And the little chicks with the crimson lips go, "Cleveland rocks!"

Ok, had a great time last weekend with Sonny. On Saturday we had breakfast at a small restaurant near our home. I got this strange feeling when I walked in. Like there was a ripple sent through the place...like we let in too much warm air. I guess there was nothing remarkable about the place...Except, Sonny came back from the bathroom at one point and leaned over the table, beckoning to me. "The bathroom here is like one of those pizza joint bathrooms in NY." We both cringed and trembled at the memory of those bathrooms. The stank of piss clinging to the oxygen supply, the random scraps of dirty tissue strewn on the floor, the unidentifiable puddles gathered here and there on the tile floor.

We drove over to Cleveland and indulged in a walk around the library in downtown. I gaped at the ceiling and the beauty of the place. Cleveland was kind of dead and sluggish. At first I thought it was the heat, but when we entered a Starbuck's and ordered a couple frosty drinks, the cashier eyed us strangely. "No one comes downtown on the weekend." she nodded at the empty tables behind us. In NY every Starbuck's on every corner (especially in the summer) is filled to capacity with hip, beautiful, grungy, trendy 20, 30-somethings laughing and talking in high voices. It was beyond creepy to be there, and not back into someone at the counter or have to rush to an empty seat. Very creepy. Almost a mind fuck.

After our drinks we drove over to the Warehouse District. I got all excited as we parked the car and marched through the streets. Outdoor seating dotted the sidewalks. We strolled and listened to the music blaring from a near by concert. Sonny described it best: "It's just like the best part of Brooklyn, without the feeling of danger. Without feeling like something's about to happen." It started to rain as we walked, the cool drops felt like tiny gifts on my skin. It was so hot...but neither one of us wanted to go home. We wandered around for hours, Sonny remembering when the Warehouse District was a dangerous place to be and how his parents would forbid him to go whenever he suggested it. We eventually found a cute little bar and grill. We tried our first Cherry Bombs for two bucks and toasted over a couple burgers. As I glanced around the dim bar, and listened to the pulsating soundtrack of an old Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, I smiled to myself. At least there's a little bit of NY here. A little bit of high priced restaurants, outdoor concerts, grungy panhandlers, towering condos, sidewalk traffic...thank God...Cleveland rocks.