Let them eat cheesesteak...

I went down to Drexel U. in Philadelphia yesterday for a coffeehouse there, sponsored by FISDU. My good friend Emily Tan came with and, as it always seems to go, we were in for some fun adventures.

A couple important questions ran through our minds as we departed for the 2.5 hour trip: Would we make it early enough to get to Pat's/Gino's for some cheesesteak? Would we have time after the show to grab cheesesteak? Would there be any cheesesteak remotely close to the aforementioned show?

We hit a bit of traffic, but after a slight GPS mishap we got to the venue in time for soundcheck. No sign of cheesesteak, but there were fried oreos and donuts. I know I know, not a good enough substitute - we had to make do. After lugging my keyboard, guitar and other equipment out of the car, I had the fantastic surprise of some Philly-based family members turning up to catch the gig, including my ADORABLE 7-year-old cousin, Trish... who was SO excited to be in college. She's kind of like a Doogie Howser. Forreal.

I ended up playing two different shows, as an open mic was underway just outside the venue... luckily I had 2 sets at the FISDU coffeehouse, so the night went something like this: play first set, run outside, play open mic, run back in and play second set, do a little victory dance! I think I'd hit my stride by that final set - some folks were waltzing to "Isabelle" in the back of the room. :)

My final song was an impromptu version of a song called "Nothing Ever Lasts" that probably no one knows, but what the hey! It was a fun night all around, and there was some good music to be had, not to mention I sold some CD's to two different crowds. I also got asked out by a random person at the open mic - and that's never really a bad thing, right?

Emily and I wanted SO much to have cheesesteak at around midnight, when we finally got out of there, but alas - we knew it would be a long trek home (and I had work in the morning, drats!)
So we wandered around Philly for a while, not sure how to get back. After a few false starts, Emily got her GPS going and we made way for the Turnpike. We ended up missing the entrance to TP - but that was SO ok because guess what we ran into just down the street???

No, not cheesesteak. But Denny's! And only a few moments prior to that, I think Emily had voiced cravings for this glorious fast-food chain (what kismet!) ... so we turned over to the parking lot, sat ourselves down, demanded our coffees and enjoyed our greasy, pre-frozen food (Emily had an egg/steak sandwhich and I had a "hoobarrito" - courtesy of Hoobastank). It was probably 1 by the time we got out of there, but it didn't matter. Our bellies were full, and we thought, cheesesteak? What cheesesteak? Denny's... no better substitute.