things we learned on our road trip last summer
January 13, 2011
as written up in the car by Chris:
1. The Arizona side of the Arizona / New Mexico border of I-40 has the highest banner sign per capita of anywhere I’ve seen.
2. Lots of cars in New Mexico are from out of state which is surprising because there is NOTHING to do in New Mexico except buy/look at art and pottery or check out the sweet scenery.
3. People are good drivers in New Mexico and understand that the left lane on the highway is for PASSING, not clogging.
4. Dairy Queen goes as far as Arizona. (we should probably double check this one)
5. Every important stop in New Mexico has a Dairy Queen attached.
6. If you are paying to watch people live in seclusion then they don’t really live in seclusion. Commercial endeavors and living semi off the grid don’t mix.
7. Sky City Acoma has way too many cars and peddlers and not enough people watching to be worth $20 but they do have an interesting tiered graveyard.
8. When you see a sign outside of Santa Fe that says “Super Blitz – Cops are Everywhere” they mean everywhere in/near Santa Fe and nowhere else in New Mexico.
9. According to TomTom, of the two fastest paths of Austin to Santa Fe one sends you through El Paso and one sends you through Oklahoma City.
10. The conversion rate of TomTom time to reality is 1 TomTom hour to 44 real world minutes.
11. The University of New Mexico has ivy league school envy.
12. Frontier Diner off the UNM campus is delicious and cheap.
13. Santuario de Chimayo is a worthwhile spiritual experience and insightful into the power of faith, whether it comes from within or elsewhere.
14. Bandalier Park is not named by crossing bandit with langolier but is simply some guy’s last name. I was bummed for at least 7 minutes.
15. Grand Canyon campsites suck compared to Texas. The “good” ground is all rocks and the other campsites are less than 10 feet in any direction.
16. Grand Canyon hiking is amazing but a day hardly does it justice. I think the best way to experience it might be to go backpacking, perhaps across rims?
17. Using a cooler as a mobile refrigerator to save money doesn’t work as intended. Ice melts too fast to be an effective money saver. Load up on the non-refrigerated food though!
18. Winning in Vegas feels equally good no matter the game. But losing in poker and playing well still feels good. Losing in everything else just sucks. On the other hand, playing poor poker is the worst.
19. Automated blackjack shufflers suck!
20. Bellagio’s buffet is good enough to still be a steaaaaaal at over $20 / person. If you go to Vegas and don’t eat there you don’t deserve a happy stomach.
21. While I’m still decidedly anti-Apple computer after using one for 2 weeks, the MacBook keyboard is awesome.
22. Physical attraction must not be a hiring criteria for Vegas casino’s waitresses.
23. Walking a block on the Vegas strip takes twice as long as you think, mainly because of all the bridges you need to take.
24. Half the litter on the Vegas strip is from escort trading cards that dealers like to pop in everyone’s face – man with children in tow, husband with wife, underage girl? Everyone wants a dozen nude girl trading cards, right?
25. Roswell smells like cow poop
26. How to use a Mac
27. You smell fruit and flowers at the top of a wine glass, minerals and vegetation in the middle, and the alcohol and oak at the bottom
28. People will pay $350+ for a dinner SANS alcohol (French Laundry, Napa)
29. Phoenix is eerily Big Brother with speed cameras all over and around the city
30. More tours should end with alcohol consumption
31. Hollywood Blvd is a short stretch that is way overrated
32. People will pay $5000+ for a handmade, basic function stick phone (Rodeo Drive)
33. Take a small cooler and instead of buying ice fill up with hotel ice
34. The remote area cell reception of 1st gen vs. 3G iPhone is completely random
35. Driving in Northern California’s coastal wind sucks!
36. There is an unfortunate dearth of Ultimate after Tucson, until central Texas
37. Simple things in life are underrated. Besides seeing family and friends, playing Ultimate was the most enjoyable activity from San Francisco back To Austin.
38. California drivers are @$$holes
39. Bel-Air is a fortress
40. Traffic in Los Angeles really is the worst in the country
41. Public transportation can get you to 90% of San Francisco
Ranking the restaurants we ate at:
1. Bellagio Buffet, Las Vegas, NM
2. Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles, Los Angeles, CA
3. Four Peaks, Scottsdale, AZ
4. Bottega, Napa, CA
5. Frontier Diner, Albuquerque, NM
6. Thai Dishes, Los Angeles, CA
7. El Guero Canelo, Tucson, AZ
8. Giordano’s????, San Francisco, CA
9. Whataburger, Roswell, NM
10. In-n-out Burger, Oakland, CA
11. Izzy’s New York Bagels, Paolo Alto, CA
12. Chinese food, San Francisco, CA
Ranking the cities/towns we spent at least a few hours in:
1. Napa, CA
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Grand Canyon Village, AZ
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Los Angeles, CA
6. Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ
7. Albuquerque, NM
8. Santa Fe, NM
9. Roswell, NM
Ranking the hotels we stayed at:
1. Hotel Vitale, San Francisco, CA
2. Beverly Hills Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA
3. MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
4. Three Palms, Scottsdale, AZ
5. Fairfield Marriott, Fairfield, CA
6. Hampton Inn, Albuquerque, NM
7. La Quinta, Roswell, NM
Ranking the continental breakfasts:
1. Fairfield Marriott, Fairfield, CA
2. Hampton Inn, Albuquerque, NM
3. La Quinta, Roswell, NM
