He Said, She Said: Ohio- Canton & Independence

HE SAID:

Ohio all in all was pretty crappy. I now have a better understanding of the term "fly-over state". I'm glad I went, but would be happy never returning. The Hall of Fame was nice. A little bit disappointing though. It wasn't as "hall of fame-ish" as I had imagined. It was old and small. It was cool to be able to go though.

SHE SAID:

Ohio was definitely an adventure. Canton, Ohio especially... In reading our AAA guide, it appeared that majority of the restaurants were in Downtown Canton. It also appeared to be a pretty small city. So, we pulled right into the downtown area and into the first motel we saw. BIG MISTAKE... When checking in, I asked the guy if it was a non-smoking room. His response, "I can't tell you what you can and can't do in your room. But I can't give you an ashtray." OOOKKK. That should have been the first sign to turn around. But no, we paid for our room thinking it will be an adventure. The room smelled like overused air freshener. So much so, that I couldn't breathe. We opened the door to let it air out, but this just gave the nosey other vagabond tenants an opportunity to check us and our stuff out. After dinner, we decided to find another place. When I went to check out, the same guy was out front, but now with friends. I'm pretty certain they were all high and definitely saw booze. Even better, it appeared the only girl there was open for sale. Yeah, we found the classy joint in town.

After a good night's rest at the local Knights Inn, we made our way to the Football Hall of Fame. This museum opened in the late 60's and has not been updated since. Well, that's not necessarily true. There was an area under construction. Perhaps they are making it more up to do date. Either way, we got a free to ticket to return as an apology for the closed section. Sweet! The hall of fame itself was cool. A little football overload for me. But cool to see the history and really cool to see Superbowl rings.

We spent the next night in Independence, Ohio, and decided to splurge on a La Quinta Inn. I have a new appreciation for their beds. Well, for any sheets thicker than a sheet of paper and a bed not as hard as a rock. I do not, however, have a new appreciation for Ohio. I feel I've learned a lot on this trip. I had mis-judged the South. I have neglected our beautiful country while traveling through Europe. I have not however, mis-judged the "middle", have a new understanding of "the fly-over states", and have no desire to return.