For dinner last night in Brunswick, Ohio we went to Panini's Bar and Grill. What a delight. We sat in the outdoor section that was next to a small stream, and since it was twilight, we saw several ducks and geese come in for a landing for the night. After eating we burned off a couple of stogies there before calling it a night at the Quality Inn.
Today we just drove, stopping for lunch to eat leftovers at a park in Southington, Ohio before making it into Pennsylvania, where we got as far as Corry where we had dinner at Willa's Pizzeria, then whetted our whistle a couple of doors down at theTamarack Tavern (where they allow indoor smoking and enjoyed more cigars), and then settled for the night at the Something Special Suites in Corry.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Brunswick, Ohio
For dinner last night we ate at the Casa Mexicana which was sharing the same parking lot as the Bellevue Inn & Suites we were staying at in Bellevue, Ohio. Don't remember the last time I went to a Mexican restaurant where I didn't take home a substantial amount of leftovers, but we ate just about everything but the tablecloth. The food was tasty enough, but I've been to much better Mexican restaurants at home in So Cal. Their chips and salsa were excellent, so they have the game half won. If they worked on their Margaritas so they aren't so sweet, they'd have themselves a real winner. (Plus larger portions.)
Some of the turn-of-the-last-century homes along Highway 20 in Bellevue were simply stunning, and it seemed from a casual observer's point of view that one neighborhood in particular seemed to have a rivalry going on as to who could make their home the head-turner of the block. Made me wonder how they all rolled out the holidays.
It was such a lovely evening after eats, that we sat outside and burned a couple of cigars...the first time since Sayre, Oklahoma at the 66 Lounge where we smoked INDOORS.
Tom remembered that a fellow light bulb aficionado, Jerry Westlick lived in the general proximity of where we spent the night, and after an email and a phone call, arrangements were made to backtrack to Elmore in order to visit Jerry's collection of bulbs and antique clocks (two of which were tower clocks that he had to cut small rectangular holes into his floor in order to accommodate their pendulums, which were in the basement). It was like visiting a museum that we didn't have to pay an admission.
Today was Memorial Day, the sky was blue and the sun was beaming, and if I tried to count the number of folks out on their scooters, it probably would have been well over one hundred. We've been trying to stick to the two-lane roads, since driving with the top down, going seventy and trying
to keep up with the big rigs is not exactly relaxing.
Stopped for lunch in Sandusky at the Mo Boyz BBQ, then continued on to Brunswick, (a suburb of Cleveland), where we're staying at a Quality Inn.
Some of the turn-of-the-last-century homes along Highway 20 in Bellevue were simply stunning, and it seemed from a casual observer's point of view that one neighborhood in particular seemed to have a rivalry going on as to who could make their home the head-turner of the block. Made me wonder how they all rolled out the holidays.
It was such a lovely evening after eats, that we sat outside and burned a couple of cigars...the first time since Sayre, Oklahoma at the 66 Lounge where we smoked INDOORS.
Tom remembered that a fellow light bulb aficionado, Jerry Westlick lived in the general proximity of where we spent the night, and after an email and a phone call, arrangements were made to backtrack to Elmore in order to visit Jerry's collection of bulbs and antique clocks (two of which were tower clocks that he had to cut small rectangular holes into his floor in order to accommodate their pendulums, which were in the basement). It was like visiting a museum that we didn't have to pay an admission.
Today was Memorial Day, the sky was blue and the sun was beaming, and if I tried to count the number of folks out on their scooters, it probably would have been well over one hundred. We've been trying to stick to the two-lane roads, since driving with the top down, going seventy and trying
to keep up with the big rigs is not exactly relaxing.
Stopped for lunch in Sandusky at the Mo Boyz BBQ, then continued on to Brunswick, (a suburb of Cleveland), where we're staying at a Quality Inn.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Bellevue, Ohio
Went to Piggy's for dinner in Angola, Indiana last night. Since we unknowingly crossed over into another time zone, AND laundry had to be done, we got to Piggy's just after the main menu was being offered, but we could still get bar food. Plus we could order grownup drinks that the bartender knew how to make to our liking without having to go look it up.
Earplugs were not just a necessity, but a sanity saver, as there was a DJ playing the same awful crap tune after tune that sounded like Disco, but with a Techno sound, (which I'm sure has a specific name, but my name for it was, "Let's finish up so we can blow this joint"). Plus it was way louder than was comfortable. (Earplugs. Is there nothing they can't do?)
We had breakfast at the Ramada that we were staying at in Angola, and then hit some back roads until we parked under the shade of a tree in Napoleon, Ohio where we ate our leftovers from Piggy's from the night before. There was a young lad (maybe 8 or 9) who passed back and forth on his bicycle by our convertible (with the top down), quite curious as to our purpose as we discussed the Ohio road map and our next moves.
We stopped in Bowling Green at Beckett's Burger Bar for a couple of screwdrivers (but mainly to use the restroom), and then continued on to Bellevue, Ohio where we're staying at the Bellevue Inn and Suites.
Earplugs were not just a necessity, but a sanity saver, as there was a DJ playing the same awful crap tune after tune that sounded like Disco, but with a Techno sound, (which I'm sure has a specific name, but my name for it was, "Let's finish up so we can blow this joint"). Plus it was way louder than was comfortable. (Earplugs. Is there nothing they can't do?)
We had breakfast at the Ramada that we were staying at in Angola, and then hit some back roads until we parked under the shade of a tree in Napoleon, Ohio where we ate our leftovers from Piggy's from the night before. There was a young lad (maybe 8 or 9) who passed back and forth on his bicycle by our convertible (with the top down), quite curious as to our purpose as we discussed the Ohio road map and our next moves.
We stopped in Bowling Green at Beckett's Burger Bar for a couple of screwdrivers (but mainly to use the restroom), and then continued on to Bellevue, Ohio where we're staying at the Bellevue Inn and Suites.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Angola, Indiana
Our night in Chicago consisted of going to dinner at the Mei's restaurant that was attached to the Best Western we were staying at. Everybody we talked to on the phone told us to get pizza, but it had just taken us three days to finish the pizza from the Stadium Bar & Grill in Springfield, Illinois and so we were kind of pizzad-out at this particular moment in time.
Even so, we probably should have taken their advice, since Mei's was a disappointment as far as the service, and the food was just okay.
Of course it would have been nice to spend at least a couple of days in the windy city, but we had a mission to continue on to upstate, New York to deliver a shadow box that was taking up the back seat of our Mustang.
So we put the pedal to the metal and drove about an hour and a half on the toll highway and then had lunch at a Burger King at a travel center just before we got to Elkhart, Indiana where we departed from the main road, and got onto a two-lane 55mph road with not that much commercial traffic on it, until we made it to Angola for the night, where we are staying at a Ramada (where they warned us not to drink the tap water).
Even so, we probably should have taken their advice, since Mei's was a disappointment as far as the service, and the food was just okay.
Of course it would have been nice to spend at least a couple of days in the windy city, but we had a mission to continue on to upstate, New York to deliver a shadow box that was taking up the back seat of our Mustang.
So we put the pedal to the metal and drove about an hour and a half on the toll highway and then had lunch at a Burger King at a travel center just before we got to Elkhart, Indiana where we departed from the main road, and got onto a two-lane 55mph road with not that much commercial traffic on it, until we made it to Angola for the night, where we are staying at a Ramada (where they warned us not to drink the tap water).
Friday, May 23, 2014
Route 66 The End
Didn't stay at Harrah's for two nights in Joliet, Illinois for a variety of reasons, but we did visit the Joliet Area Historical Museum ('cuz we got it for half price), before moving on to Chicago.
Made it to where we saw the familiar brown sign that helped us guide our way, only this time it said, "Historical Route 66-End".
Since it was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, we thought it would be best to find a place to stay shortly after check-in time, and found The Best Western Grant Park, not far from Lake Michigan.
We plan on celebrating our achievement at a local watering hole, but only if we can walk to one from here, or the valet tips will eat us alive.
Made it to where we saw the familiar brown sign that helped us guide our way, only this time it said, "Historical Route 66-End".
Since it was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, we thought it would be best to find a place to stay shortly after check-in time, and found The Best Western Grant Park, not far from Lake Michigan.
We plan on celebrating our achievement at a local watering hole, but only if we can walk to one from here, or the valet tips will eat us alive.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Joliet
We thought we'd visit the bar at the bowling alley next door to the Best Western we were staying at in Lincoln, Illinois last night after we had leftover pizza for dinner, only to find out that they close early on Wednesdays. Dang! Made for an early night.
Since it was a hot, muggy day yesterday, it turned out to be a pretty good day to have spent five hours indoors at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield. Today was mostly overcast, but in the seventies, so it was a pretty nice day for the top down and the wind in our hair, even though we did have to run the heater a little bit.
We finally finished off the pizza from the night before last for lunch at a picnic table in a park in Towanda, then we stopped in Lexington at Dat Bar for a couple of screwdrivers (mainly to use the facilities since the park in Towanda had none).
Managed to make it as far as Harrah's in Joliet before we called it a day. It might be nice to stay two nights, just to vary our two-week routine of moving it along by checkout time. (It's probably going to depend on how well the casino treats us.)
Since it was a hot, muggy day yesterday, it turned out to be a pretty good day to have spent five hours indoors at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield. Today was mostly overcast, but in the seventies, so it was a pretty nice day for the top down and the wind in our hair, even though we did have to run the heater a little bit.
We finally finished off the pizza from the night before last for lunch at a picnic table in a park in Towanda, then we stopped in Lexington at Dat Bar for a couple of screwdrivers (mainly to use the facilities since the park in Towanda had none).
Managed to make it as far as Harrah's in Joliet before we called it a day. It might be nice to stay two nights, just to vary our two-week routine of moving it along by checkout time. (It's probably going to depend on how well the casino treats us.)
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Springfield Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
Found a sports bar looking on the internet for someplace to eat in Springfield, Illinois last night. It was called Stadium Bar & Grill. I was expecting something a little more sophisticated, but it was a bit on the divey side...but we like divey.
The only thing they had on the menu for Tom to eat was pizza, which according to the menu was available on Fridays and Saturdays and it was a Tuesday. After Tom asked about the pizza deal, the bartender/waitress verbally corrected the menu by telling us that they serve it 7 days a week now. (Whew!) Between the two of us we managed to finish a little over one third of it. We're having leftover pizza for dinner tonight, and probably breakfast tomorrow and perhaps beyond.
Today we spent about five hours at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, so we didn't get very much farther down the road today. Only made it to Lincoln to stay at yet another Best Western, but managed to be situated for the night before the rain began to fall. No top down for us today.
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