Vilnius sounds like Thelonious

We rolled into the city like a pair of grifters ready to take what the city offered whether it was ready for us or not. It was a Sunday afternoon and the summer sun was shining bright. After three days in Amsterdam, Vilnius was exactly what we needed.

You may ask what does a city who's history includes wars, occupations, and a love for basketball have to do with one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time? Simple; both were misunderstood, co-oped by others, but they are both rich and full of culture. And much like Monk's jazz contains beautiful harmonious notes that will bring most music aficionados to their knees, Vilnius contains some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. And not just one or two, the entire city is chock full of them. Secret is out now. Go see for yourself.

Vilnius was a sleepy oddly picturesque city. It had the feel of both Western and Eastern Europe; A carefree attitude with it's bustling cafe's and street musicians, but with grim reminders of its not so distant occupied past. The buildings in old town were beautifully painted and complemented the cobblestone streets. Although we spent most of our time in the old town city center we did discover the city extended far beyond the confines of the Ramada Inn and the Gediminas Tower.

After checking into our hotel we made our way down to the bar. It was a Sunday and still quite light out so we didn't expect it to be bustling. It is here where we met our unofficial guides to Vilnius - Jovita, Tomas and silent Tomas. They were the server, bartender and cook of our bar, California tapas and wine, and were not only helpful about places we should go and visit but also with serving up humor and being genuinely friendly.

Having been a bartender I know every bar has at least one person who just hangs around more often than not. Not like regulars who come in, order a drink, leave a generous tip and who you look forward to seeing next time. No, I mean the guy who is bored, with too much knowledge about the world, isn't funny and looks to make new friends with unsuspecting out of towners. Oh to be so lucky to meet that guy. Nadar had us at Hello and it was WTF ever since. He was harmless and just wanted a friend to help him hook up at the local (and only) nightclub and fortunately Chris is a very generous soul. I wasn't there but when you get a chance you should ask Mr. Goodwin about our little friend.

After a couple of days we met up with our "official" hosts who were so gracious to take time out of their busy schedules to show us around town at night. Monika and Lina (friends of friends back in KC) met up with us at California tapas and wine, and we headed over to Mojitos. This is where we learned Monika was Lina's boss and "forced" her to come out and meet us. After she explained Monika was paying her overtime for this excursion and basically hated her boss, Monika, we all laughed and made our way through town. The walking tour of old town was great because they pointed out the major landmarks such as the tower of Cathedral Square & Vilnius University, as well as the must see items to tour during the day, Gediminas Tower. Meeting with friends (and friends of friends) was one of the best parts of the trip overall. The warmth and openess they shared with us offered a deeper diminsion to a city especially since I didn't know much about where we were visiting. You gain a perspective you wouldn't necessarily have if we were solely relying on our foreign eyes.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the new friends we made after our "official" hosts left. We made our way down to the Applebees of Eastern Europe, Cili Pica for a bite to eat and drink and for some reason we were spotted again by two guys sitting next to us as being American. One guy was completely drunk and his buddy was well on his way but much more calm and explained what the drunk guy kept slurring to us. This of course led to a bunch of "I love America." and "we are all brothers" and "this is what and where you should eat" etc. etc. Meanwhile the other people in the restaurant didn't appreciate our table raising the decible levels to near yelling. So much so a Brit took it upon himself to offer his help. Our Lithuanian friends didn't so much appreciate this (where were the British when they really needed help against Stalin?) but were quelled with more beer and assurances from us that everything was fine. We then moved our party to Vilnius's Hottest Spot Salento Disco Club.

The Salento experience is something not hard to describe: decent Eurobeats, people dancing, stripper poles, neon lights, oh and fat old men with their shirts unbuttoned. Now aside from the two girls who I'm sure thought we were basketball players or something from the way they ran over and toasted us, it was decidedly funny. We ran into several people who recognized us; from people we met on our day trip to Trakai to other people who work around town. And although we weren't celebrities it felt like it for a moment.

Our last night took us into unfamiliar territory. A bar of all places. Well a Kereoke bar. It's funny when people from other countries sing American songs with no accents whatsoever but have the most broken english in a normal conversation. We ended up meeting this older English fella who proved to be funny and quirky. We ended up drinking beers well into the night talking politics, economy and people. I'm not sure if the booze got to him but he definitely felt it was a special moment to meet two Americans and make a connection unexpectedly. But then again, I suppose I felt the same way.



Click here for pics!

Amsterdam Damn Damn James...

What happens when you combine 2 fun loving individuals, 4 countries, and 14 days? More laughter, drinks, and great times than anyone can remember. Thank God for pictures. Chris Goodwin and I embarked on an amazing trip that included not only hookers and blow (more on that later) but plenty of bizarre and random encounters that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Our trip started in normal All Star fashion by running into an old dear colleague at the airport. Mr. Payton Kelly, of Boulevard artistic fame, was also flying overseas to meet up with his wife Brit in Germany and we all happened to be on the same flight. When we arrived in Philly for our connecting flight the first thing on our minds was CHEESESTEAKS!

We had a 5 hour layover so we said fuck it and jumped in a cab, with a cabbie we barely understood who's only concern was that we "took care of him," to head down to South Philly to sample the legendary Philly Cheesesteaks of "Pat's King of Steaks" and "Geno's Steaks." These two places sit across from each other so aside for the cab ride from and to the airport it was a no brainer. (Note: Don't try this unless you don't care about cost or time)

We both heard about the rivalry and we had dem boteths and through much discussion and spilling cheese wiz in the back seat of this cab it was decided, although it was close, that Geno's wins! The onions on the Pat's sub proved to be the downfall. But I'm willing to take the challenge again if it arises.

Ask me over a beer about the "Jersey Shore" guy washing his car on the street just before it was about to rain. Gotta love Philly.

Eight hours later we arrive in Amsterdam. It was time to explore and see what this city has to offer. One of the first symbols I saw was XXX. Now the first thing that springs to mind is what it stands for in America, but it actually represents Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate - on the coat of arms of Amsterdam. Ironic for a city known for its Red Light District (RLD). After souvenir shopping we made our way over to grab a bite to eat and see what this RLD was all about. WOW. If you haven't ever been it is definitely something everyone should experience. It's the closet thing to Babylon I can imagine. But the funny thing is once the initial shock is over it's no big deal. From the coffee shops to the women standing in the windows it became background noise to really finding things of interest.

I would say one of the best things to see was the Vincent Van Gogh museum. It was inspiring, historical and a reminder that even in his short life of 37 years he was able to change the world through his work. His paintings as well as those that influenced him were absolutely amazing. To see the work of someone with so much vision, focus, and discipline calls into question what we do in our daily work lives and if we are putting forth the effort to leave the world with such a lasting impression. My curiosity actually wandered to the people that supported him during his painting years, particularly his brother Theo who (in my opinion) bankrolled him and allowed him to create in such a way, with the freedom needed to fully express himself the way he did. Of all the paintings in the gallery there was only one of his brother. The brothers looked so similar it was mistaken to be a self portrait of Vincent originally.

Our day took a turn from art of painting to the art of brewing at the Heineken Experience. - I'll sum it up in 1 word: Marketing. It was great to see the converted working brewery into a walking brewery tour. It was worth seeing but my beer snobbery didn't appreciate it like most would.

The last day in Amsterdam we headed over to the Anne Frank Huis. There aren't words to describe the feeling knowing you are walking through the same space that an entire family lived for 2 years in fear of being discovered. Not being able to go outside and to live in silence everyday during the day because a business operated below you sounds like a living hell.

To lighten our afternoon we took a stroll over to a cafe and began day drinking and coffee shop hopping. High quality beers and meeting Americans/Brits/South Africans/Californians we made the most of our last day and night in Amsterdam.

More to come.





Click here for pics!




Ciao Ciao