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Road Trip Epilogue Part 1: Philadelphia and Valley Forge

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

On the morning of Day 8 of the road trip (August 31), we drove into Philly. I picked up the keys and Mom started taking stuff out of the car and up the front steps while I carried it from the entryway to my third floor room. Our calves would be sore for the next few days after this adventure.

The car was quickly unloaded, so we took off for Brothers Furniture on 40th and Market. We ordered a bed for me, then we went to Lee’s Hoagie House (on Walnut between 40th and 41st) for the first hoagie of the school year. The woman at the cash register, whom I had seen over the years but had never known for sure was the owner, recognized me and asked if I was visiting. I said I was back for my Ph.D. She congratulated me, and told me to make sure I tell the employees whenever I call for delivery that the owner said they deliver to my address. It was good to be back in Philly, and better to feel welcomed rather than spit on.

After the bed was delivered and Mom had figured out how to assemble the bed frame, we had a quick dinner at Penang in Chinatown and made our first run to Ikea, the Swedish furniture wonder store. As in, I wonder how they are able to sell this furniture so cheaply, I wonder how in the world I was able to fit it in my car, and I wonder how my mother found the strength to lift nearly 100 pounds of dresser out of the car (with my help of course).

Saturday, September 1: Valley Forge

I was determined that my mother not spend the whole weekend helping me buy furniture in Philly. She was determined to keep the priority on helping me settle in. I convinced her that if we went to Valley Forge on Saturday, which was only half an hour west of the city, we could then go to the nearby Target discount store afterwards for more supplies.

We got to Valley Forge just in time to join an hour-and-a-half trolley tour. The guide explained the significance of Valley Forge, a training ground where the troops of the 13 colonies truly unified into a single army against the British. We saw a typical encampment, Washington’s headquarters, and a cathedral built in the 20th century as a memorial to Washington.

After an informative tour, we drove to the Oaks and had lunch at Max and Erma’s, a Chili’s or TGI-Friday’s-like restaurant with less “flair” (and I mean that in a good way). The waitress asked if we wanted to order cookies up front. Sure, why not? After our large lunch, we were brought a PAN of six cookies (3 chocolate chip, 3 macadamia nut)–soft, hot and fresh from the oven. Only at your own mother’s house can you get better cookies in America.

After lunch, we had one more exhausting round of shopping (Target, Walmart, and Ikea again). We had dinner with my roommate Anne at an Italian bar and restaurant 3 blocks from my new home. It was delicious.

Sundy morning came too soon, and my mother caught her flight to L.A.

Road Trip Day 7: Cleveland, OH to Pottstown, PA

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Distance driven: 427 mi
Time including all stops:10 hours 8 minutes

The hotel deal we had gotten at the Radisson did not include breakfast. I was hoping we would have time to walk to Public Square and grab a bite at a coffee shop like the workers in downtown Cleveland tend to do, but it seemed too time consuming. Instead, we had a buffet breakfast at the Library Grille, the restaurant inside the hotel. It was okay, but the best hotel breakfast was definitely at the Comfort Inn in Cody, Wyoming. Their waffles were the fluffiest, and the hardboiled eggs were pre-peeled. The atmosphere was a winner, too.

We left the hotel (with all of my possessions as far as I could tell) at about 8:50 a.m. It was remarkably easy to get onto the freeway and out of Cleveland. The drive through Ohio and into Pennsylvania was largely uneventful except for two personal things. First, once we crossed into Pennsyvlania, I realized I was home. Even though Philadelphia was still a few hundred miles away, Western Pennsylvania’s roads and scenery were as familiar to me as the rock walls on Interstate 76 West towards Valley Forge. I realized this would be the last state I’d be crossing into for a while.

Turning 100

The second thing that happened is that Baby (my car) had a milestone—she turned 100,000 miles. At first I felt bad that I had not been behind the wheel at that historic moment. Since the road we were on was narrow, slow, and windy, though, my mother and I concluded that if I had been behind the wheel I would have ended up focusing on the odometer instead of the road, or vice versa. Either way the results would not have been good.

There was no time to get out of the car and celebrate or light a candle, let alone bake a cake. All of that celebrating happened inside my soul. And while it may seem silly to make such a fuss about a machine, it is important to note that devotion to automobiles is one of the few aspects of my personality that is Californian (love of decent Mexican food and caring about who wins awards for television and movies are the other two). Baby is also one of the few things in my life that has remained constant over the past 10 years. And she has been dependable for all but two days in those 10 years. Who doesn’t need to celebrate a friend like that?

Fallingwater

At mile 100,001 on my car, we pulled into the parking lot of Fallingwater. This was a home that the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright built for the Kaufmanns, a family of department store owners from Pittsburgh. The tour guide explained the system of cantilevers that were used to balance the house over a waterfall. She showed how Wright made use of natural light, the sound of the waterfall, windows, ceilings, and space to direct people’s attention to nature. She also pointed out the parts of the house design or decoration that were chosen by the Kaufmanns, sometimes over Wright’s objection. We took a short walk to an area with a view of the house and the waterfall together. Then we returned to the Visitors Center.

We left Fallingwater at about 2:30. A mere four and a half hours later, we arrived in Pottstown, a town one hour west of Philadelphia. It’s not a historical site, though nearby Hopewell Furnace and French Creek State Park are worth a visit. We were there to spend a night at the home of Bob and Barbara Brown, our family friends and my home away from home

Mom took a tour of Bob’s postal museum while I chatted with Barbara. We finally got out of the house and headed towards dinner. Although Barbara is a fine cook, Mom had insisted on taking them out in exchange for putting us up. They drove us to the Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, a historic old house that was converted to a restaurant. Reportedly it is haunted, but the only strange noises and lights we noticed were from the cars and people heading to the bar out back.

The portions of chicken, pork, and veal were ample and delicious. We had no room for dessert. We went back to the house, where Barbara gave us some Wilbur Chocolates, a denser, less sugary version of Hershey’s kisses. Shortly after, we turned in for the night.

Road Trip Day 6: Rockford, IL to Cleveland, OH

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Distance driven:427 mi Time including all stops:12 hours 5 minutes (includes one hour lost for change from Central to Eastern Time) I got up early and used the exercise equipment. We had breakfast and hit the road at about 8:30. It took ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road Trip Day 5: Minneapolis, MN to Rockford, IL

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Distance driven:341 mi Time including all stops: 8 hours 31 minutes I woke up around 9. Lynette was up. My mother was up a few minutes later. Lynette asked what I thought of the thunderstorm. What thunderstorm, I said? They ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road Trip Day 4: Custer, SD to Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Distance driven:641 mi Time including all stops:14 hours 17 minutes (includes one hour lost for change from Mountain to Central Time) We got up for an early breakfast and were on the road by 7:20 a.m. We drove the 20 miles (30 km) ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road Trip Day 3: Cody, WY to Custer, SD

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Distance driven:411 mi Time including all stops:12 hours 21 minutes We got up and took our tickets to the general store across the parking lot. It had a back room for Comfort Inn’s complimentary breakfast. It was essentially the same ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road Trip Day 2: Woods Cross, UT to Cody, WY

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Distance driven: 467 mi Time including all stops: 13 hours 32 minutes Mom and I got up at 7:00 a.m. and were immediately impressed by the complimentary, continental buffet breakfast at the Comfort Inn. Usually “continental” means juice, coffee, and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road Trip Day 1: Los Angeles, CA to Woods Cross, UT

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Distance driven: 694 mi Time including all stops: 13 hours 59 minutes (includes one hour lost for transition from Pacific to Mountain Time) Miraculously, we left my mother’s house at 9:00 a.m. as planned. My mother took the first driving shift, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road Trip 5: Los Angeles, CA to Philadelphia, PA

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
Once again, I've been on the move. It was time at the end of August to move to Philadelphia to start a Ph.D. program. Baby (my Honda) still had less than 100,000 miles on it, so I decided to ... [Continue reading this entry]