My mom came to see the show when we were back in New York! We made our way to Cognac for some French things. I’m very glad the server forced the cheese on us. This is one of the poofiest desserts I’ve had. It’s an edible plush on top of melted ice cream.
I stood in line for a very long time at Vanilla Bean Café in Pomfret, CT because literally everything was appetizing. This is rare since I don't eat pork or seafood. A regular came in and told me I have to get chili. I say that everyone knows that when I’m missing home even just a little bit I order a cup of chili and I mean it. She knew. Upon her request I ordered a cup of chili with my sandwich. My dad’s chili will always be my favorite, but this comes in second. This place understands that chili isn’t soup. Surprisingly I never had chili with nachos before this day. The scallions are something I know I’ll be adding to my future chili crafting attempts. Spouts are one of my favorite things, so this on top of avocados made it the obvious choice for my post-show eats.
So we’re in Baltimore going to a preseason baseball game seeing two of the cast members’ home teams, and before going to the field for black and orange dip n’ dots a few of us went to the Wharf Rat for drinks. They were the first place we found that served food with their drinks. Amazing. I got a portobello burger with Stella. I like this beer <-a rare sentence. The table is embedded with coins and the bathroom is covered in vibrant graffiti. I bought gold sharpies last August and this is one of the occasions I wish I was in possession of my backpack filled with everything, but no one wants a backpack in a bar (I’ve done this.) The Union Jack was everywhere and I know Pop Pop would not approve.
Two very important things happened on April 11, 2016. The first was what the creation of Meredith’s nickname, and the second was the feeling I got after finishing my egg and spinach sharp provolone hoagie. Meredith was asked to spell her name when giving her order. What was yelled at the time her order was ready was “Mertha.” Her receipt read “Mertha.” Meredith was now Mertha. It was a joy to be a part of my fellow cast members’ first Philly cheesesteak experience. One of the happiest moments in my life was the hour surrounding the consumption of my Tony Luke’s hoagie.
Our one night in Savannah started with "I'm not drinking tonight" and me ordering a clementine chill at Moon River. I also had a spinach salad and some potatoes. My cast said they would share them with me but it was actually a trick to get me to eat a lot of potatoes. The cider helped me finish them all. I didn't think I was going to try mead on this night but we ended up at Savannah Bee Company where I had a tasting, ate a honeycomb with brie and apple, and bought some grill honey for my dad. We walked down to
River Street Sweets and tasted pralines and more. It was surprisingly chilly that night, so we warmed ourselves by the fire at Rocks on Roof. I was drinking a coffee du monde and sharing stories and knowledge about New York with our waiter who was getting ready to go to a rave in Brooklyn. A couple from Florida sat across from us and was fascinated with our lifestyle and journey. Sometimes I forget that I'm working when I'm on tour.
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| Here's Sarah talking to the keyboardist. She's going to get so mad at me. |
The live music journey continued at Tree House. I was ready to sleep but stayed awake by dancing with Meredith and ordering more shots. I purposely threw away the receipts from this bar because I don't want to know.
In preparation for our inevitable beach trip in Florida we all went to Paradise Nail and Spa and got pedicures. This was a first for me and Zach. There are pictures of this event but I feel weird about posting them because there are people out there who get too rowdy about feet and then make comments I do not like.
I don't have a picture of the house salad i got at Ruby's Diner in Tallahassee but I wanted to mention it because it had a small town feel to it. It felt like Gilmore Girls but in Florida.
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| Our hotel in Kissimmee was right next to The Paddling Center at Shingle Creek |
We went to Disney World and Universal Studios. I was too absorbed in talking paintings and fast passes to really think about documenting anything but here are my dining suggestions from this experience:
For din din, Raglan Road is in Downtown Disney. Sit outside for live Irish music and dancing.
I didn't drink around the world at Epcot but once the sun went down I went to Joffrey’s for a Baileys Frozen Chai Latte. I was persuaded by the barista to make it a double.
Morocco as a new restaurant: Spice Road Table. This has the best hummus and cheeses, and it's right on the water.
Once you get to Universal go straight to Diagon Alley and get in line at Gringots. Once you've taken care of that do whatever, but also go to the Leaky Cauldron for Pumpkin Juice and the Cottage Pie Platter.
Hop on the Hogwarts Express and get your ass to class. Once you exit Hogwarts and explore Hogsmeade get some Butterbeer and the Cornish Pasti Platter at Three Broomsticks.
