Philly Cheesesteak Challenge...

Sean and I spent this Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. I had a tattoo appointment with Martin LaCasse at Olde City Tattoo to start my back piece on Sunday, (more on that some other time, as I'm not quite ready to relive the experience! Those of you with back/butt tattoos can sympathize I'm sure.) so we decided to enjoy a little Philly since we were going to be there anyway.



Needless to say, the day after I got tattooed I was not exactly feeling up for an action packed day of tourist activity. We decided to do one easy-ish activity and while choosing which one, we were hungry, so we went for the Philadelphia Tourist Cheesesteak Challenge! It seems everyone has an answer as to who has the best cheesesteak, Geno's or Pat's. Unless of course you ask a local because they'll always tell you neither. I wanted to decide for myself. We went in to the challenge knowing that nothing would beat the amazing cheesesteak we ate the night before (that's right, 3 cheesesteaks in 2 days! We're animals.). But, we had to see what the "beef" was all about.



We started at Pat's...

Mmmouth full... The sandwich looked great at Pat's, and I think you get some points for presentation. The meat was a little tough and the only flavor really coming through strong was the Whiz.



We immediately headed across the street to Geno's... Sean takes a bite...On first sight, the Geno's sandwich didn't look as good. I wasn't even sure if they remembered the Whiz... It was in there!

The meat was much more tender in the Geno's sandwich and had a little more flavor. So, for Monday's challenge, Geno's wins!

I think either place is going to be hit or miss depending on things like time of day, and who's working the stand. So maybe Pat's was just bad timing. Either way, I don't see how most people could even tell the difference enough to claim one is better than the other. And those who swear by one or the other are FOOLS. The best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia are everywhere BUT Pat's or Geno's.

The best cheesesteaks we've had in Philly so far were from Brownies Irish Pub. You want authentic, delicious, flavorful cheesesteak, get one there! You can even have a beer with it, and avoid the tourists toting their tribes of children to the trendy spots from TV.

Check them out here http://www.browniesirishpub.com/

Sometimes Life Just Isn't Fair...

This is especially true today while I'm at work taking care of business all the while being inudated with news of a hurricane that's making it's way toward us, which will inevitably ruin my weekend and everything else in it's wake. (Is that a run-on sentence?) Anyway, while I'm doing that, my husband is doing THIS... Just enjoying a few days off from work... IN PARIS. Poor guy.

Last Weekend's Tat Con...

We had a booth at the Art Riot tattoo convention in Boxborough, MA last weekend. My mother once told me that if you didn't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all.



But, I guess it wasn't all bad. Our friend Myke Chambers was our booth neighbor, so that was a plus. And our booth looked good. And the only other thing worth mentioning is that Katie and I took home some trophies... for being AWESOME!

Sunday, Fun Day...

Yesterday, we had a BIG, WET day in NYC. Despite the weather (we were soaked!) it was a fun filled adventure of a day. So much fun, in fact, that I didn't even think about taking a single picture! Oops. This will be a blog of mostly words, sorry. I'll be brief...

I took a bus into the city with my girlfriends. It was a holiday work trip for one of them and the rest of us were happy to tag along. We had tickets to a show, and were planning on a nice lunch before. However, it was chucking buckets when we got to the city, so we decided to take cover in the first open restaurant we came across. After a so-what lunch at an "Irish" pub (there wasn't any Irish food on the menu) the rain had thankfully stopped and we were able to walk the 6 blocks to our show, without taking on too much more water. We were meeting my husband, Sean and our friend Dan at the theatre and we were all excited to see The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway!
It was great! The set looks exactly like you want it to, and there is a ton of audience participation. Paul Reubens is awesome, the show was fantastic and fun, and my cheeks and abs are still sore from laughing. If you are a fan of Paul or of Pee-Wee I highly recommend this show!

After the show it was pouring again, so that put a damper on our other outdoor city plans. We all headed to a nearby watering hole to pass some time and have some drinks. Before we knew it, it was already time to head back to the meeting spot for the bus. My girlfriends were getting ready to go, and my husband and our friend were getting ready for dinner. That's when I said, "Sorry girls, I just can't get back on that bus!" Luckily I have understanding girlfriends, so they headed back to the bus and I headed to Ninja New York with Sean and Dan.Talk about a fun meal! I had heard great things about Ninja from friends who have been. As a matter of fact, Joe Capobianco is who I first heard about Ninja from. Ninja New York is more of a dining experience than just a restaurant. The food is delicious, the presentation is mind blowing, the service was great, and the ambience alone is worth a trip there. I don't want to give too many surprises away, but I definitely screamed more than once while we were there! What can I say? I am easily surprised by Ninjas. After dinner, a magician ninja provides table side entertainment and that just tops the whole experience off. Great time! Eat at NINJA !

Sounds like a fun day, right? WAIT! There's more! Who wants to go to a secret Glass Jaw show in Brooklyn on the way home? I DO!!!! I DO!!!! So we did! They of course killed it, and the new songs are AWESOME!!!!! Sorry for the almost picture-free post.* Here's one to spice it up a little. Sean was thoughtful enough to take a shot of us in Time Square during a short break in the rain.
*I obviously did not take the pictures I've included here, I ripped Pee-Wee and Ninja from their websites and I believe the GlassJaw photo was taken by the one and only Julian Gilbert. Check him out here.

I Left My Heart in...

SAN FRANCISCO!



Sean and I went out to the left coast to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in November. I have only ever been to Southern California so this was to be my first northern California experience, and I definitely loved it. It is one of Sean's favorite cities on earth, and we have some awesome friends out there, so I definitely experienced everything San Francisco had to offer and with style.



Here are some pictures of our adventures...



We stayed at an adorable English Bed & Breakfast, The Union Street Inn, and I highly recommend it if you're planning a visit to SF.

We visited Chauncey and his little friend Walter.

We acted like tourists at Fisherman's Wharf.

We ate a delicious meal by the sea on our actual anniversary. We spent an amazing and beautiful day in Napa Valley with Cage Palko. We took a boat to Alcatraz.

We visited our friends at Last Gasp Publishing, where they only distribute the BEST books available... (Maybe I'm biased?)We had a great dinner date with Mr. and Mrs. Aesop Rock.We TRIED to see the Golden Gate Bridge. And I had my first In-N-Out burger.We ate our way around the city, saw the sights, and enjoyed time with friends. I loved San Francisco and we hope to go back ASAP! Thanks to all of our friends for showing us such a great time.

Orlando (Part Four)...

Our last day in Orlando, we got up super early and drove over to the Disney compound. Our plan was to spend the day at Disney's Animal Kingdom, return the rental car, and get on the airplane by 5. SUCCESS!

We knew we were off to a good start when they made us park our car in the unicorn lot. As soon as we were inside the park, we made a beeline for Africa and the Kilimanjaro Safari. We got stuck on the ride for awhile due to a giraffe in the middle of the road in front of the safari vehicle ahead of us. Luckily we were stuck next to the hippos. After the safari, we hit all the walking tours where we saw, Komodo Dragons, tigers, birds, gorillas and one of my favorites, Giant Fruit Bats... After checking out the animals, we rushed over to Expedition Everest which is one of the most fun rollercoasters I've ever ridden. You ride in and out of the mountain, fly backwards into the dark, and scream (if you're me) like a little girl when you see the Yeti! After Expedition Everest, we ran over to Dinoland USA and rode the super fun DINOSAUR... After the DINO-ride, we still had time to kill! Labor day weekend really is the best time to visit Orlando, little to no line waiting is awesome. We decided we would kill time by riding the Expedition Everest again and then again!
And here we are hamming it up now that we know where they keep the camera... Oh and that guy and his daughter in front of us? Definitely not acting! Ha.


Here's a nice picture of Katie at the Tree of Life. And then... we headed home.