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Florida. The Sunshine State.

Florida. The Sunshine State.

[his advice to aspiring actors]
“They should be very versatile. Versatility is what’s going to give them the longevity. The world is opening up and a lot more stories and a lot more interesting scenes to portray in film. Versatility will help them. They must be able to see the world, learn the world, and bring it to their craft.”
-Wesley Snipes

Florida is a great state. A big one as well. It has many interesting cities and endless activities you can do once you arrive there. Among them:

  • Attending Spring Break in Panama City Beach
  • Hanging out on the coast of Pensacola
  • Watching a sports team in Jacksonville
  • Having fun at a theme park in Orlando
  • Sun-bathing in South Beach
  • Golfing
  • Cruises
  • Quick flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Dominican Republic.

It’s a wonder that Florida is called: The Sunshine State.

It’s too bad that on this trip, I could not take advantage of her beautiful amenities. I’ve visited Florida many times in the past so I didn’t feel too bad.

I literally tagged the state of Florida for a few minutes and then headed to my next stop: Alabama. Typically, from what I have seen so far, there is a Welcome Center for every state once you cross theselfie state line.

That’s where I headed once I arrived in Florida. Consequently, I took my Fanta selfie at the “Welcome” sign and then left immediately.

A friend of mine from New Orleans suggested visiting Pensacola, FL because of a beautiful lighthouse that existed on the coastline but in the interest of time, I needed to head North as quickly as possible. So Pensacola was off the list.

Just in case you were wondering about the swiftness for this particular part of the trip, I had a rule that I wouldn’t drive at night. Perhaps one or two hours after sunset but never too late at night. Too many unknowns in places I had never been. It’s a rule that has worked pretty cool so far (except Grand Canyon National Park) but in that case, I didn’t know the park was one way in and one way out.

For this blog, instead of writing about Florida, I created a top 10 list of things that have helped me to stay focused, awake and healthy while embarking on this 48-state journey.

Top 10 List
10. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water.
09. Always buy gas with the Discover card so I can get cash back points.
08. Always keep fresh fruits in the car (bananas, apples, oranges, grapefruit).
07. Get a massage at least once a week.
06. Always keep a cup of ice in the car.
05. Travel with a cooler that can keep certain items cold and others warm.
04. Stay in the moment.
03. Get a good night’s rest.
02. Stretch everyday.
01. Drink lots of water.
Florida. Don’t worry. We’ll see each other again very soon.
Biloxi, Mississippi. Short and sweet.

Biloxi, Mississippi. Short and sweet.

“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter.”

-James Earl Jones

mississippi-selfie
After peeling off the weekend of sin in Louisiana from my flesh, I happily drove to Biloxi, Mississippi, my next stop. Biloxi is a great word, right? As I was driving into town, I couldn’t help but think of the movie, Biloxi Blues, with Matthew Broderick. There’s nothing else in the world that has the word ‘Biloxi’ in it.

biloxi-blues

What a cool, little town. It’s on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and has your regular known casinos like Hard Rock and one I have never heard of: Beau Rivage. Imagine a mini Las Vegas but with much more humidity. Much more. And southern people. With drawls. And accents. And kids. Lots of kids. Everywhere. Okay, you get the point.

My plan was not to stay in Biloxi very long but I did find a place to eat. Waffle House! When I lived in North Carolina in the late 90s, Waffle House was my go-to breakfast establishment. The memories came rushing back as I walked into a busy room packed with customers. Before you knew it, I sat at the bar and sank my teeth into some good ole fashioned grits, eggs and orange juice. Don’t forgot the waffle. I also had a waffle. From Waffle House.

I really wanted to spend some more time in Biloxi. I really did. Between the casinos, the Coast and the feeling of a getaway city, it was hard to leave but I was determined to get to my next stop: Selma, Alabama.

Bye Biloxi. Thanks for the waffle.

Bourbon Street Louisiana. With 3 Whiskey shots.

Bourbon Street Louisiana. With 3 Whiskey shots.

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is.”
-Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres - born in Louisiana

WELCOME TO LOUISIANA: THE PELICAN STATE

New Orleans. New Orleans! New Orleans!! Why did it take so long for us to meet? Wait, don’t answer that. Let’s just enjoy the fact that we did meet and now have a prosperous relationship to build on.

I arrived at my Hotel just outside of New Orleans at around 6:30pm on Saturday July 2nd, 2016. The plan was to attend a concert sponsored by the Essence Festival at the Mercedes Superdome from 8pm – 2am. I had tickets. And I was excited. Super excited! But I fell asleep. For 11 hours. Oops.

ren-and-stimpy

Sometimes, it’s not what you want, it’s what you need. All that driving (from Texas to Louisiana) had caught up to me and boy, did my body need some rest. I’m glad I didn’t fight it. There was another concert that Sunday night anyway.

Well… I bought a ticket for the concert at The Superdome for Sunday night and guess what? I didn’t make that either. Mariah Carey. Kendrick Lamar. Tyrese. I didn’t get to see one performance. My friend, Amber, picked me up from my hotel and drove us to the infamous Bourbon Street. On the way there, we went to a place where they served margaritas at the drive-thru.

HAPPY! HAPPY!
HELL YEAH!

I thought it was a dream but the margarita drive-thru happened. I ordered the Jungle Juice. And then, the adventure began.

I had a feeling that the night was going to get ‘turnt up’ so before we arrived at Bourbon Street, I cancelled my hotel in Atlanta for the next day and booked another night in NOLA. Boooooy, was I glad I did that!

We bar hopped for what seemed like forever, met super cool peeps, took some pics, shot some videos and went to a strip club. It was a lot of fun. Bourbon Street is a very dangerous place because yes, it is a lot of fun but if you forget where you parked, it can be a maze to navigate. Especially if you’re drunk.

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One of my favorite activities for the night on Bourbon Street was throwing beads down at folks. I’ve seen it done countless times in movies and on television but the fact that we did it from a strip club made it even more special. Top that!

New Orleans is a wonderful place for food. My favorite place was a sushi spot called Akira Sushi Hibachi. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was top notch. Go here if you are ever in NOLA. It’s not on Bourbon Street. Maybe 10 minutes outside that area but well worth it.
Akira Sushi Hibachi - New Orleans, Louisiana

 

I’ll be honest. I didn’t want to leave New Orleans. It’s a wonderful city. Everyone is very nice and it seemed like there was so much more to do and I was missing out on a lot because my time constraints were limited. It’s ok though, I’ll be back.

To add some icing to the adventure cake, I watched July 4th fireworks with my friend Amber and her friend, Loisel. We all had an awesome time and it was a perfect way to end my trip.

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The United States of Texas

The United States of Texas

“I’ve found that every time you stand up for something and open your mouth, you alienate someone. I spent a lot of time wanting to become rich and famous, then when I got there, I found it was hollow. What is important to me is my connection with family and friends, and to nature, and to stand up for what I believe in. It really makes you feel good to follow through with your convictions. Granted, between opening my mouth and some of the movies I’ve chosen to do, I’ve alienated a lot of my fans, I’m sure. Hopefully I’ll make better movies, but I’ll never stop opening my large, prominent mouth.”
-Woody Harrelson

For many years, I’ve heard Texas referred to as: The United States of Texas. I guess their culture exhibits the kind of confident mentality that makes Texans think they can be their own country. It’s definitely in the air. Texas is different. It looks different. Feels different. Tastes different. The people are different. They love their guns, their burgers and their hometown.

On our way to the city of Dallas from Oklahoma, Patrick gave me history lessons on everything from buildings to butterflies to burgers to skylines to cows to real estate (butterflies is a minor embellishment). I kept thinking, damn, these folks are really proud of where they come from. You have to respect that on a certain level. I mean, why wouldn’t you be proud of where you came from?

My only regret during my visit was not trying this place called, “WHATABURGER”. whataburgerFrom what I’ve heard from different Texan natives, it is probably THEE best burger place ever opened. Of course it is. They say the same about In N Out burgers in California and Philly cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. “Oh my god, these are the best. You have to try one.”

Okay, Kemosabe. I got it.

Honestly, over the past few years, I’ve removed burgers from my diet. Not completely! I love burgers but try to only eat them once a month. I stay closer to Turkey Burgers. Burgers are great every now and again but having them as a steady part of my diet as I get older is not smart. Still, I should have eaten at least ONE on this trip. Next time.

Patrick had booked me a guest spot on a comedy show at a Caribbean restaurant called, “TASTE OF THE ISLANDS” in Plano, Texas. It was a pretty big establishment. Bar. Restaurant. Dance floor. I liked it.

Before performing, I had the chicken roti and a Vita Malt. I felt like I was back home in the Caribbean again. The food was delicious and our bartender, Bryttnie, was courteous, hospitable and exotically attractive. That’s a nice Texas combo.

Patrick killed during his comedy set. I had not seen him perform in person in probably 4 or 5 years. Man, it was nice watching him stand there and slice through his material. Even if the crowd was mediocre. It didn’t matter and as a comic, it shouldn’t. It’s our job to find the pulse of the room and deliver. I had a good set. It’s always cool doing comedy in a totally different place and trying to see if your material works there. Good times.

Moving on, I was thinking of giving a shout out to the Holiday Inn I stayed at in Cockrell, Texas but the bathroom smelled like sewage. The rest of the room was great but I kept that bathroom door closed. I was only there for one night, thankfully. And what else would you expect from a hotel located in a city with “Cock” in the name?

SIDE NOTE:

Dallas has one of the most beautiful skylines in all of America. If you are ever in Dallas, stay the night and head into the city. Minus all the annoying construction, it’s a beautiful sight.

On my way to Louisiana, I met two ladies at the Louisiana Welcome Center (just outside the border of Texas): Christi and Tina. Texans. They both possessed sincere southern hospitality to go with their beautiful southern hearts. They offered to take a picture of me in front of the Louisiana sign but I had to refuse so I could take my selfie the way I had done it for the past 8 states.

IMG_0451 Of course, I took the opportunity to tell them about my journey and they were immediately interested and wished me safe travels. I gave them some business cards and within an hour (while I was on the freeway), I received a Facebook friend request from Christi.

We had some fun Facebook messaging each other and then the Universe took over. They stopped at a Cracker Barrel and wouldn’t you know it, Tina found a Fanta shirt in Alexandria (between the Louisiana Welcome Center and Baton Rouge) and insisted I had to have it.

11 MILES LATER…

FANTA FANTA FANTA FANTA
Can you believe that?!! What are the odds?

Big thanks to Christi and Tina.

That’s not all. I asked them, why the hell they would go to a Cracker Barrel in the middle of nowhere on purpose and as it turns out, Tina was picking up the cutest white chow dog of them all. I had a chance to play with him for a short time. Check out “Samson”.

By the way, don’t google “white chow dog” … you’ll be in a rabbit hole for quite some time.

Bye Dallas. Thanks for such a good stay in a short amount of time.

By the next time I come to Dallas, perhaps they will be their own country?

#TEXIT

Oklahoma — Cherokee Nation

Oklahoma — Cherokee Nation

“I really think the creative process is more exciting than ever. There are more and more people doing great work.”
-Ron Howard

Oklahoma. Cherokee Nation.

The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated from the Southeast due to increasing pressure to Indian Territory and Cherokee who were forced to relocate on the Trail of Tears.

The tribe also includes descendants of Cherokee Freedmen and Natchez Nation. Over 299,862 people are enrolled in the Cherokee Nation, with 189,228 living within the state of Oklahoma. According to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) head Larry EchoHawk, the Cherokee Nation is not the historical Cherokee tribe but instead a “successor in interest.”[1]

Headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation has a tribal jurisdictional area spanning 14 counties in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma. These are Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Washington Counties.

{ from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Nation }

Like Arkansas, Oklahoma was also a wonderful state to drive through. A lot of beautiful trees as well but not as packed together. Oklahoma started to remind me of driving through Virginia and North Carolina. Two lane highways going opposite ways separated by beautiful patches of green vegetation.

Oklahoma freeway

We stopped at the Lockhart Welcome Center along the freeway and I told one of the ladies at the reception desk about my adventure. Her older counterpart next to her startled us with, “Wow!”. I’ve heard this reaction before but she was an older lady and to be honest, I’ve started to expect that younger folks or individuals my age would be startled at what I am doing but I guess that reaction is across the board.

After giving us a brief history lesson about the Cherokee Nation, the receptionist pulled out a map of the United States and I showed her the routes I’ve already traveled and where I plan to go. She was impressed and wished me luck on my adventure.IMG_0427

And so, off we went, on over to Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

Woo hoo! Comedy, burgers and skylines, here we come!

Arkansas. Trees. Trees. Trees.

Arkansas. Trees. Trees. Trees.

“I’ve been married five times, and people think that’s some bizarre thing, yet I’ve got buddies who refuse to get married and have sex with 15 people a week. I’m like, “Which is better?” At least I was trying.”
-Billy Bob Thornton

There are a lot of trees in Arkansas. When I think of trees, I think of oxygen. I think of a clear mind. I think of growing up in the Caribbean and playing in them. Sleeping in them. Climbing them. Eating food from them. Trees are peaceful havens. They’re beautiful. They help you to live and provide safety and shelter, depending on the circumstances.

Although we didn’t spend much time in Arkansas, trees were one of the first things I noticed while driving along the freeway. I couldn’t help but also think of all the real estate construction in Los Angeles and how they could improve the air quality by planting a few hundred trees for every ridiculous business high-rise or money hungry condo going vertical.

Patrick and I got a lot of time to chit chat in the car while sneaking on over to Oklahoma. We had a comedy show in Dallas on Friday night and we needed to head South through Missouri, literally tag Arkansas, “You’re it!”, head East into Oklahoma and then southwest to Dallas. 8 hour trip.

During the drive, Patrick and I talked about the philosophical ideas behind my trip: “Where is Steve?”. My concept behind the name is to stay in the moment. Yes, I may have to drive 6000 miles or more in total over 6 weeks but “Where is Steve?” in the moment? Where is he, right now? How does he feel? And what is he doing to stay in the moment?

My #1 goal for this trip has been to stay in the moment. To breathe the current air of the place I am inhabiting. To study the vegetation that surrounds me. To pay attention to how the roads differ. To look at the cloud formations that are close to me and the ones in the distance. To pay attention to weather patterns. To talk to people. To break the ice. To engage with people. To make people laugh. To engage with animals. To listen to the voices around me and how different people sound as I make my way across America’s beautiful terrain.Welcome to Arkansas

Patrick’s take on the adventure was more personal. Where was he in his current life and where does he want to go? Where does he see himself during the current time, the rest of the year and a few years out. Patrick loves his current life which is consumed by his wife, dog, job, comedy and future family plans. As he spoke about his plans for his family, it was great to hear the PASSION with which he talked about them. Patrick is a good man. So many folks could learn from him and in time, they will.

I grabbed a concept and ran with it and that’s why I’m driving across the country. But so far, it seems to have affected others in a way I never expected and I can hear that when I converse with Patrick. If this helps him push even harder to be a better comedian, husband and person in life, then I’m happy for that. Just knowing that, has already made me want to push even harder as well. We are in this together. We all are, philosophically speaking.

What a beautiful drive.

S/O to Bill Clinton! The first black President. We love you buddy.

Kansas City and Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque

Kansas City and Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque

“I think we should all be more concerned about the environment and the effects of global warming. It will be pointless to talk about all the issues that divide us when it’s 300 degrees outside.”
-Don Cheadle

We didn’t spend much time in Kansas City. Only one night. But what a beautiful, quaint and quiet city.

There’s always someone running with their dog, a cute-looking girl in the distance and a river or lake staring you in the face somewhere.

I remember my boss telling me that when he comes to Kansas City, the BBQ is always delicious so I asked for a recommendation. He said: “Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque. Burnt Ends. BBQ Beans and Coleslaw”.

Patrick got the burnt ends, coleslaw and potato salad and I got the chicken with baked beans. We tried each other’s food and man, everything was delicious! My baked beans were SO GOOD!!

If you are ever in Kansas City, Missouri, check out Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque spot. Hey, even President Obama came here and loved it.

Steve @ Arthur Bryant's Barbeque
Delicious!

Before retiring back to our hotel room, I got a professional deep tissue massage at a Massage Envy franchise in the area. It was great and I was due for about 3 states. I promised myself that on this journey, I would try to get a professional massage every 3 or 4 states.

COOL NOTE: The massage spot was located on State Line Rd so it was pretty cool to keep going back and forth between Kansas and Missouri in less than 3 minutes.

Massage Envy on State Line Rd, which separates Kansas and Missouri.
Massage Envy on State Line Rd, which separates Kansas and Missouri.

Tomorrow, we are off to Oklahoma in the middle of the day and then doing a comedy show near Dallas, TX in the evening.

Onward.

We are definitely in Kansas.

We are definitely in Kansas.

“There are moments that I’ve had some real brilliance, you know. But I think they are moments. And sometimes, in a career, moments are enough. I never felt I played the great part. I never felt that I directed the great movie. And I can’t say that it’s anybody’s fault but my own.”
-Dennis Hopper

WELCOME TO KANSAS: THE SUNFLOWER STATE

My buddy and I took turns driving across the state of KANSAS end to end, from the west side to the east. If you like randomly placed billboards, pretty cloud formations and falling asleep at the wheel, quickly drop your life and move to this super flat state. I promise that, if anything, you’ll have many stories to tell … or just ONE, LONG, BORING STORY.

According to my buddy Patrick: “If you’ve seen any of Kansas, you’ve seen all of Kansas.”

I hadn’t seen Patrick in about 5 years. He moved from Los Angeles to Dallas to be with the love of his life and continue pursuing a career in comedy. It’s been great catching up with a great friend and when you do drop your life and move to Kansas, make sure to take someone with you who can make you laugh out loud. We had a ball cracking jokes, sharing where we were in our lives and what we want to do in the future.

We both agreed that we both just wanted to get out of the flat countryside in the immediate future.

One thing I did notice about The Sunflower State were randomly placed billboards along the freeway for no reason at all. I mean, are these billboards going to change the world somehow? And who paid for them?

Two of my favorites are listed below.

“JESUS IS REAL”

“Adoption
not
Abortion”

Really? Just keep the McDonald’s billboards up please.

Despite the boring drive, Kansas did have some beautiful foliage along the 70 freeway. Check out my gallery below.

Oh one last thing. This picture. Patrick said that ‘Tonganoxie’ translates to: “Buffalo Dick Kansas”.
Hahahaha!!

I want this address!
I want this address!
The Rockies. Denver. Comedy.

The Rockies. Denver. Comedy.

“The greatest missile in the world is useless … unless it’s targeted. A torpedo is adrift unless it has someplace to go. An arrow is pointless unless it hits something. So it’s important for kids–for everyone, even if you fail at first–to target something and head in that direction. With all your might.”
-Tim Allen

If you ever get a chance, drive through The Rockies of Colorado. The trees. The mountains. The clouds. The rain. The feeling of nature moving along with your winding drives. Peace. Quiet.

It’s majestic.

I must’ve seen 2 million different species of trees. They just all looked different. And to top it off, Mother Nature decided to show off and sneak some waterfalls along my drive and sprinkled some water from the sky on my dirty car, along with blowing some mist over the roadways. Whaaat?! So cool.

I kept thinking to myself: Southern California needs to borrow 2 million trees from Southern Colorado. How clean must the air be in this state? Gosh.

Driving into Denver
Driving into Denver. Still a few hours out.

Once in the city of Denver, I met up with my buddies Dean Delray and Patrick Puckett. Dean, a headlining comedian from Los Angeles, who travels all over the country, let me perform a couple shows with him while in town. One at Comedy Works Denver and another at this late night place called The Great Pile.

Patrick is a traveling comedian buddy of mine from Dallas, Texas and along with Dean, we all started comedy around the same time 6 or so years ago in Los Angeles. I flew him up to Denver and he is going to help me navigate the next 5 states. How cool is that?

I must quickly mention that it was a pleasant surprise to see another Los Angeles comedian on the Comedy Works show: Bronston Jones. Bronston also travels doing comedy and has a crazy fun room called The Venice Underground in Venice, CA. If you are ever in the area on a Wednesday night, check it out. Bronston is super nice and quite adventurous so we are always sharing travel and/or activity stories.

The Wednesday night show at The Comedy Works was on fire! I had a great set and the night as a whole, was amazing. I am very thankful for friends like Dean, Patrick and Bronston. Think about it — I set out on this exciting 6-week journey across the country and got to hang out with 3 cool comedy buddies in Denver, Colorado AND perform standup at TWO SHOWS!

#THANKFUL

Having fun at Denver's Comedy Works.
Having fun at Denver’s Comedy Works.

I love performing standup comedy and this was certainly a perfect way to end my Colorado visit. I made some new fans along the way. They were all curious about my journey through this vast land we call America. Hopefully, they will join in on the fun and learn some things along the way.

If you are reading this and will be in Denver this week, go see Dean Delray at The Comedy Works. He will be there all week until Saturday night. His shows are always fire. Dean works very hard on his craft and hardly ever has a bad show. Tell him I sent you.

Well … it’s late, I’m super tired and my journey continues tomorrow so goodnight. Enjoy some more pics from the Colorado drive.

Shiprock New Mexico! Sounds like Shitrock.

Shiprock New Mexico! Sounds like Shitrock.

“I have always been a fan of that immersive theatre idea that there is some kind of puzzle unfolding, and that things are happening around you without you knowing it.”
-Neil Patrick Harris

WELCOME TO NEW MEXICO: THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT

So, while leaving the state of Arizona, which seemed like FOR…EVER, it started raining hail drops and I could see lightning activity to my right. I called them hail drops because they looked like 4 times the size of regular raindrops.

Let’s get things straight very quickly. I was scared. Very scared. But not because of lightning. Mainly because the films of water on the freeway just seemed like hyrdoplaning disasters waiting to happen. I only felt my car hydroplane once, very briefly, so I virtually patted myself on the back for remembering the rules for driving in the rain: SLOW DOWN and DON’T SWERVE ALL OVER THE PLACE! (these are the kinds of things you learn growing up in Philly)

Check it out.

Lightning Storm in Arizona.
Lightning Storm in Arizona.

After finally arriving in Shiprock, New Mexico, I spoke to a Navajo man who told me about the “four corners” I had missed the opportunity to experience 30 miles back. Basically, there was a nice piece of land I could stand on and be in 4 different states at the same time (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado). I was not about to drive back 30 miles when I had a 7-hour trek ahead of me to Denver. Just the thought of it at the time made me want to fly home (to California) and go to sleep.

But alas! I stayed.

And as a result, I noticed that New Mexico, like Arizona and Utah, had some sweet rock formations as well.

Rock formation in New Mexico -- Noir filter added.
Rock formation in New Mexico — Noir filter added.

Many of these particular rock formations looked a lot alike. I don’t think Mother Nature gets enough credit sometimes for the things she manages to do.

I included a picture of a rock formation here and applied the NOIR filter for extra added creepiness. Click on it to see a bigger version.

In conclusion (maybe), Shiprock, New Mexico seems to be home to Natives who love two things: jewelry and KFC. I saw a few jewelry stands and their sellers on the side of the road and noticed two KFCs in town, one of which, I decided to pop into and have some lunch.

BAD IDEA!

If you ever go, don’t eat there. For the next 7 hours, my stomach kept asking me if I was going to end up like Harry in Dumb and Dumber.

I didn’t but man, I was worried about it for too long.

Thanks a lot New Mexico!

Until next time?

By the way, what’s that BIG POINTY LOOKING ROCK THING in the distance?conan-grace jones

 

 

 

 

Upon closer inspection, it looked like the castle from Conan The Destroyer.

Big Rock in New Mexico