I’m using points on Southwest so our tickets to Cleveland are costing tax and fees of $5.60 each way, per person. We have to do a short layover in BWI both ways which adds to the travel time. But it’s cheap.
In addition to the time in the air though there’s the ungodly hour trek to the airport. The flight out this morning was at 6:30 am so we needed to get to the park and ride field by 4-ish. Well, we didn’t NEED to but we try and err on the side of being early versus mad dashing it through the terminal to make it at the last minute. Having said that, when my iPhone alarm RADAR’d this morning I really hated erring on the side of being early.
Last night I had toyed with the notion of getting up even earlier to get a short run in before heading to the airport. Snoozing and the return of back aches from the Space Coast Marathon’s stage fall precluded that plan. Probably for the best… for as I sit on these various flight legs, my own legs aren’t too thrilled with me either.
It’s a 10k tomorrow and perhaps far too arrogantly I feel like even with cold temperatures and possible sleet I can manage it.
Winging our way to the land of Cleves, I’m looking forward to catching up with an old college buddy and seeing the sights (albeit a very narrow cast, specific series of sights… but more on that later).
***
The packet pickup for the Christmas Story Run was at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland. Lot parking seemed to be suffering from surge pricing but we lucked into a double bonus parking karma of a free meter and 22 minutes prepaid. I figured we could get in and out in that time.
We snapped some shots along the way…
And we even got to meet Ian “Randy” Petrella. The photo was free but it cost me $10 to have him Randy Hancock my bib. I figured with the free parking it balanced out. Nice guy.
It was all the more timed perfectly as we hit back to the car with four minutes to spare! Take that, parking cops!
From there I had plans to meet up with a classic college suite mate and his wife for lunch. Matt and Naomi Buehrle are two of the greats – parents to five kids, they’re inherently good folks who help restore one’s faith in decency and humanity. It was a real pleasure to catch up in person after keeping tabs on Facebook over the years … plus this week marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of “The Rockymentary.” This mock-doc on the Rocky saga was shot in and around UNC Morrison Dorm suites 427-430. So I appreciate mom and Naomi indulging us at lunch as we occasionally veered off into Rocky-nostalgia.
Wishing them a happy holiday, mom and I then headed off to the famed Christmas Story house, home to Ralphie, the Old Man, a major award “Fragile” leg lamp, and a decoder ring reminding kids to drink their Ovaltine.
Like a less obtuse Meow Wolf, the house was an interactive playground that encouraged visitors to touch, don, and handle recreations of moments from A Christmas Story.
And no Museum visit would be complete without an opportunity to procure a tangible memory — we actually didn’t exit through the gift shop; we STARTED in the gift shop.
And so this whirlwind tour of Christmas Story Cleveland draws closer to a pink bunny suited finish.
The goal for tomorrow is to get a shot of me wit’s my peeps.
Fortunately I’ll be running in two lucky rabbit’s feet so the odds are in my favor.