Living In America

Soak City

Nobody does amusement like America and Cedar Point is the best. We walk through Frontier Town and Soak City and The Old West and the Turn Of The Century without batting an eye. Since nobody wants to eat fruit or vegetables there aren't any : we devour corn dogs and garlic fries for lunch and fried sandwiches and coke for dinner. So what ? The rules don't apply here.

We enter the park, our second day at CP, at 9AM and close it down at Midnight. I would not have thought possible - 15 hours ! - but the best part after dark when the temps down to 70 and the crowds have dwindled and lines fast. There is a new found camaraderie between us and the park. Eitan's voice hoarse from screaming and Madeleine proud of her thrill rides.

It is kitsch and cheesy and joyous and unawares. Is it ironic ?

The Skyhawk

125 feet, world's tallest swing

In 2004 CP had at least several roller coasters I was too afraid to ride. So this has been like a ten year inevitable march to The Millenium Force (45-degree lift hill, 300 foot drop, 93 mph). I nearly back out but Rob’s coaching moves me along ("get over here you pussy").  Up up we go and, boom!, it is surreal man. Violent. I am actually proud of myself for doing it. I go back a second time with Sonnet.

The hardest part of the ride for me is the lead-up : I fret. I doubt. I stress.  Sonnet ignores it until we are climbing in the car. Her life strategy up close seems better.

America USA

The Kleins

We pull into Sandusky, Ohio, home of Cedar Point, the largest amusement park in America and anywhere, where we meet the Kleins for some action packed fun.

Last time I was here was July 2004 with Grace and Moe en route to Akron and Kelly’s wedding – a visit notable for Madeleine, who had the chicken pox which appeared first day of our 5 week vacation. Poor kid unable to go in the hotel swimming pool where Eitan spent hours.

Cedar Point next to a lake offering wide beaches and the smell of Coppertone, taking me right back my childhood summers visiting my grandparents in Upper Arlington, Ohio. The Big Choice was King’s Island or Cedar Point, both about 2 hours from Columbus. I was unable to sleep the night before and, joy of joy, many of the rides still around, only a bit dated, like The Gemini, a twin-racing roller coaster that, when completed in ’78, was the longest and tallest roller coaster in the world. It’s icon so Logan’s Run. In '78 I waited three hours in a spaghetti maze for the 2 minutes of pure terror nirvana. Now there is hardly a line as the thrill seekers have moved on to taller, higher, faster.

WKRP

The Brent Spence Bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky over the Ohio River

In Cincinatti we visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum which offers a moving history of the nascent United States and its interlocking relationship with the African slave trade. 

Cincinatti hosts the second largest Octoberfest in the world after Munich.

We duly attend a Cincinatti Reds game at The Great American Ballpark and are treated to a home victory over the Cleveland Indians, 8-3, including a couple of home runs.  The kids allowed three ballpark food items. The Reds will host the 2015 All Star Game and the 2015 All Star logo is uncovered first-time to fireworks, woo-hoo. But it is a Big Deal for the city, which is tearing itself up with new roads and highways, buildings and a waterfront path anticipating next year's summer classic.

Madeleine , beginning of the Reds game: “Do you get to keep the baseball if it goes into the stand?”Me: “Yes. It’s all yours.”
Madeleine: “I am going to catch one then.”

Madeleine: (3rd inning): “If I catch a ball will you give me $20 ?”Me: "You mean a foul ball ? If you catch a foul ball I will give you $1000."
Madeleine: “You are going to owe me $1000 then,”
Me: “Good luck kid.”

Madeleine (5th inning): “If I catch two foul balls, will you give me $2000?”
Me: “I will give you $10,000.”
Madeleine: “What?! Shake on it.”
We shake on it.
Madeleine: “Will you really do that? Give me $10,000?”
Me: “If you get two fly balls, I will transfer the money today.”
Madeleine: “Cool.”

Madeleine (7th inning): “Dad if I catch three foul balls will you get me a greyhound?”
Me: “With pleasure.”

Spotted along the highway: The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH; Armstrong Air And Space Center, I 75 North; Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Oh; Lion’s Den Adult Super Store “Books and Videos”, Exit 165 I 75 N. Wood County Historical Museum, Napoleon, OH; Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont, OH 

Heading to Cedar Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio, Eitan irons his shirt and asks for hair gel.

St Louis Arch

Gateway Arch (Katie photo)

We visit the Gateway Arch on the west bank of the Mississippi River, St Louis. The arch is 630-foot-high, clad in stainless steel, and built as a flattened catenary. it is the tallest man-made monument in the US and the world's tallest arch. When I consider all the man-made monumental crap built to trump up some ancient event or city, I am impressed by the arch's simple simplicity. It's an arch, God Damnit. Genius.

Madeleine freaked out by the ride to the top, fair enough, but fortunately she has Katie to give her re assurances (Eitan: "Oh, boy, Madeleine, it sure is a long way down.")

The Arch was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947. Construction began in 1963 and completed on October 28, 1965, at a total cost of $US 13 million ($97,300,000 in 2014). The monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967.

Eitan takes to ironing his shirts in the morning.

The Family Business

Star Binding And Printing

We visit Star Binding & Printing, the company founded by my Great-Grandfather Salomon and Grandfather Jacob Orenstein.  Star Binding pulled my family into America's middle classes.

During the Second World War the company provided bindings for US military uniforms (military issue hats and trousers) and today continues to mfr bindings for hats and in-seam decals, where it is the largest in the US.

"Star Binding  Manufacturing Co. was acquired in around 1914 by Salomon Orenstein and his son Jacob. A few years later they were joined by George Zatlin who was married to Jake’s sister. Georges’ son Philip joined the firm after serving in World War II. In 1979, Philip’s son Stuart joined the company and the two run the company to this day.  Star Printing Company began as an in house printing company independent in 1926. Star Printing shares a single story building with Star Binding in the old automotive district of St Louis."

--From the website

MO in 24

Cousins Di Di and Devon

We touch the Missouri River and the Mississippi River in the same day, pretty cool, and now it is St Louis.

We visit Moe's side of the family and cousin Di Di organises a re union at Aunt Ida's Jewish retirement home (next to a Chinese restaurant, of course) which includes Liebermans and Orensteins and Seniors. Ida is 103 years old and sharp - she recalls everybody's face and where they are on the family tree. A highlight is Joy's photo album which takes us back to the 1920s.

Moe's cousin and childhood pal Al is with his wife Alice, a freshman at University City High School when Moe was a Senior. This area was predominantly Jewish until the '70s and so where my Orthodox great-grandfather Horen landed in the late 19th century, speaking only yiddish (Joy tells us). Horen left Russia to escape the pograms of the 1890s and entered America via Ellis Island. Alice tells me Moe was school President, and "very important and so handsome. We all looked up to him."

Devon is a great kid (head connected to electronic toy) and son of Shavon and Danny, who was adopted by Joy and Larry in '72, before mixed adoptions were stopped (says Joy). Danny is 6'4" and Joy 4'11".  Shavon is from Oakland and, remarkably, was a Freshman at Berkeley High School when I was a Senior, though we did not know each other.

Me: "What do you think of the Liebermans ?"
Madeleine: "Huh?"
Me: "Did you know that you had all these Jewish relatives in St Louis?"
Madeleine: "No."
Me: Pretty cool."
Madeleine: "Yep."

The Jew Crew

Kansas City Missouri

A boy in transition

We pull in to Kansas City and decamp at the hotel, which means clothes and debris everywhere.

Sonnet meets her ancient dear friend Kevin, who drives to us from St Louis.  Kevin and Sonnet worked together at I. Magnin in San Francisco in those post college days when life was but a goof. These are the best friendships.

I have the Shakespeares solo so we go for a bike ride along the Missouri River, swim at the hotel pool then, treat-of-treats, Arthur Bryant's BBQ for dinner, the best in Kansas City and anywhere (says Calvin Trillin : "the single best restaurant in the world"). Barak Obama lunched here three days ago. Sonnet and I at Bryant's in 1997 when driving across the country and not much has changed - it has cleaned up a bit perhaps but the pulled pork as good as it ever was. The kids share a full rack of ribs and a plate of fries, washed down with lemonade. It's a restaurant without pretencion , where everybody enjoying themselves, and beats any of London's Michelin stars, hands down.

Grain Storage

Route 96

Today, back to Interstate 70 East (known as the Eisenhower Truman Highway, at least in Kansas).  We visit the Eisenhower Museum and Memorial and the Eisenhower National Library in Abeline, KA, in 45 minutes, including lunch. Sonnet runs a tight ship.

Abeline, where Eisenhower raised, a dust bowl town with maybe 5,000 people but, man, every child here believes he can be President.

Eitan patiently eats his melted RussellStover chocolates in the back seat, slowly peeling the crinkly wrap from the liquefied chocolate. Madeleine: “That is disgusting.”

Spotted from the road :

“Free Wine Tasting”, Prairie Fire Winery

“Brown v Board of Education Historic Site (Topeka)

“Wild Wild West, Gentleman’s Club, Exit 250”

“Welcome to Lindborg, Kansas, America’s Little Sweden.”

Kansas State University : International Research Facility and Five Times Men’s Basketball Champions. 

Sonnet: “Well, that was Topeka.” [Dad's note: Topeka is the capital of Kansas and we went through it in 5 minutes, 65 mph]

Kansas

It's agriculture

We depart Montrose saying our sad good-byes to Stan, who takes it stoicly : “Now I can have some peace and quiet back”. The kids sit quietly in the back as we pull away honking the horn one last time.

Today’s route : Montrose, HW 50 to 96 at Pueblo then to Route 40 to 25 North, where we spend the night in Colby, KA, “the oasis in the plains.” It's hard driving, about 8 hours in all, without much to look at, other than the corn fields and blue skies.

Museums : Salida Museum of Local History (Salida, CO), Fort Wallace Museum (near the Fort Wallace, CO, cemetery); Prairie Museum of Art and history (Rte 40, KA); High Plains Museum, Colby, KA; Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Kansas State University, Hays, KA; Czech Museum and Opera House (Wilson, KA); Eisenhower Presidential Library, Albine, KA); Kansas Motorcycle Museum, Minneapolis, KA; Smokey Hill Museum and the Salina Art Center, Salina, KA

An Interlude

Stan's turkey

Stan is plagued by the neighbour's turkey and two chickens, who wander into the house if a door left open. The kids love them of course.

And Now For Some More Sandstone

Dead Horse Point

The Colorado River does its work. The oldest strata, the Cutler Formation, closest to the brown red water, deposited during the Permian Period from 275 to 250 million years ago.

Eitan wraps up football camp with the Montrose Indians, which is the pre screen for Montrose high school football team.  Coach is a soccer guy, ex athlete, and enthusiastic in a way that American coaches are meant to be: everybody above average and each kid deserves a chance to play. Eitan sniffs at the quality at first then fits right in. As an aside,  Coach say the colleges recruit from the academies where prospects may play 80 or 90 games a year+the high school season "It's all about touch time", Coach adds.

Stan gives a toast in front of 50 of his friends: “Eitan, who is your favorite football team?”

Eitan, pause: “The Montrose Indians.”

Me, aside: “Nice one kid. You’re learning how to play ‘adult’ “