Bloggin' ain't easy [Travelogues]

I always wonder why some of the blogs I follow aren't updated that often. Now that I finally started a blog, I realize that this isn't easy. I don't want to just type random stream-of-consciousness entries, but I really don't have the time to sit and think about and plan a post. I never realized how hard The Sartorialist, Stuff White People Like and Mindy Kaling have it.

So, here's a long overdue entry about my last two trips: Lee's Summit, Missouri, and Licking County, Ohio.

Lee's Summit has a really cute downtown (cliché, I know, but it's quite quaint) filled with adorable boutiques (including an awesome cooking store and a fantastic used book store), except it completely made me rethink the urge I've had since college to move to Chicago. Or anywhere it snows.

It was definitely snowing when the first wreck I've had since I was 17 occurred in downtown Lee's Summit as my Thrifty Sebring convertible slid down a snowy, slippery hill right into the back of a giant Dodge Ram, despite my best efforts to brake repeatedly. Fortunately, the guy I rear-ended was very understanding and sympathetic and had me follow him to the police station... but I was considerably freaked out I was going to hit him again, so I pulled into a parallel parking space and hailed down a cop, who thought I had hit the parked cop car in front of me – so when I told him what really happened, it didn't seem that bad. And the longwinded insurance company call killed my cell phone, but the guy in the trophy store let me use his electricity. Still, I wasn't convinced I could even get out of the downtown area without having another wreck, but somehow I did – even with (I don't even think this was related to the accident) the passenger side window stuck halfway down for the entire 30-minute drive to the airport (and genius that I am, I was wearing flats, so my feet were soaked from the snow).

However, as Bob Ross would say, a happy accident: I had fortuitously gotten the insurance on my rental car, so none of this goes on my record (not that I even got a ticket), and I'm pretty sure I saved my company a lot of money. And I can now attest that people in Lee's Summit are super nice, from cops to trophy shop owners to Dodge Ram drivers. But I'm not a huge fan of flying (let's not even discuss the Hudson River landing), and it does not calm my nerves to see this at the terminal. But I'm sure Southwest pilots – and pretty much everyone north of the Mason-Dixon line or west of the Mississippi – are better than I am at driving in snow.

Thank goodness I am visiting Wisconsin in the summertime.

...


Next up, Licking County.

I was a little terrified when, two days before my trip, the forecast changed from 60 degrees and sunny to Warning: Massive Ice Storm. I considered getting four-wheel drive on my rental car, or at least the extra insurance I wasn't supposed to get, but I decided to tough it. My family/friend Eliza goes to Denison University, so I figured she could come rescue me if worst came to worst.

I didn't end up with a junky convertible but rather a Subaru that was very similar to my own car, so I was already feeling relieved. I did a video at OSU-Newark's brand-new Warner Center, which is a student center and library. Maybe this is only because I spent three years of college working at a library, but I was flabbergasted that students could bring food from the food court over into the library. [We had a scary lady named Beverly at the front desk whose sole job was to prevent anyone from bringing so much as a bottle of water inside.] And the food court was pretty impressive itself, with a wood-fired oven pizza place that made for some really cool shots on the video (at least, I hope).

I also toured the Longaberger Basket headquarters, just because it's one of those cheesy-yet-awesome touristy places – the world's biggest basket. Not sure how the video turned out, since the centerpiece was a giant Christmas tree made entirely of baskets, and they wouldn't let me above the second floor. But, still, it's not every day you get to spend time in a seven-story basket.

The Licking County Courthouse has an 80-year-old tradition of lighting it up for the holidays, and that was cool – but also, very cold. I warmed up with margherita pizza and beer at Del Mar with Eliza, and that night the ice storm hit southwest of Columbus (Licking County is northeast), so I was able to get to my meeting, to Gouma's Candyland, to The Works (below – interactive fun museum) and back to Granville for lunch with no problem. (Just a lot of explaining to Eliza's college friends how my job brought me to Licking County.) It didn't start snowing until I was gassing up the rental car near the airport. I call that a successful trip.

So, I've learned a few lessons:
1. Any time you're renting a car, bring your car charger and your car insurance notification.
2. Weathermen are wrong 50 percent of the time.
3. If it's snowing, head to the airport immediately.
4. You can depend on the kindness of strangers, but they still won't drive you to the airport.
5. Gouma's buckeyes are amazing. And they make for great last-minute Christmas presents.

Next up: A triple trip to the Chicago area. In February. Not extremely stoked, due that whole snow thing, but once again, I do have family there. Glad my region is the Midwest – I know people in half of the cities I have to visit.

New goal: Update this blog more than once every two months.

Also: I got an iPhone today, so more on that later. I'm still in shock.