Westward ho!

I'll be packing it up and returning to Los Angeles tomorrow. Yeah, I'm so excited to return to the warm weather, my gym, my Bubbub and the job search. Fun!

However, there are things I always miss when I leave the East Coast. These East Coast standards should consider moving West so that I can enjoy them all the time. C'mon, do it for me.

1) Dunkin Donuts: True, I can buy Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla or Hazelnut (Cinnamon Spice is reserved for the holiday season) online but it's not the same. Why? Cream and sugar my friends. Let to my own devices, I take my coffee black. Perhaps I'll add a packet of sugar or a splash of milk if it's too hot. But at Dunkin Donuts, they don't know the term "packet" or "splash". They know what tastes delicious. That's about a 1-1-1 mix of coffee, cream and sugar. Don't worry though, they mix it behind the counter so you can't tell what they're up to and thus can not be held accountable, right?

2) Rita's Ices On of the great things about it heating up in PA is Rita's. Sure the ices are loaded with sugar, but they're so good. I got one last night as a treat to my throat. I'm sure that it wasn't the best long term decision, but short term it felt great. They have more flavors than the last time I went to Rita's (approx. 2003) and they've expanded drsatically, so other folks can enjoy them. Do it! If you're afraid of trying new things, they're free on March 21st. You have nothing to lose.

3) Wawa The beauty of Wawa is that people who aren't from the East Coast think that you're making things up. I guess we do have weird names for convenience stoers here though: Wawa, Sheetz, Apple Pantry. What makes Wawa wonderful (as Fina will tell you) is their hoagies (that's subs, grinders, deli sandwiches, to the rest of you). When you're on the run, say to go country line dancing a Wawa hoagie is the perfect on the go snack. Delicious.

Hmmmm, can you tell I eat alot when I come back to the West Coast. And no trip to the East Coast would be complete without pizza.

4) Villa Rosa and Mannino's Oh my goodness, East Coast pizza, how I've missed you. Jess got me thinking about food the minute I got off the plane. She was talking about cheesesteaks. I resisted the urge to put anything that awful into my mouth, but settled on a few slices of pizza instead. Villa Rosa's my favorite -- probably because I worked there during high school. But, my family always went to Mannino's so I have a soft spot for them as well. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Damn, lunch is quickly approaching, decisions, decisions.