Cleveland > Chicago

The timing to go through Cleveland worked out really well because it's the same time Ashley needed to be dropped off with her brother to hitch a ride back home and my friend Nathan happened to be there for work building a playground (actually, rebuilding because the last one was accidentally burned to the ground).

Before I dropped Ashley off we went to the West Side Market in Cleveland, it was so awesomely full of amazing looking/smelling/tasting food! Dang that's a lot of butter!

After some unremarkable Mexican food we found this ice cream shop called Handel's... it was soooo good! They have a huge number of flavors and you stand outside to order. It was warm out so when they opened the little window to take our order the frozen breeze was lovely :)

Here is the playground at Bexley Park, I helped assemble that slide!

I came to the playground after dropping off Ashley, after putting on some closed-toe shoes I helped out a bit on the playground. Nathan was kind enough to let me sleep on his hotel floor (yay for AC!). I taught him Zombie Fluxx and we caught up and went to sleep. He had to be at the site at 7am, I woke up when he left... if you can call it that, and went back to sleep. I arrived at the playground sometime around 10am, I felt a little bad, but hey, I'm on vacation :) We then worked until about 9pm and I got to go out with Nathan and his coworkers to Rummy's, a local bar they'd been going to almost every night. After a couple drinks and some too-hot-for-me wings, we went to this other place, the name of which I can't remember, Swing something, because one of the guys working ont he playground was playing that night. After he played it was back to the hotel, at this point it was getting pretty late, especially for guys who get up at 6:30!

Friday morning I slowly woke up and eventually made it over to the playground to say goodbye (and return the Allen wrench I found in my pocket). Then it was off to Chicago! I was using my phone's GPS which seemed to take me on a few extra turns, but no matter, I got to Chicago in one piece! In Chicago I'm staying with my dad's cousin (my 2nd cousin) and her husband and 4th grade daughter (my 3rd cousin). Friday night I watched a movie and passed out, exhausted from all the driving. The next day, Saturday, was the epic bike day, and in the evening my 2nd cousin's nephews (so I guess also my 3rd cousins?) were all over for hte night. We played Zooloretto, a German board game I hadn't tried before, and had Chicago pizza (I will never understand the square slices of a round pizza, but when in Rome I guess!)

After dinner, Marty (cousin) and I did some grocery shopping and stumbled across this...

Now why someone would buy this canned product of Bahrain when you are right next to Wisconsin, home to cheese... I have no idea!


I will update more on Chicago later, now I need to get off my butt and go explore Chicago! (And get my car checked :( fingers crossed that my transmission just needs new fluids!)