waiting

My connecting flight from STL to JFK was delayed, so I had to wait another day before arriving in the city between continents. The weather has evidently cleared over New York, so I should be able to get started today. It was nice to have another day with my p's and sister. Now I feel completely prepared, although my commuter-sized bag is already bursting.

The drive from Philly was miserable. My brother, Dave, flew in to "help me move", which actually complicated matters. As a result, I gave away my television, dvd and vcr players to make room for him. Additionally, I left a few things-ironing board, pillows, and plant/plant stand- in the basement of the house I had been staying in the past month. Much of the time I had been in Philadelphia, we had often discussed the possibility of meeting in Cleveland, because neither of us had really spent a night taking in the city. This immediately became a stop on our agenda.
Anyway, after picking him up @ the airport, we went straight to Pat's and Geno's, the two pillars of grease known for their cheese steak rivalry. We then went out to dinner, then a few bars in the old city before making our way toward the heart of center city, where we soaked up the atmosphere at the bars around Rittenhouse Square. We returned to the South Philly apartment extremely late, before catching some sleep. My brother fell asleep on my roomie's futon, which turned out to be catastrophic, since he spilled a full can of beer all over it, meaning, we had to take the cover to be cleaned at a local laundromat, which wasn't open, but made concessions after much pleading. We were finally able to make it on the road around 10, but not before throwing on the flashers, and running up the Art Museum stairs (ala Rocky) in the freezing air. It was great to see Center City from that perspective one last time before leaving for good.
We eventually left town around one in the afternoon, then took our time with the seven-hour drive to the city that: "rocks". We went out to dinner at a sushi place on a block mainly comprised of nightlife. It was a freezing night, and I'm fairly certain I received a cold. I spent the a little less than a week in Detroit helping my brother paint and finish his cabinets, before returning to STL this past weekend.

Although, I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would've liked with my sis and p's, it was enough. And the additional day provided just a great finally before embarking on this adventure.

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