Before I get all emotional, let me tell you about the last couple days of my trip. It started with us arriving in Vegas around 7 AM on Thursday, just in time to see the stragglers leaving the craps tables from the night before. If you'll remember from one of my first posts, I mentioned that we would not, under any circumstances, eat a buffet in Vegas. However, since we had gotten there so early, we concluded that a breakfast buffet was permissible since there would be ample time for digestion. So, we stuffed our faces.
After breakfast, Anthony and I took a glorious nap, while George hit the poker tables. When we woke up and met up again with Gamblin' George, he informed us that he had crushed his table and was up $331. More than covered his tattoo.
Coincidentally, Anthony's mom was in town for a fashion convention, and she kindly took us out to an early dinner (we still love free meals from parents). We ate an early dinner so that we would be ready for one of the highlights of the trip (for me): LOVE. For those who don't know, LOVE is a Cirque du Soleil show that uses Beatles music to put on the best show I've ever seen. And I've seen it three times now.
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| I've also taken this picture three times. |
Why is LOVE so good, and why in the world would you want to see it three times? Well, first off, it's Beatles music. But it's also mixed and mashed up Beatles music, incorporating samples from hundreds of their tracks over the hour and a half show. The stage is circular, and the spectators surround the stage. The sound quality in the theater is near perfect, which is almost necessary for a show like this one. It is half story, half circus, and wholly entertaining. There's dancing, rope tricks, psychedelic bubble scenes, a bed sheet that extends over the entire crowd, and more. In a word, it is awesome. Even if you are not the biggest Beatles fan, I highly suggest you check it out.
You know that feeling when you leave a movie and your brain has to reacquaint itself with reality? Well that really had to happen in this case. It was an unusual feeling coming out of the LOVE ecosystem and walk right into a hustling and bustling casino. And then we had to get ready to "do Vegas" and go out.
Which we did. This was us on our way down to the lobby to catch a cab:
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| We were pretty excited to notice all the little renovations to the MGM Grand. Including the mirrored elevators. |
Once we got to the Palms, George told the bouncer that we were on the list, courtesy of Pasquale. This name rang a bell to the bouncer, although he could not find us on the list. He asked George if he had a text message from Pasquale. This is what George had on his phone:
At which point, the bouncer said, "Who the fuck is Uncle Norman?" As soon as we all started to explain the situation at the same time, the bouncer then said, "Whatever, you can go in."
And so we did. Although the drinks were expensive (too expensive), this was the view from the bar:
Although we spent only one night there, it ended up being a great night in Vegas. In the morning, we dropped Anthony off at the airport so he could head home and go back to work (lame). It was another sad goodbye for me, and I really wish he could've stayed with us all the way to California. But I am also glad that he made it how far that he did, and as you'll see, he didn't miss anything too crazy since George and I were so tired from this trip.
We arrived at USC to visit with George's sister, Brianna. She had just arrived on campus and she gave us the best tour she could for having been there only a couple days. The campus looked just like Pitt:
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| Just kidding. |
I then made sure to take a picture of the siblings next to the Trojan statue:
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| Apparently the sculptor made sure he was flexing every single muscle. Including his "sword." |
It was unusual being surrounded by new freshmen, and it reminded me of the feeling I had when I first arrived on Pitt's campus. Who would've thought I would be in San Francisco right now after road tripping the entire country? It's cool to think about all that lies ahead for these young students.
We then met up with my friend Natalie who lives in Burbank. She's working in TV production and was kind enough to let us crash at her place. This whole trip, George and I had aspirations to go to some cool party in LA, but when all was said and done, we were just too damn tired. We got dinner in North Hollywood (didn't see anyone famous) and caught up with Natalie. We then called it an early night and, in the morning, made the trek to SF.
We stopped at our last gas station/rest stop, after having stopped at way too many along the way:
We also stopped at the best fast food hamburger joint, In-N-Out. Notice the McDonald's arches trying to peek through:
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| Advice: animal style everything. |
And this is the view from my family room:
Then the Weather Channel app on asked me about San Francisco:
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| Why yes, thank you. |
So far, I've met one of my roommates, and there's still some transitioning going on so some of the current tenants are still moving out. But I really like my place. Now I just need my furniture to come.
Last night, I took George down to Fisherman's Wharf to try and get some nice pictures of the bridges and Alcatraz. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, windy, and 54 degrees. I should've just stayed in Pittsburgh.
We then had one last meal, this one a burrito in the Mission District. I had already had these, and knew how good they were (better than Chipotle). George tried it and agreed. But even though it was so good, I couldn't even finish:
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| I cannot wait to not eat out anymore. |
And so here I am. In a little bit I will be driving George to the Oakland airport so he can get back to Pittsburgh. I'm incredibly sad. I'm incredibly excited. I'm incredibly nervous. And I'm incredibly happy. There will definitely be a transition period, but I am ready. I think San Francisco will be a great place to live and work. I also can't wait for my family and friends to visit me. Again, I will never forget Pittsburgh and all that it meant to me. This move is not a "goodbye," but rather a "see you later." And I will.
Okay, the emotional stuff is over. If you've been reading this blog, thank you. It's been fun writing. I do have one more post in mind, so stay tuned. I think you'll like it.
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