Ever since March of 2003, I have spent my Spring Break with my Dad, each time in a different location in the United States. In 2003, I was in California. 2004 had me traveling North to Green Bay. In 2005, I went to Chicago, but those pictures accidentally erased themselves from my camera. Tradition is important on my family, so this year I decided to follow my Dad to New York City. Our original plan was to go down to Arizona for Brewers' Spring Training, but he had to go to New Jersey for business. I suggested that I should just tag along, and he said that it would be ok. When I asked if I could bring a friend, he was ok with it too. I couldn't think of anyone better to ask than my sister Jenny (I would have also asked Tim but he was not on spring break because he attends a different school than us.) We decided to drive out because it would be cheaper, and all of our hotels would be paid for by my Dad's company, so this trip ended up costing me next to nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, another year has passed and another Spring Break Adventure is about to unfold itself before your eyes. Be ready for excitement.

New York City Spring Break - Drive There

We decided to leave Sunday morning, for reasons that are unknown now because so much time has passed since that trip and I have forgotten them. Procrastination is my biggest flaw and the terror that always comes back to haunt me. I know that we did drive down on Saturday night to stay overnight so we could get going early in the morning. Jenny and I must have had something going on that prevented us from leaving earlier. It also might have been that we could not check into the company paid hotel until Sunday night, so it made no sense going out a day earlier. Whatever the case, Jenny and I had a blast heading down to Dad's house, and I nearly crashed the car when I temporarily blinded myself taking this picture on the left. We woke up in the morning and ate a hearty breakfast and prepared for the long drive. Since it was Sunday morning, we didn't have to structure our start time with the Chicago traffic patterns. We left around 11:00 am to start the 12-hour journey to the East coast, and thus began another interesting and exciting chapter in my life and this website. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad and I woke up a little too late for the continental breakfast, so we decided to stop by the local grocery store to get some food. They make fresh sandwiches while you wait, and since it was still morning, they were able to make a breakfast sandwich with egg and sausages and cheese. That hit the spot for my Dad, but all I really wanted was Pop Tarts. We bought Jenny some Rice Krispie treats because she had been whining about eating one since we left Illinois.  
My Dad expected me to shoulder a good portion of the driving, seeing as we would be driving the 12 hours straight to New Jersey without stopping (except for gas and restrooms.) That is why I stopped at a gas station and picked up a 4 pack of the most potent non-illegal substance on the planet - Monster Energy drink. After just 1 can, my hands are shaking and my mind is freaking out. Do you know that feeling when your are trying to sleep because your body is exhausted but your mind is still trying to function at a rapid pace? It's kind of like that. There's a warning on the side that warns you not to consume more than 3 cans per day or else it could potentially be harmful to your health. Now that's exactly the kind of thing that I want swimming around in my bloodstream. Jenny probably could've used some, for she is notoriously famous for falling asleep during car rides, but she refused and actually stayed up for almost the entire trip. She definitely earned some brownie points and a big thumbs up sticker that will forever be notched in the pookon.com big book of achievement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a truck stop to gas up and grab a bite to eat. I wasn't really hungry, so I got a bagel and cream cheese from Panera Bread. This really took me back to my working days at the Mayfair Mall movie theater when I used to buy a bagel quite often because it was one of the cheapest options for dinner in the food court.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

When traveling far and wide, I like to sport my Milwaukee apparel because I am proud of where I am from. I want people to know that I'm from Milwaukee even if they don't know where Milwaukee is. I'll be happy to pull out a U.S. map and explain to them that Wisconsin is a civilized state and not just a big field full of cows and cheese.  

 

When we arrived in New Jersey, I was just a little bit too excited. No one should be this excited about Jersey, because there are plenty of other places in the world that deserve this level of excitement. Now I'm not knocking the Garden State or anything, but compared to ancient places like England and Rome, Jersey just can't compete.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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