Sunday, December 14, 2008

moving right along

The last day and a half in Chicago went quickly, swimmingly.
Spent part of the day at the Noble tree, working on a web site for my Dad and trying to teach myself flash. I will miss that place, certainly. It isn't as though there are no good coffee shops in Seattle. They abound. But as a result, they don't feel as homey, or as much like neighborhood institutions. Every one kind of competes with every other one and after awhile it all kind of feels like the same. Almost like going to Starbucks. Doesn't really help that there are few if any indy shops that are one-offs.

Got Indian food again, this time with some of Caitlin's sorority sisters: Kate Hellman, and Katie Vallen (sp?). Good folks. I'd known Kate a bit back in the Kenyon days. Kelsey also came along and we waited around Hema's for half an hour, blocking traffic through the restaurant, and generally trying to make enough of a nuisance to get someone to leave, which happened and was pounced upon before anyone had a chance to tell us it wasn't our table. Kate produced a rather nice bottle of Champagne, which was opened without endangering the restaurant, unlike the next table over which nearly took out ceiling tiles with their bottle opening acumen.

Next, onto cupcakes on swings in the winter. The swings were, luckily enough, indoors. Place called Molly's. Caitlin's neighborhood is full of surprises. They even just opened a Meatloaf bakery. 20 different kinds of meatloaf, apparently.

After cupcakes came beer, and I drank my fill before finding myself with Steve at a Northwoods Wisconsin themed bar, drinking and talking amidst the animal trophies and Friday night crowd.

The next morning was a hangover of relatively large proportions. The combination of spicy Indian food and large amounts of beer somewhat undid me, and it was a while before I was back to fighting fitness, which really just meant more eating, a rather nice sandwich at the Four Farthings. Would recommend it. And then realizing I wasn't entirely recovered after all.

Pulled the car around, bid fare adeiu, and realized I didn't know how to get out of town. Caitlin gave some directions, but I tried to go around traffic, got lost, got found (?), and ended up going where I needed to eventually.

The turnpikes are so damned strange. I often wonder how most of the nation seems to fare pretty well with the roads without tolls, yet the oddest places have them. Apparently if you want to drive across the northern portions of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, you are going to pay a toll. Oh, and southern Pennsylvania. Aside from the toll, it was a great journey. Trees come back in force, nice rolling hills, great countryside. It occurred to me that I'd never been through Ohio without at least staying the night. Not the case this time around.

Pennsylvania was beautiful last night, though. Absolutely gorgeous. The moon was shining brightly, yet diffuse through a light cloud cover, illuminating everything around with a soft, blue light. Through the Appalachians there is an area of rolling hills on the tops of the mountains, interrupted every now and then by a deep valley, only to return to the hills again. You can't see too far, but with as many trees as there are, and in that light, you see farther than you thought you could. The ground was covered in white snow, reflecting some of the moonlight back up at the trees. It almost seemed as though the surrounding countryside was moving along with me, undulating and dipping and as interested in me as I was in it. There was something just so striking about it. I felt as though I were in some kind of fairy tale and should have been riding a horse rather than driving through. Amazing.

Pennsylvania is beautiful country along I-80. But I've always thought that the area of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania are much more scenic than people give credit for. Growing up in Colorado, scenery is in abundance. It is all so grand, so impressive. But after a while the shock of it wears off. Out east, the hills are more gradual, and they are not quite as rocky, but there are grander rivers, huge forests of trees, and I think the odd subtlety of it and how it screens off cities and towns and makes the countryside appear even more secluded than it is strikes me as quite remarkable and unforgettable.

I slept for a few hours outside of the Poconos, and then drove on into Jersey, along the Delaware, and on into New York. Walked up to Porsche's restaurant, and he came bursting out with a hug and a smile. Always a good way to be greeted.

And since then, I've been sleeping. But in New York City now.
More to come.

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