1406. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1407. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1408. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjMUG4kWoen_gwkkBfMyoh3r3oXdAI8JuXDw-uqkkXKaZtaAbaEO2VvceqeRNjV2IEe9TK6VT2NIcgN2653d0SJIOEKUn7ill0ScJotHKE10NlibwTHzSBwNKt-zURz93VPYet2L3VnM/s1600/BasilTomatoRicottaToast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjMUG4kWoen_gwkkBfMyoh3r3oXdAI8JuXDw-uqkkXKaZtaAbaEO2VvceqeRNjV2IEe9TK6VT2NIcgN2653d0SJIOEKUn7ill0ScJotHKE10NlibwTHzSBwNKt-zURz93VPYet2L3VnM/s400/BasilTomatoRicottaToast.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1409. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew's "toast"</td></tr>
1410. </tbody></table>
1411. <br />
1412. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1413. <br /></div>
1414. <br />
1415. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1416. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NPT5Km5Ul8t93Q6_-2hkYsGARTlzRDczB7tARv1X7DH8y8YV3M9eZdKq-Y0SYjOuz98QJN1w2NRdWGEUPsoU2Y8BjOfQ7BE-ZMlgJ6xxIPw26E0ZnwsnL_n3lY_JjPO4jhvhrlxLCJo/s1600/Latte.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NPT5Km5Ul8t93Q6_-2hkYsGARTlzRDczB7tARv1X7DH8y8YV3M9eZdKq-Y0SYjOuz98QJN1w2NRdWGEUPsoU2Y8BjOfQ7BE-ZMlgJ6xxIPw26E0ZnwsnL_n3lY_JjPO4jhvhrlxLCJo/s400/Latte.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
1417. <strong><br /></strong></div>
1418. <div>
1419. <br /></div>
1420. <div>
1421.      After brunch, we made our way to Union Square. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I was expecting more than what we saw. The center of the square had a tall monument with loads of open space surrounding it where people could sit, eat and enjoy the weather.</div>
1422. <div>
1423.      I thought the coolest parts of the square were the buildings around it ... Macy's (which we couldn't help but visit after we looked through their windows and saw their top floor was Christmas heaven), Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co. and Apple (which we visited later).</div>
1424. <div>
1425. <br /></div>
1426. <div>
1427. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1428. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1429. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideFLXX5fl3nKM9wnYOvzD2BPeOc8oNUcMeMkpMoB6bcl_H8D3KFh24sfBlehyphenhyphenA-p6IQt0SXMIZ8EebaUkM46keGS1QZxXdd77jBQgG_YnXPzEKn5SlnzBgqRYuWOrst68845yrKbR-Kw/s1600/UnionSquare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideFLXX5fl3nKM9wnYOvzD2BPeOc8oNUcMeMkpMoB6bcl_H8D3KFh24sfBlehyphenhyphenA-p6IQt0SXMIZ8EebaUkM46keGS1QZxXdd77jBQgG_YnXPzEKn5SlnzBgqRYuWOrst68845yrKbR-Kw/s640/UnionSquare.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
1430. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1431. <br /></div>
1432. <br />
1433. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1434. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsWrxIBRV1gNxX_Z8ejtevBYr8Ki2iPhohCrvf45eb5itqkJLvOsnutPuUb544YuP3A9uucp8NMprJqkNHKwxav9AmK_mYKjP4oZ08GFo-88iNWcukPOCkj-JracTiWY3GNoCSqp2TDw/s1600/Macy%2527s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsWrxIBRV1gNxX_Z8ejtevBYr8Ki2iPhohCrvf45eb5itqkJLvOsnutPuUb544YuP3A9uucp8NMprJqkNHKwxav9AmK_mYKjP4oZ08GFo-88iNWcukPOCkj-JracTiWY3GNoCSqp2TDw/s400/Macy%2527s.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1435. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of Union Square from Macy's fourth floor.</td></tr>
1436. </tbody></table>
1437. <strong><br /></strong></div>
1438. <div>
1439. <br /></div>
1440. <div>
1441.      Next on our list was Chinatown. Hmmm ... how can I describe Chinatown? Mainly it was filled with neat buildings, but we did come across a little shop with some interesting things. We originally thought we'd just eat lunch in Chinatown. I mean, it just seemed like the best idea, until we actually saw Chinatown.</div>
1442. <div>
1443. <br /></div>
1444. <div>
1445. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1446. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1447. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ2kArAuI1XaZzB8TfinBL0UPfsyb4w5NSVTlL51WsfgcSX09m520V75Gi6WgyvtjpBbEYqKJXjyhXKRwKDI6ZkFp94vp5yXuPRkax8IbSlgPMY7U_7t-skAYr3EM2qmstpoCXAG6CRs/s1600/Chinatown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ2kArAuI1XaZzB8TfinBL0UPfsyb4w5NSVTlL51WsfgcSX09m520V75Gi6WgyvtjpBbEYqKJXjyhXKRwKDI6ZkFp94vp5yXuPRkax8IbSlgPMY7U_7t-skAYr3EM2qmstpoCXAG6CRs/s400/Chinatown.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1448. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1449. <br /></div>
1450. <br />
1451. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1452. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivShdoI9dZhofOeKTKgciUVVLBSlF-eTZlSOQ5g_dLddZ5TjMzZ716pNXiOsqIzP10SxxdPGAoBYYrQH-VCQ4kMNUnBMf-ajVyI2ctYUlCiTfeY27a7p8fifQvPbKRVIFqrGE3BsHuayk/s1600/Chinatown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivShdoI9dZhofOeKTKgciUVVLBSlF-eTZlSOQ5g_dLddZ5TjMzZ716pNXiOsqIzP10SxxdPGAoBYYrQH-VCQ4kMNUnBMf-ajVyI2ctYUlCiTfeY27a7p8fifQvPbKRVIFqrGE3BsHuayk/s400/Chinatown2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
1453. <strong><br /></strong></div>
1454. <div>
1455. <br /></div>
1456. <div>
1457.      It just seemed untrustworthy. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for hole-in-the-wall places that look horrible, but their food tastes amazing, buuuuut this seemed sketchy. So we opted for going back into the financial district to get lunch at a Nepalese place called Bini's Kitchen.</div>
1458. <div>
1459. <br /></div>
1460. <div>
1461.      Let me tell you a little something about Bini's Kitchen: Scrumpdillyicious. Yes, that is a real word. The experts at urbandictionary.com say so.<br />
1462. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1463. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1464. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnakKxnpgPxEDCJR1Gn6Ga3sIvSmc_nVdgzcKffEeN84eUi67kLf92veoynJ0AdTaCeSeO3Aitvhb4juzM8JV818ARKWSfuShf1j8IajFkgc3IWmCPlZmtOn6HfS80wnzOOrqS5Pple9I/s1600/Nepalese.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnakKxnpgPxEDCJR1Gn6Ga3sIvSmc_nVdgzcKffEeN84eUi67kLf92veoynJ0AdTaCeSeO3Aitvhb4juzM8JV818ARKWSfuShf1j8IajFkgc3IWmCPlZmtOn6HfS80wnzOOrqS5Pple9I/s400/Nepalese.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1465. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken Curry with rice and turkey momos.</td></tr>
1466. </tbody></table>
1467. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1468.      Our next stop was a big one: Golden Gate Bridge.<br />
1469.      We'd been walking all morning, so we hopped on the bus to head toward Fort Point. There are few things in life where you just stand in awe and this was definitely one of them. I swear in every photo I took, the bridge easily looks like it was photoshopped in because it just looks too perfect. I'm still not over it.<br />
1470. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1471. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1472. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCODrhztfn4iT6KPA9_JdHHW1xoVAHBrphBIab9Fsn4E6azddjRsjqxv7NcdI6trvvsjFuDoyLcAfSpjy54YvlwH1ojlHBbN3gbUtHK411UIRJ9H0YBBXphzsiQqKe6oMWkmlHJCxo0FU/s1600/GoldenGateBridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCODrhztfn4iT6KPA9_JdHHW1xoVAHBrphBIab9Fsn4E6azddjRsjqxv7NcdI6trvvsjFuDoyLcAfSpjy54YvlwH1ojlHBbN3gbUtHK411UIRJ9H0YBBXphzsiQqKe6oMWkmlHJCxo0FU/s400/GoldenGateBridge.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1473. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1474. <br /></div>
1475. <br />
1476. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1477. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE77DkvaHJqplyBT_CG8PZgrEDKGKySyNoVCYlmeVCL1izBi4zvatextzI-54ZDHwopZuGJi-yK8zQ-uPT-qPK3gRKrl2a5-_rn0l72Ym1twG3gA9zCUEwrVEZcCZ0i_IMORNJLGIiLXk/s1600/GroupPhoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE77DkvaHJqplyBT_CG8PZgrEDKGKySyNoVCYlmeVCL1izBi4zvatextzI-54ZDHwopZuGJi-yK8zQ-uPT-qPK3gRKrl2a5-_rn0l72Ym1twG3gA9zCUEwrVEZcCZ0i_IMORNJLGIiLXk/s640/GroupPhoto.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
1478. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1479.      After spending some time with all the other tourists at Fort Point, we decided to make our way down to Crissy Field, which is this big open grassy area where you can sit back and look at the beauty that is the Golden Gate Bridge. On our way to the field, we stopped at a pier. Once again, a beautiful view of the bridge, but also a great location to spot a couple seals in the water.<br />
1480. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1481. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1482. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIcdMPXHYUZFFKJCUypkwS7yaeeyApV331zjSdW4Q9ufhfSSf-NVtH9HRENA0BqUowIUM02rQlipwlOyKbQEUo_XUM2qCEfgtF73d4pr0_pbfQNOKfJgkYE4ggUUIwkv0mKJjmr0lx_8/s1600/Pier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIcdMPXHYUZFFKJCUypkwS7yaeeyApV331zjSdW4Q9ufhfSSf-NVtH9HRENA0BqUowIUM02rQlipwlOyKbQEUo_XUM2qCEfgtF73d4pr0_pbfQNOKfJgkYE4ggUUIwkv0mKJjmr0lx_8/s640/Pier.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
1483. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1484.      After seeing everything there was to see at the pier and Crissy Field, we started thinking about heading back into the bigger part of the city for the GoCar Tours. Well, in order to get where we wanted to be, we would've had to hike all the way back up to Fort Point to catch a bus. We quickly decided that wasn't an option our feet were willing to let us make, so we unanimously voted on Uber.<br />
1485.      What an excellent decision.:)<br />
1486.      It was our first Uber experience and it went very well and was much faster than the 30-minute bus ride back into town.<br />
1487.      Our Uber took us straight to the GoCar Tours, which we found out had just stopped running for the day. Big bummer, but nothing to get too sad about when we had fish and chips on our minds.<br />
1488.      Alyssa has a friend who told her about a place with great lobster rolls and fish and chips. We knew we wanted to have fish and chips while in San Francisco, so we started our <em><strong>very</strong></em> long walk to Woodhouse Fish Co.<br />
1489.      Now, do you remember those stories your parents told you that included the line, "We walked (in the snow) uphill both ways ..."? I'm pretty sure whoever was the first to coin that phrase (minus the snow part) grew up in San Francisco because WOW. We had hills coming at us from every direction. I'm pretty sure Siri wanted us to have the full experience of San Francisco because she had us climbing hills so steep that we almost called another Uber just to drive us up them. <em>*Note: For those of you who read our first blog posts from Seattle, you might remember us talking about a hill that Matthew said (and still says) I tried to kill him on by making him climb it. Well, the hills from today were that hill times 10.</em><br />
1490. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1491. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1492. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9duLpeKu4XZUuyYsX_Mh34k52qxi212jSxlP_taVcxebFdlw_AqYqAX11f3VcZK-TPqVbvPcKZjYStrzag9OMN0lUuHswanntwh5zhR7OpoWx8abpxvhopSUiiD_VUaFyoJkz70id07M/s1600/Sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9duLpeKu4XZUuyYsX_Mh34k52qxi212jSxlP_taVcxebFdlw_AqYqAX11f3VcZK-TPqVbvPcKZjYStrzag9OMN0lUuHswanntwh5zhR7OpoWx8abpxvhopSUiiD_VUaFyoJkz70id07M/s400/Sunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
1493. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on our walk to dinner.</td></tr>
1494. </tbody></table>
1495. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1496.      A million hours later, we finally made it to our destination without keeling over.<br />
1497.      Do you remember me saying Bini's Kitchen was "scrumpdillyicious"? Ha. Ha. Ha. That was child's play compared to Woodhouse Fish Co. I'll just throw this out there ... it was better than the fish and chips we had in London. For those of you who know just how much we loved everything about London, you know by that last statement just how good this place was.<br />
1498. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1499. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1500. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPwXlHX8ZwaXd48hJEZ5R62N8xuMLWS4dYN1bQ4ThbH7qylmRdXrIVH6WcKiAIBUSooVE8mNLIy2bU4ybJ1RvrASopc39n-wqZ785DwVt5gcai7J2MZMEmAJahxw2BQwr0Ok9rkUgrus/s1600/FishAndChips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPwXlHX8ZwaXd48hJEZ5R62N8xuMLWS4dYN1bQ4ThbH7qylmRdXrIVH6WcKiAIBUSooVE8mNLIy2bU4ybJ1RvrASopc39n-wqZ785DwVt5gcai7J2MZMEmAJahxw2BQwr0Ok9rkUgrus/s400/FishAndChips.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1501. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuuuummmmm</td></tr>
1502. </tbody></table>
1503. <strong><br /></strong><br />
1504. <br /></div>
1505. <div>
1506. <br /></div>
1507. <div>
1508.      Now that I've written an entire book about our day, I think it's time to sign off.<br />
1509.      We're loving San Francisco. The atmosphere, architecture and liveliness of this city has definitely not disappointed and we've only just finished day two.<br />
1510. <br />
1511. <br />
1512. <strong><em>     *Note: I apologize for any errors, my editor has fallen asleep. [insert FRIENDS reference here]</em></strong><br />
1513. <br />
1514. <br />
1515. <div style="text-align: center;">
1516. <em>"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."</em></div>
1517. <div style="text-align: center;">
1518. <em>- <b>William Saroyan</b></em><br />
1519. <strong><em><br /></em></strong></div>
1520. <b></b><br />
1521. <div>
1522. <br /></div>
1523. <b>
1524. </b><br />
1525. <div style="text-align: center;">
1526. <b>To view our PhotoStream, <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0k532ODWunLzab" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f0ff77;">click here</span></a>.</b></div>
1527. <br />
1528. <br />
1529. <br /></div>
1530. </div>
1531. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/6662850175934350897/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-two.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/6662850175934350897'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/6662850175934350897'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-two.html' title='Surviving San Francisco - Day Two'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07626693922837496231</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrXWWD4RaDwwD5OdXT314eMTZER2Uyp1DwYHuiPCYUWUnWDAAw8yRrpqtsoXFrrU_KVUXxnyIUDlDbDG1KWBP6Y6ylYAa91KKttkmc1itOMW2oAVjNdC8PT2soC2Gjd484J-2S4Ut06c/s72-c/AstonMartinDB11.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>San Francisco, CA, USA</georss:featurename><georss:point>37.7749295 -122.41941550000001</georss:point><georss:box>37.373501499999996 -123.06486250000002 38.1763575 -121.77396850000001</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-9065110192263281825</id><published>2016-10-07T00:49:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2016-10-11T13:23:47.549-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="AirBnB"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Apple"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Aston Martin"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Flights"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Google"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Kansas City"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Los Angeles"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roadtrip"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="San Francisco"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Sunrise"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Rockleys"/><title type='text'>Surviving San Francisco - Day One</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Hello! Matthew here. I would like to welcome you to another adventure with the Pearons!&lt;br /&gt;
1532. <br />
1533.      If you've joined us before, you know the drill - but if not, just try to keep up. Generally, we try to alternate blog entries, so you hear a bit from both of us, but there are exceptions made to this rule (ie: one of us wimps out and goes to bed early).<br />
1534. <br />
1535. <i>A little background:</i><br />
1536.      This year, we decided to stay stateside and venture west to San Francisco, California. We're lucky enough to be accompanied by two very dear friends (we'll leave them nameless for now, as to not make them accomplices to whatever we end up doing here).<br />
1537. <br />
1538. Now that you know where we are, I'll tell you how we got there.<br />
1539. <br /><br />
1540. <br />
1541. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1542. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvQaNolrQBfRmqWdsgwYSOxvUY1dYCdmy6ZLGqNwqyd-qvjEZZf74eSwfiRYWFLZOxyZwpvhZna-ZWtVjIpGYkZX3YdZFlskmkJIi4vjK3WpRU8nkCUFwVl4IyApfrJ_TxnrZL0FhoN4/s1600/StartingOut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvQaNolrQBfRmqWdsgwYSOxvUY1dYCdmy6ZLGqNwqyd-qvjEZZf74eSwfiRYWFLZOxyZwpvhZna-ZWtVjIpGYkZX3YdZFlskmkJIi4vjK3WpRU8nkCUFwVl4IyApfrJ_TxnrZL0FhoN4/s400/StartingOut.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1543. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind the blur ... we were too excited.</td></tr>
1544. </tbody></table>
1545. <br />
1546. <i>The Flight:</i><br />
1547. <i>     </i>The day involved quite a bit of travel. Note that when I use the phrase "quite a bit," I really mean "99.998%". There were multiple busses, planes and cars involved, and everyone came out unscathed.<br />
1548. The day came with an early start - 03:00 to be exact. There was a bit of preparation to be done the night before, so not much sleep was had.<br />
1549.      We made our way to the valet service, who then shuttled us and a few other tired travelers to our port of departure, Kansas City International Airport (MCI). This was simple enough, as we are pretty familiar with the facilities and have become accustomed to the ritualistic torture that is TSA's Security Checkpoint.<br />
1550.      Whipping our way through security and into the concourse, we each split off to acquire the one thing absolutely necessary to make the first leg of our journey a success: Food. After that, it was all pretty run-of-the-mill. We boarded, we slept, we ate cookies, we slept more, some time passed and we landed. Pretty simple, eh?<br />
1551. <br /><br />
1552. <br />
1553. <br />
1554. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1555. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaC7cy8PzMihJnKviQEuWmMKhz25VotP6l1vjlyEVETizElSb3V7nwxzW8wY0MapjNJ_KE6duDwJvFrDZ_I4oEcfmxOeOZMxzkBAgMW9gU9ox7AyKHeVACzjALQWMWaOiJ3-LJhAdLeIQ/s1600/OnThePlane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaC7cy8PzMihJnKviQEuWmMKhz25VotP6l1vjlyEVETizElSb3V7nwxzW8wY0MapjNJ_KE6duDwJvFrDZ_I4oEcfmxOeOZMxzkBAgMW9gU9ox7AyKHeVACzjALQWMWaOiJ3-LJhAdLeIQ/s320/OnThePlane.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
1556. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the rest of us slept, Val did some reading while watching the sunrise.</td></tr>
1557. </tbody></table>
1558. <br />
1559. <i>The Drive:</i><br />
1560. <i>     </i>After landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), we made our way to the Rental Car Depot. For LAX's purposes, these are all off-site, so we were shuttled there by an employee of the rental agency. Again, this was very simple - but there was a nice surprise. Our rental agency offers an exotic lineup and I found this beauty:<br />
1561. <br /><br />
1562. <br />
1563. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1564. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rh70sRQTWn_eb9afnJid6qznwrsLmd6X4lSKP84gsK7tUsQo8z9-Xcce8-ixPxpwIxWBXchutEZW1-4aR5gMwa1_6ftMoC-OV8R1KJE1bzpWS5nmBJ0JSoGEureOgFL87SUYK2aOoTE/s1600/Aston.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rh70sRQTWn_eb9afnJid6qznwrsLmd6X4lSKP84gsK7tUsQo8z9-Xcce8-ixPxpwIxWBXchutEZW1-4aR5gMwa1_6ftMoC-OV8R1KJE1bzpWS5nmBJ0JSoGEureOgFL87SUYK2aOoTE/s400/Aston.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1565. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Explains itself</td></tr>
1566. </tbody></table>
1567. <b><br /></b>
1568.      Stunning, isn't it?<br />
1569. <br />
1570.      I will say at this point, (under much protest by yours truly) I did not rent the Aston, but instead opted for an economical Toyota Camry. Bummer.<br />
1571.      We made our way out of Los Angeles via the scenic U.S. 101, stopping for breakfast in lovely Malibu. We decided to eat at Ollo - which was definitely a good choice. I had their Eggs Benedict with potatoes and Valeri had Buttermilk Pancakes with strawberry butter.<br />
1572. <br /><br />
1573. <br />
1574. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1575. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEp5nFmOPkbD5avdyAULE83ez8zC_KgGpv7RcCT8_CbloazjnKScMzSEOA2P_e8ai8Xp2IVKnjc284h242tiehOYl3kdDAhyphenhyphen6tlbhfm0yMkWCII4y-uaJvZ9Ga-XdH7OFjlu0znpL9X4I/s1600/EggsBenedict.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEp5nFmOPkbD5avdyAULE83ez8zC_KgGpv7RcCT8_CbloazjnKScMzSEOA2P_e8ai8Xp2IVKnjc284h242tiehOYl3kdDAhyphenhyphen6tlbhfm0yMkWCII4y-uaJvZ9Ga-XdH7OFjlu0znpL9X4I/s400/EggsBenedict.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1576. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Eggs Benedict. Val's was just pancakes ... no photo needed.</td></tr>
1577. </tbody></table>
1578. <b><br /></b>
1579. <br />
1580.      After breakfast, we hit the road toward Cupertino and Mountain View. Can you guess what our plans were there? If you guessed that we were there to see Apple and Google, you will have guessed correctly! It was neat to see the campuses that birth such amazing technologies and innovations! We were not able to do tours in either location, as they are closed-campuses, but we did catch a couple of photos at each:<br />
1581. <br /><br />
1582. <br />
1583. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1584. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQfpF8KM3baw66fQWSiWJn9kjK5M13jR-vLx2HazM0-DcHVLTLoxCsFLOGke3dz_2fu006-N2JMtKPHp48FLox79Z2ZpyArGU4WGP0Eg2vsUegDA8DpC25vPToaqzJa2Ng3IcOG5HhTs/s1600/Apple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQfpF8KM3baw66fQWSiWJn9kjK5M13jR-vLx2HazM0-DcHVLTLoxCsFLOGke3dz_2fu006-N2JMtKPHp48FLox79Z2ZpyArGU4WGP0Eg2vsUegDA8DpC25vPToaqzJa2Ng3IcOG5HhTs/s400/Apple.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1585. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Apple, 1 Infinite Loop</td></tr>
1586. </tbody></table>
1587. <br />
1588. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1589. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEhgybaYZ1CRAek1ea1ljMvgMjAD7VquLCFVgNprmqdtIMNi8TYVywD8Qx88V082HOqGX3XJ-gTJMpsDco5YJKyyOHmRTxMcDru8ABzKav4ZSJuABl26oVH6qyYrGBOvNqpWEyo_aPm4/s1600/Google.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEhgybaYZ1CRAek1ea1ljMvgMjAD7VquLCFVgNprmqdtIMNi8TYVywD8Qx88V082HOqGX3XJ-gTJMpsDco5YJKyyOHmRTxMcDru8ABzKav4ZSJuABl26oVH6qyYrGBOvNqpWEyo_aPm4/s400/Google.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1590. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Google ... there are palm trees that you can't see behind out head.</td></tr>
1591. </tbody></table>
1592. <br />
1593.      After another 90 minutes, we were in the middle of San Francisco traffic and crossing the Bay Bridge. It was a bit unnerving, but we all survived. I can't say I wasn't slightly frazzled by the end of it, but I think I performed admirably. (If any of my passengers argue that point, they are not to be trusted.)<br />
1594. <br /><br />
1595. <br />
1596. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1597. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZGiGUhyphenhyphenbsS1QrKyvgsfAaY0_AZJ3BaWxQBbUD1q98tFo94uWVfGLea_U1Bx6BUkAdUTGZcv9qfob9yj0IX4AqFWUWjazbUoT0NNih64EMVwzcwJq2-ocRKI6boJZThhOirFZgQtrzcQ/s1600/RoadTrip2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZGiGUhyphenhyphenbsS1QrKyvgsfAaY0_AZJ3BaWxQBbUD1q98tFo94uWVfGLea_U1Bx6BUkAdUTGZcv9qfob9yj0IX4AqFWUWjazbUoT0NNih64EMVwzcwJq2-ocRKI6boJZThhOirFZgQtrzcQ/s400/RoadTrip2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1598. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bit of the view we had while driving through Malibu.</td></tr>
1599. </tbody></table>
1600. <br />
1601. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1602. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kvscB8CShQp9yVPvZN1KsgM1yBliTtu6a6tnyVrIOit1HNUZfRxTtE9Td1E3WyS2VNhMXLQq21cJa5y11hFz-Urc2N3l6xQpoWl4hdiCi4L9bTVvTC2uGE0zdT8-hzaHe3W-Y9KTlIs/s1600/RoadTrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kvscB8CShQp9yVPvZN1KsgM1yBliTtu6a6tnyVrIOit1HNUZfRxTtE9Td1E3WyS2VNhMXLQq21cJa5y11hFz-Urc2N3l6xQpoWl4hdiCi4L9bTVvTC2uGE0zdT8-hzaHe3W-Y9KTlIs/s400/RoadTrip.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1603. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was just south of San Francisco. </td></tr>
1604. </tbody></table>
1605. <br />
1606. <br />
1607.      By the end of the day, we had flown from Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California, then had driven from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We had also tired ourselves out by doing this - which is why I'm bringing this blog entry to an end.<br />
1608. <br />
1609. Thank you for sticking with us through this first day and thank you in advance for joining us tomorrow! This is Matthew, signing off.<br />
1610. <br />
1611. <div style="text-align: center;">
1612. <i>"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."</i></div>
1613. <div style="text-align: center;">
1614. <i>- <b>William Saroyan</b></i></div>
1615. <b><i><br /></i></b><br />
1616. <div style="text-align: center;">
1617. <b>To view our PhotoStream, <a href="https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0k532ODWunLzab" target="_blank">click here</a>.</b></div>
1618. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/9065110192263281825/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-one.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/9065110192263281825'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/9065110192263281825'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2016/10/surviving-san-francisco-day-one.html' title='Surviving San Francisco - Day One'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15885727974672445407</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvQaNolrQBfRmqWdsgwYSOxvUY1dYCdmy6ZLGqNwqyd-qvjEZZf74eSwfiRYWFLZOxyZwpvhZna-ZWtVjIpGYkZX3YdZFlskmkJIi4vjK3WpRU8nkCUFwVl4IyApfrJ_TxnrZL0FhoN4/s72-c/StartingOut.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-2306021610421606759</id><published>2015-09-26T13:21:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2015-09-26T13:22:30.927-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Flights"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Iceland"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London 2015"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Paris"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="St. Louis"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Tube"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Toronto"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Underground"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="United Kingdom"/><title type='text'>Surviving London - Day Thirteen</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Good morning, everyone! This is Matthew with the last of the actual posts of the &quot;Surviving London&quot; series. We hope to do a &quot;What We Learned&quot; wrap-up post about a week from now, just to give a brief synopsis of our overall thoughts. For now, I&#39;m just going to give a brief rundown of our return trip.&lt;br /&gt;
1619. <br />
1620.      Our overnight stay at the Radisson Blu in Paris was great. The hotel was very nice and we enjoyed every bit of that. Although, it wasn't enough to undo the sour taste Paris had left us with. I'm still trying to get over that, if you couldn't tell.<br />
1621.      We took off from the hotel at 5:15 a.m., using the complimentary shuttle service to get to the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport - or Aeroport if you're French. (We won't hold it against you.) The Radisson Blu is a bit further from the airport than we had originally thought, so it was a very nice service for them to offer. It saved us a few €25 taxi rides, anyway. The attendant at the hotel very politely informed us that the taxi drivers might attempt to pad that figure, so watch out if you're ever in that situation. Anyway ... back on track. We arrived at CDG about 2.5 hours early, and began our journey through security - which was actually pretty painless. Our flight departed at 7:45 a.m., lasting just more than three hours. We happily slept for most of that.<br />
1622.      The next leg - from Reykjavik, Iceland (KEF) to Toronto, Canada wasn't quite as nice - not trip-killing terrible, but not nice. First off, it was delayed for technical reasons - which is amazingly reassuring to hear when you're about to board the plane. The worst part is that from the departure gate, you get to watch them pull parts and pieces from the plane ... and some of those look kind of important. Hopefully they put them all back in there somewhere.<br />
1623. <br />
1624. <i>     A small interruption from Valeri: "Oh my gosh! This plane doesn't even have a phalange!"<br />     **Ten points to whoever guesses the show that's from**</i><br />
1625. <i><br /></i>
1626.      Other than that, KEF is a great airport. It's very clean, very modern and all around awesome. It is the home of IcelandAir - which also is awesome. We were lucky to have four different flights with them and we much preferred them to any other flight we've been on.<br />
1627.       The second thing that didn't go quite the way we had hoped was the fact we had three of the most ill-behaved children that I had ever seen on our flight. Once we saw them in the terminal, we both immediately expressed our concern they would be boarding with us ... and they did. They brought all of their rowdy kicking and screaming with them. They didn't stop all of the kicking and screaming for the entire flight. It got bad enough the flight attendants rearranged the passengers and passed out earplugs. Luckily, Valeri and I had our headphones, so we decided to take advantage of the in-flight entertainment. We watched a movie called Spy (hilarious), and a few episodes of Big Bang Theory. We just increased the volume enough to drown out the hellions - I mean lovely children - in the rear of the plane.<br />
1628.      We were dreading the next stop in Toronto. The Toronto-Pearson Airport (YYZ) is just horrid. It's too confusing and the baggage claim system is worthless. Our luggage should have been checked all the way through - like it is with any other flight in the whole world ... but we knew from our last flight through YYZ that all passengers have to re-check their luggage when connecting through this place. It's miserable. I'm not sure who designed that place, but I'd like to see him locked up for crimes against humanity - term: life. Some of you might think that is extreme, but trust me, it's 1,678% nicer than my original thoughts.<br />
1629.      As I mentioned, we knew the breakdowns in YYZ's systems, so we knew how to attack the beast. We went straight to one of the gazillion baggage carousels and waited ... and waited ... and waited. When our bags finally made an appearance, there was much rejoicing. I've learned I have absolutely no patience for airports and I think my poor wife gets the brunt of that. She knew what she was getting into when she said "I do." No refunds or returns, all sales are final. Sorry, Val.<br />
1630. <br />
1631. <i>     Interruption from Valeri: I told him a few times, "You already complained about that." He then replied each time, "I know and expect me to continue complaining."</i><br />
1632. <br />
1633.      Then there was U.S. Customs. Oh, man ... that was a wicked process. It was <em><strong>so</strong></em> much easier getting into the U.K. The process doesn't leave much room for an incentive to return! The lines are far too long, the Customs Officers too few (although, we were very lucky to have a pleasant one) and the process far to convoluted.<br />
1634.      When you add that much complexity to a system unnecessarily, the single points of failure increases exponentially ... and when you're dealing with that many people (and their time and money), it's not a good thing.<br />
1635.      Once we got past customs, we encountered another wall. Literally. It was made of glass and was very much in our way. I contemplated the ramifications of removing said obstruction by utilizing a well-placed rock ... but the thought of being arrested in Canada put me off that idea. So, we stood there waiting for someone to move the wall - and eventually they did. That allowed us to get to our gate about 30 minutes before boarding began ... which brings me to another breakdown: There was no attendant at our gate. After we hit the 15-minute mark, I finally wandered over to another gate, and asked some questions. The response was, "Oh, someone should have been over there already." My immediate thought was, "Yeah ... that's kind of what brought the question about, genius." I'm not sure if he saw my eye roll or not ... and I'm honestly not sure I would have cared if he did. Evidently, airports bring out the worst possible version of myself.<br />
1636.      We finally boarded the plane - after sorting a seat assignment issue with Valeri's ticket - and began our short journey to Lambert Int'l Airport in St. Louis (STL). Lambert is a busy little airport! We either hadn't noticed last time we were here, or it was just way too early for the mania to begin. We made our way to the baggage carousels, grabbed our bags, then waited for our shuttle from STL to Columbia - which arrived right on time.<br />
1637.      That's it. We survived another trip! There were ups and downs, but the time spent in London made it well worth it. We absolutely loved it there and were blessed with pretty decent weather for most of the trip, so we had an awesome time. There is so much to see and so much to do - and there is no way we could have even scratched the surface with the time we had.<br />
1638. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;If you ever have the opportunity to visit London, jump on it. You won&#39;t be disappointed ... and if you are, you&#39;re insane and need to forfeit your plane tickets to the Pearons.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/2306021610421606759/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-thirteen.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2306021610421606759'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/2306021610421606759'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-thirteen.html' title='Surviving London - Day Thirteen'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15801144354939156274</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-8655768793252152983</id><published>2015-09-23T16:54:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2015-09-26T11:34:47.591-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Eiffel Tower"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Eurostar"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Library"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London 2015"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Paris"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Tube"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="United Kingdom"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving London - Day Twelve</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; This is Valeri and this post will hopefully&amp;nbsp;be short and sweet ... but I can&#39;t promise that.&lt;br /&gt;
1639.      We woke up this morning sad to leave London. Matthew had threatened many times that he was staying and I just knew I'd miss the beautiful city.<br />
1640.      However, I was also a bit excited for Paris - Matthew was not. We both figured this is our one and only time to hit the "city of love" and then be on our way, never to return. Well, my excitement for Paris was wasted.<br />
1641.      Let's begin with the easy part ... the Eurostar. This part was simple and we had no issues. We were to St. Pancras by 6:40 a.m. and leaving the station on our way to Paris by 7:55 a.m.<br />
1642.      Although Matthew wasn't excited to see Paris, he was excited to ride the Eurostar. We stayed awake for about 30 minutes, then fell asleep, waking up about 30 minutes before arriving in Paris.<br />
1643.      Now, I'm usually an optimist ... so much so that it normally irritates Matthew (who is a realist). However, my optimism only lasted about two hours after arriving in Paris. After 1.5 weeks of London's tube system, we were experts and had no issues. Then we went to Paris where we had no idea where to even start and still had no clue by the end of the day.<br />
1644.      After finding our way to the hotel, we then had to find our way back into the city. I had scheduled our day to where we would only need to ride the metro three times (to our hotel, to Paris, back to our hotel), the rest of the day we would be walking along the beautiful Seine River ... something I heard we should definitely not pass up because it would be one of the best experiences we had.<br />
1645.      All the people who wrote that are full of it. There is a very small portion of Paris that is pretty and you're just wowed by the architecture ... the rest is nothing but graffiti. We even saw a tree covered in graffiti. Who does that?!?!?<br />
1646.      Anyways, I've sort of went down a rabbit trail here.<br />
1647.      Once we arrived in the city, our first stop was the library. It was once one of the largest in the world and from the pictures I'd seen, it was suppose to be beautiful. I did like it, but it was not the most beautiful I'd ever seen and in order to get to where the books were, you needed a library card, so I didn't get to see the room I was most excited about.<br />
1648.      So then we left the library and began our journey down the Seine River. Yes, the river is beautiful, but we were distracted so much by the trash and graffiti that our focus was pulled from the river.<br />
1649.      The first thing we came to though that was worth taking a photo of was the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Wow. It was beautiful. We made sure to stop and look a few times at it as we made our way along the bank.<br />
1650. <br />
1651. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1652. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV-B7Bscc3WE3VEj6EIAtikh8ZeyxFZr-z5f1K_3Q5BHT5JwUcC23uThUqBMoFBLMK3FuZL5dNb1SMgpIvTel1nK-L495ebx0cmKAOkwndQzfCXPYHTB2_ZnqbZ8b_R1GH6PYQV77-mU/s1600/IMG_4554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV-B7Bscc3WE3VEj6EIAtikh8ZeyxFZr-z5f1K_3Q5BHT5JwUcC23uThUqBMoFBLMK3FuZL5dNb1SMgpIvTel1nK-L495ebx0cmKAOkwndQzfCXPYHTB2_ZnqbZ8b_R1GH6PYQV77-mU/s400/IMG_4554.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1653. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral of Notre Dame</td></tr>
1654. </tbody></table>
1655.       We then were suppose to eat lunch, which by this time it was already 4:30 p.m., so we figured it would be more like dinner. I had planned on us eating at Pizza Rustica, which was a block or two off from the river bank. Oh boy, was that crazy. There were <b>so</b> many people and the streets were very hard to locate, so after about 15 minutes of searching, we just decided on a different restaurant.<br />
1656. <br />
1657. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1658. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaosg7n8yWDDLte98oI3ghnVZiSJv8uv5y1keX-LFWNImsw4Yxj_uNU2IGjzaL9CHDx1csDzlOBzQX880-lo3IueMCrPW-Wnz_9FxdetTHYiBQam_a4meuDtKtN8ppHgWA7RBUO2QeMA/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaosg7n8yWDDLte98oI3ghnVZiSJv8uv5y1keX-LFWNImsw4Yxj_uNU2IGjzaL9CHDx1csDzlOBzQX880-lo3IueMCrPW-Wnz_9FxdetTHYiBQam_a4meuDtKtN8ppHgWA7RBUO2QeMA/s320/IMG_2759.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
1659. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1660. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWaJJPcqMf3fvpRcDiDQdGNkhCr_zERQZwbYGox9txbFCm5WUjgBwPM-f2yn3HuhIv_27gIEIUc854Q3vbSy0ClC3ZblDQoLBbKE6TLDc_c__mkqhU1NDCxoy9woWE_jnvQRfyf7ZvII/s1600/IMG_4558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWaJJPcqMf3fvpRcDiDQdGNkhCr_zERQZwbYGox9txbFCm5WUjgBwPM-f2yn3HuhIv_27gIEIUc854Q3vbSy0ClC3ZblDQoLBbKE6TLDc_c__mkqhU1NDCxoy9woWE_jnvQRfyf7ZvII/s320/IMG_4558.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
1661. <br />
1662.      I ordered a 4 Fromaggi pizza and Matthew had a pasta dish. The dishes were okay, but not great.<br />
1663.      After a mediocre lunch/dinner, we headed back toward the river to find the Pont des Arts (Bridge of Love). This is the bridge where people used to put a lock on the side of the bridge and then toss their key into the river. Just a year ago they started to cut off all the locks because the bridge was beginning to be unstable, so we were only able to see a few locks on the side of the stairs leading to the bridge. However, the view from the middle of the bridge was beautiful.<br />
1664. <br />
1665. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1666. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsHMrXwyNSVjOCdZBiVH-aBHKt_JYoMJEajBF6ZwGQ3jLxI4MYq5KYYUJh-dsurkBrrMzle_igHTDm2JwiP_WJspcxAYCYVgYt5IFLgWJWWoIjAk_GKaVGGWpeqcCitPNtyhpOBlm7TU/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsHMrXwyNSVjOCdZBiVH-aBHKt_JYoMJEajBF6ZwGQ3jLxI4MYq5KYYUJh-dsurkBrrMzle_igHTDm2JwiP_WJspcxAYCYVgYt5IFLgWJWWoIjAk_GKaVGGWpeqcCitPNtyhpOBlm7TU/s640/IMG_2764.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
1667. <br />
1668.      We crossed the bridge and heading toward Place de la Concorde. It took us longer than expected to find it, but we happened upon the Louvre. We didn't go inside, but made sure to get a photo of the outside. This is where we started to enter the gorgeous side of Paris.<br />
1669.      The buildings from here to the Eiffel Tower were amazing.<br />
1670. <br />
1671. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1672. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNlaZV7BUulsKUf5lPkf4ZoyBYM_eR6q39MHn07UYrrMUpt4crOLmhJD9_eXPNFh6KIvjzNXVxwhnKM-YSTmaJn-WovNl-_d_Z8sZR0PxpSDMQuLms3CliYhWbLJ3C5hxh53NCLQ2Sek/s1600/IMG_4557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNlaZV7BUulsKUf5lPkf4ZoyBYM_eR6q39MHn07UYrrMUpt4crOLmhJD9_eXPNFh6KIvjzNXVxwhnKM-YSTmaJn-WovNl-_d_Z8sZR0PxpSDMQuLms3CliYhWbLJ3C5hxh53NCLQ2Sek/s400/IMG_4557.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
1673. <br />
1674. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1675. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Dx2hvQ5NSwrqqkrgbqcdhHoNmP_2l6m-ocFreSRxSBy_AmeNLlqdx2JjFevfGlTCJLJKNM7vUvvJkW3ay5lNpKH-Cmz2fKjYONC9-op1-tdRKJ2mo67iPeyQdNcP86zJmFrNLQBapcU/s1600/IMG_4574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Dx2hvQ5NSwrqqkrgbqcdhHoNmP_2l6m-ocFreSRxSBy_AmeNLlqdx2JjFevfGlTCJLJKNM7vUvvJkW3ay5lNpKH-Cmz2fKjYONC9-op1-tdRKJ2mo67iPeyQdNcP86zJmFrNLQBapcU/s400/IMG_4574.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1676. <br />
1677.      We couldn't help but be in awe of most of them as we walked toward the Eiffel Tower, which we arrived at right before sunset.<br />
1678.      Nothing can quite describe the Eiffel Tower. Even Matthew said he didn't think he would feel this amazed by it. The best part was a little after sunset when it lit up and then sparkled. The entire crowd all at once made a "wow" noise.<br />
1679.      Not even the greatest of poets could have described that scene. However, photos can give a small glimpse into what we saw ... just a small one though.<br />
1680. <br />
1681. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1682. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbCKdPM30aLSpbQoo0h1ZXYy37HVZJMru1sYknQJ096-VciBM5ZG9ADeM21UHjuKvD_Fo01jbryv0tTadatyjFLTPQ0ZFuVnO8sFbrxkFbHE5LmkI-5xB4y_T_74I-r9q5QliBjoF8Sg/s1600/IMG_2789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbCKdPM30aLSpbQoo0h1ZXYy37HVZJMru1sYknQJ096-VciBM5ZG9ADeM21UHjuKvD_Fo01jbryv0tTadatyjFLTPQ0ZFuVnO8sFbrxkFbHE5LmkI-5xB4y_T_74I-r9q5QliBjoF8Sg/s400/IMG_2789.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
1683. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzgUiNl7Lq25t7NP_jJQgmlOAa-wQUD1Z9pr6pU4nNG8kiHsGL5hRvMDE3oPPxNjoxdmVNfrh-p0ZY1EH2eTk4d-6cwNfjLuTZcJKjmjEP7xXaPujVzxR9KjOPTdhPYZStcjec6L31yg/s1600/IMG_2813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzgUiNl7Lq25t7NP_jJQgmlOAa-wQUD1Z9pr6pU4nNG8kiHsGL5hRvMDE3oPPxNjoxdmVNfrh-p0ZY1EH2eTk4d-6cwNfjLuTZcJKjmjEP7xXaPujVzxR9KjOPTdhPYZStcjec6L31yg/s320/IMG_2813.JPG" width="166" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzrkfeEzp9oAsm6ajMkBkelLeGkHMDEjhwWyMaAT9BvHrQsVImpkbQJSXWsdhEPuNkonjTFED0roR5FSD9bLUuw0KglQ060UwpzKGXGWejjeLlxsxBRvrA8H2SKiA9AJ7lQvNiXcoWFg/s1600/IMG_4643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzrkfeEzp9oAsm6ajMkBkelLeGkHMDEjhwWyMaAT9BvHrQsVImpkbQJSXWsdhEPuNkonjTFED0roR5FSD9bLUuw0KglQ060UwpzKGXGWejjeLlxsxBRvrA8H2SKiA9AJ7lQvNiXcoWFg/s320/IMG_4643.JPG" width="256" /></a><br />
1684. <br />
1685. <br />
1686. <br />
1687. <br />
1688. <br />
1689. <br />
1690. <br />
1691. <br />
1692. <br />
1693. <br />
1694. <br />
1695. <br />
1696. <br />
1697. <br />
1698. <br />
1699. <br />
1700.      After seeing the Eiffel Tower glimmer, we made our way back to the hotel and arrived ... 40 minutes later.<br />
1701.      <br />
1702.      Overall, the only things we liked about Paris was the Eiffel Tower and its surrounding buildings. We were not impressed with the city as a whole and don't understand what people see in it. I guess if you have the money to pay a taxi/uber to take you anywhere you want and you avoid everything other than the main part of Paris, you'd probably love it.<br />
1703.      However, if you don't have that option and you're just two people walking from the metro to the Eiffel Tower, avoiding being hit by cars (which almost happened twice even though we had the green light to walk) and not knowing any French, then this city probably isn't for you.<br />
1704.     I will warn you that this was the nice description of Paris. If you'd like to hear a non-sugarcoated version, speak with Matthew and he will be more than happy to tell you of his dislike for this city ... and his love for London.<br />
1705. <br />
1706.      We head back early in the morning. I'm excited for my own bed and my couch. I also miss people who speak English.<br />
1707. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; We&#39;ll be posting a blog soon about tomorrow&#39;s trip home, followed by one about our pros and cons of London and what we learned during our first time overseas.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/8655768793252152983/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-twelve.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/8655768793252152983'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/8655768793252152983'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-twelve.html' title='Surviving London - Day Twelve'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15801144354939156274</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV-B7Bscc3WE3VEj6EIAtikh8ZeyxFZr-z5f1K_3Q5BHT5JwUcC23uThUqBMoFBLMK3FuZL5dNb1SMgpIvTel1nK-L495ebx0cmKAOkwndQzfCXPYHTB2_ZnqbZ8b_R1GH6PYQV77-mU/s72-c/IMG_4554.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>Paris, France</georss:featurename><georss:point>48.856614 2.3522219000000177</georss:point><georss:box>48.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-134218603977357636</id><published>2015-09-22T16:46:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2015-09-26T11:12:52.151-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Aston Martin"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Egypt"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Exploration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="James Bond"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London 2015"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Underground"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="United Kingdom"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Vanquish"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving London - Day Eleven</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Good afternoon!&amp;nbsp;Matthew here, reporting&amp;nbsp;from London.&lt;br /&gt;
1708.      Today was bittersweet. It brought an end to our London adventure, but will mark the start of our journey to Paris. I can't say I'm quite as excited as my wife is about France, but it will be a neat trip. We will only be there a day (closer to half a day, really) before heading back stateside. I'll give you a synapsis of today's adventure.<br />
1709.      We started with coffee at the Attendant. This place was quite a trick to find, as it is completely housed below the sidewalk ... and once you walk in, you realize why: It's a restroom. Yes, you read correctly.<br />
1710. <br />
1711. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1712. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf9K35ezrVxmNXjRo2cexx86F3Er27GNFt5dkNGB_ALB_9sByiX1tpOfLawbr7VMY9k3C83NaH_u_tWcuH8kJvDBWuhpsgCaU967Fmi0DBW9tXzIjWbATeku_ngvY8dCCPMA_BkLv66w/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf9K35ezrVxmNXjRo2cexx86F3Er27GNFt5dkNGB_ALB_9sByiX1tpOfLawbr7VMY9k3C83NaH_u_tWcuH8kJvDBWuhpsgCaU967Fmi0DBW9tXzIjWbATeku_ngvY8dCCPMA_BkLv66w/s400/IMG_2283.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
1713. <br />
1714.      The entire café was built into a re-purposed men's lavatory. It took a second to figure out, but that made the name that much more clever. On one side of the room was the serving counter and on the other there was a sitting bar, with strange dividers between each seat - as it turns out, those were the tops of the old urinals. By the time all of this had sunken in, it was too late - I had already placed the order and couldn't carefully back out of the door, taking care to not touch anything. I'm sure they had doused the place in chemicals to sanitize it. I hope. <b>Review coming soon.</b><br />
1715. <div>
1716.      After the barista had prepared our coffees - which were prepared in an Aeropress, it was delivered to us in beakers and we were provided wine glasses for the actual consumption bit. That was a bit odd, but a neat touch. Unfortunately, the coffee (you know, the main point of this whole shop) was utterly terrible. I'm not sure what the barista had done incorrectly, but it was just bad. We forced it down, politely thanked the baristas - as they probably meant well - and went on our way.<br />
1717. <br /></div>
1718. <div>
1719. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1720. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyE78AU-Ma0j3nDWi0KDNqH_-FMQgrxOeYWOn6m2NhYWaz5_guLOx4oKbUwof_4zeL22Mqw9q6wNO3KHVoXNW1a8NApmR03Css6zWz-4kDiYa6M6W0r-n925yVTaUL9F0JmYLrLuseWg/s1600/IMG_2285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyE78AU-Ma0j3nDWi0KDNqH_-FMQgrxOeYWOn6m2NhYWaz5_guLOx4oKbUwof_4zeL22Mqw9q6wNO3KHVoXNW1a8NApmR03Css6zWz-4kDiYa6M6W0r-n925yVTaUL9F0JmYLrLuseWg/s400/IMG_2285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1721. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The exterior of the British Museum</td></tr>
1722. </tbody></table>
1723. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
1724. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gVohR-A34kLM5TfYict9EUYmN-2Mb16ZiRogWUpLY2-k2HoJBDuXrq9868AYAD9pzhpp2Zk7qS3YD4pxOL77Sy8L0m507z9tMJA4OZ72Fh1SK2esEPrNZLrSMyzN3guinlE8-xHkrnY/s1600/IMG_2290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gVohR-A34kLM5TfYict9EUYmN-2Mb16ZiRogWUpLY2-k2HoJBDuXrq9868AYAD9pzhpp2Zk7qS3YD4pxOL77Sy8L0m507z9tMJA4OZ72Fh1SK2esEPrNZLrSMyzN3guinlE8-xHkrnY/s320/IMG_2290.JPG" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
1725. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior</td></tr>
1726. </tbody></table>
1727. <br />
1728.      Our second stop for the day was the British Museum. This place was epic. The sheer size of the place astounded me.<br />
1729.      Valeri was very excited about the Egypt Exhibit, so we breezed through the rest of it to see that. While she was perusing the many artifacts, I wandered about the facility a bit and grabbed a couple of photos. <b>Review coming soon.</b><br />
1730.      There was so much to see there, but we just didn't have the time to spare today.<br />
1731. <br />
1732. <b></b><br />
1733. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
1734. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9j4VRGgkvKs-EomQcrjnXM112nlKXgmwHE-KWCwU5NsbTIkQ-TS6JLeH2ZmW26AiM-OZk8JMmmFqvZ5OeL0eUec_h9xdM9I2pgkiOvOuvKmU1O654nU937GCYrSGJUtxtzlyyihzEtw/s1600/IMG_2292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9j4VRGgkvKs-EomQcrjnXM112nlKXgmwHE-KWCwU5NsbTIkQ-TS6JLeH2ZmW26AiM-OZk8JMmmFqvZ5OeL0eUec_h9xdM9I2pgkiOvOuvKmU1O654nU937GCYrSGJUtxtzlyyihzEtw/s320/IMG_2292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
1735. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior</td></tr>
1736. </tbody></table>
1737. <br />
1738. <br />
1739. <br />
1740. <br />
1741. <br />
1742. <br />
1743. <br />
1744. <br />
1745. <br />
1746. <br /></div>
1747. <div>
1748.      We began our trek to the next event of the day: The Monument to the Great Fire of London. This was a very neat statue, as you could choose to take the 1 billion steps (that figure might be slightly exaggerated for effect) to the top, and get a neat overlook of the city. Due to the weather and some death threats from our abused feet, we decided against the upward journey. <br />
1749. <br />
1750. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1751. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMK9iuuU7Gp0pAaPYq6_DmcOdO_yx5h-FYpka-1EOFSKvLunxvmlMCgDdcreFP9QdLFjVDTN2NsVo45hIgCpPkHk7rrq0j_dPi0jAh33NHuu3WDOs8uVQ3Kp2InK8hfuF1F10GAnOFFI/s1600/IMG_2300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMK9iuuU7Gp0pAaPYq6_DmcOdO_yx5h-FYpka-1EOFSKvLunxvmlMCgDdcreFP9QdLFjVDTN2NsVo45hIgCpPkHk7rrq0j_dPi0jAh33NHuu3WDOs8uVQ3Kp2InK8hfuF1F10GAnOFFI/s400/IMG_2300.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
1752. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Monument</td></tr>
1753. </tbody></table>
1754. <br /></div>
1755. <div>
1756.      The base of the statue is covered in massive inscriptions, detailing the fire, and the steps that the city's leadership took to mitigate the loss. It seems like the inscriptions were written by the people of the city, and you could tell how highly they thought of their leaders at the time. <b>Review coming soon.</b></div>
1757. <div>
1758.      The third event for the day was Bond in Motion. I was very excited for this one. The past 50 years of vehicles featured in the James Bond films were all on display in one place. We grabbed the audio guides and a detailed guide book. I have about a gazillion photos of this, but I'll only post a few here for you. If you want to see more, check out our PhotoStream by visiting CL3VER.life.</div>
1759. <div>
1760. <br />
1761. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1762. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTX8bOZBappw3-4Rja6dKoNNVxh-5NIBYOL4Rd1JRCrbIKRz1owBqeqqlpBQRXBqAo9TphNPuaa-tUzoeH7oJSEs-eHee2tUWXdfOdnR0oheKccjphTurt6OYjna8EhLsQMyrGxm5_uU/s1600/IMG_2407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTX8bOZBappw3-4Rja6dKoNNVxh-5NIBYOL4Rd1JRCrbIKRz1owBqeqqlpBQRXBqAo9TphNPuaa-tUzoeH7oJSEs-eHee2tUWXdfOdnR0oheKccjphTurt6OYjna8EhLsQMyrGxm5_uU/s400/IMG_2407.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1763. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aston Martin V12 Vanquish,<br />
1764. as seen in "Die Another Day"</td></tr>
1765. </tbody></table>
1766. <br /></div>
1767. <div>
1768. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1769. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJbG6x_Hxk1JZlAeCYA2uCmPrIV06df4BvLr3aaDRN4e1lkrDWD3rueoTzyAM8qgk81kE7eVWsIhVNPn7X33FSqs2aODJSPa_isXpQ_HiSpIuUjyVyUjO3ov4Mlx___Rf3oiAk8JDS8Q/s1600/IMG_2599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJbG6x_Hxk1JZlAeCYA2uCmPrIV06df4BvLr3aaDRN4e1lkrDWD3rueoTzyAM8qgk81kE7eVWsIhVNPn7X33FSqs2aODJSPa_isXpQ_HiSpIuUjyVyUjO3ov4Mlx___Rf3oiAk8JDS8Q/s400/IMG_2599.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1770. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aston Martin DB5<br />
1771. seen most recently in "Skyfall"</td></tr>
1772. </tbody></table>
1773. <b><br /></b>
1774. <br />
1775. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1776. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf2NEZwsvDDWJYLEhz5CNvE0S82a-4SSsdQfjxHDEG8bCLpVMQcYlBmh_ECE3JivImCb80mlcaJR7LyE63z1T04s2Wj6ftcOp1dcppeaoLf_9THM8aRaik1Y44na3pSuK9Og5ux5EMPc/s1600/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf2NEZwsvDDWJYLEhz5CNvE0S82a-4SSsdQfjxHDEG8bCLpVMQcYlBmh_ECE3JivImCb80mlcaJR7LyE63z1T04s2Wj6ftcOp1dcppeaoLf_9THM8aRaik1Y44na3pSuK9Og5ux5EMPc/s400/IMG_2612.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1777. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aston Martin DBS<br />
1778. featured in the crash sequence in "Casino Royale"</td></tr>
1779. </tbody></table>
1780. <b><br /></b>
1781. <br />
1782. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1783. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgqR5x3ZH4iivO6Sppxzo_KCZGSbxzs6_Ds-TBSREXAGDrb6ACic4wX0VsHHR22k-wZcWU8vb8bLiyssHswe-LgY9gOfAnO-WQXBOXdwD-3UTNdpC_v1NpkVHkw06WkfwNOfiTn5lmXg/s1600/IMG_2629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgqR5x3ZH4iivO6Sppxzo_KCZGSbxzs6_Ds-TBSREXAGDrb6ACic4wX0VsHHR22k-wZcWU8vb8bLiyssHswe-LgY9gOfAnO-WQXBOXdwD-3UTNdpC_v1NpkVHkw06WkfwNOfiTn5lmXg/s400/IMG_2629.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1784. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jet pack<br />
1785. featured in "From Russia with Love"</td></tr>
1786. </tbody></table>
1787. <b><br /></b>
1788. <b>Review coming soon.</b></div>
1789. <div>
1790.      After we finished up Bond in Motion, we had free time for the remainder of the day, so we decided to just go walking. We walked through some areas we had already been, and some places that were new to us. We crossed over Millennium Bridge and Tower Bridge, then headed back into town to satisfy our stomachs' cry for food. We fed it Pizza Express ... which was decent. <b>Review coming soon.</b><br />
1791. <b><br /></b>
1792. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1793. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyR7w1-bjkUSv6cEn45x6vBu-eMTW0EXlL_sOCHUsntSgB3nNqzaP-7VRA69ECZ5Pr2R3dcQXSSBpS3XIf4KaNm0DN1_GVyP4R2l6RJfnGDreNVv3s5p6ZQHeoaWfX2ci9y1NUHEEEWs/s1600/IMG_4534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyR7w1-bjkUSv6cEn45x6vBu-eMTW0EXlL_sOCHUsntSgB3nNqzaP-7VRA69ECZ5Pr2R3dcQXSSBpS3XIf4KaNm0DN1_GVyP4R2l6RJfnGDreNVv3s5p6ZQHeoaWfX2ci9y1NUHEEEWs/s400/IMG_4534.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1794. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Carbonara Pizza</td></tr>
1795. </tbody></table>
1796. <b><br /></b>
1797. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1798. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib68P7Dx6WMOrPoFyQHy7LfQVHUJ4_ZPxm5GqvQheoPxgu1nrrdI4_DWnLhpddrcgH4LkVMMDTPK2cP-sI3jXuk3bZM-peUBeSi_qoHg7Y-1etF5ulbzlz1CGGKk2R2ab5f2hIs1lsRbI/s1600/IMG_2707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib68P7Dx6WMOrPoFyQHy7LfQVHUJ4_ZPxm5GqvQheoPxgu1nrrdI4_DWnLhpddrcgH4LkVMMDTPK2cP-sI3jXuk3bZM-peUBeSi_qoHg7Y-1etF5ulbzlz1CGGKk2R2ab5f2hIs1lsRbI/s400/IMG_2707.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1799. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dessert: Matthew's tiramisu and Valeri's gelato</td></tr>
1800. </tbody></table>
1801. <b><br /></b></div>
1802. <div>
1803.      After eating all of the food we needed, and then a bit more, we headed back to the hotel, and finished up what packing we had left, in preparation for a very early start to Paris in the morning.<br />
1804. <br /></div>
1805. <div>
1806.      ...and that is that! London can be checked off our list, but we have hopes to return very soon. There is just so much to see here that it would take years to even begin to know what is going on - and this is just one city! With all of her quirks, weather oddities and strange inhabitants, we've really grown fond of London. As far as we've experienced in our short time, the pros of being here far outweigh the cons. It's a place we could definitely get used to ... but more on that later.</div>
1807. <div>
1808. <br /></div>
1809. <div>
1810. Live from London, this has been Matthew Pearon.</div>
1811. <div>
1812. Tomorrow will bring greetings from Paris, so check back!<br />
1813. <br />
1814. <div>
1815. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
1816. <div>
1817. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <em>"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." </em>- Samuel Johnson, 1777</span></div>
1818. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Be sure to check out our photo stream and other updates at <a href="http://cl3ver.life/">http://CL3VER.life</a>!</span></div>
1819. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/feeds/134218603977357636/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-eleven.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/134218603977357636'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/6585848887959619798/posts/default/134218603977357636'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://thepearons.blogspot.com/2015/09/surviving-london-day-eleven.html' title='Surviving London - Day Eleven'/><author><name>Anonymous</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15801144354939156274</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf9K35ezrVxmNXjRo2cexx86F3Er27GNFt5dkNGB_ALB_9sByiX1tpOfLawbr7VMY9k3C83NaH_u_tWcuH8kJvDBWuhpsgCaU967Fmi0DBW9tXzIjWbATeku_ngvY8dCCPMA_BkLv66w/s72-c/IMG_2283.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total><georss:featurename>London, UK</georss:featurename><georss:point>51.5073509 -0.12775829999998223</georss:point><georss:box>10.551317400000002 -82.744945799999982 90 82.489429200000018</georss:box></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585848887959619798.post-1411091767437537248</id><published>2015-09-21T16:43:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2015-09-26T11:46:41.852-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Coffee"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Food"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="London 2015"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Markets"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Notting Hill"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Pearons"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trips"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="United Kingdom"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Walking"/><title type='text'>Surviving London - Day Ten</title><content type='html'>&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Hello, Valeri here.&lt;br /&gt;
1820. <div>
1821.      Today was our "market day," along with a few little things we had planned to do between markets.</div>
1822. <div>
1823.      Well, not everything went as planned, which has happened to us a few times on this trip. Surprisingly, with us being planners, you would think it would drive us nuts not sticking to the itenerary ... however, once we got the lay of the land, we didn't mind doing things exactly to plan.</div>
1824. <div>
1825.      Take today for instance, our lunch and dinner ideas weren't at all how we planned and we did without the London Eye due to the rain.</div>
1826. <div>
1827.      We started our morning as usual ... coffee run. We went to Monmouth Coffee, which is right by our first market stop, Borough Market.</div>
1828. <div>
1829.      Monmouth had a big line, which is the first time we came across a line at a coffee shop here. So there was a guy coming down the line making note of what everyone wanted. We couldn't see the menu to see if they had filter coffee, so we just told him two americanos. When we got up to the counter, we saw they had filter coffee ... bummer. Oh well, something to try from them next time we're in London.<br />
1830. <br />
1831. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1832. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO53SF1tpFttangjGrxuCFL1C5HaRlH5qKNrdC-rJ_sE-mOI8qUs6IzBiSj_9jMHdRX1CgChX-YYNUQRlAFCqYaJlPLxI92H03K7uTtU164W3y6xTA3Agk9YDGCboGbR3_PhjCbc1xz4/s1600/IMG_4433+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO53SF1tpFttangjGrxuCFL1C5HaRlH5qKNrdC-rJ_sE-mOI8qUs6IzBiSj_9jMHdRX1CgChX-YYNUQRlAFCqYaJlPLxI92H03K7uTtU164W3y6xTA3Agk9YDGCboGbR3_PhjCbc1xz4/s320/IMG_4433+E.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
1833. <br /></div>
1834. <div>
1835.      Other than the long line, the shop was cool and they were fast at getting us our Americanos.<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <b><a href="http://cl3ver.life/Travels/London2015/Reviews.html#MonmouthCoffee" target="_blank">Click here</a> for our review.</b></span></div>
1836. <div>
1837.      We then took our coffee to Borough Market, where most vendors were just opening. However, when we made our way toward the food, my goodness, plenty of vendors were ready with their yummy smells. <b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://cl3ver.life/Travels/London2015/Reviews.html#BoroughMarket" target="_blank">Click here</a> for our review.</b><br />
1838. <b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></b>
1839. <br />
1840. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1841. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO4SviSNX1cMIEdOPy_UygRdENjE7VCyq2JvJtHRWvfI8hMDLEsUlmdIIYx2WDnkoavubINNYtHwjoFAr6H79_i-R3rAmgcjis6XFEFZ7HTNw3DXcxbue7vHjrY6xizDZMxxWi6sUBkM/s1600/IMG_2251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO4SviSNX1cMIEdOPy_UygRdENjE7VCyq2JvJtHRWvfI8hMDLEsUlmdIIYx2WDnkoavubINNYtHwjoFAr6H79_i-R3rAmgcjis6XFEFZ7HTNw3DXcxbue7vHjrY6xizDZMxxWi6sUBkM/s400/IMG_2251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1842. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borough Market</td></tr>
1843. </tbody></table>
1844. <br />
1845. <br /></div>
1846. <div>
1847. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1848. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hkTrtKBssgvFtoFUP2lONz75qugZlFQeKgS4rkc4N8mVMa2pe4CSztZOIu4tcnDdhdL4tKNtVvuwA8rEXOhSORmxjjiet4Zx4oI2jxtA7mipNtRsEevD23-D8fFZ2PFw73CeGGwcJYQ/s1600/IMG_2255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hkTrtKBssgvFtoFUP2lONz75qugZlFQeKgS4rkc4N8mVMa2pe4CSztZOIu4tcnDdhdL4tKNtVvuwA8rEXOhSORmxjjiet4Zx4oI2jxtA7mipNtRsEevD23-D8fFZ2PFw73CeGGwcJYQ/s400/IMG_2255.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
1849. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borough Market</td></tr>
1850. </tbody></table>
1851.      Since we had already eaten breakfast at our hotel (and it was only 10 a.m.), we decided to come back to this market for a meal later in the day.</div>
1852. <div>
1853.      We then moved on to the Jubilee Market, which is located in Covent Garden.</div>
1854. <div>
1855.      This market didn't really have food, rather antiques and little nicknacks. It was very close quarters, but they had some interesting stuff.</div>
1856. <div>
1857.      Matthew found a whole table filled with classic books ... he loves me. However, that vendor knows how to price their classics. I wanted many of them, but knew I could come across them in the states for a smaller price.<br />
1858. <br />
1859. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1860. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj7KIdsQu5LueZ5QXZUs3mv9GUyEYaCWIR3Y0tupz_0jBGEZWXXKiqRpETE0s6ha0WVhLYmtxTN5IQapSZSbjeNhwswEasypBldOzqQBnrJp8acGLdITd-bbFj0HYlluFUQ_gy-Ahyphenhyphen9Q/s1600/IMG_4438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj7KIdsQu5LueZ5QXZUs3mv9GUyEYaCWIR3Y0tupz_0jBGEZWXXKiqRpETE0s6ha0WVhLYmtxTN5IQapSZSbjeNhwswEasypBldOzqQBnrJp8acGLdITd-bbFj0HYlluFUQ_gy-Ahyphenhyphen9Q/s320/IMG_4438.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
1861. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jubilee Market</td></tr>
1862. </tbody></table>
1863. <br /></div>
1864. <div>
1865.      We came away from the Jubilee Market with one thing, but found quite a few interesting things. <b><a href="http://cl3ver.life/Travels/London2015/Reviews.html#JubileeMarket" target="_blank">Click here</a> for our review.</b></div>
1866. <div>
1867. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     Next, we had originally planned to go to the London Eye and Southbank Centre, but when we were there the other day the lines for the London Eye were crazy long. We would have liked to see London from a different vantage point, but due to the wait and the fact it was raining (not a clear view), we decided to save that one also for our next trip to London.:)</span></div>
1868. <div>
1869. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     We had already visited Southbank Centre earlier in our trip when we went to the book market, so we just went ahead and scratched that off our list to be able to spend more time at the markets.</span></div>
1870. <div>
1871. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     So we headed to Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill. This is the market I was most excited about ... I'm not sure if this was due to the actual market or that I had a certain Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant movie playing in my head. Whichever one, I was antsy to get there.</span></div>
1872. <div>
1873. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     We were going to go ahead and grab lunch while looking at what the vendors had to offer, but like I said at the beginning of this post, things change. We were disappointed by this market. We may have easily come on the wrong day for delicious food, but still, there was very little offered. <b><a href="http://cl3ver.life/Travels/London2015/Reviews.html#PortobelloRoadMarket" target="_blank">Click here</a> for our review.</b></span><br />
1874. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
1875. <div>
1876. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
1877. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsmHkw353anM_pLequIw_OApr99jBRVXlrrsYoXl9GGq8noX4HGf6SxK_8HB0dZLEa709bKTTVgxBzfYtfje3OVlZWuVJxuhQ6BV82HogOnTb4jy5DF2x66m5Kqrz8-G2T9EloK5n8-M/s1600/IMG_4441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsmHkw353anM_pLequIw_OApr99jBRVXlrrsYoXl9GGq8noX4HGf6SxK_8HB0dZLEa709bKTTVgxBzfYtfje3OVlZWuVJxuhQ6BV82HogOnTb4jy5DF2x66m5Kqrz8-G2T9EloK5n8-M/s320/IMG_4441.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
1878. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plaque says,<br />
1879. "GEORGE ORWELL<br />
1880. 1903-1950<br />
1881. NOVELIST & POLITICAL ESSAYIST<br />
1882. LIVED HERE"</td></tr>
1883. </tbody></table>
1884. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     The things I found interested didn't even have to do with the market. The look of the place was awesome. The buildings were "cookie cutter" buildings, but what made up for that was that they were each different colors. I forgot to get a photo of that, but I'm sure one can be found online that will easily show what I saw. The other thing I found was George Orwell's former residence. We just happened to come across it while walking from the Tube to the market. Very cool.</span></div>
1885. <div>
1886. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     After the disappointment of the Portobello Road Market, we wanted to get back to the Tube so we could go back to Borough Market for lunch. We grumbled most of the way back about Notting Hill, but that could have easily been due to us starving at the time (we both get grumpy when hungry).</span></div>
1887. <div>
1888. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     We finally got back to Borough Market around 2:30 p.m. and had a hard time deciding what to eat. Everything smelled so good, but one thing stuck out to us ... the Salt Beef sandwich. </span></div>
1889. <div>
1890. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     Our sandwich included pickle spears, raw cabbage and sprouts, swiss cheese, and salt beef ... all on a bagel. Matthew's also had mustard.</span></div>
1891. <div>
1892. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     Oh my word, spectacular. I'm not usually a big fan of pickles on sandwiches, but this one wouldn't have been as good without them.</span><br />
1893. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
1894. <br />
1895. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
1896. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswmz2lKEiFg010DKiVTMZ6kfsNjqGDSRPGhqFOuX5L5XC0KhVv9ap7oMybbrZP5m9R6U8YwD4PU1l2DLPH1xPHQOikelEGKf-J_AmNw2WqR3g_780SbFRn7wvxvDb3UridpQUX0YoKHs/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswmz2lKEiFg010DKiVTMZ6kfsNjqGDSRPGhqFOuX5L5XC0KhVv9ap7oMybbrZP5m9R6U8YwD4PU1l2DLPH1xPHQOikelEGKf-J_AmNw2WqR3g_780SbFRn7wvxvDb3UridpQUX0YoKHs/s400/IMG_4446.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
1897. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious dinner at Borough Market</td></tr>
1898. </tbody></table>
1899. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
1900. <div>
1901. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     We have decided we'll be making these sandwiches as a tradition for St. Patrick's Day. Not sure if we can find Salt Beef in the U.S., so corned beef will have to do.</span></div>
1902. <div>
1903. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     Also, the woman making our sandwiches told me she liked my Luke's Diner (Gilmore Girls) hoodie. I know people overseas watch shows from the U.S., so that didn't surprise me too much, but then when she asked where we were from and we told her Missouri, she then said she has a friend in St. Louis. It's definitely a small world.</span></div>
1904. <div>
1905. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
1906. <div>
1907. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     After we finished our sandwiches and looked around a little, it was still raining, so we decided to head back to the hotel to start packing as much as we could of our bags. This way, we won't have to worry about it tomorrow night and maybe be able to get to bed earlier than we have been (before midnight).</span></div>
1908. <div>
1909. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">     Due to being at the hotel around the time we were hungry for dinner, we decided to try a Chinese Takaway place on Caledonian Road (where our hotel is). It was okay, but nothing special ... mainly something to fill our stomachs.</span></div>
1910. <div>
1911. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
1912. <div>
1913. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">    So that concludes our day. Tomorrow is our last day in London and we are sad we'll be saying goodbye to this city soon.</span></div>
1914. <div>
1915. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
1916. <div>
1917. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <em>"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." </em>- Samuel Johnson, 1777</span></div>
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