Monday, October 20, 2008

i dream of driving at night

An amazing thing: I left the city. I had the opportunity to travel to Ann Arbor (where I'd never been before) to play at a stranger's wedding and hang out for a weekend. Truly a paid vacation! I was with Anna, a cellist who grew up in Ann Arbor and knows all the best places to go, and so we ate sushi (paid for by our tip money from the wedding), watched Saturday Night Live (eh, and I kind of wish I hadn't boosted their ratings), picked raspberries, and drank too much coffee (at least I did...). I also got to see Meredith, my old roommate from Tucson who I haven't seen since she moved away. She came with us for the raspberry picking and with me to have lunch at an awesome little deli/diner place called Afternoon Delight. (That's the kind of city Ann Arbor is, I think: they have family restaurants with names related to sex.) It was fantastic to catch up after so long, and reassuring that we could still connect and have great conversations. We have slight plans for her to open a farm and I, with my presumed future horticultural experience, to work there.
So visit-wise it was a good time, but it was also just relaxing to leave the city. I know I was in Boulder and Denver recently, but I didn't do much while I was there. Ann Arbor just feels more open than Chicago. You can see more of the sky. I noticed the fall leaves so much more, and that and the drive across Michigan fully convinced me that fall is in full swing in a way that the leaves and chill in the air here had only strongly hinted at. As we were driving back last night, we were witness to an actual sunset of a magnitude that I have rarely, if ever, seen here. It was a good way to end a mini-vacation.

1 comment:

Rosiecat24 said...

Hello, Ammie!

I agree with you about getting out of Chicago. When I went to Tucson in July, I was mesmerized by how BIG everything was: the sky, the cacti, the mountains in the distance. It was breath-taking. I loved Tucson.

I also love Ann Arbor! I need to spend more time in that town. When I was in college, we used to go to a vegetarian place called Seva, which, at the time, was very good. I have since heard that the food isn't as good as it used to be, but that place will always hold a special place in my heart as a lovely dinner destination.

Happy Hump Day! ;-)