bigmacbear (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bigmacbear) wrote2021-12-23 11:59 pm
bigmacbear) wrote2021-12-23 11:59 pm
Christmas Trip, Day 2 of 8
THURSDAY, December 23
I woke up about ten to eight to use the bathroom and went back to sleep for about an hour more, when my work phone rang twice. I answered and it was a wrong number as usual. Gary slept in but was awakened by the phone ringing. He got up and showered while I did my figure-four stretches in bed, then I got my shower and dressed. About eleven we had breakfast (more like brunch) at Bob Evans two doors up the road. The fellow who followed us into the restaurant, a blocky blondish dude in a mechanic's uniform shirt, made a remark about always waiting for a woman, which I suppose was a reference to his wife. We were seated fairly quickly and ordered our meals and drinks. I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, while Gary got an omelet with biscuits. When the food arrived, there were two servings of biscuits but no gravy. Fortunately the waitress figured it out almost before I asked, and soon delivered a big bowl of sausage gravy to the table. I ate the bacon and eggs first so I could fill the plate again with biscuits and gravy.
After breakfast we drove the short distance to campus and parked in a garage on Neil Avenue at Lane, near the new business campus, St. John Arena, and Ohio Stadium. As we walked around campus we saw a couple people wearing graduation gowns and caps having pictures taken in various places. As we approached the stadium from the north, Gary noticed (and removed) the electrical tape "X" covering each of the two "M"s in the Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza sign which was carved into a metal pyramid on a stone plinth. We explored the memorial and then got some pictures of the half dome and arches on the north end of the stadium. I got a picture of the building that replaced the infamous Larkins Hall gym, and we crossed the street by the stadium, Tuttle Park Place. From there we ascended the ramp and parallel stairs (the ramp was easier on Gary's foot) up the side of the hill to Dreese Labs, the main building for the Electrical Engineering department. There was a cafe atop the hill called Oxley's by the Numbers, which was notable for having the "m" crossed off with tape, and for its location by a series of sculptures of the digits 0 through 9 ("the Numbers") on the lawn behind Dreese Labs. As we emerged from behind the building we spotted a robot labeled with Yandex and GrubHub logos, rolling at a pretty good clip down the sidewalk across the street by the Journalism Building. We saw several more as we walked around campus, and I later learned these have been making food deliveries since August. We headed south to the corner by University Hall, a replica of the original building that was the first built on campus, and followed the sidewalk to the Oval near the Thompson Library. After a brief rest stop in front, we proceeded south to Mirror Lake and spent some time scouting out photo opportunities and taking a longer break in two of a series of red Adirondack chairs on the sidewalk by the lake. From there, after a stop at the nearby amphitheater, we headed northeast toward the center of the Oval, turned west to return to the Thompson Library and get pictures of the statue in front, and sat down on a bench beside University Hall. There we were approached by a pair of Mormon missionaries, with whom we had a cordial, even friendly, conversation and declined their offer to read to us from Scripture as gracefully as could be expected. We then proceeded north past Caldwell Lab (my home away from home for the latter years of my studies), Hitchcock Hall (which prompted Gary to intone "Good evening" in an appropriately stentorian voice), Knowlton School of Architecture (which seems a particularly apt example of the craft), and Fisher College of Business (with a decal on the pavement in front reading "Hate Has No Business Here" - get it?) before reaching the garage where we'd parked.
From campus we drove south to the Arena District and parked in a garage behind the visitor center near Huntington Park (the baseball stadium). We walked the half block toward the west entrance of Nationwide Arena and stopped to take pictures at the Union Station arch, preserved from the old train station. First Gary offered to take a picture for a family gathered under the arch so they could all be in the photo, which they gratefully accepted; then I took a picture of the upper part over their heads, and after we'd crossed the street to the arena got a better shot of the entire structure from there. We decided to have an early dinner at Boston's Pizza just east of the arch after we were done shopping. The team store was by the main arena entrance on the east side of the building. Gary bought a selection of pucks with logos of teams we'd seen play in person and a woolly cap for the return trip to Seattle (which is expecting snow over Christmas weekend).
When we arrived at Boston's Pizza it was not busy at all since there wasn't going to be a game tonight. As soon as we had a table, I ducked into the bathroom as I'd been needing to pee since we left Mirror Lake two hours before. We split a 10" (small) deluxe pizza because Gary was still full from brunch. After the meal, while Gary was in the bathroom, our waitress saw the Blue Jackets bag and said "You do know the game is canceled for tonight?" with a note of alarm in her voice. I assured her we did, and requested a refill of my drink. When she returned with the drink, Gary had returned and we talked about Christmas and how she had been looking forward to working tonight for a game crowd and making enough money to pay for her children's Christmas gifts. Fingers crossed that January and February are kinder to her.
After we left the restaurant about five, the sun was still barely peeking over the horizon so we walked over to Huntington Park for some pictures. Not only is this the home of the Clippers, but it was also the venue for the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus to host their live performances safely during the pandemic when indoor venues were closed.
We then returned to the car and drove back to the hotel for Thursday Night Football. About nine as the game started, I was getting hungry, so I ordered boneless wings and fried pickles from Rooster's just up the road. Gary wasn't that hungry so he asked for a couple of grilled chicken fingers with no sauce. I picked up the order just before halftime. We ate and watched the game, but Gary was extra tired and fell asleep late in the fourth quarter. Tennessee won over San Francisco, 20-17, at home. I watched the news and an NFL 360 special about Carl Nassib, the first player in the NFL to come out as gay while still an active player, and finished my journal of the day. I prepared for bed and got to sleep about one.
I woke up about ten to eight to use the bathroom and went back to sleep for about an hour more, when my work phone rang twice. I answered and it was a wrong number as usual. Gary slept in but was awakened by the phone ringing. He got up and showered while I did my figure-four stretches in bed, then I got my shower and dressed. About eleven we had breakfast (more like brunch) at Bob Evans two doors up the road. The fellow who followed us into the restaurant, a blocky blondish dude in a mechanic's uniform shirt, made a remark about always waiting for a woman, which I suppose was a reference to his wife. We were seated fairly quickly and ordered our meals and drinks. I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, while Gary got an omelet with biscuits. When the food arrived, there were two servings of biscuits but no gravy. Fortunately the waitress figured it out almost before I asked, and soon delivered a big bowl of sausage gravy to the table. I ate the bacon and eggs first so I could fill the plate again with biscuits and gravy.
After breakfast we drove the short distance to campus and parked in a garage on Neil Avenue at Lane, near the new business campus, St. John Arena, and Ohio Stadium. As we walked around campus we saw a couple people wearing graduation gowns and caps having pictures taken in various places. As we approached the stadium from the north, Gary noticed (and removed) the electrical tape "X" covering each of the two "M"s in the Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza sign which was carved into a metal pyramid on a stone plinth. We explored the memorial and then got some pictures of the half dome and arches on the north end of the stadium. I got a picture of the building that replaced the infamous Larkins Hall gym, and we crossed the street by the stadium, Tuttle Park Place. From there we ascended the ramp and parallel stairs (the ramp was easier on Gary's foot) up the side of the hill to Dreese Labs, the main building for the Electrical Engineering department. There was a cafe atop the hill called Oxley's by the Numbers, which was notable for having the "m" crossed off with tape, and for its location by a series of sculptures of the digits 0 through 9 ("the Numbers") on the lawn behind Dreese Labs. As we emerged from behind the building we spotted a robot labeled with Yandex and GrubHub logos, rolling at a pretty good clip down the sidewalk across the street by the Journalism Building. We saw several more as we walked around campus, and I later learned these have been making food deliveries since August. We headed south to the corner by University Hall, a replica of the original building that was the first built on campus, and followed the sidewalk to the Oval near the Thompson Library. After a brief rest stop in front, we proceeded south to Mirror Lake and spent some time scouting out photo opportunities and taking a longer break in two of a series of red Adirondack chairs on the sidewalk by the lake. From there, after a stop at the nearby amphitheater, we headed northeast toward the center of the Oval, turned west to return to the Thompson Library and get pictures of the statue in front, and sat down on a bench beside University Hall. There we were approached by a pair of Mormon missionaries, with whom we had a cordial, even friendly, conversation and declined their offer to read to us from Scripture as gracefully as could be expected. We then proceeded north past Caldwell Lab (my home away from home for the latter years of my studies), Hitchcock Hall (which prompted Gary to intone "Good evening" in an appropriately stentorian voice), Knowlton School of Architecture (which seems a particularly apt example of the craft), and Fisher College of Business (with a decal on the pavement in front reading "Hate Has No Business Here" - get it?) before reaching the garage where we'd parked.
From campus we drove south to the Arena District and parked in a garage behind the visitor center near Huntington Park (the baseball stadium). We walked the half block toward the west entrance of Nationwide Arena and stopped to take pictures at the Union Station arch, preserved from the old train station. First Gary offered to take a picture for a family gathered under the arch so they could all be in the photo, which they gratefully accepted; then I took a picture of the upper part over their heads, and after we'd crossed the street to the arena got a better shot of the entire structure from there. We decided to have an early dinner at Boston's Pizza just east of the arch after we were done shopping. The team store was by the main arena entrance on the east side of the building. Gary bought a selection of pucks with logos of teams we'd seen play in person and a woolly cap for the return trip to Seattle (which is expecting snow over Christmas weekend).
When we arrived at Boston's Pizza it was not busy at all since there wasn't going to be a game tonight. As soon as we had a table, I ducked into the bathroom as I'd been needing to pee since we left Mirror Lake two hours before. We split a 10" (small) deluxe pizza because Gary was still full from brunch. After the meal, while Gary was in the bathroom, our waitress saw the Blue Jackets bag and said "You do know the game is canceled for tonight?" with a note of alarm in her voice. I assured her we did, and requested a refill of my drink. When she returned with the drink, Gary had returned and we talked about Christmas and how she had been looking forward to working tonight for a game crowd and making enough money to pay for her children's Christmas gifts. Fingers crossed that January and February are kinder to her.
After we left the restaurant about five, the sun was still barely peeking over the horizon so we walked over to Huntington Park for some pictures. Not only is this the home of the Clippers, but it was also the venue for the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus to host their live performances safely during the pandemic when indoor venues were closed.
We then returned to the car and drove back to the hotel for Thursday Night Football. About nine as the game started, I was getting hungry, so I ordered boneless wings and fried pickles from Rooster's just up the road. Gary wasn't that hungry so he asked for a couple of grilled chicken fingers with no sauce. I picked up the order just before halftime. We ate and watched the game, but Gary was extra tired and fell asleep late in the fourth quarter. Tennessee won over San Francisco, 20-17, at home. I watched the news and an NFL 360 special about Carl Nassib, the first player in the NFL to come out as gay while still an active player, and finished my journal of the day. I prepared for bed and got to sleep about one.