Cincinnati Bound
by REBECCA ASHBY
Wow! I just drove from central Florida to Cincinnati,Ohio. What a journey! I allowed myself two days to reach my destination thinking I wouldn't tax "my poor worn out ole self" too much that way. The first day went really well. The sun was shining brightly and I just boogied on down the road without a care in the world! First travelling up through Jacksonville where I encountered just a bit of morning rush hour traffic and then on into the coastal region of Savannah, Georgia, through South Carolina and finally into the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina; the smoky blue haze overlooking the mountain peaks on the winding mountain roads was breathtaking. Of course, my camera was in the trunk of my car so I didn't get to snap the serene beauty on my digital. Exhausted from my day's journey, I settled into a luxurious hotel room in Asheville, North Carolina and snuggled under the covers for twelve hours.
Being well rested after my night of peaceful slumbering, I was excited to start the second day of my journey. I sprinted out to my car to retrieve my espresso machine so I could have a tall latte and get going. A thick chilly rainy mist was in the air. Clearly, this was going to be an entirely different experience than day one.
Ready for the adventure of the day, I drove out of the hotel parking lot and snapped into expressway mode. I was glad I'd had that latte. The windy mountain road was thick with dense fog and pelting rain. Even with my windshield wipers on super speed,I could barely see a quarter of a mile in front of me. I settled behind the line of trucks and hoped the rain and fog was short lived. Unfortunately eight hours later,I was still dealing with both rain and fog as I pulled into my hotel parking lot in Cincinnati,Ohio.
Glad the second day's nightmare was over,I mused over what "the roller coaster of life" had heaped upon me this time! "There but for the grace of God go I" is all that came to mind. Stay tuned for part two of Becky's winter automobile trip to the Midwest.
Segment Two After I had finally dragged all my wet and soggy stuff into the Extended Stay which I will be calling home for the next few days. I decided to find a Skyline Chilli. As I was walking out of the lobby,I asked the desk clerk "where is the nearest Skyline?" To my delight,she said "right across the street; you can't see it from here because the bank is in front of it." Now,in case anyone doesn't know,Skyline has been a tradition in Cincinnati since 1949. The company was originated by Nicholas Lambrinides who came to the US from Kastoria, Greece. As a small boy he had watched his mom and grandma prepare Greek dishes and he used those secret recipes to create the Skyline Chilli restaurants No one knows the ingredients in the chilli but my taste buds say there is definitely some chocolate in it. At any rate, I love Skyline's three ways and chilli cheese sandwiches. Having now satisfied my craving for Skyline, I returned to my room, made a few phone calls to let my family know that I had arrived at my destination, had a couple of glasses of wine while listening to some jazz and unwinding , then went to sleep.
I awoke to a new day and a new feeling. When I looked out my window while sipping my latte, I noticed that heavy winter coats were the order of the day. The sky was a bit overcast; lots of traffic was moving at a rapid clip along the roads and sirens could be heard in the distance. Determined to jump into the day and excited to make an excursion into the past to check out all my old hangouts, I hopped into my car, made a quick stop at Skyline for lunch and then ventured gingerly into the day.
My initial stop was at my first home, the one where I had raised my children and had so many happy memories. As I stared at this place, I didn't feel any of those nostalgic sensations. The house was a run down empty shack in a desolate and barren ghetto neighborhood. As I moved on up the road to look at my next nostalgic memory, I noticed a brand new playground with brightly colored equipment where none had existed previously and I felt good that this generation of children would have a brand new clean park in which to play!
I'd had enough of nostalgia so I headed off to the local mall for a little shopping. After buying a shiny blouse for my night's adventure and stopping at Starbucks for my caffeine fix, I headed back through the dense traffic to my abode. I'm having dinner with my brother tonight and perhaps we'll go out on the town to catch some sounds. I'l l share that experience with you tomorrow!
Segment Three
After slipping into my new blouse , throwing on some makeup and jewelry, I drove south on the expressway to my brother's home in Over the Rhine. The sixteen mile trip turned out to be quite an adventure as three police cars, sirens blazing, rushed on to Interstate 71. "No big deal on a busy highway," I thought to myself until three more cop cars entered and then at the next juncture three more until fifteen had emerged before my exit. I still do not know what transpired but I did hear on the news today that a family of six had been murdered last night in Cincy.
