Seven years ago I started becoming who I am

I left Amherst, NY for the final time Monday, Aug. 5, 2002. Here's a replay of the e-mail I sent that night from Rockford, Ill. after having driven about 660 miles west on I-90.

DAY ONE

so i have to say that southwestsern ny, northwestern penn, western ohio, northern indiana are very BORING!!! but that's OK, as a deep-down-on-the-inside left coaster, it's the later part of the journey that has me jazzed. the main point today was to make good time (just like george costanza does when he drives) and I succeeded. I write this message from my Sleep Inn room in Rockford, Ill. (666 or so miles from my starting point monday morning).

The first stop was in Ohio, just across the line from PA, and then i went to Cleveland to find some lunch, unfortunately I couldn't find any place to park where i felt safe with a loaded car so i didn't end up doing anything there but wasting time driving around. eventually i grabbed lunch at a highway service area -- typical fast food chinese (but no east wok) but i got a great forture cookie -- "your life becomes more and more of an adventure." so that was mega good karma, which is always good on a trip like this.

now this e-mail is probably pretty damned boring, considering that i am writing about fortune cookies and highway rest stop lunches, but that just goes back to the lead. there was nothing to write about -- unless y'alls want to hear about the flat green spaces. sorry, planning jargon slipped in there, once a muni reporter always a muni reporter, eh?

Indiana was equally exciting, although i did drive through south bend, which was depressing and then Gary, which was insane (thx andrew t.). It was like industrial/factorial sprawl. Factories, smoke stacks and train tracks everywhere. it seemed as though every where was the wrong side of the tracks in Gary. it certainly wasn't very music-man-esque... musical theater seemed to be about the last thing that was even considering going on in my mind.

chicago was typically majestic, well at least the skyline that i saw as i drove by on I-90. i fgured hotels there would be out of my league, and given how far i was getting, i decided to plow on to Rockford, Ill. ugly and suburban, but at least with a cheap, halfway decent hotel just off the highway. i almost stayed at an Extended Stay america, but opted against it.

tomorrow.... who knows.... i'll be going thru wisconsin and minnesota.

more then.....

btw, thx for the all the replies to the first email, unfortunately, i don't have time to respond to everyone. just know that i am hearing y'alls all the time when the voices that talk to me through my rear view mirror start their singing.