Thursday, October 1, 2009 – Growing up in the bucolic wilds of Colorado in the 1950’s and 60’s, Jake had three sporting “someday dreams.” Someday he would sit in Yankee Stadium, someday he would attend a World Series game, and someday he would go to a Notre Dame football game. Life was good enough to him that the first two “somedays” came true within a few years of moving to New York City, but Notre Dame proved elusive – until this weekend.
Thanks to the generosity of a Notre Dame alum, Jake and Theresa were assured tickets to Notre Dame v. Washington on October 3, in South Bend, Indiana. All we had to do was get there. As we have noted before, one of the best things about being retired is that we have the time to drive places that in the past we would have had to fly to because of limited vacation days or other time restraints. It’s a long drive from dear old Jersey to the bucolic wilds of Indiana, so we decided to rest our elderly Honda and rented a car.
After our traditional pre-trip stop at the local Dunkin’ on Route 18, we headed west on the great American vehicular river system known as the Interstate System. We stopped first for soup and sandwiches in the picturesque town of Bellefonte, PA. Cool Beans Coffee & Tea provided us with just what we needed – a quick and tasty lunch served in a homey, coffee shop atmosphere that included the requisite locals hunched over their laptops, mothers with free range toddlers and lots of couches and chairs.
A 30 minute walk after lunch gave us a glimpse of Bellefonte, which bills itself as full of “Victorian
charm,” and we didn’t see anything to discredit the claim. Bellefonte brims with B&B’s, and seems connected at the financial hip with nearby Penn State University. The helpful visitors center is in Talleyrand Park, which also features a pretty gazebo, a restored railway station, and a foot bridge over a nicely flowing creek populated by the usual ducks and the less usual trout.The continuing drive west on I-80 through western Pennsylvania was quite nice. Fall colors were manifest at the higher elevations and the rolling hills made the drive easy on both driver and passenger. Just before reaching the Ohio border we stopped at the Holiday Inn Express in Sharon, PA. This HIE is an award winner, and it proved to be worthy of its accolades.
It also happens to be right next door to the Tam O’Shanter Golf Course. Jake convinced Stone to join him for a late day, relaxed 9-holes with just us and our cart ($27, total!), and we had a very nice time chasing our golf balls around this friendly, country-setting course.
For dinner we drove about 10 minutes up the road to Hermitage, PA, where we had a very nice time at the Hickory Bar and Grille, where the stuffed wildlife on the walls belies a rather sophisticated menu. We had expected western Pennsylvania to be inexpensive, but get this: two appetizers, two salads, two drinks and a tip: $41.
Friday, October 2, 2009 – Leaving the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania behind, I-80 lead
us quickly into Ohio where just west of Cleveland I-90 flows in, making it I-80/90. Outside Toledo we stopped at Schlotzsky’s Deli, just five minutes off the highway. The franchise slogan is “funny name, serious sandwich,” and it proved to be true. Jake’s sandwich, termed “The Original,” was especially delicious.We noted that though this sandwich shop was like many you might find back home, here all the employees seemed happy in their work. The guy who called out the order number on the PA system was in such a good mood that he sang the number into the mic. And when we left, the cashier, though helping another customer, bid us an honest and hearty goodbye. This was our first noting of what we termed “the Midwest vibe,” which we noted time and again at gas stations, at shops, at parking lots, at B&B’s, and at the football game itself. Though hard to describe in its various manifestations, this attitude seems based on a happy acceptance of the here and now, even if the here and now is sometimes rather bleak. It’s as if seemingly everyone really believes those bumper stickers that say, “Life is Good.” We felt a little envious of such a sensibility, this sort of Midwestern Zen.
The drive though the rest of Ohio and all of Indiana proved to be as flat as Western Pennsylvania was hilly, but there were iconic rural scenes of farmhouses and silos, and the sky seemed to stretch over everything with an enormity we were not used to. Even the weather seemed bigger. Rain and sun came and went like actors on a stage, and when we stopped to fill up with gas the wind whipped our clothes as it tore over the flat landscape, seeming to come from the distant horizon on a special mission of force.
Like Augusta, Georgia, during the Masters, South Bend has it price gouging on Notre Dame football weekends. Several weeks ago Jake had called some chain place in South Bend, like a Microtel, and was told that for a room with a double bed it would be $375 a night, two night minimum, and though all the rooms were taken, the waiting list was still open.
We ended up booking a room at a B&B in Union Pier, Michigan, just across the border form Indiana and only about 40 minutes from South Bend. The Garden Grove B&B has much to recommend it, but for us, besides its being relatively close to South Bend, its proximity to Lake Michigan was its main draw. We had time after we checked in to do a little exploring. We had hoped to do so by the available bikes, but the weather was iffy at best and still quite windy, so we went by car.
We discovered several “private communities” set along the lakefront. Many of the homes were multi-million dollar places with a Mercedes in the double driveway, but
there were some older cottages that hearkened back to the time when these Union Pier neighborhoods were summer getaways for “regular folk,” and here and there among the usual luxury we spotted a community basketball hoop or a children’s playground. It was quite interesting.We found a public beach at the next town down the lake, New Buffalo. We parked in the empty parking lot and walked the deserted shoreline in the on-and-off rain. It was just us and the seagulls, which were hunkered down against the wind like an army at forced rest. The beach scene was shuttered post season; the day was overcast, rainy and breezy; and the lake was white-capped gray, slightly ominous and downright oceanic. Quite wonderful. Back at the B&B our room seemed especially cozy.
Dinner that night was at the upscale Timothy’s, perhaps only a half mile from the B&B. The room was nicely appointed in a lodge-like atmosphere, the drinks were good and the service was casually efficient. Stone’s mussels were a bit disappointing but Jake’s perch sandwich was very tasty. Though probably not worth the money, Timothy’s provided us with a pleasant evening. On the way back to the B&B we stopped in at Bud and Elsie’s, which was a sort of convenience/grocery/liquor store where we got some coffee to go and bought some bottles of Tabor Hill wine, a local winery we had hoped to visit but never had time for. The coffee was fine, while the wine still awaits consumption.
Saturday, October 3, 2009 – Kick-off for the game was at 3:30, but we left early, wanting to see as much of the campus and hoopla as possible. A little before 10 AM we pulled into our parking area – White North, $20 a car – and then caught a shuttle bus into the campus. The bus driver was the first that day, but hardly the last, to say “Welcome to Notre Dame.” As the bus was filling up somebody said, “Hey, don’t let that guy with the Michigan jacket on.”
The shuttle dropped us off next to the Hesburgh Library and its impressive
mural nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus.” Somewhat ironically (or perhaps not) this world class library was built on the old Notre Dame football field. We, and scores of other bus riders, went inside to use the bathrooms. Though the library was closed (football Saturday, you know) Jake noticed a student checking out a good half dozen books via one of several electronic scanners. The weather was sketchy at best, but the campus was full of people and memorable vignettes.-- The Leprechaun and his cheerleaders jogging around eliciting cheers and chants from the faithful.
-- Many people having their picture taken by the Knute Rockne statue, including several Washington Huskies fans.
-- The ND Bagpipe Band holding forth in grand style on the steps of the Main Building.
-- The signs on ND stadium that tells fans to evidence good sportsmanship, and reminds everyone that alcohol and smoking are both not allowed in the stadium.
-- Here and there on the large, grassy quads of this large, grassy campus, students hawk game day food and soda, often with the aid of a step ladder and bull horn. Dorms have their tables set up, as do many campus groups – the ice skating team, for example. We bought a couple of hot dogs from the ND Chorale, who then harmonized a little song as a thank you.
-- As if in a public service spot for “traditional American values,” numerous families tossed footballs to one another amid cries of, “Go deep!”
Besides the Hesburgh Library there are two other iconic buildings on campus: Main Building (with its famous Golden Dome) and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (where the team celebrates
Mass before each game and the "go to" place for 
alum weddings.) The Basilica was as beautiful as many we saw in Italy (though not nearly as big), and the Main Building, with its fabulous dome and striking rotunda, not to mention its overall feeling of history and tradition, could easily justify a visit of several hours. But the rest of the campus – though large, green, immaculate and dotted with both art work and historic statues – left us slightly underwhelmed. Perhaps it was simply the flat topography of the land that made us miss the rolling hills of many campuses back east.Certainly the campuses back east would have a hard time matching the tailgating that we experienced as we walked amid the acres of close-in parking looking for our rendezvous spot with our ND Alum friend. We had to wonder, surveying a scene that was part carnival, part tribal gathering, and all party, if all these good folk were here for football or for something else. (It is to the University’s credit that tailgating is outlawed once the game begins.) There were tents of all sizes and more BBQ’s than you could shake a BBQ fork at, flat screen TV’s being watched in the back of vans and pickup trucks, a school bus painted in ND blue and gold, bare card tables with paper plates next to picnic tables set with china, fine linen and lamps. And of course there was food and beer sufficient to feed the multitudes when Jesus returns to earth to mark the New Jerusalem and the final touchdown.
There were also truly hundreds of people playing a game of bean bag toss, which was like horseshoes but with bean bags. The bags were tossed toward a small, tilted platform with a hole in the top center, which apparently was the ultimate target. Several styles of tossing were in vogue, but each toss seemed to demand the concentration and focus of a British dart tournament. Neither Jake nor Stone had ever seen this style of bean bag game before and its pervasive appeal eluded us both. We decided it must be some Midwestern vibe to which we could not tune in.
We met our ND Alum friend in the NBC hospitality tent on the southern end of the campus. (He works for GE, which owns NBC, which televises all Notre Dame home games.) Being verified on the guest list we got our special passes and lanyards, then entered the tent, which was almost worthy in size to what Muammar al-Qaddafi wanted to pitch recently in Westchester County. The food was plentiful and free, as were the beer and wine and drinks. We passed a lovely hour or so hobnobbing with other “invitees,” who ranged from GE big shots to regular folk like us. It felt special to be special.
We arrived at the game early so as not to miss anything, for there is a lot to see and hear. There
is much ceremony before each Notre Dame home game, from the solemn presenting of the colors and the singing of “God Bless America,” “Notre Dame Our Mother,” and the “Victory March,”to the band ending its pre-game 
show by spelling out IRISH on the field as the crowd roars its approval. The stadium itself is very old school. Ninety percent of the seats are bleacher like with your seat number stenciled on the weathered wood. The field is grass, there are no advertising signs, and there is not a bad seat in the house – and it’s a big house.The football game itself was not expertly played (few early season college games are), but it proved to be very exciting and drama filled, including key play results being reversed by video review, a “never seen before” double goal line stand by the Irish, brilliant passing by the Huskies’ Jake Locker, equally brilliant play by Notre Dames Golden (even a better first name than Jake!) Tate, and an Over Time victory for the Irish, 37-30. It hardly mattered that at the begging of the second half the stadium was drenched in rain. The game itself, combined with all the atmosphere – the student section (which by the way stands for the entire game) shouting their choreographed cheers and raising each other in the air for “push-ups,” the wonderful half time show, the band playing the “Victory March” ad naseum, the Irish Guard in their kilts on the sidelines, and the noise of 80,000 people in full throat all combined to surpass even Jake’s expectations of what it would be like to attend a football game in Notre Dame Stadium.
After the game we met with our ticket benefactor at the Hesburgh Library and had a very nice chat over coffee and tea at the Huddle Food Court in the LaFortune Student Center. After a bit of a wait on line for the shuttle back to our parking spot, we drove back to our B&B area, and had a good late night snack and beer at The Stray Dog in New Buffalo. The bar’s TVs were awash with late night college football. We went back to our B&B room to sleep the sleep of the fortunate. Hey, life is good.
Sunday, October 4, 2009 – B&B’s have basically two ways to serve breakfast: either at a large communal table or at individual tables set for two, or sometimes four. We have found both arrangements agreeable, but this morning we are glad to have a table for two in the little enclosed porch, and enjoy our breakfast while remembering the thrills of yesterday’s adventure.
The drive back eastward was complicated by an early rain storm, but it soon cleared up, and things went smoothly enough. As I-80/90 rolls through Indiana and Ohio it is much like any other Interstate highway – except perhaps that you pay for the pleasure in both states– but in Ohio we experienced several travel plazas that were the best we’d ever seen. Architecturally pleasant from the road and inside as well, they featured a pristine cleanliness, an airy food court with comfortable seats, a helpful visitors center, and the pervasive Midwestern happy employees. Lunch at Panera Bread in such a setting was both tasty and enjoyable.
We pulled into the Terra Nova B&B in Grove City, PA, at about 4:00 pm. After checking in we went for a stroll through the neighborhood, which seemed to be in one of the older parts of town and had a variety of homes – some a bit sad around the edges and others that featured immaculate landscaping. It was striking to see how many of the homes had flags or banners or something that showed the owners to be Steelers fans.
We had thought we might have trouble finding a place to eat on this Sunday night in small-town western PA, but our hosts had a wide collection of local menus and we settled on the Springfield Grille in nearby Mercer, PA. The parking lot was full when we pulled in and when we got inside we could see why. The Springfield Grille is an attractive place (where even the
obligatory stuffed wildlife, in this case an impressive moose, seems just right) with all that we needed for a good dinner: friendly service, good drinks, and a nice menu with cheap prices. When our waitress told us that the appetizers were half priced on Sunday nights, we ordered exclusively from the app menu: bruschetta, an iced crab dish served in a martini glass, a couple of large seared scallops, chopped porcini mushrooms wrapped in little pasta “purses,” and some great grilled lamb. Jake had his usual Rusty Nail; Stone her usual glass of Cabernet. We had coffee. We had to leave a 25% tip so that the bill would be at least be $50. Wow.Monday, October 5, 2009 – Breakfast at our B&B -- a baked pear in custard sauce, sausage and blueberry pancakes -- was delicious, and provided further evidence of this B&B’s award winning ways. And at $99 for the night, it was another indication of the bargains to be found west – way west – of Philadelphia. It's too bad that Barry and Sandy, the B&B owners are looking to sell, but hopefully whoever buys the place will carry on the good work.
On our drive home we stopped for gas and snacks at Jersey Shore. No, not that Jersey Shore. The little town of Jersey Shore, PA. And not really the town either, just a gas station near the Jersey Shore Exit off the interstate. The cashier was nice, but evidenced little of that magical “Life is Good,” sensibility. We were obviously getting closer to home.
