West of Pennsylvania

Leaving Johnstown, we took Route 22 to Pittsburgh. Every half mile there was an adult store or entertainment
center. It was almost shocking how closely these establishments were from one another, how many cars were parked outside, and how seedy and scary these places were. There must have been about 25 of them spaced evenly apart. Of course, there weren't any real bookstores or anything else of an educational nature as far as we could tell. Is there nothing else to do in rural Pennsylvania? Are there not groups of people in the country who are against zoning of this sort and could try and stop them from popping up everywhere? Where were all the "Far-Right-Conservatives-From-Small-Town-America" cleaning all this up? It was very bizarre. Lots of 'Tea Party' billboards but no grass-roots movements to rid themselves of smut in their midst! It was a major yuck factor while trying to get to Pittsburgh.

We went to the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. The whole way to the city, Marley and Cole kept asking, "What is this place we're going to? What's there exactly? Why are we going there?". I don't think I gave good enough descriptions of why I believed they would love this place that I had read about. This place is absolutely the most fascinating multi-cultural place I have ever seen.

This is a picture of Marley and Cole in front of the Cathedral which holds the record for the highest university tower.

According to the University; "The work began in nationality communities of Allegheny County as they responded to an

invitation to create classrooms that would

represent highly creative periods or aspects of their heritage.

Social organizations labored with pride to finance a classroom where generations of their descendants would study. The enthusiasm spread across the nation to the motherlands, where committees were formed to assist in planning the rooms. Governments responded with generous support, provided architects, artists, materials, and gifts to assure authenticity and superb quality in their classrooms." The picture to the left is of the ground floor. The classrooms are along the outside wall.

The Nationality Rooms are magical. Cole had a little key to open heavy wooden doors. It was like being in Wonderland. It's hard to describe the awe as we'd open each door. The rooms are so thoughtful, so appreciative of history, and certainly amazingly designed. I was in heaven. Although I have never been a fan of Pittsburgh, the University has lifted my spirits about the city. (We also had a chance to visit with my cousin Elizabeth and her boyfriend Paul. They were celebrating the first year of their relationship with us!) See if you can guess which country is celebrated in each photo (answers at the end):

We left the city and headed off towards Akron, Ohio. Crossing the border into Ohio was such a big moment for me in my advancement west. The landscape was just as I thought it would be, meadowy and hilly. It definitely didn't seem like Pennsylvania in it's style or people. This may seem a bit microscopic, but when stopping at rest stops along the highway it's clear that these people aren't used to maneuvering around large crowds of people. Everyone is being so polite and letting others go first that no one gets anywhere efficiently! When stopping along the New Jersey Turnpike for example, people are like a large flock of birds in the wind. We move-move-move and everyone knows how to dodge each other like an elaborate fast reel. Here, people walk into each other routinely (with a humble "excuse me" afterward).

On the map was an attraction that I didn't look up on the internet but it looked interesting. It was called "Happy Days Visitor Center". I remembered that the show "Happy Days" was set in Akron, Ohio. I told the kids that I would love to see the show's visitor center. HA! I followed signs to the place listed on the map but it wasn't about Happy Days (of course)! It was an out-of-the-way lodge in the woods. Since we're up for anything new, we went on a hike about a mile into the forest on a great trail that cut through some enormous metamorphic rocks from the last ice age. There was also an ice cave and a gorgeous stone stairway through a break in the rocks. It was a great mistake!

It was a short trip to Sandusky, Ohio from the forest. We curved along the road near Lake Erie but I still couldn't actually see it! There were little farms along the road and tree lines, but no water. Cole then says, "There's a lighthouse!?!" and it was at the end of a small cornfield. It was so strange! It looked surreal hovering over a little farm and a 7 Eleven. We still didn't see the water. We checked into a gawdy-awful hotel for tourists and had dinner at an off-track betting center in the hotel. It was depressing. We did get free glo-bowling with dinner however! Whooo hoooo! There was also a lazer tag game in the hotel.

This hotel also came with an indoor water-park. Marley and Cole went over to the window to look inside and decide whether or not they'd enjoy it. They were completely disgusted. It was so small, so dirty, and so chock full of very small children. It looked like it might have a case of foaming hepatitis. We tried the outdoor pool with the waterfall. Cole went underwater wearing his goggles and promptly got out saying, "You don't want to know what's at the bottom of the pool!" Marley and I quickly followed.

The Great Lakes are surreal. So large that it has waves, so wide that it looks like an ocean, and so violent that it's more hazardous than traveling on the ocean (the Black Sea is just a bit more dangerous than the Great Lakes). The next morning I saw Lake Erie. The ride to it however was like an impressionists' dream. The road to the shore was lined with a mile of weeping willows, mounds of heather, and there were water-lillies as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking!!! The lake was gentle and quiet.

We spent the next day at Cedar Point Amusement Park. I have very little to say about amusement parks. They are just compulsory to give children a little thrill along the way to more cultural experiences in my opinion. Cedar Point is nothing but an adrenaline junkie's fix. It has more high-octane roller coasters than any other park in the country. Its nicest point from my perspective were the courteous staff and the sweet affectation of the people. I felt like I was from Crabbyville compared to the attitudes these people all had collectively. I didn't even see one child pitch a fit or complain about the heat or the lines. I was shocked! It was such a pleasant experience to be around such nice people. I did go on some of the more old-fashioned wooden roller coasters with Cole and I have to admit...it was fun. It was also great to be at an amusement park with the cooling winds of Lake Erie.

Sandusky, Ohio is a sad place. Apart from the behemoth of Cedar Point, Sandusky is a tired and crumbling place. There are so many lottery houses, little gaming parlors, and pathetic loan agencies. A place built on economic dysfunction always has this kind of desperateness about it.

We stopped at the Michigan Welcome Center and I wanted to know more about Arab Town in Detroit. I had read that the largest United States population of Arab people are in Dearborn, Michigan. I asked a woman at the center if she knew how to get there. She looked at me like I was crazy. "I've never been there," she muttered diplomatically, "but if you want to go there, here's the street where Arab Town begins. Of course...I've never been there." She made a face. To be fair to her, she also said she'd never been to Greek Town in Detroit. I wondered who gave her the job as Detroit's ambassador to the general public? The future of Detroit just may rely upon the Arab and Greek cultural influences. They are at least embracing a city in an economic upheaval!

Arab Town is lovely! It was not remotely as populated as Chinatown in Philadelphia, or as bustling as the Italian Market, but it was squeaky clean and very well kept. The streets were broad and there wasn't any evidence of economic depression. There were no loiterers...well, come to think of it, there were no people on the streets at all! It was very strange.

I did find a traditional middle-eastern restaurant and I was overjoyed to learn that they make kibbe niyaa, or in English; ground raw lamb with bulgar shown here. My Lebanese grandmother used to shove it in my mouth when I was a baby. It was the most delicious and aromatic meat I have ever eaten and I got to have it again!!! It is not sold in Pennsylvania due to stricter raw meat laws (lawsuits?) than in Michigan (or at least in Arab Town). I have never felt confident to make it as it has to go through a very serious vetting process to be edible. I was so joyful during dinner because I was eating a memory of my Nana's love.

There was a television in the restaurant tuned into CNN (of course not Fox News in Arab Town) and the news of the night happened to be that the Islamic center slated to begin construction near the site of the 9/11 attack was given approval by the city of New York. I found it interesting how the patrons were sitting and watching the news. There were many religious Muslims there and they all watched quietly. No one commented. They have really taken quite an emotional beating in America. Even from the Michigan Welcome Center!

We went to downtown Detroit (not Arab Town) when a curious thing happened to us. A group of teenage boys were driving down the street and rolled down the window and yelled at us, "GO HOME, MUSLIMS!". It was so outrageously racist! I was sort of honored in a way that they thought we were ethnic looking enough to be something specific like an Arab-Muslim! Most people can't figure out what nationality we descend from and are afraid to try! Where does a Muslim-American go home to, I wondered? What made me laugh was that earlier in the day, Marley was concerned that she looked like a polygamous kid because she wore a long braid to keep her frizzies in place. I said, "Welp, I guess you don't have to worry that you look like a Fundamentalist Mormon!"

I can't figure Detroit out. It's not a disaster, it's clean, it has old buildings that have some potential, and with some real planning it could be the best "big-little town" of the midwest. The weirdest part of being there was the complete lack of PEOPLE! There is NO ONE there! Literally! We were there at dinnertime on a Tuesday and it was virtually empty. It felt like a "Ghost City". It makes Philadelphia feel like Hong Kong in comparison.

We took the People Mover Monorail system from the GM Building to see the whole city and there were hardly any people on any of the streets! No cafes, no bustling "cool street", and even though there was a Detroit Tigers game playing in the middle of downtown, the park was half empty! There was even plenty of free street parking. I couldn't understand it. The only place to see people was in Greek Town filing in to the casino. How sad. Is this what all struggling cities will do; plop a casino in the center of town to help the gambling industry?

I pointed out Canada to the kids. It was closer than Camden to Philadelphia! They were smiling. It was so neat to see it just across the river. They didn't believe me that it was Canada because it looked so close. Seeing the Canadian flag near the tunnel entrance was the proof though! There were so many strange aspects of Detroit! We were still deeply enjoying our trip and savoring every moment of it. We were even finding humor in the weirdest things...and to us, Detroit sure felt weird! We will still have one more day in Detroit and then we're off to Kalamzoo AND I can't stop singing, "I got a gal...in Kalamazoo!!!!" I am driving the kids crazy today!!!!

ANSWERS TO OUR NATIONALITY QUIZ ABOVE (there were so many and I wish I could have included them all!):

SWEDEN, LITHUANIA, HUNGARY

ITALY, IRELAND, AUSTRIA

INDIA, ARMENIA

UKRAIN