Day Trip to Gettysburg

Hi Bloggy Friends,

This weekend Alan and I drove to Gettysburg to meet our friends Bill and Gary. They drove up from Washington D.C. so we could all spend the day celebrating Bill's birthday (July 27). Our plan was to spread a blanket and have a lovely picnic in the park, but a storm moved in almost as soon as we were about to take our first bites. And it wasn't just any storm, either. The rain gushed down and the wind whipped our prissy asses all over that battlefield. We even began to contemplate a tornado plan, you know, just in case. 

Needless to say, we had to move the festivities inside Gary's Volvo, which would have been extremely roomy if we didn't have to share the space with an oversized picnic basket, a cooler and Bill's monstrous hat, which, minus the net, must have been made to fend off bees in the buzziest of honey hives.

Crop Dusting New York City

Hi Bloggy Friends,

Last Saturday I took an overnight trip to New York City with my friends Julia and Holly. Things have been hectic for all of us lately, so we thought a nice getaway would do us worlds of good.

We were carted there on the second level of a double-decker MegaBus, which dropped us off on the corner of 7th Ave. and 28th St. in Chelsea. From there we didn't waste any time before hitting up a few galleries in the Village, a smelly anarchist book fair in Greenwich and finally the latest exhibit at one of my favorite contemporary art venues, the New Museum. We covered a lot of ground within the first few hours of our arrival, but after trudging from neighborhood to neighborhood wearing heavy backpacks, we decided to hop on the Metro for our resting place in Brooklyn.

Julia's friend Ashley (or Shlee) was kind enough to let us crash at her spacious, three bedroom apartment in Clinton Hill. She's busy finishing up her second semester as a grad student at the Pratt Institute, but that didn't keep her from being a fantastically attentive and gracious host. We were all so grateful to have a cozy place to stay.

Despite feeling a bit weary, we didn't wait three seconds before tearing into two bottles of wine - one for Julia and one for the rest of us. When the buzz started to kick we started thrashing through our bags for what we were going to wear out on the town that night. We were supposed to go to a Baroque party in the Village where everyone would be dressed like Marie Antoinette, so I put on something Parisian and hairsprayed the holy hell out of my hair until it looked like I had stuck my finger in an electric socket. Holly twisted buns on each side of her head and wore something totally mismatched, Shlee threw on a dress that could have come from the Golden Girls wardrobe department and Julia, being the smooth operator she always is, just kept it simple and cool.

The night unfortunately didn't get as wild as we planned. I blame starting with red wine. The Baroque party was as lame as an outgoing President and the next bar we went to, Double Down Saloon, was decent at best. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of great moments, but things just didn't reach that pinnacle of crazy you tend to expect from a night in the Big Apple. My favorite part of the evening was spent chatting in a diner over pistachio milkshakes and three open-faced reuben sandwiches. This was the first time I'd eaten meat in ages. I loved every single chomp, but it may explain the nonstop crop dusting. Whoopsie!

That night I slept rather comfortably on a blown up air mattress in Shlee's living room. In the morning we had a magnificently priced brunch in Williamsburg - $12 for an entree, a mimosa or bloody mary and all the coffee you could stand. I opted for the eggs benedict, a mimosa and a single cup of java. Good brunch with the best of company equals heaven - and a few more dusted crops.

Afterward, we thrift shopped in Williamsburg before heading to Central Park to kill time until our bus departed. While there Holly, being the adventure-seeker she is, joined a team of potheads for a hilarious game of kick ball. Julia and I watched from a bench like a couple of lazy bitches. Our bus pulled out around 7 p.m. from Penn Station. A great time was had by all.

I hope you have a great night.

Love, Josh

(New) Hope Springs (Break) Eternal

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I hope you're doing well. The last time I wrote we were covered under a million inches of snow, but today most of that has melted away and we're enjoying the hell out of some springtime weather. The temperature reached well into the 50s today and the sun is shining as bright as can be. I'm loving every second of it. Could spring be arriving early this year? The Farmer's Almanac doesn't think so. It reports that we should be getting another hefty snowfall in March. It's been accurate so far, but I'm hoping this prediction is one for the garbage cans. Bring on the sunshine and the short shorts, baby.

If the beautiful weather isn't enough, I'm also reeling because my spring break has officially begun. To get the hiatus started right, Alan and I took a road trip to New Hope, PA, where we boarded the puppies and enjoyed a full day together in the cute, artsy little oasis. We crashed at the Wedgewood Inn (pictured left), a 140-year old bed and breakfast just off the main drag in New Hope. This was my favorite B&B experience to date. Usually when we squat in a place like this I feel like I'm intruding on another person's space, but here I felt comfortable, like we had ample privacy and well, kind of like a Victorian-era lady with a high-top bun on my head. We slept like cherubs in a lovely little room on the first floor that was decorated with antiques to suit the historical structure. It was a perfect experience. If you happen upon this post because you're looking for a B&B in New Hope, I'd definitely recommend this one.

When we weren't inside, we were milling around the town. We spent most of our time browsing antique shops and art galleries in Lambertville,  New Jersey, which is directly across the bridge from New Hope. I like it better there because the shops are more interesting, there are better cafes and the sidewalk traffic is refreshingly more sparse than it is in New Hope. We were on the lookout for a piece of artwork to hang on a huge empty space in our kitchen, but everything we loved was way out of our price range. I know it's worth it, but it's a damn shame art has to be so expensive. Later in the evening we had a scrumptious dinner at Caffe Galleria on Main Street. I grubbed on a fantastic grouper dish with steamed carrots and broccoli and Alan had a plate of rich lobster ravioli. It was truly blissful.

This morning we enjoyed a generous, complimentary breakfast in the dining room at the Wedgwood Inn before picking up the dogs to return home. We had a few things to take care of in Philadelphia, so we didn't want to linger too long. Now we're at home feeling nice and cozy after Salmon Sunday. I'm counting down the minutes until the Academy Awards, but I'll have to let the DVR record it for a good half hour so I can zoom past the commercials and boring speeches. Technology spoils me.

Are you going to watch the Oscars? Rooting for anyone in particular? I'm not really. I just enjoy the festivities and the sparkly, sometimes poofy ball gowns. Have a great night. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Alan, me and two doilies in our room at Wedgwood Inn.

P.S. Here are links to my work published in Philadelphia this week:

On a Wing and a Prayer with El Wingador

My review of the Snoop Dogg show at TLA

Neighborhood Watch in Mt. Airy

Art Phag

Deshler-Morris to Tell Wider Story of Washington's Household

Enjoying Baltimore, Thai Curry & MJB

Hello Bloggy Friends,

I hope you're having more than a suitable Sunday. We've been busy taking care of our end of the weekend chores that I won't bore you by mentioning for the 800th time. The weather has been fantastic in Philadelphia lately. The temps have been in the 40s and 50s all week long. It would be amazing if it would just stay like that until spring. You know I'm not a fan of the cold.

My first week back to school was excellent. I'm excited about the classes I'm taking and the work I'll be producing. I think it will be a great final semester. I had a few of my pieces published by City Paper this week. If you're interested you can check out my interview with Branden Fraser, the Bye, Bye Big Boobies benefit, my monthly Queer Bait column and our Philly fashion post, Neighborhood Watch. Thank you for your support.

This weekend was pretty amazing. Saturday afternoon we decided to take a road trip to Baltimore. We've passed it on our way to Kentucky, but we've never actually stopped to see what it was all about. What we found was a quaint, historic city that is so full of interesting attractions that we've decided we'll head back for an entire weekend trip soon. We spent the few hours we had on a mapped walking tour through the Mount Vernon district, where we climbed to the top of the original Washington Monument, took a gander at several historic churches and homes and even stopped for a sip in what seemed like the a thriving gay district. Later that evening we met Bloggy Friends Bill and Gary in Fells Point for a charming dinner and chit chat. It was great to see them. Sometimes we forget how close we live to one another. There is so much to see and do within such a short distance of Philadelphia. I want to try to take advantage of those travel opportunities this year. I posted a few videos on YouTube of our trip. Just click HERE and HERE if you want to check them out. Thank you and thank you.

Before I go I want to ask if you saw Mary J. Blige's performance on the Hope for Haiti Now telethon on Friday night? It was amazing. She sang a Civil War era song called "Hard Times Come Again No More." It was written in 1854 by Stephen Foster, the same guy who wrote Kentucky's state song, My Old Kentucky Home. It touched me beyond belief. If you're curious check it out right HERE. Let me know what you think and while we're on the subject of Haiti, do you have any thoughts to share about that? It is undoubtedly an horrific ordeal but do you feel news outlets have taken the coverage a little too far? Has it started to seem fake and sensationalized? If it's so hard to fly airplanes full of relief aid, how is it so easy to send a ton of reporters? What airport are THEY flying into? I'm just curious. What do you think?I can't help but be a bit skeptical sometimes about how news outlets choose to cover certain events. It's all about the ratings, right?

I'm going to run now. Alan is almost finished with our Salmy Sunday dinner. Tonight we're switching things up a bit with a new recipe I found on Epicurious, Roast Salmon with Thai Red Curry & Bok Choy. We scoured Asian groceries in Chinatown today for most of the ingredients. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Curry is one of my favorite things. Have a great night. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh