We woke up, our first morning in Newark, relatively early so we could get an early start. After getting dressed we looked around for places to visit. We looked around for places to get smokes from, and found one near a diner called Park Diner & Pancake House.
We got into the restaurant and the diner has a very nostalgic feel with the layout and furniture. Our server was the absolute BEST! Lashondra was a riot to chat with, and was so sweet that when Ces and I said we had yet to determine of out of towners could legally purchase smokes, she called her boyfriend to have him call his regular dispensary and confirm. By the time she came back with our order, she had this grin on her face and was like “Good news! My boyfriend just confirmed that his dispensary he goes to, if you’re 21+ with valid ID, you can buy.” I could NOT thank her enough!
For breakfast I the Irish eggs benedict. This thing came topped with three eggs! I was completely stuffed, so much so I could only taste the delicious potatoes. (Not gonna lie, I felt I was betraying heritage by not eating the delicious potatoes, too.) The Irish benedict is topped with corned beef hash. (I know hindsight’s 20/20, but I now realize corned beef hash with a side of potatoes, might be why I didn’t eat them. LoL!) Ces ordered the Western Grilled Chicken sandwich, which was very tasty. The bun was soft and fresh, and buttery. The chicken was tenderized to all hell, and well seasoned. LoL. (Flattest chicken breast I’ve seen in a while.) The toppings were caramelized onions, bacon, hickory BBQ sauce, and cheddar, and all were savory and delicious.
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Following breakfast we went to the Dispensary recommended by Lashondra. It’s this place called ‘Zen’. Ces wasn’t havin’ the smell, so she went next door to the grocery store to get snacks to take back to the hotel. I went in, and everybody was so nice. On my way in, the young lady at the counter stopped me while walking in, to wish me Happy Birthday, too. They had some amazing shit in this store. My first visit in, I just got one pre-roll of Apple Cider, for back at the hotel before bed. Following that, we went to Holy Smokes Express to pick up a cartridge of Little High Delta 8, Runtz. It was a really good product, to be quite honest. Very good recommendation from the cashier that was there!
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After that, we headed back to the hotel to get an Uber to Broadway.
Our Uber driver was awesome. The drive in, we chatted the whole way and we shared stories back and forth. I’m glad he was such a great conversationalist, because it really made the experience and ride through the tunnels very comfortable for us! Seriously, 5 star service to the good sir!
We got into town and got dropped off at the Amsterdam Ale House. We grabbed an early dinner before we walked over to The Beacon. I shot the Tuna burger with Onion Rings and a Canadian beer, Maudite. (I figured since this is the closest I’ve come to being close to Canada, and for my buddy Canadian, I’d give it a try.) The beer was very tasty! Crisp and clean flavor. The burger was D-E-licious! And the Onion Rings were perfectly made! OMG, it was packed with flavor, the whole meal. Ces got the French Onion soup. She said it was good, but it didn’t turn out to be what she had wanted. (I know the feels, happens to me a lot sometimes. LoL!) It was a good soup, for the price, but not much more to be said about it.
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After dinner, we burned off some calories walking to The Beacon. (Not really, it was like less than a block.) We arrived before the doors even opened. So then we decided to walk back to this little Coffe joint attached to the theater, known as Viand Cafe. We sat in the back, at the bar, and shared coffees. While waiting, I hopped onto the That Kevin Smith Club Discord to see if they were doing a meet-up. Thankfully, I did! OMG, I had needed to, earlier, to get our names on the list to meet Kev! Thankfully the moderator was quick to respond, and told me where to meet and when. At that point, I decided to see if anybody else wanted to meet with us at the cafe, to chat before hand. Alas, crickets were the only response to that extended hand. LoL. Cest la vie. I was so freaking excited I couldn’t really keep seated, so I kept walking out to check if a line was beginning to form. I’d step out, grab a smoke, and if nobody else was there head back inside.
Before too long, I hopped out for one last smoke to find to guys choomin’ around (yes, I’m currently getting back on my Cyberpunk kick, bite me.) so I went to check. Sho ‘nuff, they were here for the movie, too. I went and grabbed my dearest so we could get in line, too.
Chillin’ in line, I chatted with many of the fine folk that were also here for the show. One swell person to hang with was Bluntgirl! I’m sorry, wait I mean I forgot her name. (As does she, later that night. LMAO!) Ces snapped a pic of me and BlutGirl and we just stood around chattin and smokin’. Mid conversation, Dante himself (Brian O’Hallaran) walks past and whispers, while quickly walking by, “Sorry folks, show’s cancelled.” When I turned to see who it was, I Instantly understood why it was cancelled in the first place. He wasn’t supposed to fucking be here, today! (Yeah, I got a little giddy.)
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Once we got inside, I got a good look at the merch booth to see what I wanted to grab, while I was putting my stuff back in the backpack. While doing that, I accidentally leaned on the counter, pushing it back. 😐 My bad. I picked out what I wanted and then we headed back to the bar. While my wife had stepped away, I ran back into Blutgirl and complimented the costume, once again. We got to chatting and getting to know her, and she’s a local bartender at another theater! (Not going to lie, I would love to go to that thater next year, and hope to meet her bartending, just to see how she’s been! Maybe I can find her on the Kev club discord, to keep in touch!) Come to find out, she already knew about the meet and greet, but was not aware on where to go! I was so happy I had struck conversation, at that point, so I could help her find the way, too. I know how disappointing it would have been to not meet him! Once we figured out where to go, we headed down to form the line.
Standing around chatting, I got to know Bluntgirl’s good friend who came in FROM Ireland! Dude, that was a real treat, getting to ask so many questions about Ireland! (The shirt he wore that night is artwork that was drawn by his little brother! It was so sweet!)
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(Consider clipping his interview explaining it, or vignette his introduction into our clip, too.)
After about 10 minutes of chatting, it was time to head back stage. As we’re going down stairs and getting ready, the man himself comes out and hugs each and every one of us! BluntGirl proceeds to request the blessings from Kev to be BluntGirl. Of course, his response was “You’re the only one here dressed the part, of COURSE you can be BluntGirl!” Freaking classic. At that point, we all proceeded to be interviewed by Kev, on camera:
(Clip coming soon.)
****ALERT:: This is a warning for your experience, only. Please proceed no further, until you’ve completed the full clip in its entirety. I assure you, this is for your enjoyment pleasure that I ask you heed this warning.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Followed by signing our stuff (Which I had been told there wasn’t time for, and excitedly spruing to get it back out!)
(Insert images of signed stuff.)
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Afterwards, we headed to our seats and sat down for the introduction. OMG, the whole thing was awesome. It was about his experiences with Carlin, and all the great times. It was so heartwarming. My wonderful wife got a good chunk of the first part of it, that I’m going to share here. But unfortunately, WE were the ONLY people told to put our phones down, out of a whole audience with what I counted was 5 other phones up and actively recording, so I won’t be able to share with you the whole part. (Maybe I can find somebody on the Discord that can email me a copy to upload at a later date. That’s a thought, there! Let me know in the comments if you might like to see that get posted, and I’ll consider seeking it out.)
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(Clip coming soon.)
But the most touching thing about that whole part. The part that seriously cut the ABSOLUTE deepest?! When Kevin told me “She’s here now!” earlier that night. I did not realize how right he was, until the moment I learned, from Kevin’s introduction, that the man I always associated with Red Bank, NJ for as LONG as I’ve known him, wasn’t from there originally. Nope, the dude was born a little further down that road in HIGHLANDS, NJ! Growing up loving movies made by a mand from Highlands, NJ, when the only town I could EVER remember associating my cousin, Tesha, with is Highlands, TX! IMMEDIATELY, I begin getting inspired of the thought of beginning a sleeve tattoo on my left leg, that goes all the way around beginning with a logo of the new ‘store’ that is founded in the movie. (Nope, not gonna spoil the surprise, just wait and find that out for yourself. And I mean both the store AND tattoo. You’ll know what it is, when you find out.) and then tying it all together with a highway road sign that says ‘Welcome to Highlands’ on it. It’s something I’d like to begin saving up for, that would be awesome to get done over time.
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After the movie, we all shuffled out the door, to get ready to catch our rides home. While hanging out and waiting for our Uber, I admired some art that was done by this awesome man that was sitting outside the theater, Sir Shadow. This man asked me what my favorite instrument was. (Those who really know me, should know what my most desired instrument has always been.) When I told him about Saxophone, and word vomited WHY I like it, too. LoL! He began humming a toon while instantly drawing this beautiful piece out, with ONE SINGLE FREAKING LINE Y’ALL! It was awesome! He handed it to me and I proceeded to ask how much he’d want for it. When he said pay with your heart, I instantly asked my wife for cash and proceeded to purchase the art, and one of his calendars. (To which he gave me a second one, that I gifted to my best friend.) When I told him I wanted to buy it, he proceeded to ask if I wanted it signed. My response to that was just “Hell yeah, I want it signed! It’s your work!” (By the way, after I looked up to discover WHO Sir Shadow is! I’d have been PISSED at myself for NOT having him autograph it!)
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The ride home was chill and peaceful. Our driver for the trip back was cool. We visited for a little while, and learned that he lived not far from our destination for Saturday, to visit our sister! (The singer in HoneyTrap! But that’s for tomorrow, getting ahead of myself again. BAD MONKEY!) Before too long, Ces was passed out on my shoulder and I chatted just a bit more, before spacing out for the rest of the ride back to Tryp.
Back at the hotel, Ces proceeded to get ready for bed, while I proceeded to prepare for my evening smoke. I headed downstairs tho chill out with some Apple Cider. (Starting to see why made the recipe I did as soon as I got back home.)
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