So ends the unplanned trilogy of the Cockroach Diaries. I actually saw (and killed) a cockroach just two days ago, but by and large sightings have dropped with the arrival of cooler weather. And I’m thankful for it.
I’ve been thinking about winter and traveling a lot the past few weeks. In particular, I’ve been reminiscing about a trip I took to Cleveland for a videography job. Cleveland is certainly not on the list of many people’s top tourist destinations, but I’ve always had a romantic view of the city due entirely to Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor. Pekar’s life was not exceptional; it was as thrilling and tragic and boring as the next guy . Yet, there was a persistent and attractive simplicity that I’ve always wanted to strive for or emulate. Despite his existential reflections, Pekar was still a guy who had a 9-to-5, walked to the local bakery, and stayed in listening to music or reading books. He was driven to write and create and found success in doing so, but he never disposed of the life he was comfortable with. The poet laureate of Cleveland was the embodiment of the everyman and Cleveland, at least as it was portrayed, was the perfect backdrop for his everyday struggles. Pekar romanticized an admittedly unromantic setting by showing it like it is. No frills, no fluff, just real living.
Pictures of Lake Erie. Some of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. It was absolutely stunning.
Cleveland felt immediately quaint and unassuming during the cab ride from the airport. It was probably because the temperature was in the single digits and no one was out, but the city still felt very welcoming. Indeed, it was January and that was the coldest place I’d ever been. Not only do your extremities sting and numb, but your limbs feel more stiff and walking becomes more conscious and arduous. But I loved it. It was quiet and lonely roaming the streets. There weren’t many cars on the road either. I spotted a couple streets that I recognized from American Splendor. There I was, walking on the same sidewalks that Pekar had! I was giddy, but no one else knew it. And probably very few people could identify with that feeling. I loved the freedom that came with traveling alone. I could make my own schedule, choose to break it, wander off and become distracted - all without having to come to a group consensus. Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy traveling with others, but more and more, I realize and accept that I enjoy solitude.
Once things start to open back up and it’s safe to venture out, I’m going to travel. Just around the States first - I don’t think I’m quite ready for an international solo journey. I have to make up for a year of (for all intents and purposes) solitary confinement. It’s something I look forward to and keeps me going. Which cities should I hit?
