MONDAY
Manhattan, KS
Besides rumbling trains behind the cute little Comfort Inn hotel, eight hundred cable channels with an “Intervention” marathon and seemingly detached from their own city front desk clerks, our overnight stay in Manhattan was pretty much what we expected from a small town on the map in Kansas.
What we received once arriving to our destination (corner of Moro/Broadway and Manhattan), was completely opposite. 12,000 people (think OU at Halloween) – college bars all over 4 blocks. Thankfully, we found a bar more “our speed” (ie: old crowd) as I worried the entire college-aged drinking BS would get really old, really quick. I wanted to get over to Mel’s Tavern, but it was too far (or too cold) that night to walk there.
The Manhattan & Broadway (Moro) street corner has a giant lit apple above an old theater and marquee. During the live music outside on the blocked-off square, a laser show enhanced the people-watching experience (es
pecially listening to the high fella in front of us in the crowd comment on the “fucking lasers”). The city also provided a firework display from all directions after midnight hit. There was also a national news broadcast truck broadcasting live as we counted down. As per usual, we made new friends in Manhattan. Were were surprised by the non-accents and extreme friendliness everywhere we went. (And best wishes to Tim going to Kenya to dig wells for the government!) I’m telling you – this is big stuff here in Kansas.
And apparently, we were not the only ones with the grand idea. This became more obvious when trying to find a cab ride home. This action actually proved to be impossible after looking at the packs of people all waiting for rides home. For whatever instinctual reason, my man ran up to an unmarked sedan parked at the corner and asked if he was giving rides for a price (and he was). I invited this other couple standing near us (also freezing their asses off) at this random car wash building behind the block of bars. The ride home, albeit an expensive fare (I think we gave him $30) for the short route – there was no way I was walking a mile back in the middle of nowhere to the hotel… by the tracks.
The local waffle restaurant (located across the street from our hotel and mapped anyway in our GPS) was packed. The Sonic (Yes, a Sonic, people!! And no, we didn’t stop at any on this trip) also was packed. The IHOP, dumb even to question, was also packed. What is with that? I drove for a couple hours before seeing a stop for a Waffle House (at this point, I’m beyond seriously starving)… and it, in the middle of nowhere, Missouri, is also packed – this time, a bonus with equally as annoying children being all “cute” by the door. We end up eating at Wendy’s next door. Blech.
I drove the entire trip to Kansas and most of the trek back home – until Indianapolis provided us the beauty of a snowstorm. Being the top of annoying in backseat drivers, I never left a moment in how to tell my man how to drive my car and use the wipers. Patient thing, he just goes with it (or ignores me).
I had enough of fast food burgers and breakfast sandwiches and suitcases this holiday to last me well through 2008. After returning home, I had to wikipedia-search what other “things” are dropped on New Year’s Eve. Next year, it will either be the carp in Wisconsin or the giant Peep of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
