Dump the Pump

On Thursday, I went to Akron by bus because it was free to ride all day. I saved $2.50 by not buying an all day pass. The trip started by going downtown from Broadview and Tampa. The bus was four minutes late, but my bus to Brecksville was fifteen minutes late. Fortunately, my layover before the bus to Akron was scheduled to be 36 minutes. I took the bus to Akron with four other men. Once I reached the Transit Center, I retrieved the schedules for all of the Akron buses (except for the bus from Brecksville's VA hospital and the rush hour buses from Downtown Cleveland to Chapel Hill Mall or the Transit Center via Summit Mall). I then caught a bus to Chapel Hill Mall in Cuyahoga Falls.

After a brief review of the mall, I walked down to O'Charley's for lunch. I had a short wait for a table. Once seated, I ordered a white cheddar grilled cheese sandwich and a loaded baked potato as a lunch combo for $5.99. I also ordered a Pepsi. In addition to my order, I was surprised to receive two dinner rolls that were fresh out of the oven. They were very easy to eat. I enjoyed them immensely. My sandwich and potato came. The sandwich was delicious. The potato was skinny, but filling. It was "loaded" with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits. The potato was appetizing, but I am having an entree and an appetizer next time because my prize for joining the e-club is a free appetizer with an entree purchase. I'll have Bob join the club as well to get the same deal (We hope!).

The food was fine, but I have to be firmer about no ice in my soda. It didn't help that my refills came without prompting. Maybe next time, the sodas will come to my liking. A glass two-thirds full of ice is not my idea of enjoying soda. At least, the refills were complimentary. In closing, O'Charley's earned my return business.

After lunch, I visited the adjacent Borders Books, Best Buy, and Target. My only purchase was a package of Chips Ahoy Coconut-Chocolate Chip Cookies that were on sale for $1.99 at Target. They will be enjoyed.

After Target, I caught a bus to downtown, so I could visit the Main Library. After a brief visit, I went back to the Transit Center to catch a bus to Rolling Acres Mall. I knew that the mall was out of business except for the Sears and the JCPenney Outlet Store, but I wanted to see the mall because I hadn't been there in about ten years, if I recall correctly.

The department stores were in good condition, but the inaccessible mall had fallen plaster that was visible from almost every window that I viewed. It was depressing. The mall was losing its appeal to me ten years ago, but I was unprepared for what I saw. Even worse, the Marc's across the street was out of business. When a Marc's closes without replacement, I know that the area has seen better days. Thankfully, an office furniture store occupies the space. A charter school is in the former Apples grocery store next door. There is some good news in this neighborhood. Most of the fast food places that were near the mall are still in business with their original tenants. However, the Wendy's is vacant. Though not fast food, the former Denny's appears to be a Mexican Restaurant now. Fast food restaurants are not enough. Rolling Acres would be nice as a lifestyle center or strip mall. I'll miss the Macy's and Dillard's buildings (I didn't look at them this time or the former Target due to time constraints that were caused by looking too long for the men's shoes in JCPenney Outlet Store.), but new stores could revitalize the area. An empty mall is not my idea of fun.

After my visit to Rolling Acres, I caught a bus back to the Transit Center, so I could catch a bus back to Brecksville and then a bus towards home. Since I had time to kill, I decided to take the bus down to West Market Street to see the sites. The bus was seven minutes late leaving, so I would have missed my planned bus in theory. Once again, I benefited from a late bus that was very quiet because I was the only passenger until another passenger joined me in Richfield. I then took the bus back to Downtown Cleveland. Unlike the Pilgrimage, I made my connection with the #35 bus that would lead to a short walk home.

In closing, the trip was full of adventure. The buses did not appear to be super crowded in the Akron area, despite the free rides. Cleveland's buses, though not free, were less crowded than I expected. Don't worry, I will see my share of overcrowded buses in the future. I hope to be back in the Akron area within the next month to enjoy O'Charley's. I hope that Bob enjoys O'Charley's as much as I do. If not, I can make occasional visits to satisfy my desires.

Another Potential Restaurant for Tuesday

If Bob and I had made our bus towards home after the pilgrimage on Tuesday, I had suggested Boston Market as a possibility for dinner. We would have been on the driver's return trip. Due to time constraints (The restaurant is past Snow Road going southbound.), I developed our eventual plan, but we took two buses to do it. (We could have gone to Boston Market on our first bus from downtown, but it would have required at least a fifteen minute walk from State and Pleasant Valley (No bus service on that stretch of Pleasant Valley) to the restaurant. Also, even if we had opted for takeout, we probably would have been out past 9:00 p.m. Don't worry, Boston Market will be in our future.

Until next time, do your best to beat the heat.

The Pilgrimage

At around 4:00 p.m., Bob and I went to Brecksville for what is usually my solo pilgrimage to where most of my brother Dan's ashes were scattered four years ago today. Unfortunately, the bus was late and encountered gridlock on Broadview Road, so the pilgrimage was slightly delayed. Our second bus (Brecksville Road) was relatively on time, so we made it to Chippewa Creek on Chippewa Road by 5:25 p.m. We reminisced about the day of the scattering. Bob's commentary on the now very treacherous walk to the water was emphasized.


After the pilgrimage was over, we walked to a nearby shopping center. We made a brief visit to Giant Eagle before going to the bus stop for the trip downtown to catch a bus to Baker's Square. When we learned that the bus to Baker's Square didn't come until 7:10, we decided to go to Denny's (probably the one by Parmatown). Once again, I realized the probability of being out later than necessary. I decided that if we made the #35 bus (our regular starting and ending transportation), we could go to Eat 'n' Park. We just missed the bus in question. After eventually catching a bus (which would have taken us to Denny's) to Broadview and Pearl, we took the next #35 bus to Broadview and Snow. Once again, I changed our dinner plans to the nearby Taco Bell/Long John Silver's so we could make the return trip on the bus that we missed earlier. I had a chicken quesadilla, a crispy taco, and a soda. Bob had the two piece chicken meal which included fries, hush puppies, and a soda. He also added two ears of corn. The food was enjoyable, but we were overtaxed, which is a regular occurrence at this establishment.


Before the bus arrived, we saw three deer across the street from the restaurant. They remained in their general area, unlike a few months earlier where they crossed Snow Road, heading towards Marc's. (http://www.marcs.com/). They must have needed supplies that may be cheaper than Giant Eagle, another pharmacy or any other store usually sells them.


The pilgrimage this year was memorable. If I had our eventual dinner plan on our first bus back towards dinner, we would have departed the bus near Rockside Road and would have had a simple trip (Rockside Road becomes Snow Road just before Broadview Road.) to our restaurant. We would have arrived about half an hour earlier. We probably would have been on the same return bus, but we may have had time to visit Marc's or another nearby store. Then again, the story wouldn't have been as entertaining.


Until the next adventure, enjoy life.

Happy Birthday, Marnie

Today my niece Marnie celebrates her birthday. Bob and I sent her a gift card for Aeropostale. I hope that she still likes to shop there. I also hope that the big move went smoothly. I will have some details as soon as possible.

Happy Birthday, Kendal

My Great-niece Kendal turns four today. The party in Ohio is a question mark. Mike and Marnie bought a new home and are scheduled to start moving this weekend. Also, Mike has had a business trip to Europe, particularly France, postponed at least twice in the last few months. Let us hope that their move goes very smoothly.

In other news, I had plans to go to Five Below for a couple of five cent hot dogs in honor of their grand opening. Unfortunately, I discovered that my paychecks were not deposited into my bank account. I called the Census Bureau office to notify them of this situation. I went to the office at Lorain Ave. and Rocky River Dr. in Cleveland to fill out a new direct deposit form. I had to fill out the original one incomplete due to some miscommunication from the Census Bureau. They did have my routing number and a voided check. My account number, which I didn't give them, must have been inputted incorrectly. Hopefully, the situation will be rectified.

I could have gone after my business, but by then (around 5:00 p.m.), the crowd may have been too large. They are having it again tomorrow, but I have other plans. Bus service is also less frequent. I also missed out on National Donut Day. I guess that I will live without my free donut with a purchase of an "overpriced" beverage from Dunkin Donuts, as well as my five cent wieners. If I went with my original plan, I could have done both offers at Ridge Park Square. However, I decided to go to the Plaza at SouthPark (Of Costco and Best Buy fame) for Five Below and to visit Dunkin Donuts at Midtown (Dimitri's and Sonic are in this area.) later in the day. Oh well, I guess that I decided to stay on my "healthier" diet.

My next post is expected to be on Tuesday as Marnie celebrates her birthday then.

Happy 60th Birthday, Kathleen

Today is my sister Kathleen's 60th birthday. I hope that she had a nice birthday. It's too bad that her beloved Indians lost 12 to 6 to the Detroit Tigers. At least, it wasn't a perfect game like last night's should have been. The Indians will win again (someday)!

Until next time, stay safe!

I Can't Believe That It Has Been Four Years.

Four years ago, my brother Danny died of cancer at age 51. He fought a two year battle. Combined with his back pain from his police work, his final years were not a pleasure. Thankfully, my brother was the same wonderful person that I had the pleasure to know for just over 35 years.

Maggie offered to take Bob and me to Brecksville where most of his ashes were spread, but I wanted to deal with Census business. For the record, my pilgrimage is scheduled for Tuesday, which is the anniversary of the scattering of his ashes. My Census work may be done by then. My supervisor is expected to notify me soon. Tune in to find out.

My next reports will be birthday messages. Until then, enjoy life. That's my plan.