48 hours in the MSP

Recently, I mentioned to a friend at work that I was craving a bologna on potato bread sandwich. Her response "Bologna and potato bread? Fortune, you're so ghetto even with all your fancy clothes."

I'm glad I didn't mention how I also like Fritos on white bread sandwiches...

Besides, I don't know if it's ghetto, so much as Midwest. We are the land of Jello mold salads. [I'm not saying it's right...]

So I'm jetting off to the Twin Cities for a quick 48 hours. This means that I only have two days to eat all of my favorites. Here's the plan:

• Hot mini-donuts from the MN State Fair (one bag minimum, I'm going to try for two)
• French fries from the MN State Fair
• Cheese curds from the MN State Fair
• Something breaded and deep fried on a stick from the MN State Fair
• Baker's Square french silk pie
• Dairy Queen Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzard
• Hot Fudge malt from Snuffy's (or Annie's or Malt Shop)
• Torte slices from Wuollet bakery
• Vietnamese food in Frogtown
• Arby's roast beef sandwich
• Eclairs from a big chain grocery store
• I've also been thinking of the cheese bread at Carbone's. I was never fond of their pizza, but that bread is good.
  

I think if I manage to eat all of the above, I will probably have consumed about 10,000 calories to honor every lake we have in that glorious state. Sure I'll feel gross and my jeans will be tight, but it will be awesome!

Overheard in AC

Trump Plaza restaurant at lunch:

Hostess: Do you have a Trump One card?

Hungover dude with backwards baseball cap behind us: Uh, I don't, but the girl who's coming does.

Hostess: Okay. Can I have her last name?

Dude: Ummm...(looks at people behind him and shrugs)

The girl showed up shortly thereafter. She did not appear to be a prostitute and they seemed to have a nice lunch together. Perhaps they finally exchanged names?

High Rollin' in the City of Atlantic

It was Vickie's emancipation from her current employer and she had three days to play before the new job started. I'm always game for a trip, and the vacation bank is slowly recovering from the three (that many, really?) international trips I took earlier this year. We decided Atlantic City was our best bet. Vickie's sister Mindy and Sonya joined us.

I've only been to Atlantic City one other time. I was 18 and with my mom and cousin Hope. We won over $500 on the quarter slots. It was fantastic and exciting. The next morning we went back down to win more, but lady luck was not on my side: I got carded. Apparently, the legal gambling age in NJ is 21, not 18 as in MN. Woops. To make a long story short, Mom and Hope ditched me and I had to go back up to the hotel room to watch cable.

But this time, I am definitely of legal gambling age and can actually enjoy those free crappy watered down casino cocktails.

I'll come clean: I did not win this time. I lost about $85 total. Which isn't bad, and reassures me that I am not a compulsive gambler, but winning is always nice. Sonya was really the only one who came away with some extra money. Like, $250 extra. All was not lost, because when I got home, I found myself with a $250 tax refund. I am not sure why NYS is refunding me a second time, but I'm just going to go with it--so I am now up $130!

Regardless, we had a great time. We gambled, ate, strolled the boardwalk, shopped at the outlets, enjoyed a casino music act (Louie Louie!), and sunned ourselves on the beach. I like the cheesy charm of Atlantic City and the crazy variety of people who go there. The casinos can be a little overstimulating, and it's depressing to see the hard core gamblers at the tables who don't even think twice at putting down $100+ on a single bet--and losing, and the very old people with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths on the slots, but there is definitely a certain level of excitement and fun in the stinky seaside air.