I’d clocked just under two hundred
miles on the trip from Buffalo to Cleveland. Hardly a long journey, the
expedition along Lake Erie had still managed to wipe me out. I slept crazy late
into the afternoon (like 2pm late) while Neil studied law at the far end of the
room. It was the hunger that finally roused my senses, and there was only one
place Neil could think for me to satiate it: Melt Bar and Griddle, an establishment known for its colossal
grilled cheeses.
With stomachs sufficiently packed
with cheddar we headed to the hart of downtown for the requisite sight seeing. The
day was bright and warm and Neil was excited to played tour guide again. We
wandered in and out of the public squares, parks, and malls nestled in-between
the federal buildings, libraries, and skyscrapers of the city center. It seemed quiet for a
Wednesday afternoon, a testament to the decline of the once vibrant American
hub. But it was cleaner and less destitute than Buffalo’d been. After the
monuments in Cleveland square and the fountain at the Mall we migrated across
Superior Av. to take in The Arcade. Built in the 1880s as one of America’s
first indoor shopping center I was met with three hundred feet of four-tiered
atrium, gilded and lustrous under an arched glass celling. The top two tiers,
as well as the adjacent buildings had been turned into a hotel, but the bottom
two were still boutique-laden. My first ‘arcade’ of the trip (I’d run into a
few along the way), Cleveland’s would prove to be the benchmark for all future
ones - and none would quite live up to its extravagance.
Committed to making it a true lazy
day on the road, I supplemented my late start with a quiet night back at Neil’s
apartment: T.V, beers, and some Chinese food delivered to the door.
