I haven't been to Cleveland, Ohio, where my parents live, since last July—and La hasn't been there in over a year. So last weekend the three of us got in the car and drove through twelve hours of flat farmland for a little family reunion.
We left in the evening after Dr P was done with work, so we stopped in Louisville to stay the night in a hotel I had booked a few days prior.
I'm sort of addicted to Hotwire. There's nothing like the thrill of choosing a "star rating" for the hotel you would like to stay in (five stars if you're feeling snobby, one star if you're feeling seedy), and then choosing the general neighborhood where you would like that star-rated hotel to be, and finally pressing the "purchase hotel room" button while reciting a quick Hail Mary ... and waiting for your fate to be delivered.
It's riveting. You should try it.
Except this time it sort of backfired. For some reason all the 3-star-and-up hotels in Louisville were booked (annual truck show, we were told), so I had to relinquish my usual "3-star minimum" rule and resort to a fifty-five dollar two-star establishment. Which is just fine, right?
Except when that hotel ends up being a glorified truck stop sandwiched between a strip club and a pawn shop.
But, being the daughter of Super Dave, and knowing we could not be refunded the money we had spent on this dive, I was determined to give it a shot.
Dr. P was determined to get the bejesus out of there.
You should have seen the look on his cute face. I called him a yuppie and got out of the car, heading toward the lobby. The door was locked, and there was a sign saying that guests arriving after 11:00 pm should use the provided phone to dial the attendant. It was 11:10, so I picked up the phone. After a few rings a man answered. I explained that I needed to check in. He sounded confused and muttered something in another language. I explained again that I needed to check in, and he muttered another phrase I could not understand. And then I hung up. And stood there. And stood there. And stood there.
And that's when I finally took the sign the Universe was giving me and got back into the car. I was greeted by a relieved Dr P, who emphatically stated, "I AM SO GLAD YOU'RE NOT MAKING US STAY IN THAT HELLHOLE."
Because every stinking hotel in Louisville was booked, we ended up staying at a Fort Knox hotel. We had to drive miles and miles off the interstate, but when we got to the luxurious Candlewood Suites, it was well worth it.
I, too, am a yuppie I guess.
And I don't have to give up my addiction because Hotwire was more than generous with the refund, covering the much more expensive hotel we ended up staying in. I will definitely be using them again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Cleveland weekend was full of all kinds of fun stuff, like a visit to the age-old West Side Market and then the Tribe home opener.
We scalped tickets and got to sit in the nosebleeds for $6 each. Not bad!
The next day my dad decided it would be fun to take Dr P out on Lake Erie in his boat ... in 34-degree weather. To fish for Walleye. If you ask me, I think it was a "man test." And I think Dr P earned some "man points" or whatever. I really don't think my dad would have been out there battling the snow, rain and waves in his Alumacraft if he didn't have an innate need to show his future son-in-law how real men fish.
But who cares! I got to go shopping!
I love this picture of Dr P with his big ol' grin, proudly displaying his catch. I think he rather enjoyed earning his Super Dave man points.
That night we got to meet up with some old friends and sample one of Cleveland's new crazes, Melt. We hung out at the bar and waited 3 hours for a table. It was a rip-roaring good time.
The next day we said our goodbyes and drove straight through to Birmingham. It was so great to be back in Cleveland for a weekend. I hope we can do it again soon!
1 comments:
The place has a lot of sports events to look forward to. There are also amazing spots to visit.
Post a Comment