As expected, I got shell shocked with the cold weather, although I was assured that at high 30's it's actually pretty warm. But, no matter, I was just so excited to see snow everywhere I look. Thankfully, my host picked me up as agreed upon... either that or he doesn't get his order of El Pollo Loco chicken, he he. Went off to pass by Best Buy to get Resident Evil: Extinction dvd. Spent a quiet night watching it after dinner, well, quiet aside from my screams ;p
After that one quiet night, it's tourist mode! Here's some pics I took from this trip, the rest you can find at my multiply site...
It was a weird feeling going on a vacation. I guess, I'm not used to it. Don't have to wake up early, no need to prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner, no need to rush anywhere, and no traffic. Most of the places we went to, I would not go to by myself. But that's what I promised myself I would do... do things that I don't normally do when I'm in LA. So, I got a hefty taste of culture. Ohio has plenty of museums to choose from, ranging from natural history, to music, to science and contemporary art. I even got attached to one of the paintings and bought myself a poster of it The Dream by Salvador Dali
There were some activities planned that did not push through, mainly because it rained and the snow melted. A little disappointed, yes, but I won't miss it. Who would actually look forward to either falling flat on your face or smack down on your butt? Skiing, I mean (which I haven't done, maybe next time). There's also that rock climbing which was thankfully closed by the time we got there... to high for me, thank you ;p I'm afraid I'm not the sporty type, but had there been snow, then I would have tried it, of course... gotta do it at least once in my lifetime.
There might have been things that I was not able to do, but there were certainly things that I did for the first time, and boy! that in itself was a novelty and so much fun. Driving in the snow... while raining, stepping on real snow (not the type that comes out of machines), touching it, just seeing it everywhere you turn... Snow overdose!!! So sad it went away so soon. Cleveland hit their record high temperature the weekend I was there, ergo, melted snow.
Ah, but the food... it's real food, with flavor and not the usual bland taste of American food. I was told that it's because most of the produce are really fresh from the farms. Blueberry cream hotcakes... dreamy. I would not normally eat something like that, too sweet, but this one, I liked very much. Dinner at Pier W is something I would like to do again. Not only was the view breathtaking, the food was excellent, the staff great... my "date"? well, not really... my host for the evening, although he complains too much that I'm too quiet, is great company. He just won't give up on trying to extract information from me... personal ones at that, hay!
I met "the walking dead"... she's a local waitress at a great diner (won't mention it in case she protests, he he). No complaints about the food, in fact we went back so I can try their famous omelette. But man! She is one hell of a character. We couldn't stop laughing. She's the only person I've heard speak as if... she was really dead... very flat tone of voice, no variation in pitch whatsoever and she moves ever so slowly and looked too dazed to know what she was doing. I still crack up everytime I think of her... maybe next time I'll take a video of her and put her up on youtube.
I even got to go to a bar to watch the game between OSU and LSU. Now this is something I've never done before, nor would I do it if it was only me(not a football fan, sowee). But it turned out to be so much fun! It was certainly amusing to watch the whole place erupt with cheers for Ohio State and boos for the other team. It's contagious, I tell you, pretty soon I was as loud as they were. And although they did not win this time it was still so much fun... not to mention I got to drink beer (Guiness), the first in 11 years and got to taste that famous garlic wings ;)
And not to forget, people over there, also don't know how to drive, wah ha ha. I was only there a couple of days, and though they are pretty easy going with their driving, I think they should go back to driving school.
Still so many things to do, and sadly, so little time. To some, going to Cleveland might sound tame for a vacation, but that's just exactly what I needed. Some peace and quiet... a slow kind of existence. Everything was perfect!!! Down to my host's incessant complaints about my bouts of silence and his insistence that I did not want to do what I think was fun with him. Fun is relative, and I am easy to please.
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