12 states, 8 days and as much food as we can possibly eat.

So, here we are in May and my thesis defense is just around the corner. After being buried in work for the last few months, I'm taking a vacation. And it has occurred to me that this is a great excuse to get my blog and up and running again.

In case you're wondering
who Joe is.

My upcoming road trip has been mentioned a couple times on FB, eliciting (occasionally rude) questions. (Yes, Julie Pieterse, I'm talking about you!) So, here is the much-anticipated explanation: I'm headed south. Not surprising, since south is usually my direction of choice, but this time I'm going to the south. Joe and I have eight days to drive from California to Pennsylvania, in what is going to be a  fast-paced, tightly-planned, self-control-free street food tour of the southern United States.

At this point, we've sketched out our route, made a few minor and a few major adjustments, and now we're just ironing out the details. I've provided a map for your viewing pleasure (see below). I'll be flying into Arizona for a little Oaxaca reunion before we burn straight through to Austin, TX. After a full day of BBQ and street food in Austin, we'll head to New Orleans for another full day to be spent wandering the streets and indulging in the culinary delights of The Big Easy. Then it's off to Atlanta (with a pit stop in Montgomery, AL for a couple key land marks), where our goals involve fried chicken and MLK. After a night in Durham, NC, enjoying what I've been assured will the best of company, we'll head north through Virginia to arrive in the bustling metropolis of Hershey, Pennsylvania - just in time to (hopefully) get Joe settled into some new digs.

So, that's where things stand for now and we're pretty happy with the plan. Right now I am happily taking suggestions for driving tunes and food we should eat along the way. You can expect sporadic blog posts between now and June 2nd (when I leave for AZ), and after that I've made it my goal to post daily updates. Feel free to harass me relentlessly if I fail to do so.

View Hershey Road Trip in a larger map