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John Kennedy once implored his countrymen to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Apparently a lot of people in the Midwest are still waiting for an answer, because they haven’t really done much ever since.
Sure, there’s Columbus and Cleveland and Indianapolis and other thriving cities and communities in Ohio and Indiana. But the vast majority of the land looks like this:
(I fully acknowledge that my friends from the Midwest are going to take issue with what I'm saying here. But in my defense, have you driven through your states lately? Jeez, they're boring!)But even before we hit the road this morning, we had a mini-adventure in Grove City. You see, somehow we had forgotten to take photos of Tim, Emma, Savannah and Sam. I’m not sure how we forgot but we did, and we really kicked ourselves when we woke up to an empty house (Tim at work, kids at school).
So we decided to go pull the kids out of school to say goodbye and take some pictures. We went to the school down the block, asked for the kids and found out they go to the elementary school across town. A short drive later, we were in the elementary school office being told Savannah and Sam were in the midst of state-mandated testing and could not be interrupted. This is how we feel about that:
But then we went to get breakfast at a Waffle House. Rhianwen wasn't excited to eat there, but it made me feel like this:
So off we went, on our way to Chicago, through Ohio and Indiana.
Dum de dum...
Drivin', drivin', drivin'...
Basically, the most exciting thing that happened was that we listened to some CDs we hadn't heard in a while while. Which brings me to R. Kelly: How amazing is R. Kelly? Imagine the most awkward phone conversation you've ever heard. Does it go something like this? "Hello?" "Hey Bill, it's me Ron." "Hey Ron,how you doing?" "I'm doing OK. No, that's a lie. I'm kind of sad." "Well what's wrong, friend?"
Those are lyrics to an R. Kelly song. And that's why he's awesome.
So anyways, we finally reached the Chicago Skyway and made our way towards downtown. Along the way, Rhianwen saw a structure on the side of the ride and asked, "Is that the Sears Tower?"
"No honey," I said. "That's a Sears department store." But I could see where she'd made the mistake: That's the Sears logo on something of a tower, right? Right?
Moving on, the first thing I noticed about Chicago was the good mood surrounding the town. Even the billboards are happy to see you.
So then we got to my friend Jamie's place. The plan all along was to swing by Chicago on our way to LA and hang out with Jamie. Then about two weeks ago, he told me he was going to be out of town. But he was gracious enough to let Rhi and I stay over anyway. Here's his street (his place is the one with the green balconies).
It's an awesome place in a great part of town. My overall impression of the neighborhood? It's like a really big, awesome magical castle where anything is possible and ghosts roam the streets.
Oh, I'm sorry. That was Hogwarts Castle I was thinking of. You see, Rhi and I opted out of checking out Chicago because she was in full-on sick mode. So instead of exploring the town, we ordered Chicago-style pizza (tastes just like every other kind of pizza) and watched one of the Harry Potter films. It was still great, though!
Actually, I did get to explore the city a little bit. Jamie's neighborhood is terrific, but the only problem is that there is no drug store anywhere near it. And I know from experience, because I walked about 40 blocks searching for sinus medication. And I was wearing sandals, so it hurt.
Well, Rhi is already sleeping in bed next to me, so it's time for me to join her. Hopefully when I go to get the car tomorrow morning, it hasn't been broken into and looted. Dear God, please say our car is safe.
Road Trip Day 2 Stats
Leaving From: Grove City, OH
Going To: Chicago, IL
Google Maps Distance: 361 miles, 5 hours and 48 minutes
Actual Distance: 362.7 miles, 5 hours and 1 minute
Total Distance Driven So Far: 832.8 miles
States Visited: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
Lessons Learned: America has a lot of farmland, perhaps too much of it; R. Kelly = Genius; Indiana is home to the most hostile drivers we have encountered so far; Chicago needs more drug stores, and also to clarify which freestanding structure is in fact the Sears Tower; Hogwarts Castle is more magical than any place in Illinois.
