Living Just Enough For The City

Day five: a night off.

Crashing at the Ho Jo's tonight. A pricier choice than some, but considering the size of these boys, they're more liable to spoon themselves to sleep in a double, and this place offers two queens. The Lancaster Brewery is just next door, beckoning us from the moment we arrived. After showers, a nap and a little email, we dined on decent Italian food at La Piazza. The servings were so huge, 3 out of 4 of us had leftovers to go. There's a fridge and a microwave in the hotel room, but the restaurant offered foil pans and styrafoam, neither of which are microwaveable, so I had to, um, borrow a couple appetizer plates from them. But I fully intend to bring them back, I swear, I just don't want to burn down our room at the Ho Jo's while we're visiting the state capital of Pennsylvania. (Seems like Philly may have gotten the short end of the stick here, as it is Harrisburg, not the former capital of the new nation, that is the state's capital. WTF?)

Last night we played Pittsburgh with another band from our town and a local, both good, though unfortunately, we were practically our only audience. Still, we had a great time and a lot to drink, and managed to deliver an enthusiastic performance, albeit a sloppy one at times. Afterwards, we crashed with a friend of a friend whom we'd never met but was generous enough to offer two rooms with a bed and a futon. We've had to rely on the hospitality of others often this trip, and it's doing quite a bit to improve faith in my fellow man and woman. We've seen many good friends the past few days, made some new ones, and even got to see a some of my family.

Tonight is busy at the Ho Jo's, and the highway sounds outside the glass door to our balcony. The fellas have gone to the brewery, while I have elected not to spend yet another night hanging out in a bar. The restaurant was BYOB, and since I chose to stay in, I've co-opted the two beers we didn't drink with dinner. I sorted and repacked my suitcase while I watched the History channel in my jammies. I'm not that prissy, but I'm also not ashamed to tell you how good it feels to sleep in a clean, quiet place and have a bit of time to yourself. In another city...in another state..away from the dull reality of the day-to-day. We have five days left of the trip and already I'm feeling nostalgic to tour again. The thought of going back to work is so far from my mind. I could get used to this life on the road. As much as I love being home and having my own space, there's something very primal about the urge to keep moving. And that boy I love is here. What's better than that?

Tomorrow it's off to the Jersey beach for a show and then to NYC for a couple days. Looking forward to hanging in the city and seeing old friends.