Why is this thus? What is the reason for this thusness? -Artemus Ward
Yes. Sadly, yes.
All I wanted, once we picked up the kid and her 185 pounds of luggage -- this is a 3 day visit, mind you -- was to check in, dump the luggage, find food, and a semi-strong cocktail.
The drive wasn't really all that stressful. We left from the eastern burbs of metro Cincinnati and hit SR (State Route) 32, eastbound. A few miles up the I-275 loop, headed towards SR 32, Hamilton County gives way to Clermont County, which leads to Brown, then Adams, then Scioto. There was a time in my life -- a time when I would have sent back this froo-froo mess of a drink (Yes, that's a cherry on top) and ordered a beer instead...
Self-consciousness kills communication.
-Rick Steves
 |
| Yes. Man points were lost. |
Is it possible to get a massive brain freeze from a cocktail?
Yes. Sadly, yes.
All I wanted, once we picked up the kid and her 185 pounds of luggage -- this is a 3 day visit, mind you -- was to check in, dump the luggage, find food, and a semi-strong cocktail.
The drive wasn't really all that stressful. We left from the eastern burbs of metro Cincinnati and hit SR (State Route) 32, eastbound. A few miles up the I-275 loop, headed towards SR 32, Hamilton County gives way to Clermont County, which leads to Brown, then Adams, then Scioto. There was a time in my life -- a time when I would have sent back this froo-froo mess of a drink (Yes, that's a cherry on top) and ordered a beer instead...
Because that's what any self-respecting man would do, right?
-- when I spent a lot of time driving eastbound on SR 32. Driving into Eastern Ohio. Clermont and Brown county are rural counties that used to be part of the corn and steel belt; over the years the family farms were sold and cut up into 1/4 acre house lots, and the steel mills closed. Adams County and east is geographically the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It's coal country. Or, at least it used to be. Since there aren't any talk mountains to flatten in Ohio, the coal companies aren't as prevalent as they used to be. And of course, they blame the EPA and Obama....
never mind that when Bush was in office, they DIDN'T blame him. They just blamed the EPA... which GW didn't defund or tear down bit by bit.
From 32 we turned onto SR 35, which took us even deeper into eastern Ohio. At one point, in a wide spot in the road called Unincorporated South Bend, we drove by an abandoned building I SWEAR I've dreamed about... but that's for another time.
And I didn't even mind driving through By Gawd West Virginia... though the toll on the West Virginia Turnpike has increased the last time I had to drive it.
But I do have to admit that intestate driving makes me nervous.
Sure, it's the open road. Sure, when you drive it's easier to stop and go at your own pace. And yes, there's a definite relationship between Americans and their cars and BLAH BLAH BLAH.
I hate interstate driving. People are insane and cars are 3 ton crazy makers. You take someone who's mostly socially well-adjusted, swaddle him (or her) in steel, fiberglass, and aluminum, and you run the risk of letting a raving raging dumbass out on the road.
You know I'm right.
But by the time I was sitting down for dinner at a strategically located seafood buffet that advertised cocktails,, all I really wanted was a gin and tonic. But I didn't see any indication that they even KEPT gin, let alone knew how to mix it right. I scanned one of the menu inserts covering the type of drinks they could prepare and I found one that that didn't make me noxious. It's touristy, I told myself.
never mind that when Bush was in office, they DIDN'T blame him. They just blamed the EPA... which GW didn't defund or tear down bit by bit.
From 32 we turned onto SR 35, which took us even deeper into eastern Ohio. At one point, in a wide spot in the road called Unincorporated South Bend, we drove by an abandoned building I SWEAR I've dreamed about... but that's for another time.
And I didn't even mind driving through By Gawd West Virginia... though the toll on the West Virginia Turnpike has increased the last time I had to drive it.
But I do have to admit that intestate driving makes me nervous.
Sure, it's the open road. Sure, when you drive it's easier to stop and go at your own pace. And yes, there's a definite relationship between Americans and their cars and BLAH BLAH BLAH.
I hate interstate driving. People are insane and cars are 3 ton crazy makers. You take someone who's mostly socially well-adjusted, swaddle him (or her) in steel, fiberglass, and aluminum, and you run the risk of letting a raving raging dumbass out on the road.
You know I'm right.
But by the time I was sitting down for dinner at a strategically located seafood buffet that advertised cocktails,, all I really wanted was a gin and tonic. But I didn't see any indication that they even KEPT gin, let alone knew how to mix it right. I scanned one of the menu inserts covering the type of drinks they could prepare and I found one that that didn't make me noxious. It's touristy, I told myself.