Forgotten Cities Tour 2011, Part I

9 Cities. Three days.  Three girls.  

One unbelievable journey.

Our mission: Visit the cities no one ever wants to visit.  

Our motto: When things get worse, they only get better.  

Our mascot: Homer Stryker.

First Stop: Pittsburg 

This city is no longer just another pitstop, it has it's own breathtaking beauty.  We had planned to go to a certain park, but it was closed, so instead we found ourselves across the river.  That's when we first discovered that when things get worse, they only get better.

Across the river, there was this view.

 

And across the river was the happiest statue you will ever see in your life.  I never wanted to leave him.

(It doesn't look like it, but this guy's lap was definitely a challenge to climb into.  Somewhere in this wide world is a video of me trying to climb out of his lap.  Consider yourself lucky if you've seen it.)

Across the river was also the Steeler Stadium, the site where the first professional NFL game was played.

Double across the river was a set of stairs that reminded me of China.  Talk about exotic Pittsburg.  

I'll give a prize to the first person who can correctly identify which one of the following pictures is China and which one is Pittsburg.

Second Stop:  Cleveland

 The land of Case-Westings, cheap housing, and a gorgeous cemetery.

(Kelly had written points of interest on star sticky notes (Thanks, Mom!  Best package surprise ever!) and every time we visited a city we would stick it onto the dashboard.   We called it "Following the Stars" which was a very romantic way to journey through a road trip, I highly recommend it.)

The cemetery just so happens to be where John D. Rockefeller and President James A. Garfield are buried.

 

 

Third Stop: Ann Arbor

 University of Michigan territory (Dad, don't hate us).

My charming friend, Kendall, gave us an excellent tour of campus.  The tour began with the school stadium, which Kendall told us was incredibly large but did not look large because the majority of it was underground.  And I said, "Oh, like the Quidditch World Cup stadium."

Little did I know, that would not be my first Harry Potter reference of the night because it turns out, the University of Michigan is actually Hogwarts.  I mean, check out their law library...do you see the four house symbols on the window?

 And inside is the great hall, floating candles and all.  I kept looking around for the sorting hat.

There was no sorting hat, but I found this sorting jacket.  It told me I didn't belong in the East Coast.

 

And, um, why did they not have an Adventure Society at BYU?  I feel cheated somehow.

Kendall told me he had made up a joke since the last time he saw me two years ago:

What did the cottage cheese say after visiting the museum?

"I feel cultured."

And that's why I love Kendall.

Stay tuned for Part II!

*Disclaimer: All the pictures you will see on these posts were taken by both me and Kelli, my fellow picture-taking friend, I love trips with her - I get double the good pics!