Day 11: Dayton

Or should I say "Daytin", as it is supposed to be pronounced (right, Mammers?).

So I thought that today was going to be a boring day, and I was worried how it would come across in the blog. But it turned out to be pretty fun (for me at least!).

I woke up later than expected - apparently I did not wake up when Megan left the apt this morning (I thank my father for the skills to sleep through anything). Anyway, I got up and started my day, which was pretty much entitled Errand Day in Dayton.

First, I went to the laundromat so that I could have clean clothes for the next week. I thought about going to Spin City (the laundromat that I went to for my first year of grad school oh so very much) for old time's sake, but instead I just went to a place closer to Megan's apartment. There was this old-time trucker who talked to me there about his views on unemployment and women, and I politely nodded and listened while my clothes dried.

After that, I went to the most glorious store on the planet - Meijer (pronounced Meyer). For those not in Michigan/Ohio/other states, Meijer is kind of a high-class Walmart, with food, clothes, and everything else in between. I used to go there all the time when I lived here, and since I needed a few things I thought of no better place to go! Somethings never change, and Meijer is one of them. When I used to drive Babe (my 92 blue Ford Explorer) around Dayton, it had a twin in the Meijer parking lot, and I found it today again!

After Meijer it was lunchtime. I had decided early on that I would go to a Dayton-specific place for lunch in order to soak in all the goodness. So eventhough I thought about Chipotle/Panera/Jimmy John's, since those are chains (delicious chains nonetheless) they wouldn't suffice. After some deliberation, I settled on Los Tres Amigos (or just "Los Tres" for short), a delicious Mexican food place we used to frequent. Apparently we used to go there a lot, as the waiter semi-recognized me when I went in. "Hi senor, you have not been here in a long time", he said. He probably was thinking, "Where is that girl that you used to come with who spoke Spanish a lot?" (aka Clare). All in all, a good meal.

I then gave my car some TLC and got an oil change and a new air filter - thanks Jiffy Lube on Wilmington! It was amazing driving back and forth from all these places and seeing what was new/old/changed in the course of a year. Norton's (bar on Wilmington) is now vacant, and lots of little shops have popped up here and there. There was something else I was going to add to this part but now I forget...

Anyway, later in the day I went to visit the Smith family. Christina Smith is an Area Coordinator at UD and I had grown close to her, her husband Mike, and their two little children in my time in grad school. It was fun to catch up with them some more and see how much the kids had grown in a year - I'm not sure they remembered me but who would at ages 3 and 5? They are a fun bunch as always.

And of course, I saved the best for last - a trip to Tank's. Tank's was my favorite bar in grad school, and a bunch of us spent many a Wednesday night pondering life's big questions over mini-pitchers and cheese sticks. The place has changed a little bit but was still as awesome as ever. Megan, Jenna, and I got dinner there, and then Rebecca, Erin, and Dave joined us later for drinks - a good time. I miss having a bar within walking distance of where I live (that isn't overrun by students and has pretty good food and a place to sit and chat - don't I sound like an old person or what?). After that we had a quick trip to Ritter's for some frozen custard - can't get much better.

Tomorrow - off to Baltimore and spending the next 5 days on the East Coast!

Joey

P.S. The weather today was gross! Hot and humid and muggy and a little rainy. And even with all this, I chose to wear a gray t-shirt. When will I learn?? I must have sweat through that thing like 4 times.