Monday, July 21, 2008

Finally Done Moving

After a month of driving across the country and a week of moving in, we're done. The DMV trip still has to happen, the internet doesn't start till tomorrow, and our landlord has yet to install rods in the closets, but, really, we're done. I swear, we're not moving again until Do gets his PhD. This whole moving-every-9-months thing is getting old.

Several of you have asked where the hell we were and why the hell we weren't blogging. Here's a super quick overview of our (well, my) Grand Cross-Country Road Trip:

- stayed in the world's best B&B in Harrisonburg, VA and had a gourmet dinner.

- crashed with my Uncle and Aunt in rural East Tennessee and visited a down-home country fair. Left Tennessee with homemade Chianti, homemade honey, homemade moonshine, my Grandmother's set of Rosenthal China, and a set of paintings that my Grandfather brought back from Korea.

- had a vegan brunch in Athens, GA and some mediocre pulled-pork Bar-B-Q in Roswell, GA. Mind you, my family is from the South-East, so we have really high standards for pork Bar-B-Q. And for all you Yankees, not all Bar-B-Q is equal: the South-East specializes in pork while Texas and Missouri are into beef. And oh man, are the regional specialties ever worth it.

- Crashed in nowheresville, AL, outside of Birmingham. The town boasted 29 restaurants, 29 churches, and a WalMart. 19 of the 29 churches were Baptist. Toto, we're not in D.C. anymore.

- Had a great time touring the Civil War battlefields around Vicksburg, Mississippi and had one of our best meals at Walnut Hills restaurant. It felt like eating in someone's kitchen. The southern cooking was simple, but really delicious. And it was such a nice change from the deep-fried 'southern' crap we'd been running into. Really highly recommended.

- Toured the much-loved East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, TX, under the enthusiastic tutelage of several senior citizen locals. Learned more about Kilgore in the 1930s than I ever really needed to know. Ate ribs at the renowned Kilgore Country Tavern.

- Toured the very, very impressive Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory in Brennan, TX. The company is fascinating: they've managed to channel the whole feel-good, family-owned, eat local vibe even though their ice cream is the #3 best-selling in the country. And they acheive that ranking even though they only distribute in 16 states! Those of us who don't live south of the Mason-Dixon line are really missing out.

- Crashed with my folks in Austin, TX. Activities included a 1950s Latin Doo-wop event, the LBJ museum, the outlet malls, Dad's homemade Sourdough bread (I got some of the starter!), and an unforgettable trip to eat Bar-B-Q in Lockhart, TX. I swear, Kreuz's Market serves the best Bar-B-Q that I have ever had. You order directly at the pit, and they plunk down slabs of meat, by weight, onto butcher paper. You then proceed to the next room to get your sides. The meat was so luscious, so flavorful, so perfect.... It's no surprise that Kreuz's was recently rated one of the top five Texas Bar-B-Q joints. Please, do yourself a favor and make the pilgrimage.

- Drove to El Paso and had excellent Mexican food in a diner (Carnitas Queretaro) recommended by a fellow blogger, Steve.

- Crashed in Tuscon, AZ with my godfather and his lovely German wife. Decided that Arizona is definitely prettier than New Mexico.

- Braved suburban L.A. traffic. Survived. Barely.

- Arrived in Oakland and promptly began daily trips to Ikea and Ace Hardware. :)

Expect more regular postings from here on out, as we discover the quirks of our new kitchen and our new city.

9 comments:

kat said...

glad you made it safely to the Bay Area. Sounds like a fabulous trip!

Anonymous said...

Wow, has it been a month? Now you are about 70 miles from my house. Sending good wishes to you in your new home.

giz said...

What an adventure. You documented it well and I'm sure you'll look back at it and say "yeah, it was really ok" (except for all the moving stuff) I'm in the process of moving and not liking it too much. Thankfully, it's not across the country - you'd have to medicate me.

krysta said...

i'm soooooo happy you are here! yipeee! can you tell i am excited?

That Girl said...

At least you're safe, sound, and stationary now. Welcome to California!

PG said...

You made it! I'm sure it's a relief to have all of that behind you. Moving sucks.

When were you in Tucson? I was just there. What's up with the desert? Bloody hot.

Melissa said...

Glad to hear everything is going as well as it can. Missed you guys!

Johanna GGG said...

nice to hear from you - sounds like interesting times indeed - your trip sounds great but I don't envy the moving house - glad to hear things are starting to settle

coffee and queso said...

Hm, jealous! Enjoy SF--so gorgeous out there.

I see you have probably been to Austin a lot, with your folks here. Ever go to Llano for Cooper's barbecue? Best ribs eva! http://www.coopersbbq.com/