The last leg
We woke to hazy sun and a mild case of conjunctivitis in my right eye. Needless to say, I swabbed the entire cab of our truck with antibacterial wipes before we got on our way. A hot compress and the thought of spending tonight in a clean bed have cause minor improvements in my eye already - I just have to stick to a firm “no touching” rule today. I’m not a travel expert by any means, but I do have some advice for people traveling through Toledo: avoid the Motel 6 on Heatherdowns. It’s disgusting in so many ways. The dirty carpets, the unavoidable smell of dog food (Motel 6 is pet friendly, which some of you might appreciate, but which I, Queen of all Nasal Allergies, don’t), and the in-desperate-need-of-renovations bathrooms. This particular location also comes with rooms that are too large for the amount of furniture they contain, giving the room a horror movie set feel; and a sassy black lady, just like the ones you meet behind the checkout counter as Duane Reade, manning the front desk. Now, it’s not like the other Motel 6’s we stayed in were Waldorf-comparable, but they were, for the most part clean, clean-smelling, and we were greeted by friendly midwestern girls who seemed genuinely happy that we were staying there. I think Chicago is the sassy black lady divide, and as we head further east, they’re going to become part of our lives once again. (Probably as soon as I head to Duane Reade tomorrow for some Benadryl.). Mostly, though, the Motel 6 gave me bad dreams - I’m not kidding - our room really did look like the setting in a horror movie. I didn’t sleep well, and I’m grateful that the Ohio Turnpike rest stops have Starbuck’s in their food courts. We’re bounding towards Cleveland now, still on the stretch of I80 that travels along I90. This part of Ohio is still pretty flat, and it amazes me that so much of the country’s landscape is so similar - and yet so different from where I’ve spent most of my life. I was talking to my dad about it yesterday and he observed “doesn’t it kind of make you feel like an outsider?” And it does, in a significant way. Growing up in Boston, getting educated in Chicago’s south side, and living in New York has, I’ve realized, opened my mind in so many ways, but closed it in others. Especially living in NYC, you start to this that this is how the world is, this is the pace, everyone lives on top of each other, everything is so close. Most of the U.S. doesn’t live like this, and this drive has given me some perspective on how small the Northeast and our sensibilies are in comparison to the rest of this great country. Now I’m really curious to visit the states I haven’t yet and to see more and learn more. That, of course, will have to wait. Today, I’ll see Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and then be back in the land of subways and skyscrapers.
