Omaha, Nebraska + Moscow, Russia
We are on a guest googler streak. This week we have Broadway actress Gaelen Gilliand, who is about to close out Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical. This is like catching up with old friends, we discuss everything from costume design, to ocean conservation, to thoughtful gifts, to government, to that moment in your life where you are very aware that you don't know what's next. It gets real deep and meta in here guys. And a bit verbose. That's what happens when you combine friends and wine. LOTS of wine. If your curiosity is peaked, hit the play button in the rectangular episode player above.
Alison is obsessed with iMovie. We are in New York working on stuff for our Youtube channel, and Alison loves putting together the footage. Lulu is in rehearsals for a show, and so she is currently really obsessed with fight choreography, and the psychological release it can bring, or the outlet that it can be for aggression, or something like that. Just listen. Gaelen is obsessed with oat milk, she tried it at Gregory's Coffee and is in love with their "Hall & Oats" drink. Alison and Lulu literally freak out, because they are obsessed too! Like discovered it 24 hours ago obsessed.
Alison wishes she knew how to use Final Cut. She's obsessed with iMovie, but would love to magically have the skills to learn it. The simplest way to learn it would be to let her husband teach her, and that just sounds like a bad idea right out of the gate. Lulu is really wishing for these Vibes High Fidelity Earplugs. They reduce the sound around you by 22 decibels, a "softer and more comfortable" sound level. Makes concerts and other environments so much easier to enjoy, with no ear ringing later. Did you know there is a thing called a "brown note"? It apparently is a note that is so low that humans lose their bowels. The ladies try to reach that low note. Gaelen wishes that our fur babies would live 20 years longer than they do. She really loves her dog, as we do after five seconds with him.
When Alison announced her destination, Gaelen frankly comments that you could probably buy a house in Omaha for 10k. But pretty close is this find on Airbnb at $2000 a night with a 3 night minimum, Alison may not have too much trouble reaching 10k...in OMAHA. This house is huge and has a private roof top deck...and multiple bathrooms. Gaelen and Alison want to have as many bathrooms as bedrooms. Lulu counters that MORE bathrooms than bedrooms is the pinnacle of luxury. Alison takes an liesurely walk to the Old Market District, where she happens upon Upstream Brewing Company and goes for their brunch buffet. While downtown she takes the Ollie the Trolley tour. A wander through the Passageway Gallery leads Alison to Danielle Easdale, a paper artist who Alison commissions to make her a paper sea turtle. Now here's how she gets to 10k. She eats at dinner at Chophouse, a spot remodeled after authentic New York steakhouses of the 1920s. Alison tries roasted marrow bones, trying to be adventurous. Lulu and Gaelen describe what it is to her, and she's still game to try it. The description will make any vegetarian queasy, but you meat-lovers will go out to order it straight away. Okay, so then the purchas of a $1800 bottle of wine gets her all the way to her 10k budget. If you are surprised by this expenditure then this must be the first episode you've listened to. Welcome to 10k Dollar Day, Alison loves wine.
A very excited reaction is elicited by Lulu's announcement of her city. She is excited too by the pillow menu feature at Barvikha Hotel and Spa, which means you get to pick what kind of pillow you'd like when you book. Always aiming to dress the part, Lulu rocks a War Games T-shirt she bought off Amazon. Gaelen is sure that purchasing items to take on the trip is an immediate disqualification and declares Alison the winner. We try to explain to her that if the item becomes part of the trip that its allowed. Gaelen is not having it. Lulu has a buffet breakfast at hotel Metropole. There is caviar and complementary alcohol, we're so here for that. But Alison has to interrupt her to say that Russian food is NOT GOOD. Everything is in a jello mold, she says. So Lulu goes for some of their other options, while enjoying the live harpist. Next is the Extended Market Tour, where she visits three food markets. She just browsed on that tour, because she wants Russian Tea Service. But why would she have it once, when she could buy a Fason Vazoy red brass samovar and have tea service anytime she wants? That's right, she bought it. Next Lulu has lunch at Cook’kareku. They serve breakfast all day long, with cuisines from all over the world. You can get a discount if you order from the part of the world where it is breakfast at that time. It's a complicated menu but a cool concept.
Now for a tour of Star City. Cosmonauts of the Russian Federal Space Agency, and the Soviet space program before it, have lived and trained in Star City since the 1960s. It only recently became known of to the public and put on maps. She finds a lesson plan on NASA's website about how to prepare to go to space. They make it clear that there are no showers in space. That sounds rough, so Lulu puts together a toiletry kit, in case she goes to space. Wait, WHAT?! Lulu wants to be ready in case the Russians say that since Lance Bass couldn't go to space, that she can. This is a bit reaching, and Gaelen is giving Lulu a strike two. Over $550 is spent on this toiletry kit, but man is she prepared:
some Tide to go pens
a bottle of Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-powder dry shampoo
and 3 different colors of the Bite Beauty Multistick
Lulu decides to build a killer playlist of space-themed songs, and Gaelen tries to sing a bit of each...listen to the episode, it's entertaining for sure. It includes “Space Oddity” by Bowie, and Moby’s “We Are All Made of Stars”, but “Space Jam” was left off the playlist, and when Alison sings it Gaelen can't believe its a real song. Or a real movie. How did that movie get made? We digress, per usual.
In case the space trip doesn't pan out, Lulu plans to see Swan Lake at the Bolshoi, followed by dinner at Cafe Pushkin. It is an antique-filled room in a nobleman's house and Lulu commits to trying the typically Russian menu. Alison repeats that Russian food is terrible. Lulu soldiers on anyways. Now for dessert at Bjorn. You have to hear these dessert titles, because they make no sense - “wood bark and morel”, “just a chamomile”, “branch of ripe pears”, “Stones” and “Ugly chocolate pie”. She can't leave Russia without having vodka, so she heads to Beluga Caviar Bar to drink her bodyweight in vodka, Russian style. This day was bananas, and it all hinges on whether she went to space or not.
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