Flatlands

I recently took a trip to Indiana where the lands are flat and the cats are huge. It also happens to be the stomping ground of my partner in crime, Chloe, who is now one year older (and none the wiser, I assure you). I couldn't possibly let her celebrate her birthday alone, so I flew out to see what the Midwest has to offer. During my plane ride there I had a reverse-Dorthy moment upon seeing all the flat, farmlands punctuated with very few houses:"Toto, I think we might be in Kansas." It turns out that most things people think about the Midwest seem to ring true - Walmart, drive-ins, but mostly how NICE everyone is. If you live in a cave and have never heard this, let me be the first to tell you - people in the Midwest are so nice. They give out cookies at the airport, conversations happen with many of the people you encounter and it seems like everyone was smiling. Being reunited with Chloe made me realize how excited I am to be living together again. Isn't it cool how there are people that who, no matter how much time has passed, can pick up exactly where you left off? On Chloe's birthday we barhopped, my favorite being an outdoor bar where we took solace from the rain by sitting under a canopy in a pair of car seats, complete with a gear shift and cup holders, from three different cars. After a quick disco nap, her family threw a nice get together with her friends. I got her this killer 'thinking cap' beer helmet, which got a bunch of use at the party. The next day we walked around a beautiful park just before proving (mostly to myself) that I could eat a chili-cheese dog in four bites - a task that most people can do, but I had yet to succeed. I got experience my first drive in and get a kick-ass America shirt at Walmart. The weekend went by in a second and pretty soon it was time to go. Though it was hard to leave Chloe, I can't wait for the adventures we'll have in Brooklyn in just a few short weeks.

Beach bum

After a few days in Paris, Ella and I took the train through the French countryside to Nice. Our train whizzed past fields of lavender and sunflowers as we headed toward the coast. We arrived around dinnertime, but it stays light late in France. We checked in, dropped our bags and headed to the beach. Our feet tried to navigate the rocky beach and we jumped into the turquoise water. The water in Nice is so salty that it takes no effort to float. After our swim, we went out for fresh seafood and a drink. We met a bartender, Edwardo - a Portuguese man who was as amused at us as we were infatuated with him. He suggested a few places to go out. We went to a British pub and then to a bar that had live bands playing covers of American songs. Ella and I danced our butts off to David Burne, the Eurythmics, all "parent classic rock" as I deemed it (you would have loved it mom!) The shots were cheap and the walls were covered in guitars and classic records. We stayed out late and when we got back towards home decided to take a dip in the ocean before we bed.

The day we sunned our bodies like lizards on the rocky beach. We had no interest in doing anything other than being bum, bum, bums. We were supposed to meet up with one of my friends from New York who was traveling in Nice at the same time, but through the lack of phones it proved impossible. Long after we had given up on meeting her on the beach, we ran into her just as we were about to leave. We made a plan before we parted ways to de-salt and change. We stopped by to talk to our favorite bartender and then met up with Emily for tapas, then went to a hostel bar for cheap drinks. Ella and I were playing a drinking game called bottle hockey when two Chileans asked to join us. We bonded over the game and spent of the night talking, drinking and yelling "GOOOAALLLLL" (they had a clear advantage). We went out to a bar with live music for drinks, hip-dancing and lots of dips. We danced into the wee hours of the morning, my mind not wanting to stop but my body refusing to continue. As our custom had become, we went for a pre-bed swim. We crawled into bed just before the sun came up.

On our last full day we thought we would go out and see some of the sights, but all we could bring ourselves to do was lay out on the beach. We had a giggle-fit that lasted about three hours, luckily in the privacy of our room. Between the lack of sleep and too much sun, we found everything funny and couldn't even attempt to stifle the giggles that were definitely annoying to anyone in earshot. For dinner we went to a place recommended by Edwardo, which served insane portion sizes - probably the size of kiddie pools...though that may be a BIT of an exaggeration. It was definitely the best food we had in Nice. After that we had to say goodbye to our place by the sea and head back to NYC! Though I will miss France, it's always nice to come back to familiar faces.