In Cleveland!

Monday night, July 26, 2010

We are now in Cleveland and having a wonderful time. Last night, we toured Akron, OH after we enjoyed massive chocolate milkshakes at Steak -n- Shake. Jordan was dying to find St. Vincent St. Mary High School where LeBron James graduated. I was a bit nervous, thinking that it must be in a rough part of town since LeBron came up from such tough circumstances; but really, it was a relatively suburban area of downtown Akron. In fact, we rode by an area called Cascade Mills where new townhomes had been built and new parks lined the streets. The area definitely reminded me of a downtown renewal project like we would find around the upstate - like an old mill that is no longer in use, and the town turns it into a nice residential area, similar to Mayfair Mills in Spartanburg where my grandma used to work.

We also drove around downtown Akron this morning, collecting free tickets from Ritzman Pharmacies for the Akron Aeros baseball game that we didn't even attend tonight. My cousin Jason called me this morning, and we changed our plans altogether after talking to him. He knew of a restaurant in Cleveland called The B Spot, owned by Iron Chef Michael Symon, and that's where we went instead. Seeing Jason again and getting to talk to him was wonderful. It's been so long since I have seen him (probably the last time was at his dad's funeral), and we had a ball talking about the wedding and all the news in our lives.

The B Spot was excellent. Of course, gourmet burgers were a little pricey, but we had such a good time ordering specialty burgers like the Brueben and the Thin Lizzy and then embellishing them at the pickle bar. One mishap, though - I was almost witness to a lady falling in the floor right outside of the restroom. Her words to the waiter who helped her: "Your floor is just a little bit slippery." I smelled a lawsuit, so I ducked out of the restroom as quickly as possible.

After we left the restaurant, Jason drove us all around downtown Cleveland. We spent a while just sitting at the 9th Street Pier overlooking Lake Erie. The view was amazingly beautiful. I was so jealous of the peaceful sailboats drifting past. People just sat around enjoying the summer evening in an atmosphere dripping in beauty and peace. One couple was making out; an old man fished off the side of the pier and caught some small fish; another old man threw some kind of snack to some seagulls hanging out; other random people just sat and contemplated the universe. I picked out about a billion places to take photos tomorrow - so look for new pics tomorrow.

I also gazed in the windows of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I nearly danced with excitement at all the Bruce Springsteen stuff. I can't bring my camera in there, though, but I will be taking photos outside.

Progressive field is slap in the middle of downtown Cleveland. And so is the arena where the Cavaliers play. We could easily see the stadium where the Browns play, too, from the pier. All within a mile of each other. We are going to have such a good time tomorrow. Marc said CC Sabathia is pitching on top of everything else. Planning on a golden day tomorrow.

I am so excited to be here, and I am feeling so blessed to be able to show my children parts of America. They may not realize how precious this opportunity is just yet, but one day, they will appreciate all the experiences they have been afforded (I hope). Seeing America helps me to see that while parts of the country may look different, we, as Americans, aren't really that different at all. Jason talks so much like a Yankee now, but he says all his friends up here still give him a hard time for sounding southern. Yet, southern or not, he's still the Jason I love, the one I remember as my baby cousin with blonde curls. I see people here who remind me of people I know back home, and I constantly wonder about the people who live in the tall, turn-of-the-century houses or the high rise apartments or the new colorful townhomes I encounter as we ride.The more I see, the more I want to see (but I can't say that out loud - it makes Marc nervous when I tell him about all the places I want to go ;-)).