This road trip is hard to put into summary. I’ve been back home in CT for 2 full days now and have already tried my best to answer the “How was your trip?” question sufficiently. I’ve been on several trips in recent years that had this same problem. I’ve been asked the extremely general “How was it?” to more specific questions like “What was your favorite place?” or “What’s one or two memorable moments?”
I’ve given the best “complete verbal highlight reel” I could to a handful of friends. Since this blog was meant to give the summary as we went, my conclusion on here is that it certainly was the most unique and interesting trip I’ve been on. I’ve flown to far away places a few times, stayed in hotels, been driven around in buses before. But this trip broke all the normal vacation routines. It felt surreal a few times to just stop and think, “We just drove all the way here.” The first time I felt that was standing on the Santa Monica Pier. It was our first look at the Pacific Ocean, and the first self fulfilling moment of rolling from one coast to the other. Of course to then do it again.
I know Berman and I have a handful of specific stories we could share with anyone that is curious. I know for me at least, it can be hard to recall a bunch of moments upon request, they just pop into memory as I go through the trip in my mind.
Personally, my story can be told a far amount through photos. Obviously I wasn’t carrying my camera for every single second so some details went undocumented. I guess if you’re interested in what parts are only our memories, you might have to go through the posts and pictures, find the gaps, and shoot us the questions.
We both noted some interesting and humorous observations about the parts of the U.S. that we went through. And for me, this trip was a need mind clearing adventure as I now return to my job of finding a job. Everyone told us that now are the years to do the crazy road trips while we’re still young. So, I’m glad I did.
I’ve been getting asked if the pictures on this blog are the only pictures I took. Of course not. There are roughly a couple thousand more. Mostly more of what was already posted, but some of places and things that weren’t. The photos posted were selected to give you the best taste of where we went. If you come across a photo that you would like a print of, shoot me an email at melaramie@gmail.com and we can work out a way to get you one. Most common method could be me sending back the full file and you ordering them how you wish. Or I can find ways to send them via Snapfish.com
I hope anyone who read this as we drove around the country did enjoy the pictures and posts. I hope you forgive me for my awful grammar. And if you want to find out more about our experience, I’m sure Berman and myself would be happy to share.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
A somewhat sad moment, as we pulled in the final stop of the road trip. The City of Brotherly Love treated us for the brief time we walked around. We were lead to the city’s art museum, more know for being the “Rocky steps” in which Stalone made his iconic jog. Then over to the Liberty Bell, and more importantly to a food market where I got my first real, authentic Philly Cheesesteak. Which was beyond incredible. Afterward, was the end of the end, as I had to clear out our trusty hybrid of all my belongs and camp gear to make my post-trip drive back up to CT.
Columbus was a short, single night pit stop on to visit another friend of Berman’s who attends Ohio State. (excuse me, THE Ohio State) The night we spent there was spent walking around Columbus on the border of the school. And walk we did. Searching for dinner we covered close to a four mile walk. And we successfully found food out of the hundreds of places in the busy college town. The small bits of the campus we saw looked very interesting, including an arts building with tons of flashing neon lights. Columbus looked like a town to easily find a way to have a good time.
Our stay in Bloomington with two of Berman’s friends who attend Indiana University was a very relaxing and restful as we get ready for the final push home. With only one stop left between here and Philadelphia, it’s hard to believe the trip is coming to an end. After a couple days of constant walking in Chicago, it felt great to recharge. Bloomington however is an awesome college town. Dozens and dozens of local restaurants and bars, a couple of which we got to enjoy. One highlight for me personally was last night as I watched the UCONN Men win the National Championship. Our remaining schedule which originally had has going to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh has changed to Columbus, OH for one night and then straight to Philadelphia.
Chicago has also now been added to my favorite cities list. Even though our time there as with most stops was brief, Chicago is a great place that I wish I visited sooner. We walked through Millenium Park with all the crazy sculptures, its awesome concert venue, to the expanse that its Lake Michigan, and much more of downtown. I also now realize that the nickname “the windy city” is not at all an exaggeration. It was unbelievably windy the entire time, even if it was warm and sunny. But, Chicago’s awesome skyline, with the lake, and the river would make me very excited to maybe live there someday. After hours of exploration and a fulling Thai dinner, Berman and I quickly rushed to find a bar type place to watch the UCONN final four game, which was an incredibly stressful game, thankfully with a great outcome.
Chicago, IL
Our time in St. Louis mostly revolved around beer. That is because we spent about three hours at the Budweiser brewery. Took a free tour, got a couple free samples, and I made several impulse purchases in the gift shop. Very happy we thought of stopping there. After the brewery we made our way over to the arch. Sadly the rides to the top were sold out. We didn’t get to explore much more of the downtown area but I plan on revisiting St. Louis as soon as possible.
St. Louis, MO
Welcome to middle America. Our stop in Springfield was to visit a friend of Berman’s on our way to St. Louis tomorrow. Springfield is another unknown fun place to see some interesting things, and to eat. More on the food in a moment.
The first place we came across in Springfield was a Bass Pro Shop. Now, even we were like, how could a Bass Pro Shop be an actual tourist attraction? This store is the company’s world headquarters, and it is massive. Actually, its bigger than massive. You can get lost inside. There are multiple aquariums, an large indoor waterfall, and a live aligator. Not to mention a full bar and restaurant. Apparently under construction is a bowling alley, and this is all within a Bass Pro Shop. The largest single outdoor supply store in America. The St. Louis arch is not the most visited tourist attraction in Missouri, the Bass Pro Shop is.
Now for the food, and probably the greatest place I’ve ever eaten at. Ever. Just outside of Springfield is a place called Lambert’s Cafe (pictured below). Not only is the food unquestionably delicious, you get more to eat here than any thanksgiving dinner. Servers walk around with food, willingly giving you as much as you could possibly eat. Ever meal on the menu is all you can eat, if that was humanly possible. And for the best part. The freshly basked rolls, also all you can eat, are thrown at you. Yes, thrown. You want a roll, you raise your hand and get ready to keep your eye on the bread as it is flying at you. www.throwedrolls.com
I will forever remember and want to go back to Springfield, MO so I can eat at Lambert’s Cafe again and again.
Lambert’s Cafe. Springfield, MO.
