Chicago --> Lincoln (via Iowa)

Road Trip Day 8 (June 20): Chicago, IL --> Lincoln, NE 

(stopping in Iowa City, Des Moines, and Waukee along the way)

Flickr Pictures: Iowa flickr pictures

Songs of the Day: 
Chicago: Kanye West -- Family Business
Iowa: Mumford and Sons -- The Holland Road, Counting Crows -- Round Here

(These two bands were the perfect road companions to take in the Iowan sunset through the state's beautiful gently rolling hills and flat plains.)

24 hours after arriving in Chicago, it was already time for me to hit the road. It's hard to believe that I had just left Pittsburgh about 32 hours ago, considering how eventful the trip has been. Perhaps my favorite thing about road-tripping is that no drive ever goes exactly as planned. Maybe I have to use the bathroom, get hungry, get a tip about a cool place to go, hit traffic or treacherous weather, or simply need to stretch my legs, but regardless of the reason, where I stop usually isn't planned, and I think that adds a layer of fun and excitement that I appreciate. The drive from Chicago to Lincoln was one of these types of drives. 

About two hours after picking up I-88 W from Oak Brook, I merged back onto I-80 W and left Illinois, entering Iowa around 5:30 pm. I had originally planned to drive straight through to Lincoln, stopping just for gas and bathroom breaks, but Aunty Malini had recommended Oasis, a falafel spot in Iowa City, IA, branding it as the best falafel she had ever tasted. Avash, my brother-in-law, originally discovered Oasis and found it mouthwatering enough to recommend to my aunt when she and my uncle were in Iowa City. Reaching Iowa City around 6:30, I decided to stop off for dinner and boy, was this a good move. Not only was the falafel sandwich (-->)

(filled with delicious hummus, baba ganoush, mediterranean salad, and of course, crisp and crumbly falafel balls) the best I've had, but the town was really neat. Home to the University of Iowa, Iowa City has a collegey/hippie/progressive feel and includes a couple of charming, walkable streets that I was able to explore: Dubuque and North Linn streets. 

With this drive already off to a good start, I got back onto I-80 W towards Lincoln. Already behind schedule, I really wasn't going to stop again, save for gas or a bathroom break, I told myself. Wrong again, but I'll get to that. Probably the most surprising thing to me about Iowa is how beautiful the scenery is. I was expecting flat terrain and highways lined with cornfields. Iowa does feature flat plains and cornfields, but the terrain of central Iowa seemed to be predominantly gently rolling hills. I've taken in some very pretty sunsets: Miami Beach, Key West, San Francisco, Penang, etc., and while not as gorgeous as any of those, the sunset over Iowa's rolling hills was definitely close (-->)

Really needing to use the bathroom, I decided to stop in Des Moines, Iowa's capital, just under two hours after I left Iowa City. One tricky thing about road-tripping in the summer is finding the right balance between staying hydrated and not needing to stop every hour and this stop was definitely a function of drinking a little too much water. Like with Iowa City, I was pleasantly surprised by Des Moines' beauty. Much larger and different than Iowa City, Des Moines has the feel of a traditional grid-like city. What stood out to me was the Iowa State Capitol Building, which looked like something of a palace (-->)

Just down the steps from the State Capitol is a lovely park that has a perfect view of the compact city skyline. It was nice enough that I had to stay and explore a little, which again, delayed me.

Okay, seriously, not gonna stop again. Seriously. Except that the NBA Finals Game 7 between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat was tied in the third quarter. Nevermind. Stopping immediately. On Yelp, I found a bar called Mickey's Irish Pub in the western Des Moines suburb of Waukee. Grabbing an Iowan coffee stout from the Great River Brewery, I watched as Lebron James, whose hometown of Akron I had driven by just a day earlier, took over, earning his second straight NBA Championship and MVP award. Again, glad I stopped.

Now nearly 11 pm central time, I got back onto I-80 W for the final leg of the drive towards Lincoln. About 45 minutes later, my heart filled with fright as I saw the flashing lights of a police car right behind me. What could I have possibly done wrong? I was driving 70 MPH, which is the speed limit in Iowa. The officer walked over to my car and explained to me that the border around my license plate blocked the name of the state (-->)

, which is a violation in the state of Iowa. He asked me to step out of my car, asked if I had any weapons, and patted me down to make sure. Then I sat in the squad car as he wrote up some paperwork. "Please, please, please don't give me ticket," I thought to myself. No ticket, but I was officially warned by Dallas County and the State of Iowa. As I started my engine and got back on the road, the thought occurred to me to double check that the officer had given me back my drivers license. Again, my heart leapt out of my chest. My drivers license was missing. He had forgotten to give it back to me! Without a license, I obviously could not legally drive anywhere and would be stuck an hour outside of Des Moines, road trip screeching to a halt. Thankfully, I quickly saw flashing red and blue lights and a now-familiar face knocked on my window, handed me my license and said "I think you're gonna want this." Yes, yes, I do. 

Finaaaaally, I made it to my Lincoln area hotel, the Luxury Inn and Suites (-->)

, just after 2:30 am, central time. I had left Chicago at 3:30 pm the previous afternoon. How could this 500-mile drive have possibly taken me 11 hours?! (google maps suggests 7.5 hours). Well, that is the beauty of the road trip and I am not complaining. After some much-needed shuteye, on to Denver!

Chicago

Road Trip Days 7-8 (June 19-20): Chicago, IL

Flickr Pictures: Chicago pictures

Songs of the Day: The Fratelli's -- Chelsea Dagger (Go Hawks!); Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Devon Street!)

Day 7: After arriving in Oak Brook a little after 4 pm, I settled into the guest room at my Aunty Malini and Uncle Pankaj's home. Aunty Malini made me a refreshing and delicious cup of tea and some cookies and then we all got ready for dinner at Quay on Chicago's North Side, near Navy Pier and, of course, Lake Michigan. On the way, we picked up my cousin Sangeeta, a doctor at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. She chose Quay for dinner because not only does it boast bold and unique fare, but also features tables perfectly situated for us to enjoy the NHL's presentation of the Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Driving into Chicago, it was evident how excited this great sports city was for the game. (Art Museum Lions wearing Blackhawks helmets -->)

Down 2-1 in the series, the city was buzzing for this pivotal tilt in Beantown (Mass. was about 1,000 miles and 2 days ago for me). But before all that excitement, it was dinnertime and Quay was up to the challenge of standing out on my cross country trip. We started the meal off with four appetizers: Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Roasted Bone Marrow, Mussels with French Fries and Octopus, and Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese. Each was unique in its own way, but I was partial to the scallops which were wrapped in crispy, thick-cut bacon. Yum (-->) 

 Ok, now it was time for the main course, which for me, was a roasted brook trout. (-->)

 After our party of four shared two desserts (Butterscotch panna cotta with peanut butter tartine and Rum Syrup Soaked Baba with Vanilla Bean Semifreddo), we watched as the Blackhawks took a 3-1 lead. At Chicago's United Center, the Hawks have the unique tradition of playing the song Chelsea Dagger after each goal the Hawks score. This tradition was not lost on the crowd at Quay, which cheered loudly and even broke into a poorly-choreographed rendition of the song after the Hawks' third goal. After dinner (thanks Aunty Malini and Uncle Pankaj!), we went to Sangi's apartment to watch the remainder of the game. As the Bruins scored early in the third to tie the game at 4, ill-timed fireworks lit the serene Chicago sky over Lake Michigan, which, I was told, do so every Wednesday and Saturday night during the summer months. As the game headed into overtime, we battled through both nervousness and tiredness, each in our own way. Sangi sat on the edge of her seat, Uncle Pankaj paced back and forth and wondered aloud whether the Blackhawks even bother to practice their power play, Aunty Malini nervously wrapped herself in a blanket, and I tried to assure my father over the phone that the Hawks were actually playing quite well (well, besides Corey Crawford's glove). Finally, more than 10 minutes into overtime, the Hawks cashed in on a laser shot from the point by defenseman Keith Seabrook. Sweet relief! Not only because the Hawks had knotted up the series, but also because we could go home and go to sleep!

Day 8: Waking up to sunshine and 75 degree weather, Aunty Malini and I drove through the city and then along Lake Michigan to Evanston, IL, the home of Northwestern University's undergraduate campus. After touring the campus a bit, we arrived in Wilmette, IL, the home of the Baha'i Temple (-->) 

, an architectural marvel and only North American temple of the Baha'i faith, a "monotheistic religion emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind" (lifted from wikipedia). After learning a bit about the religion and admiring the beautiful gardens and fountains that surround the temple, Aunty Malini and I headed to a section of Devon Street (pronounced "Di-vahn") lined with Indian restaurants, clothing stores, and cafes. First, we went to Sukhadia's, which specializes in Indian sweets. We stocked up on kaju barfi and other sweets and then headed across the street to Patel's Cafe, where we shared a refreshing sugar cane juice with a little ginger and lemon. Finally, time for lunch at Ravi Kabab House, which despite its Yelp ratings, had the best lamb biryani I've ever had (-->) 

  After getting back to Oak Brook, we had one more cup of tea and then it was time for me to hit the road for Lincoln, Nebraska. Wow, what an eventful 24 hours in Chicago!

Chicago on Dwellable

Pittsburgh and the drive to Chicago

Road Trip Days 6-7 (June 18-19): Pittsburgh and the drive to Chicago

States Traveled Through: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, & Illinois

Flickr Pictures: Pittsburgh and West Pictures

What's Playing in the Car: 

Pittsburgh: Wiz Khalifa -- The Race

Akron: The Black Keys -- Litte Black Submarines

Cleveland: Kid Cudi -- Man on the Moon

Indiana: Shakira -- Lo Hecho Esta Hecho (yes, I know she's not from Indiana, but Shakira got me through the Indiana traffic, so I owe her this)

Chicago: Smashing Pumpkins -- Tonight, Tonight

Ah, as I was saying in my last post, home sweet home! I spent most of my day in Pittsburgh with my parents, cleaning out my car (I had brought home all my stuff from Philly), packing, and getting cleaned up (haircut and dentist). Oh and of course, had to see my grandma, whose '98 Toyota I am driving (thanks Grandma!) By the end of the day, I was all ready to embark on the midwestern leg of the trip! (-->)

Once you leave the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76 W), you can pretty much ride I-80 W all the way to California. Since I was coming from my home, I went up I-79 N towards Erie and crossed the Ohio border, where I picked up I-80 W. I'm going to be traveling along this historic road through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and into Colorado where, surprise!, I'll pick up I-76 W again. The great thing about driving through Ohio is that like Pennsylvania, it has rest stops all along its turnpike so you can fill gas, use the restroom, or grab a snack without having to exit the highway. For some reason, Ohio decided that     this (-->) is the ideal model for a rest stop, evidenced by the fact that every single one along the Ohio Turnpike (I-80 W) looks like this. I imagine a group of Ohioans building the first one, stepping back to admire their handiwork, and thinking, "Wow, now THIS is a rest stop." I stopped a couple times for bathroom breaks and was greeted with a "Go Steelers!" at each stop by random strangers because I was wearing a Steelers t-shirt. One thing that's amazing about Steeler nation is that anywhere in the US you go, you'll find a rabid cohort of Steeler fans, at this time of year, probably discussing the merits of Big Ben's offseason surgery ("Great to see Ben healthy. If Ben had been healthy last year, we woulda been on the Stairway to Seven. We beat Baltimore with Batch at QB, for cryin out loud! In my mind, we basically won the Super Bowl.") Why are there so many Steeler fans? It's probably a combination of the Steelers' success in the formative years of the NFL, the mass emigration from the Pittsburgh area when the steel industry waned, and the diehard nature of Steeler fans and their allegiance to the city of Pittsburgh. If you're not a Steeler fan, you're probably saying, "well, you're in Ohio, that's right next door." That's true, but believe me, you'll find Steeler fans in every nook and cranny of this country proudly sporting the Black and Gold. 

After making my way out of Ohio (-->) 

, Indiana was next. I've never had a great impression of Indiana and I don't really have a reason to change my opinion after driving through it this time. Granted, I've never spent any length of time here, but the scenery is mundane and Indianapolis is really the only place in the state that can be considered a reasonably-sized city. I decided to stop off in South Bend (-->) 

 to take in the University of Notre Dame and I'm sorry Fighting Irish fans, but South Bend didn't do much to alter my perception of the state. Again, I didn't have time to see everything the town and this fine academic institution has to offer, but all in all, it was aesthetically underwhelming. Still, it was very cool to drive by Notre Dame Stadium and if you look closely, you can get a glimpse of Manti Te'o's girlfriend(-->)            

 

Finally, I crossed the Illinois state line and made it to Oak Brook, a suburb about 15 miles west of Chicago where my aunt and uncle live. I've got so many great memories of coming here as a kid and am glad it is part of my road trip!

PS -- If you're keeping track, I'm actually in Lincoln, Nebraska right now. I'm sorry that I'm behind on blogging -- next up will be posts about Chicago and Iowa (that state definitely deserves its own post, haha). I'm going to try to write those this evening from Denver! Seeya there!

Cape Cod --> NYC --> Pittsburgh

Road Trip Day 5 (June 17): Cape Cod to New York City to Pittsburgh

Pictures: Road Trip Day 5 pictures

Believe it or not, today was actually the longest drive that I'll do on this trip -- 10.5 hours. After (sadly) leaving Cape Cod, Paula and I drove out of Massachusetts, through Rhode Island and Connecticut, before reaching City Island, a very unique part of New York City, for lunch. Located in the north Bronx, City Island is a port town featuring a number of restaurants with fresh seafood. We ate at Sammy's (pictured above). After consuming an insane amount of shrimp and scallops in garlic sauce, fries, salad, and bread with cheese, we left the island and made our way to Paula's house, where I dropped her off. I then drove through New York and New Jersey before picking up the PA Turnpike near Harrisburg (after stopping off for gas in Jersey, of course). This was an interesting place to pick up the turnpike because as you can see, it perfectly depicts my move from Philadelphia, where I lived for 6 years, to Pittsburgh, where I'll be attending med school. I have to say, even though I take the Northeast for granted since I've lived here my whole life, it really is a beautiful section of the country.

I actually entered the city of Pittsburgh exactly as the clock struck midnight. Thirty minutes later, I was home in Upper St. Clair, eating my dad's delicious chicken curry and rice (-->)

-- ahhhh, home, sweet home!

States Traveled Through: MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA

Traveling With: Paula from Cape Cod to NYC (-->); then by myself

What's Playing in the Car:

Massachusetts: Aerosmith -- Dream On (The Bad Boys from Boston)

Rhode Island: Okkervil River -- Lost Coastlines (couldn't think of a local band)

Connecticut: MGMT -- Electric Feel (formed at Wesleyan University)

New York City: The Underachievers -- The Mahdi (of Brooklyn)

New Jersey: Bruce Springsteen -- Born in the USA (had to do it)

Pittsburgh: Mac Miller -- Best Day Ever

Major Highways: I-95 S, I-78 W, I-81 W, I-76 W (PA Turnpike), I-376 W 

New York City on Dwellable

New Seabury, Cape Cod, Mass. (Day 2)

Road Trip Days 3-4 (June 15-16): New Seabury, MA

More photos added: Flickr photos

Saturday was our first beach day and even though it looks cloudy in the photo above, we actually had great weather on Saturday -- 75 and sunny. Our cottage was about a two-minute walk to our community's private beach and there weren't a lot of people there, which was perfect. After spending the day at the beach, we cooked something of a feast: burgers, sausage, corn, red peppers, salad, nachos, and sangria -- and we actually somehow managed to eat almost all of it (-->) 

Sunday, we took advantage of our breakfast nook (-->) before heading to the beach, again.

Renting a place rather than staying at a hotel was definitely the way to go, as we were able to have a home-away-from-home feel, cook our own meals, and enjoy the community's private beach. All in all, Cape Cod was a great place to kick off the road trip!

New Seabury, Cape Cod, Mass.

Road Trip Days 1-2 (June 13-14): Philadelphia, PA --> New York, NY --> New Seabury, MA

Pictures: Cape Cod flickr pictures

          States Driven Through: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and   

                                                Massachusetts

          Traveling with: Paula (-->) 

           Song playing in the car: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend)

           Best thing to eat: Lobster roll from the Raw Bar in Hyannis

           Major Highway: I-95 N

So after setting out from Philly, I stayed overnight with Paula and her family in New York City. This morning, Paula and I made our way to the cottage we rented in Maushop Village, a private community in New Seabury, Mashpee, MA. The four-hour drive took us up I-95 N for most of the way. I have to say, there's something very satisfying about driving on 95 and not hitting traffic. After we settled into our cottage, we drove about half an hour for dinner in Hyannis at the Raw Bar. Not that we're experts on lobster rolls, but wow, that one was really good. Not to mention, their delicious New England clam chowder. Today was kind of a chill day and then tomorrow and Sunday, we're supposed to have great weather and will take the short walk to the beach.

New Seabury on Dwellable

Goodbye Philly

Check out some of my favorite memories from Penn through pictures: Goodbye Philly on flickr

So, even though I'm really excited to go on this trip and begin med school, it's definitely bittersweet leaving Philadelphia. It's the only place I've lived in since graduating high school and I did a lot of growing up here. I'm gonna miss all my Philly friends so much! But no doubt, I'll be back to visit. Here are some of the highlights of my time living in the City of Brotherly Love:

Favorites

Favorite Restaurant: Too many to choose from, but gotta go with Amada

Favorite After Work Hangout: Devil's Alley 

Favorite Bar: Monk's

Bar Where I'd Actually End Up: National Mechanics

Favorite Penn Bar: Tap House

Penn Bar Where I'd Actually End Up (during college): Smokes

Favorite Philly Cheesesteak: Dalessandro's in Roxborough

Favorite Brunch: Sabrina's 

Favorite Philly Beer: Yard's Extra Special Ale

Favorite Park: The trail down Kelly Drive

Favorite Street: Pine

Favorite Team: Trick question...Pittsburgh Penguins

Lasts

Last Sit-Down Restaurant: Zahav with the Kalras

Last Food: Popeye's 

Last Bar: Drinkers with Josh Wheeling

Last Beer: Yuengling
Last Concert: Beach House at Union Transfer with Paula

Here We Go

Hi!

My name is Arjun (me --->)

and I'm a 24-year old guy about to start medical school in August. I thought the perfect way to spend the summer would be driving across the country and seeing friends and family along the way, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I've lived in Philly for the past six years and have been working in Ob/Gyn research at Penn for the past year. My last day of work was today, Thursday, June 13, and I'm not wasting any time before setting out. I thought I'd make a blog in case anybody wants to keep up with where I'm going (and it's a good way to prove to my mom that I'm still alive). I'm gonna try to make a post for each of the stops I do, which equates to a post every couple days.

The total road trip is going to be 25 days between Philly and Los Angeles and will span about 5,000 miles. I'll be driving through parts of at least 18 states (PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, OH, IN, IL, IA, NE, CO, WY, MT, ID, WA, OR, and CA) and staying over in 15 different places. Then I'll be spending two weeks out of the country; I'm flying to Hong Kong and finally to Malaysia, to see my grandparents and some more family.

I want to thank everyone so much who is hosting me along the way! I'm planning to stay at hotels/motels in Lincoln (or Omaha), Yellowstone, Spokane, destinations in Oregon and NorCal, and LA so if you live in or near any of those places and would be kind enough to host me for a night or two, I would greatly appreciate it! Also, if you are familiar with some of these places and have suggestions, I'd love to hear them. (you can shoot me an email to arj.prabhu@gmail.com) Thanks!

Can't wait to see all of you:
Cape Cod (Paula)
Pittsburgh (Mom and Dad, grandma, Aunty Asha, more family, Don, and Drew)
Chicago (Aunty Malini and Uncle Pankaj, possibly Sangi and Steve, and Aakash)
Denver (Anj and Avash, and Mom)
Seattle (Anish, Ashima and Neil, and Trevor)
San Francisco (Zach)
Hong Kong (Brandon and Mavis)
Malaysia (Amayee and Thatha, Mom, Sugan, Sanjeevan, Aunty Mari, and more family)

If you live in or near any of those cities OR in Omaha, Yellowstone Park, Spokane, Portland, LA or really anywhere on the west coast between Seattle and LA, I'm really sorry that it slipped my mind to contact you, but if you're free, I'd love to try to hang out -- just shoot me an email at arj.prabhu@gmail.com. For the exact dates, look below.

The Trip

Philly --> NYC --> Cape Cod --> Pittsburgh --> Chicago --> Omaha --> Denver --> Yellowstone --> Spokane --> Seattle --> Portland and Oregon --> San Francisco --> Los Angeles --> Hong Kong --> Kuala Lumpur --> Ipoh --> HK --> LA --> Pittsburgh

Blue = driving; Red = flying

Thurs night, June 13: Philadelphia, PA --> New York, NY (2 hours; 110 miles)

Fri morning, June 14: New York --> New Seabury, Cape Cod, MA (4 hours; 235 miles)

Mon morning, June 17: New Seabury --> Pittsburgh, PA (10 hours; 630 miles)

Wed morning, June 19: Pittsburgh --> Chicago, IL (7 hours; 475 miles)

Thurs evening, June 20: Chicago --> Omaha, NE (7 hours; 475 miles)

Fri late morning, June 21: Omaha --> Denver, CO (7.5 hours; 540 miles)

Mon morning, June 24: Denver --> Yellowstone National Park, WY (9 hours; 590 miles)

Wed morning, June 26: Yellowstone National Park --> Spokane, WA (8 hours; 510 miles)

Thurs morning, June 27 (my 25th birthday!): Spokane, WA --> Seattle, WA (4 hours; 280 miles)

Sun morning, June 30: Seattle, WA --> Portland, OR (2.5 hours; 175 miles)
      Sun afternoon, June 30: Portland --> Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway
      to Multnomah Falls, OR then back to Portland

Mon morning, July 1: Portland, OR --> Mary's Peak, Philomath, OR (1.5 hours, 90 miles)
      Mon late afternoon, July 1: Mary's Peak --> Sunset Bay State Park, OR (3 hours, 145 miles)

Tuesday early afternoon, July 2: Sunset Bay State Park, OR --> Redwood National Park, Crescent City, CA (2.5 hours, 130 miles)

Wed morning, July 3: Crescent City, CA --> San Francisco, CA (5.5 hours, 312 miles)

Thurs morning, July 4: San Francisco, CA --> LA (stopping several times along the way)

Tues afternoon, July 9: LA --> Hong Kong (arrive July 10)

Monday morning, July 15: HK --> Kuala Lumpur

July 22 -- back in the Burgh