Still here!

I'm still here in Cincinnati..actually I am in Forest Park, but I did get a chance to drive into downtown Cincinnati this afternoon. I couldn't come all this way without at least catching a glimpse of the big city. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and pretty the city was. I drove along the river where there were brightly colored bridges, and old-fashioned homes with tall white columns all along the water front. I drove up and down the one-way streets, and took pictures of the architecture and criss crossinig bridges.

Class is over for the week, so I am heading back home tomorrow morning. I wish I had a flight out tonight because its only 5pm, and I ran out of things to do. I spent another few hours at THE MALL! yesterday and overdid it a little bit :) My new wardrobe and 4 textbooks will make my suitcase too heavy to carry, so I will have to check my bag. Pray to the luggage gods that it doesn't get lost!

Tonight I plan on grabbing some dinner at the local grocery store, and checking out some residential areas to see what it's like to live here. I am fascinated with the differences between cities in this country...every place I go is so different, and everybody has so many different perspectives on life. I learn so much about myself and the rest of the US when I travel like this. I LOVE it.

I learned that the traffic lights here are yellow and hanging on thin little wires. It looks really funny and I really wonder what happens when it gets windy. I also learned that people really love fast food here. Big Boys, Steak and Shake, Wendys, and Skyline Chili are the biggest hits in this town. The drive-thru lines are always long, and the parking lots full. My class partner, from Tennessee, told me how "crazy" it was that Walmart in town sold liquor! He has to drive 20 minutes to his local liquor store for it. I've heard of his situation in other states too, but of course in CA, liquor is available EVERYWHERE. When I told him that there is no smoking in bars/clubs in California, his eyes got wide and he said, "that alone makes me want to move to California!" :)

Well, I'm off in my fancy Mustang to see some more sites!