The Niagara of the South

On Friday, I went to visit Great Falls National Park and what a beauty it was. Had I waited a week or two, the leaves would have been more colorful, but the weather was so fine I couldn't take the chance of missing out.

There were some really beautiful trails along the canal.

And the trees, despite being more green than orange or red,
were really beautiful.

The first overlook reminded me of Devil's Den in Gettysburg,
with lots of big rocks to scramble over.

It was a lot of fun. Also fun? Watching people in dress shoes
trying to navigate these boulders.

The falls are gorgeous and also really powerful. It's hard to tell  from
 a still photo, but the water rushing over those rocks was ferocious.

Also, the Potomac River apparently drowns people left and right. Tucked into my national park pamphlet was a warning card, letting me know that the river was lying in wait, hoping to claim any victim foolish enough to pass too close to its shores.

Try not to drown, okay?

Then, as I walked to the first overlook, I saw this sign:

Seriously, you guys, please don't drown.

Finally, on the way to the second overlook, this huge poster plastered across the footbridge reminded me that the Potomac was desperately trying to murder me.

This is not a drill. We have both capitalized and underlined
the word "deadly."

Deadly and beautiful.

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...



Photo by Eugene Sribnyi


Last night I went to see Romeo and Juliet performed by the State Ballet Theater of Russia.

It was an utter delight.

Did I tell you my friend is kind of famous?

You know how I went with some people to Denny's Beer Barrel Pub to watch them try to eat some ginormous burgers? And then how I went again with some other people? And both times everyone failed to complete the (absurd) task? Well, third time's the charm, because I finally got to see my friend Aubrey shove a two-pound burger into his stomach in 59 minutes, just one minute under the time limit.

I'm not going to lie, it was pretty gross. But that's the price of fame and rewards like a certificate and a t-shirt and a mention on the Beer Barrel website My friend is pictured in the third shot, labeled Mr. Slim.

Kristen, look away!

And the beef goes on...

I'm making a habit out of watching people attempt to eat three pounds of beef. It never gets old.

Over the Christmas break, I returned to Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, this time with Amanda, her sister Jess, Jess' husband Kevin, her cousin Travis, and Mama and Papa Beyer. We had three burger challengers that night. Amanda and Kevin went for the two-pounder and Travis, in a fit of either hubris or insanity, took on the formidable three-pounder. (Kristen, look away!)



Things started off well (don't they always?) and Kevin was really going strong at first. I thought he was going to power through in no time. Then, as he started to slow down, Amanda hit her stride. She halved her burger lengthwise, putting one part with the top bun and one with the bottom bun. Holding half the burger, it was now only the size of two Whoppers stacked on top of each other, and therefore much more manageable. Travis noticed this was helping her and he decided to follow her lead.

This would prove to be his undoing.

The three pound burger is a different beast. The three pound burger, when halved, just looks more sinister than before. Instead of a burger the size of a robust newborn, Travis now sat in front of several piles of beef that seemed to multiply before our very eyes. It was like the miracle of the loaves and the fishes in a Clearfield bar. I nibbled my fried pickles in horror. Travis later claimed, "breaking the burger apart broke me psychologically," and he ended the evening hunched over his take-out container.



In the end, no one completed the burger challenge, but I still have hope that I'll see it happen one day. So let me know if you want to head to Clearfield to take on this:



Kristen! Keep looking away!

A positively perfect day

My friend Melissa recently fulfilled her dream of moving to Arizona. Before she left, she tried to fit in all the things in Pennsylvania that she had never gotten around to doing. This made me think of the times I was working in New York City and all the New York natives told me that I had seen more of their city than they had in all the years they lived there. Unfortunately, we rarely spend much time exploring our own hometowns. This inspired me to have a Pennsylvania Renaissance. I’m going to act like a tourist in my own hometown. I already watched someone eat three pounds of beef in Clearfield, so a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s world-famous masterpiece seemed in order. On Friday I went to Fallingwater.


The BBC’s Elizabeth Bennet may have said of Pemberley, “I have never seen a place so happily situated,” but had she lived long enough (or at all) to see Fallingwater, Mr. Darcy’s home would have fallen in her estimation.


Fallingwater is cantilevered over a waterfall, which runs underneath the house, its boulders being worked into the home’s design, forming a hearth in the living room, a shelf in the kitchen, and the foundation upon which the building rests. The house is not my style at all; it’s all low ceilings and straight lines and steel and concrete. But the way in which it’s put together, the genius of its design, the loving care taken to incorporate it into its surroundings, almost made me cry. Its beauty defies description. In the words of little Miss Maggie, “Oh, I could live here.”


All that touring made me hungry. My perfect lunch consisted of the most delicious tuna salad I’ve ever tasted, served on mushroom bread, with a side of cole slaw, a frosty fountain soda, and a gob (which was wrapped up and eaten later – that sandwich was huge!) I love museum café food. It’s almost always great.


I ate this on the café deck, listening to BeeGees music on my iPod, and enjoying this view:


On the way home, I listened to the Cousin Road Trip CD, and relished the natural beauty surrouding me. The road between my house and Fallingwater is all gentle curves and hills winding through sun dappled meadows and fiery autumn trees and sparkling streams. It made me so thankful for a western PA autumn.




Inspired by Liz and Zack, I stopped at a pumpkin stand:




A perfect Pennsylvania day.

Burgers the size of your head

Last night was the great burger challenge at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub.

Chris got the two-pound challenge burger:


And "Mr. Slim" got the amazing three-pounder:


We spectators cheered the competitors on with silver pom-pons and lots of enthusiam. Alas, it was not enough. Chris ate about half of his burger before posing for a photo with a big loser symbol on his forehead. Mr. Slim came so close, finishing all the meat, but being undone by the mustard and relish-soaked bottom bun which was covered in raw onions.

However, much like General MacArthur on the Philippine shores, he vows to return one day for his ultimate triumph. I can't wait to go back myself. I tried deep fried pickles (so ridiculously delicious!) and a good time was had by all.

On the menu for tonight...

I am going to Clearfield, Pennsylvania, to watch two of my friends consume a two-pound hamburger and a three-pound hamburger, respectively. Amanda, you know all I will be thinking is, "Big bear chase me!"

I cannot wait.