Pennsylvanian Mornings and New Jersey Evenings

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Before heading to Day 2 of this random trip to the west, Orion, Lawrence, and I took the time to infiltrate the neighborhood once again, this time in broad daylight.  Armed only with a guitar, we made a base under a tree, blossoming with beautiful cherry blossoms, sure to hide our malicious intentions.

Actually, the idea was to sort of serenade the people of Harrisburg who happened to pass by the area.   Situated in the middle of the street on a median, the tree was noticeable to all the cars that passed by.  Thus, so were we.   Since it was also near the stop sign, people who obeyed the law caught a glimpse of our small band, chuckling in amusement at the silliness of our exhibition.  If I were the one driving the car, I would have been grateful to have witnessed such a random group in such a bright Sunday morning.  (“Sunday Morning” was one of the songs we wanted to sing.)

Later on, we circled the neighborhood, walking and singing.  We even purposely started walking in front of an exercising couple, singing loudly in order for them to hear us.  Unappreciative of our talent, however, they resorted to making their way to the other side of the street, away from these lunatics.  Nevertheless, it amused us.  It was an awesome beginning to the day.

We left Harrisburg probably about an hour later, thankful for the hospitality of Lawrence’s family (immediate and extended).  We made our way to Hershey, where we went to the Chocolate Factory, and enjoyed some treats.

After Hershey, we were at a loss for what was to happen next.  During a gas refill, Orion and I were talking about how Lawrence told us one of our friends, John, was in Atlantic City.  Lawrence denied this, saying he has never said anything about John in Atlantic City.  The argument got pretty loud in the car, and the next thing we knew, we were on our way to Atlantic City—a very, very long ride.

It turned out John was on his way to Atlantic City, and when we finally made it that evening, we all met up.  Lawrence’s parents decided to stay overnight at the Taj Mahal, where we stayed in a really nice room.  After getting settled, the four of us hung out at the boardwalk, the beach, the Atlantic City streets, and Johnny Rockets, just when I thought the weekend couldn’t get any better.

Lighten Up, Jeremy

041010

Still a bit angry at my parents for yesterday, I marched out of the house to hang out with my friends after another lecture from my parents about why they didn’t let me go to Boston.  We went to Newport to go eat at Babo.

On the way there, Lawrence got a call from his parents that his entire family was going to Harrisburg in half an hour.  Lawrence immediately then asked his mom if he could bring some friends.  Out of all the people in the car, only Orion and I were interested.   I felt that going to Harrisburg would cancel out the Boston fail.  I called my parents and told them all the details, including the fact that Lawrence’ parents were the ones driving.  They let me go, and as soon as I got home from Babo, I packed up and ran out of the house.

The ride lasted two hours, mostly spent playing Pokémon and sleeping.

When we finally got off the car, we were in what seemed to be a suburb of Harrisburg.  Lawrence’s relatives, who were very hospitable, welcomed us into their home, where Orion and I felt a little awkward for being outsiders.  But the feeling quickly dissipated after they started talking to us and made us feel at home.

Later that evening, the three of us decided to walk around the neighborhood, despite the darkness.  Actually, because of the darkness, we decided to light some sparklers.

It’s a really quiet neighborhood.  The streets were desolate, so I doubt a lot of people, if any, noticed us illuminate the parking lot where we were.

When we ran out of sparklers, we continued to walk around the neighborhood, feeling like hoodlums for being out at such a late hour.  But we’re good kids.