The Final Update: Washington DC

Wow, this took a while. Here it is. The FINAL UPDATE of my cross-country roadtrip. Before we made it to NYC, we stopped in Washington DC to hang with our bestie, Diana.

Perhaps the greatest thing about DC is that it reminded me so much of home. It was the best way of easing back into New York life. It's a real city with a real subway with a real Shake Shack (yum!). While it's fun enough to simply walk around and take in the gorgeous DC architecture, there's a ton to do. Perhaps my highlight (besides watching X-Men: Days of Future Past) was visiting the Spy Museum. "Operation Spy" is totally worth it. While it's meant for children, this interactive experience was a ton of fun for the four of us--clearly, we were far more immature than the other children in attendance. Perhaps the most poignant moment from the adventure came when we had to discuss whether or not to torture a hostage. Everyone (including us) stood on one side to say we should torture, but one 8 year old child stood on the other side, reminding us that it's an ineffective and morally wrong decision.

He convinced us all against torture. Good job, kid.

International Spy Museum
http://www.spymuseum.org/

H Street Country Club
http://www.hstreetcountryclub.com/

The DC Metro features some beautiful tunnels.

You can crawl inside a vent (for fun!) in the Spy Museum.

There was a special James Bond exhibit when we went.

Indoor mini-golf? Yes!

Center for Disease Control (aka: Where's Smallpox?)

Continuing my incredible procrastination, here's my now months-late continuation of the final legs of our trip. Atlanta was a fascinating place, where we visited a strip club (no pictures allowed, sorry). We were able to take pictures in some place surprising: the Center for Disease Control--aka the CDC. Our government still holds onto the last remaining sample of Smallpox, but unfortunately we weren't able to find it. What we were able to find, instead, was still pretty surprising. Anthrax vaccine? Ebola? Yeah, this is a scary place.

Center for Disease Control (Atlanta, GA)
http://www.cdc.gov/

Alabama

Wow, sorry for the lack of updates. My trip's not done yet! As we get closer to the East, the trip becomes less about nature and more about history. Specifically, the Cilvi Rights movement. Now, driving in a tiny European car with an Indian and a Jew should've raised some eyebrows during this trip, but I have to say that it was smooth sailing. People are good--even if the vitriol on the internet may have you believing otherwise.

Going through Birmingham to see just a hint of the horrors of our past served as a good reminder that we've come a long way--but we still have a long way to go. I hope I never stand on the wrong side of history when it comes to human rights.

We also walked through an abandoned steel factory--a beautiful place to take photos, get lost, and based on the graffiti on the walls, make out. Finally, our trip through Alabama ends with Ave Maria Grotto, which showcases the works of one crazy Brother Joseph Zoettl, who made miniature statues of nearly every iconic building in the world. The childish nature of the craft-building (with everyday items used to construct many of these), it's a bizarre, worthwhile trip off the beaten path.

Places to check out:

Kelly Ingram Park (Birmingham, AL)

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al10.htm

Sloss Furnaces (Birmingham, AL)

http://slossfurnaces.com/

Ave Maria Grotto (Cullman, AL)

http://www.avemariagrotto.com/

Mississippi

I'm pretty sure this is where we decided the trip would start to get "scary." Yep, we're slowly entering Bible Belt territory! But before we make the trek, it's time to wake up and drink... daiquiris. Yes, for some reason, Louisiana has a loophole in its alcohol law that makes it possible to order actual alcoholic drinks from the comfort of your car. Yes: drive-through daiquiris. Everything about this was (not) a good idea.

With our Big Gulp size of boozy artificially flavored ice beverage secured, we made our way to Darwell's Cafe in Long Beach, Mississippi. Featured on Guy's Diners, Drive Ins & Dives, I was somewhat skeptical. But oh no! This happened to be very best meal on our trip. From the quality of service from Mr. Darwell himself to the skillful presentation of the food, this is some of the best creole food I've ever had in my life. It made us contemplate visiting Mississippi again--and why would we ever want to do that? It's really that wonderful. If you end up going down this part of the country, please do make a stop.

Here's another reason to swing by Darwell's: the world's largest rocking chair is only a few miles away. It's... a really big rocking chair. And, as evidenced by future posts on this trip, is just the beginning of our collection of weird "world's biggest" things.

Places to check out:

Darwell's Cafe (Long Beach, MI)

http://www.darwellscafe.com/

World's Largest Rocking Chair (Gulfport, MI)

http://www.gulfcoast.org/listings/index.cfm?action=display&listingID=3861&menuID=247&hit=1

A terrible way to start your day.

Best. Meal. Ever?

Amazing dessert as well.

Good motto to live by.

No wonder Guy came here.

Yes, that is a big chair. My (admittedly small) car is there for reference.

New Orleans

Ah, sorry for the delayed updates! I'm back in New York. But ever since moving back, I've been on a number of other trips. It's time to look back at what else happened on the second half of our road trip.

New Orleans is a massive city, and we did so much. In fact, it's hard to point out the highlights of our trip. Perhaps the most beautiful stop we made was Metarie Cemetery. While some may think it offensive to visit other people's graves, these are clearly meant to be seen. In fact, if you walk into one of their offices, they'll give you a map and offer to sell an audio guide, pointing out the highlights. Perhaps the most beautiful display was the weeping angel (pictured below).

Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at Cochon Butcher, a place that made us feel like we were in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In spite of the hour-long wait and the "artisan" menu, it was not very good. Instead, I'd recommend going to the Nola Foods truck on a nearby corner and get their blackened chicken.

The World War II Museum was another highlight of our trip. Although expensive, it was totally worth it. I'm personally a fan of propaganda, so it was refreshing to see so much on display. It's fascinating to think about when China, Russia, and the US were allies. (That probably won't happen again in WWIII, right?) The Submarine experience is totally not worth the price of admission, but it does make for some fun photos.

Finally, we spent the rest of the night drinking and eating. Of particular note was the Magnolia Praline Company, which features a ton of different hot sauces you can sample. They even have milk if you try out the spiciest of the bunch!

Lake Lawn Metarie Cemetery - http://www.lakelawnmetairie.com/
National World War II Museum - http://www.nationalww2museum.org/
Magnolia Praline Company - http://www.magnoliapralineco.com/

The Weeping Angel can be hard to find

"A day that will in world history infamy" What a change!