Friday, June 29, 2018

Road Trip Write-Up: Pennsylvania and Environs

What follows is the details of my week-long trip, sometimes in excruciating detail. And here we go:

The flight was direct, and fine – left around 11 pm on Wednesday and got into Toronto around 7 am. I changed into clean clothes in the restroom near baggage claim. Got my rental car, from Budget, a Hyundai Accent, then drove over towards the CN Tower. It was cool – they had just reopened the 360 degree view that day and I was among the first couple of groups to see it. Walked out on the glass, 114 stories up, and did the bubble as well. It’s a cool structure and didn’t disappoint. From there I walked over to the St. Lawrence Market, which was okay, and found a Chinese vendor inside (Yip’s) which was odd, and not super good. I saw St. Lawrence Hall and the park across from it, including the church. From there I walked back to the garage by the CN Tower, stopping into the Royal York Hotel on the way. I was tired, and it was not mid-afternoon. 

I drove over to where my AirBnB-style setup was, a Yorkville condo thing. Hung out in a trendy coffee bar, reading Sound of the Mountain, because I was beat. Once it was after 3, I checked in, showered, napped, and waited until dark. After dark I walked down Bloor St a ways until I got to a Smoke’s Poutinerie, and got a triple meat poutine. Took it back to my luxury condo thing. It was the solstice, and Pride, so the streets were abuzz. It was a gorgeous stretch to walk, and reminded me, with a small pang, of Berkeley’s Southside.

Friday I awoke, checked out, and got my car from the lot, proceeding to Niagara Falls, at the Table Rock visitor center. The sky was fairly grey. That said the falls were magnificent, and it was a pleasure to see them from the more majestic Canadian side. I got a grilled cheese and tomato at a Tim Hortons, ‘cause those are a Canadian thing. I drove on to the border, the guard seemed suspicious until I told him I was headed to a wedding in Erie. I got in to my hotel, which was fairly odd (under new management and, it seemed, construction. There was a switchblade on the bed when I arrived). The rehearsal dinner, in Erie proper (I was in North East), was set for 6:30. There was no real rehearsing (or maybe they did it before I came - I was 10 minutes late due to a confusion as to the start time), but there were tasty tacos and good company.

Saturday I went first to the bicentennial tower on Lake Erie. It may be the first actual Great Lake I’ve been to…As I came down from the observation tower it was just beginning to rain. I went to a restaurant called Habibi’s, back near the rehearsal venue, and had some tasty middle eastern food (hummus, falafel, baba ghanoush) but outside it began coming down in buckets. Realizing it wasn’t going to get any better I headed back to the hotel to change for the wedding, 25 min each way, but slower going do to near whiteout conditions. I eventually got back to the wedding venue, the Watson-Curtze Mansion, with time to spare, maybe fifteen minutes before 5, when the wedding was to begin. The wedding ceremony was lovely, and short, and like most weddings I've been to, they did they Celtic hand-binding. After the ceremony I looked around the mansion which was open to guests and then had a nice dinner. After a few more festivities I went back to the hotel.

Sunday I got up early to get to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was not scenic, nor spectacular. I first went to the Boston Store, which is their visitor center. From there I headed to Brandywine Falls, which… is just a waterfall. An especially dull fall after Niagara. Then I drove to the Ritchie Ledges, which were kind of cool, but would not be a main feature at most other parks. Having so much time to kill I drove on to a small covered bridge. After this, all fairly disappointing, and fighting with my Google Maps, I went to the town of Peninsula, to a place called Fishers, and had some truly magnificent ribs – a full slab. That put me in a better mood heading to Pittsburgh. I got there early still, around 3:30 instead of 4, and met my friend at her house. It’s nice, and she’s done a good job on it - the rare Millennial achievement of home ownership. We did the Duquesne Incline, and then got ice cream at Millie’s (it started to rain – I got a peanut butter shake). From there we headed down to the river walk, and we crossed the Clemente bridge into downtown. It was getting dark – we moseyed around to the weird glass tower, and then headed back, stopping at the super creepy Mr. Rodgers memorial before heading back to her home.

After some dining table conversation in the morning I headed out, to make my tour. I actually got to Mills Run a bit early, and so they put me on an earlier tour of Fallingwater. The interior spaces are smaller than I expected, after the enormity of Taliesin’s living room, I suppose due to the cantilevered decks. Above the son’s bed was the Audubon print of anhingas I have as my phone’s background. There were also a couple Picasso and at least one Diego Rivera sketch. It was a great space, and a pleasure to be in. I was neither under- nor overwhelmed, which is peculiar in that I’m usually one or the other. I got my main big souvenir for the trip – a throw rug/blanket piece for the couch, based on the window I worked on for so long. I got lunch, a meh meatloaf sandwich at the café, and continued on to the Flight 93 Memorial. It was fairly moving, but very sparse. I spent a little longer there than expected – you can’t get very close, due to the monument wall being the edge of what had been the debris field. It was overcast, and I headed on to Harpers Ferry, passing through Maryland and Virginia (very briefly) to get there. My hotel was a little ways away, so I got food at the restaurant attached, the White Horse Tavern, and took it back to my room, where I watched Star Trek TNG. The food was tasty, but rich, and I felt ill.

In the morning I started exploring Harpers Ferry, which has more history to it than John Brown’s raid – I was previously unaware but Meriwether Lewis got his supplies there, and it was also important during the Civil War, which makes sense, as the site of an armory. The town itself was incredibly picturesque. I drove on to Gettysburg, getting there around noon. The main center verged on horrific, it was so commercial and tacky. I was in low spirits as I walked to the Soldier’s Cemetery, but treading the ground of the actual sites was restorative. I headed by foot over to the High Point, and the Angle - the turning point on the third day - and then walked back to my car. It was getting on, and I had a drive ahead of me. So after two hours of that (admittedly I bought a small bust of Lincoln in the gift shop) I headed to Bethlehem. I arrived just before 5, but of course there was still plenty of light. I spent around an hour going around the Moravian historic sites (the church closes at 3, apparently, so I unfortunately did not get to see the interior). I got a pumpkin milkshake, and headed to my hotel, the View Inn. After unloading my bags I moseyed out to a restaurant in a restored farm, the Road House of Hanover, I think. Got some pierogis and a Cobb salad. It wasn’t very good. Spent the rest of the night in the hotel, after buying more film, as I’d run out.

Wednesday, the final day, I got up very early to get to the Franklin Institute when it opened. Morning traffic was pretty bad, but I got there not too long after 9:30. I went in and took pictures of Benjamin Franklin’s National Memorial, and then left to go to Independence Hall. Again a parking garage fee, and with time to spare I moseyed to the cemetery where old Ben was buried. From there I got my ticket for the tour, went past the Liberty Bell (which you can view from outside and had a super long line) and then went to Carpenter’s Hall, which was small, before going in at 11:20 for my 11:40 tour. Our guide was great, and projected by shouting at us, but we all liked him. I recalled the grey room somewhat once I’d actually gone into it. That had been eighteen years ago… It was nice to be back, and see it as an adult. When I was 14 the main memory had been eating lunch, seeing the Bell, and buying a hat.

I drove to the Budget at the airport, they charged me $9/gallon, for four gallons. I’d not seen a station on my way, unfortunately, and the car was due back at 1 (I got it there around 12:45). Both flights, Philadelphia – Boston, and Boston – Oakland, were uneventful. 

So there you have it, a play by play of my vacation week.

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