First Day in Michigan

Well, the truth of the matter is that I am now home and actually sitting at work on my lunch break. I didn't get much time to write while in Michigan because Lisa's mom only has a dial up connection and it kept freezing while I wrote the last two entries. So I figured it might be best to write the remaining stories from home.

We awoke early on Friday morning and walked around the Magnificent Mile one more time before we had to leave. We walked to the John Hancock Building, got some coffee, and browsed the strip before returning to our hotel.

Before I go on I feel I should show you a few pics of what I have been talking about. The first Pic is the John Hancock Building:



Here is a pic of some classic Chicago pizza:


And here are a few of the city:

.

.

.

An here are a few from the top of the Sears Tower:

(the first is Soldier Field where the Bears play)
.

.

.

.

.

And here is a picture of the Sears Tower itself:
.

And lastly (for now) here are a couple of Lake Michigan:

.

.

.

.

Now, back to our trip.

After returning to the hotel we packed our bags, hit the "El", and headed back to Midway to pick up our rental car. From there, we headed around the southern tip of Lake Michigan through Indiana, on our way to Lisa's mom's house in central Michigan.

After leaving Illinois we decided to get a bit to eat at a Wendy's just outside of Gary Indiana. This would be my first taste of what I would eventually call "the Mid West Stare" (at least that's what I said to myself although I don't believe I ever said it out loud). Upon entrance of this fine fast food eatery I could feel the eyes of some god-fearing kin-folk on the back of my neck. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't feel threatened or anything, just stared at. My appearance in general didn't seem to cause any ruckus, but my earrings on the other hand, seemed to. I spent the rest of my time in small town America feeling this "stare" at least once a day.

Another item that struck me as odd were the little tin ashtrays on every table inside the Wendy's. It has been a while since I've seen ashtrays in any restaurant, let alone a fast food place. I knew at this point I wasn't in Berkeley anymore.

After about 4 1/2 hours in the car we arrived in Owasso; a small town halfway between Lansing (the state capital and home of Michigan State University) and Flint (home of poverty and GM) . Owasso is a small town of about 2,600 people spread out over 10 or so miles. It is connected to a larger town of more than 10,000 that has a Wal-Mart, major grocery store, and various small town businesses. Upon arrival Lisa's mom Nancy asked us if we wanted to go out for "Sliders" which I soon learned was a slang term for greasy hamburgers. We agreed and headed into "town".

The "Slider" establishment was an Irish bar (or at least appeared to be a few days after St. patty's Day) in the center of the adjoining town. While we waited for our burgers I got to know Lisa's mom and her husband Steven. At one point Lisa Mentioned something I had said to her in Jest a few days earlier. She told her mom and Steven that I was interested in seeing Flint,which I mentioned only because it was a town that I had heard of besides Lansing and Detroit. At this point Steven leaned in and quite casually told me:
"I'm not a racist or anything... But that town is full of Niggers."

At this point I wasn't quite sure weather to be angry or laugh hysterically. I mean, who precludes a statement like that with "I'm not a racist"? So, as Lisa squeezed my knee under the table in anger, I smiled and nodded my head thinking: They still make people like you?

Well, that's all I have time for right now, but I do have some more stories that I'll get to as soon as I can. But for now...

-Ciao