I just got back from Cleveland Tuesday night. I was only there for two days on business, but it felt like a little vaction. I went with two other engineers and we probably only worked a total of 2-1/2 - 3 hours. We just got luck and didn't run into any problem. It seemed like we spent more time talking about where to eat next and how to find our way to discover the local flavor. The best part is that I didn't spend a dime. All expenses are reimbursed by the client.
We went to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Some people gave us tickets, because they had extras.
We had some Itailian food in Little Italy at a place called "la dolce vita" -the sweet life. It is named after the old black and white movie that takes place in Rome. The movie is played every night on the televisions and projected onto the walls. No sound. The opera singer was coming later. There are no light exept a few accents and the small candle on everyones table. A large extended Italian family sits behind us pulling four tables together to sit their group. The noise level drowns out the background music. I love eating on somebody else bill. We don't have to be shy about drinks, appetizers, the price of the main entree, ordering desserts and drinking latte's.
We did a lot of driving around and exploring the city. We discovered some good architecture too! The rock n roll hall of fame is designed by I.M. Pei. He also designed the Louvre in Paris (the glass pyramid.) We ran into a Frank Ghery build with it's wacked out metal paneled roofs.
We toured the Cleveland Museum of Art (free.) The have a lot of old stone bridges that is not native to the textures here in Kansas/Missouri.
I don't know why, but I am always surprised when I visit a different region in the U.S. that people live there and carry on just like we do where we live. People drive their cars, go to work, shop, dine and live just like us. I could be transplanted and fit in just fine. It is kind of scary when you drive through the suburbs and discover the same shopping center you have at home. Across from our hotel was the home depot, best buy, applebees, outback, tgifridays, anytown, USA.
Maybe, I am surprised, because my previous experiences with traveling has been on backpacking trips through Europe where each new town could be a different language or on missions trips. Just lately, because of kids, my wife and I have been doing more American City types of vacations. (Chicago, Seattle.)
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6 comments:
I agree that it is amazing to see the sites in places within our borders. I've been to different planets and thats just in rural Kansas! It is scary to see the same stripmall places, but its comforting in a way to be familiar with it. I look at strangers sometimes and know that there life is as detailed as mine, and I'll never see them again - or even weirder, maybe I've seen them multiple times and I just don't know it...
Everywhere I have gone within the States most of what sticks out is the subtle differences. I'm talking about things like accent and cuisine.
The only area of the U.S. where I have really felt like I had left the country I was used to was on a trip through northern New Mexico and Arizona. A lot of the shops were similar but the large numbers of Adobe-style buildings made the experience surreal.
I had similar thoughts when Mr. Sunrise and I drove to PA on Interstate 70. There was a Cracker Barrel in every major city! I laughed and started counting them. Everything looked the same until you passed Cleveland, OH. Not too far passed Cleveland, the houses started looking like "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood."
I think after the travel the last year or so,it's the people that make places unique. THat and the housing style. THe strip malls are all so similar. We ate at a "chain" restaurant Texas Roadhouse in Boston. Now that was a strange meeting of cultures.
The thing I think is the craziest is: the different names of soft drinks by geography. I have even lived in every "name" area.
Coke = Texas
Pop = Alaska
Soda = St. Louis, Missouri
And you change to calling it what you hear without realizing it. What kind of coke do you want???
Everytime I moved since I moved away from home at 19 I had expected it to be different and better or great somehow. I just knew with each move that I'd find that blend of perfection that set a place apart from the rest. By the time I went back home, I realized that everywhere is the same. Yes, the people are different. I can tell you from Podunk Indiana to the "big city!" of KC the average age for marriage jumps a decade at least! But Cracker Barrel remains the same. Franchises....good? Or just another way to make us lose our individuality? HUM????
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