East Coast Trip!

I plan on writing another post about what has been going on in Santa Barbara now that I'm back for a time, but first, I'd like to do a lengthy, exhaustive report on my trip to the East Coast.

A lot of kids (especially rich USC ones) graduate and go on snazzy trips to Europe. However I can't afford that right now, and Europe ain't going anywhere, so my graduation trip was a two week vacation to the East Coast. One week in Washington, D.C., one week in New York (technically New Jersey, but I spent most of my time in Manhattan).

In D.C., I stayed with my dad in a hotel. However, my dad was pretty much working most of the time, which meant I got to wander our nation's capital by myself!

Day 1) The plane ride over. I stopped in the Chicago airport, which had an awesome Brachiosaurus skeleton, and from there flew to the D.C. airport. My dad's co-worker Kathy Conti had an SUV we could use (courtesy of the Tejon Indian tribe), so we spent the evening driving around, finding all the big landmarks, and checking out Georgetown. We ate at a nice little eatery in Georgetown called "Divan." Great Turkish food...highly recommended.

Day 2) First "vacation" day. I briefly checked out the Museum of the American Indian, but frankly, after 22 years of knowing my dad, I am tired of that sort of stuff. So I headed over to the National Arboretum, and later to the Natural History Museum to check out the most important destination on my trip, the dinosaurs! They were quite sweet.
Afterwards I went to the Air and Space Museum and saw a planetarium show, where I promptly fell asleep. Then it was the dinner at the hotel, and the day was over!

Day 3) Early in the morning I rushed over to the Natural History Museum. In addition to polishing off the non-dinosaur sections that I had missed the day before, I saw a great IMAX movie entitled "Sea Monsters." Unlike the disappointing "IMAX 3D: Dinosaurs of Patagonia" I saw a few years ago, this time we actually get to see the prehistoric creatures doing stuff, the special effects are really good, and the 3D is utilized to let the monsters jump right at us out of the screen. The movie is sort of a cross between "Dinosaurs 3D" and "Deep Sea 3D," since it is about prehistoric sea creatures living alongside the dinosaurs, such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs ("Deep Sea 3D" is actually also really good and you should check it out too). I think 3D IMAX movies in particular work well with things underwater. Also, the enjoyment of this movie was heightened by the fact that I was watching it in a theater full of little kids, who screamed every time a prehistoric sea monster came roaring out of the screen. Good times!
After the museum in the morning, I wandered around downtown D.C. I tried to get into Ford's Theater, but it was closed. I dropped by the Navy memorial and went to a small little Indian food place called "Teaism" for lunch (also recommended), and then headed over to the Air and Space Museum, where I spent most of the rest of the day. Again, I saw a planetarium show, and fell asleep...those things are hard to stay awake to.
After Air and Space, I walked through the Sculpture Garden to the National Archives, where I saw the Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and all those good ol' documents that founded our country. Then I had dinner with my father and friends at a Spanish restaurant called "Jaleo" which was REALLY good. I also got a bit tipsy, which is something I've never been in front of my father, but hey, it's vacation.

Day 4) I had brunch at the cafeteria in the Museum of the American Indian, which is without a doubt the BEST cafeteria I have ever seen, filled with obscure gourmet food, generally with a Native American twist. Honestly, one of the best things about D.C. has got to be the fact that it has all types of really good food if you know where to go (and are able to spend your parents' money).
After brunch, I had my tour of the White House. This was pretty neat, although it was over a lot quicker than I expected, which was a bummer. I then went on an exhausting walk around the National Mall to see pretty much every monument and memorial possible. It was cool, but quite tiring. That evening, I had dinner with family and family friends at a Moroccan restaurant in Virginia.

Day 5) This was the low point of my trip. In the morning I had to take care of business involving potential jobs linked to the Hollywood Reporter contest I won. Afterwards I had lunch at a seafood place called "L'aqua" which was too expensive, and the food was so-so. I then returned to the hotel to gather my things and head out for another adventure. As I was returning, the sky seemed relatively clear and present, if a little windy. I was in my hotel room for no more than thirty minutes, and when I went to head out again, the sky had completely changed. Dust, wind, and rain tore horizontally through the air, and I watched two Starbucks tables (with the big umbrellas) go flying down the street at the same speed as some cars. I was NOT used to how fast east coast weather could change.
Either way, I decided to venture into the storm for the hell of it. It was actually pretty fun to get totally drenched, although as I walked across the National Mall, I was a bit worried I would get struck by lightning. Luckily, I made it to the National Aquarium, which was indoors, so I was able to seek shelter from the rain.
The National Aquarium, I discovered, was not actually part of the Smithsonian like the rest of the museums, and so I had to pay a few bucks. It was no big deal, but there really was not much to see. West Coast aquariums such as The Monterey Bay Aquarium, Long Beach Aquarium, or even our very own Santa Barbara Ty Warner Sea Center are much more impressive. Nevertheless, it was a nice respite from the thunderstorm.
Eventually I ventured aboveground again, and took the Metro to the National Zoo. However, my time at the National Zoo was absolute hell. Most of the animals, all far smarter than myself, were hiding from the storm, and I was the idiot out in it, so I didn't see much (though I saw the famous pandas). At 6 pm, all the buildings closed up, so there was nowhere to take shelter. And my dad would not pick me up until later.
I decided to make the best of it, but the heavy rain, lightning, combined with the greenery and the cages everywhere, made me feel like Dennis Nedry from Jurassic Park. I kept expecting the frightening roar of a T. Rex to come echoing from somewhere within the depths of the zoo. I think my favorite moment during this time was when I tried to seek shelter under a weak overhang. After shivering for a few moments, I glanced over to notice a male and female mallard duck, ALSO taking shelter. We both stared at each other for a few moments, until the ducks decided I was too big to be another duck, and they slowly waddled away. When the waterfowl are taking shelter, you know the storm must be bad.
Anyway, I called my dad and told him to pick me up earlier rather than later, explaining my situation. I then slowly made my way up to the front of the zoo. Unfortunately, as soon as I made it roughly halfway to the entrance, I realized that somewhere during the pounding rain and lightning, I had lost my favorite pair of blue shades. I wear those blue shades EVERY DAY, and they are one of the few things I own that I really REALLY love. I FUCKING LOVED THOSE SHADES!!!
I spent the next hour retracing my steps through the entirety of the zoo, but it was practically impossible given the rainstorm, and the fact that it was now starting to get dark. Eventually I gave up, thoroughly, wet, pissed, and disheartened. At this point, my dad called, and he had made the mistake of driving INTO the zoo to find me, instead of waiting at the front. However, because of the thunderstorm, our cell phones weren't working correctly, so it took many miserable phone calls before he figured out that I wanted to meet him at the FRONT of the zoo.
Finally I made it to the entrance, and miserably waited until my dad picked me up. I honestly could not have been wetter if I had jumped into a pool with all my clothes on. And if I had done THAT, I would probably have been able to hold on to my sunglasses.
Thankfully my dad had a change of clothes for me, and we went back to Divan in Georgetown to eat. That evening, Dad and I watched "Recount" on TV. It was a good movie, about the Florida recounts during the Gore/Bush election. It showcases a stellar cast and great performances by all, especially Kevin Spacey and Laura Dern. I'm a little surprised they never tried to give this movie a theatrical release, because I thought it was very solid. And it ends with a great parallel shot to the one in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Check it out if you can, because it is quite gripping, interesting, and informative, even if we already know the result of the election when we start the movie (we also knew the "Titanic" was going to sink, didn't we?).
So, not a bad end to the night, but I was REALLY pissed off about losing my favorite sunglasses. Those things were awesome. And expensive. Foo. I tried calling the zoo every day for the rest of my trip to see if they would find my shades, but they never turned up. I get the feeling they washed out to the Potomac River. DAMN!

Day 6) I had planned to go to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia this day, but the rental car company wouldn't let me get a car because I didn't have a major credit card. So THAT threw a wrench into my plans. I was sort of annoyed, because I really want to hit every major National Park before I die, and this was an ideal chance to do so. I ate off my annoyance at a nice little place called Cafe Atlan Tico, and then headed to the Museum of Art.
However, the Museum of Art has NO benches, and my legs were exhausted from all the walking from the last few days, between the monuments, the museums, and my horrible experience at the zoo. When I almost collapsed at one point, I realized that maybe it would be best if I just took the day off and actually RELAXED for a bit on my vacation. I did Sudoku for the rest of the day in the hotel. That evening we had dinner at Teaism again, and then I convinced my dad to go see "U2:3D" at the IMAX theater in the Natural History Museum.
"U2:3D" is a spectacular filmmaking achievement. The logistics of getting all these 3D camera shots during a concert in Rio de Janeiro must have been quite the production, but they did one hell of a job. I am not a die hard U2 fan, but I like them quite a bit, and this movie really allows them to rock the house. I give a very healthy (metaphorical) pat on the back to my producing professor Michael Peizer for helping put this together. Even my dad enjoyed it! My only tiny gripe is that they failed to play "The Sweetest Thing," which is my favorite U2 song.

Day 7) My last day in D.C. I had lunch at the American Indian cafeteria with the Tejon tribe, and then I went on to my tour of the Capitol building, which was actually a lot cooler than the tour of the White House.
At that point, I had to RUSH to the train station, and I almost missed my ride. I could imagine the Indiana Jones theme running through my head as I ran with my bags through the train station, and literally jumped on the train as it started moving, pushing my bags through the door and stopping them as they were closing. A second later and I would have missed it. That was exciting!
My Aunt Mariel and Uncle Nelson (and the first of their wiener dogs, Hank) was at the station in Newark to greet me.
My aunt and uncle live in South Orange, New Jersey. Their home is an experience. My uncle is like a taller, more law-oriented, sarcastic version of myself (use your imagination), and my aunt is a wonderful, but also slightly crazy businesswoman, who has a more healthy outlook on life than she did before now that she has recovered from a terrible bout with cancer. Also in the home are three wiener dogs. The first, Hank, is adorable, but totally dense. He is a young, wire-haired wiener dog, who seems to forget every morning that I am living in the house, so he continuously freaks out and barks at me as if I am some sort of alien life form. For the first several days, Hank was deathly afraid of me, but eventually we became good friends.
Chloe is the second dachshund, with long hair. She is quite the princess, and loves to be petted, pampered, and babied. A sure way to get Chloe's attention is to pet Hank, at which point Chloe will get terribly jealous and stick her face into your lap and demand to be petted herself.
The third wiener dog is Meese, a cranky old black daschund who cannot see, and barks at anything that moves. Meese wants everyone to die, especially me. The guy tried to bite my finger off a few times. Luckily he can't see, and he doesn't have many teeth anyway. Whereas Hank was mortally afraid of ME for the first few days, I was mortally afraid of Meese. Eventually I realized he was a harmless old coot who couldn't do too much harm if he wanted to, but he made me very nervous throughout the entire stay with my aunt and uncle.
Finally there is Max, who is NOT a dog, but a large thug-like dude who lives with my aunt and uncle and does their finances. In his younger days, Max was one tough cookie. He has been in-and-out of jail many times, and I'm pretty sure he probably killed somebody once (I am NOT kidding). Now Max is getting old and crippled, but he still is grumpy and sour towards everyone, even though he truly has a heart of gold.
Max also knows EVERY famous actor in Hollywood who was big about twenty years ago, since he worked as an actor for a long time. You can spot him in "Big" and most Scorsese movies, since he was one of Scorsese's go-to thugs. Max's best friend is Jon Lovitz. If you watch any movie with Max, he will comment on whether or not he has met the lead actor, and whether the lead actor is a douche or actually a really nice guy.

Day 8) After breakfast with Nelson, Mariel, and the dogs, we went to the American Museum of Natural History in New York to (of course) see the dinosaurs! I liked the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, but the one in New York kicks the Smithsonian's ass. We were there for many, many hours, and we still only saw about half the museum. Luckily (out of necessity) we saw all the dinosaurs, including some of my all-time favorite fossils such as the Sauropelta armor, the Deinocheirus arms, Struthiomimus, the Barosaurus vs Allosaurus, and many others.
After that we had dinner/lunch at John's Pizza, which Mariel and Nelson consider the "best pizza in New York." It was very good, I must admit. Then it was on to a brief tour of New York, before returning to South Orange.
That evening we watched "Charlie Wilson's War," which was so-so. It's hard to buy Tom Hanks as a womanizing senator with questionable morals, and the movie fails to really go anywhere, other than the fact that it is based on a very interesting true incident. However, Max agrees that Tom Hanks is "a very nice guy" in real life.

Day 9) It was REALLY hot this day, so Mariel and I did a New York tour mostly from the air-conditioned car. We traveled all around the outskirts of Manhattan, and saw some of the main landmarks, such as The World Trade Center, Times Square, Columbia University, the Dakota Building, the New York Stock Exchange, and many others. We had dinner with Mariel's friend Tim at a Thai place, and then saw the movie "Mongol" at a theater nearby.
Mariel LOVED Mongol because she is very interested in the silk road and the history of Asia. I thought it was pretty good, although it was not without it's flaws. The movie LOOKS gorgeous, with spectacular vistas, and the acting is all very solid. Many of the battle scenes, especially the first major one in the rocky area, are also quite cool and bloody.
But there is a general opinion among film viewers that foreign films do not rely on "Hollywood American cheese" like we do. Yet I gotta say, Mongol got pretty ridiculous and cheesy towards the end. The final battle, when Ghengis Khan manages to turn the soldiers over to his side through sheer intimidation during a lightning storm, is pretty silly. And then there is a major buzz kill over one of the plot points too; in the middle of the movie, when Ghengis is imprisoned, he vows to tear the city down when he escapes. Indeed he does, but he does so offscreen! We never get to see it! Laaaaaaame.
Also, the movie is part one of a planned trilogy, so the ending feels unfinished. But that's to be expected.
Still, I gotta hand it to those Russians. Between this and "Night Watch" they put some pretty interesting, non-cookie-cutter trilogies together. They might not be perfect, but they are always fun views.

Day 10) This was another hot day. In the morning, Mariel and I went out for breakfast and talked about the movie business. She actually makes entertainment deals between the U.S. and Korean entertainment companies, so she knows a few things. However, she knows nothing about filmmaking itself, so I was able to help her out on a few points. Because it was even hotter than the day before, we decided not to go into the city, but instead to stay in Jersey and watch "Kung Fu Panda." However, the power went out throughout most of South Orange because people were overusing the grid to cool their homes, so we couldn't do anything in New Jersey either! Bummer.
That evening was one of the stranger ones of the trip. I met with Mariel's two flamingly gay friends for dinner (and their little white poof-poof dogs). One of the guys turned out to be a retired acting teacher at Juilliard, and when he found out I was interested in movies and acting, he started giving me impromptu lessons. So there I was, getting acting lessons from a gay Juilliard teacher in New Jersey. Quite an experience.

Day 11) It was still hot, but not as hot as the day before. Mariel had to see a friend in a different part of the city, so she dropped me off at Forbidden Planet in Union Square, an AWESOME comic book shop. Also, down the block was Strand Used Books, which had GREAT book prices. Between the two stores, I was able to stay for five hours (I had only planned two at first). This worked out great, because Mariel estimates time badly anyway, and she turned out to need five hours with her friend also. I bought a bunch of stuff at both stores, including Sam Keith's "The Maxx" series, which is quite awesome. I also met a cool couple of nerdy kids in the comic store, and we had a blast chatting as nerdy kids do (more about them later).
Also, in Forbidden Planet I fell in love with the girl at the counter. We talked and flirted for practically an hour, and if I had any balls (or more time) I would have asked her on a date, but the opportunity never presented itself, so now I am left to wonder about her forever.
That evening, Mariel and I had dinner at "Sequoia," a nice restaurant in the New York seaport. I think if I were to live anywhere in New York, I would leave near the seaport. I like it there, and it isn't too fancy or expensive. Afterwards, we stumbled across the BEST GELATO EVER in Little Italy, called "Ciao Bella." The place is literally a hole in the wall, but the Gelato was so good that Mariel and I both went for seconds. And I don't even like Gelato that much! SO DAMN GOOD.
Driving back to New Jersey, we got caught in the worst lightning storm I have ever seen. The sky was literally filled with lightning as often as it wasn't (50/50). Mariel was terrified of driving, but we made it OK, and I thought it was awesome. At least I wasn't at the National Zoo THIS time.

Day 12) The lightning storm had caused downed trees and power outages all through the area. Mariel had to pack and get stuff done for the trip, and the trains were out because of trees on the track and loss of power, so it meant I couldn't go to New York. Instead I went to the local TurtleBack Zoo, which was so-so. Our own Santa Barbara Zoo is much more impressive.
That evening, Mariel and I saw an off-off-Broadway production of "Little Shop of Horrors" which I give a solid thumbs-up to. So even though I didn't get to see an authentic Broadway play, I still saw a good off-off one, and Mariel had a fun time too. And besides, Broadway shows are way to expensive.

Day 13) Whew! This was a long day!
In the morning, Max and I drove Mariel and Nelson to the Newark airport, at which point it was him and I together (they were, ironically, going on a trip to California). Driving back to the house, we saw the gnarliest car crash ever right in front of us. The car in front of us on the highway lost its entire left wheel, which went shooting about fifteen yards into the air. The car spun all out of control, but the stupid Jersey driver woman continued to DRIVE ON HER AXLE until she made it over to the opposite end of the highway and finally stopped. Crazy!!!
I then took the train into the city, which was an adventure in itself. I met Lauren there, and we headed towards the Met.
However, BEFORE we went to The Met, we passed by a Best Buy, which had Rock Band in the window. Since I am such a damn good Rock Band player, I wanted to show these east coasters how it should be done. Lauren and I both went in, and I came face-to-face with the two cool kids I met in the comic book shop!!! Keep in mind this is New York, the largest city in the U.S., and we were in a completely different area than Union Square. Amazing odds!
Anyway, after rocking faces, we went to The Met right before it closed. Luckily, we got to see the Egyptian art and the Superhero costumes. That's all the matters right? After that, I briefly saw where Lauren lives, and then we headed to a Bang Camaro concert I really wanted to go to. However, Bang Camaro was playing too late, and if we saw them, I wouldn't be able to get back to Jersey. Since Max is crippled, I was worried about leaving him alone for the night.
Instead, Lauren and I saw "The Counterfeiters," which won best foreign film last year. It was about a counterfeiter Jew in a concentration camp who keeps himself alive by printing fake money, and thus helps the Nazi war effort. I thought it was very good, although the ending felt unresolved.
After that, I headed back to South Orange. talked with a very nice girl on the train, and then arrived back at the house. My first successful day in New York on my own!

Day 14) My plan this day was to see Eric, but he unfortunately was detained with the friars (more on that later). I felt guilty about leaving Max behind the day before, so he and I went and saw "The Incredible Hulk," since he had been dying to see it. It was pretty solid, although it wasn't Batman, Spider-Man, or Iron Man quality. The Hulk has never been one of my favorite characters anyway, and all the issues I have with him in the comic book I had with him in the movie. I just have a hard time finding a big green guy who pummels stuff to be particularly dramatic, especially when it is handled with such gravitas. My favorite parts of the movie were actually the early sequences involving Edward Norton on the lamb in Rio, before he even turns into the Hulk.
That evening, due to Max's incessant demands, I saw what is perhaps the WORST movie I have ever seen in my entire life (I'd have to think before I say for certain, but it was pretty awful). According to Max, "This movie has to be good, because it has The Rock, and a lot of special effects." The movie, if you're wondering, was "Southland Tales."
I HATED Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko," but I have to admit that while watching it, I found parts of it intriguing. I kept wondering how everything was going to piece together and blow my mind in the conclusion. Of course, in the end none of it pieces together at all, and you really find out "Donnie Darko" is just a bunch of disjointed ideas thrown into one movie (please don't try to explain "Donnie Darko" to me...I know movies well enough to know that it is still just a piece of crap). With "Southland Tales" it is pretty evident from the get-go that none of this is going to come together in ANY form. Within the first 30 seconds, I had no idea what was going on, and this continues for the entire duration of the film. "Southland Tales" isn't really a train wreck, because a train wreck implies that something was on a track to begin with.
Yet the most depressing thing about "Southland Tales" is that it has HUGE production values and boasts a pretty solid cast. Max and I were about to turn the thing off, when Max's buddy Jon Lovitz showed up, causing Max to demand that we finish. The saddest casting choice in the film is Kevin Smith, in a small, weird "god-like" role that I couldn't understand either.
Either way, I hope Richard Kelly never makes a movie again. The saddest thing about the whole movie was that it is such a waste. I'm not sure what the budget on "Southland Tales" was, but I am positive that myself and a good amount of my friends from USC could make a vastly superior movie for a minuscule fraction of the budget used in this one. It wouldn't take much. All we would really have to do would be to take a shit on a piece of celluloid and turn it in; we'd still have a more-structured film.

Day 15) This was by far the most surreal day of the trip. Eric was done getting psychoanalyzed by the friars from the day before, so now we could hang out.
Eric (my old roomie for three years) has decided to become a Franciscan Friar. Or at least, he has joined on a retreat that may well put him on the path to becoming a friar (let's be honest...Eric has made up his mind at this point). So in order for me to see him at all, I had to spend the whole day at the St. Joseph's Friary in Harlem.
This wasn't entirely how I planned on spending my final day of freedom in New York, but it was still certainly interesting. The friars were actually a nice bunch of guys, and frankly, WAY more laid back and less uptight about religion than Eric is.
And that's sort of what bugs me. Eric is SO focused on Catholicism now, that nothing else matters to him. I barely could coax him out of the friary just to see Central Park (he had never been). Eric doesn't care about movies, and he doesn't seem to care about most of his old filmmaking buddies; he has withdrawn from just about everything in order to devote himself to God.
I guess that's SORT of what Catholics want, but not necessarily to that degree. If God exists, wouldn't he/she/it want us to live our lives, to connect with people, and to reach out to others? Eric doesn't do any of these things anymore, to even the smallest degree.
It's hard to exactly articulate what it is about Eric that I find worrying, but he is just so glazed over now that he is a shadow of the person I met freshman year when I walked into my dorm room. That guy STILL was really religious, but he had a life worth living too. When Eric's girlfriend left him, he got super-depressed, and when he found out how difficult filmmaking actually is, he withdrew even more. I'm no psychoanalyst (I'll leave that to the friars), but I'm sure to Eric "religion" seemed like the only answer--something that would "save" him. But to me, it seems like it has just drawn him away from reality even more. I'm not trying to knock religion (even though I have issues with Catholicism more than others), but I just am not sure Eric has made this choice for the right reason.
And when it comes to sheer raw filmmaking talent, I think Eric has it in spades to a far greater degree than most of the rest of us. His early work was miles above what many of the rest of us had accomplished. Eric was just inherently lazy, and he needed somebody (like me) to light a fire under him and keep him motivated. I did my best, but during 310, he sort of lost it; and he's not the only one. A lot of people go crazy over their 310s (case in point...the Victor downward spiral). But it's sad when it's someone so nice and pure of heart like Eric.
This may be a slight exaggeration, but in my view "Catholicism" (or Eric's idea of it) has stolen him away from the one thing God made him really good at in the first place! But if Eric wants to withdraw from the real world to such a degree, there is nothing I can do.
Anyway, enough of that rant for now. The day with the friars was actually quite interesting, and they are a nice bunch of people. It was an experience unlike anything I've ever done before, and I wish Eric the best.

Day 16) I didn't do much this day. I had planned on seeing an Iron Maiden concert at Madison Square Gardens, but the tickets were sold out. Only later did I find out Max is apparently friends with the members of Iron Maiden, and he could have gotten me seats "easily." Oh well...better luck next time.

Day 17) The return home! Overall an excellent, enriching, exciting trip. I haven't really "vacationed" in a long time. While on vacation, I rarely "take it easy" because I am such an active guy. But I have to admit, doing something OTHER than filmmaking or jobs or classes for a couple weeks out of the year felt incredibly healthy to my overall well-being. I think I'm going to try to make an effort to take more "vacation breaks" in my life, even if it's just one a year. I very well might live longer.