Trump came to town this week...They had attendees for the rally at the airport stage at the parking lot of Waldameer Park, not far from my home...Beside the idiotic Erie residents that support this orange faced, lying clown, they also has bus loads of people brought in...This has been a typical Trump campaign move going all the way back to his 2016 campaign...In typical fashion all local stations were masturbating all over this visit, while when Biden was here, only one station broke in and covered his speech....
Trump's speech was his same old song and dance, full of lies, and misinformation and hate...Yes, he pushed his racist claims about saving the suburbs...Which any adult not wearing Trump colored glasses knows, that means, 'Let's keep those Blacks out of your neighborhoods'....But besides his normal, bullshit, he also made it clear he doesn't care about Erie, PA...He just wants our votes and will go back to ignoring us regular, middle-class, (and lower) blue-collar folks as soon as he can...
Hey Erie, this is how little Trump thinks about you...
“Four or five months ago when we started this whole thing, because you know, before the plague came in, I had it made.” Trump said to the crowd in Erie, PA...
“ I wasn’t coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there was no way I was coming.”
The lunacy continued, “We had this thing won. We were so far up. We had the greatest economy ever, (lie) greatest jobs, (lie) greatest everything. (Lie) And then we got hit with the plague and I had to go back to work. Hello, Erie, may I please have your vote?”
"Had to go back to work." This fucktard thinks campaign rallies are going back to work...Listen you kid fucker, work would have been slowing down the spread of COVID...Not lying about it and letting 221,000 (and counting) Americans die from it...Work would have been getting together with bot parties and getting a real relief bill together instead of one that paid huge corporations, including some of your friends and your own businesses....Fucking Kanye is a legit billionaire and you let his criminal ass have COVID relief money...Fuck Donald Trump!
Trump didn't make America Great...He made a shithole! He didn't drain the swamp...He is the fucking swamp...
In the five years or so that we have lived in Erie, a number of people have asked me what it's like or how is it different from my lifetime growing up and living in Cleveland...I often say, having grown up in Lakewood, that "it's like living in a big Lakewood"...And I think that's a good comparison...(my friends in Ohio get it, maybe not here in Erie)....But something came to my mind the other day, thinking about the differences...I haven't had a cigarette in over 20 years...And didn't crave it a bit...But since living in Erie, I crave a cigarette at least 5 times a week....This place makes me want to smoke!
Maybe that's too harsh, but seriously, I have had dreams where I'm smoking in them...Not dreams about High School days...Dreams about right now, living here...It all started when I did my 3 year, tour of duty, working 3rd shift at the evil empire, Walmart...Many co-workers smoked, so maybe that's what put into my head...And as I said in my THERE IS NO GOD post, things have been quite stressful these days....
And probably adding to my cigarette craving...Erie, being the most northern city in a northern state, it is amazingly frustrating for having a large number of rednecks...I'm not talking about hunting and fishing people...Not even talking about Republicans...Okay, some Republicans...I'm talking about dolts who wear the Confederate Flag...That have it on their trucks...That have it flying on their homes...ASSHOLES! That is the flag of traitors of the United States...Your state, Pennsylvania fought against them...And Your state, Pennsylvania was on the side that won...WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WAVING THE TRAITOR FLAG?!!?
UGH!
So what else does Erie have going on? It's got great sunsets! Google image search Erie, PA sunsets and you'll see some great ones...There's a popular shirt here that claims "World's 3rd Best Sunsets"....I haven't found any actual, factual shit that backs that up...It is often said "Rust Belt" cities have great sunsets because of air pollution, so yay pollution! (Cough, cough)
We have a minor league baseball...The shitty Detroit Tigers AA team, The Erie Sea Wolves...
Well, we don't have them this season....Thanks COVID!
So Cleveland has the INDIANSand we have the shitty Tiger's AA team...
There are great Mom & Pop shops throughout Erie...Restaurants, coffee shops, book stores, clothing and apparel, knick-knacks, jewelry, bakeries, markets...Right now I fear for them all and try my best to support them when I can...
There is a cool arts and music scene here in Erie, but you really have to search it out...It isn't well promoted by the dolts (politicians & talking heads) who say they are trying to boost the economy...They help the economy by giving big corporations property, tax free for at least 10 years...You know, those taxes that would greatly help us citizens...We are paying property tax but they aren't...So us and small businesses are picking up the slack and have less money to spend to boost the economy...Like spending money at these big businesses that you gave a tax break too....
Erie has a Casino and Horse Track...I have avoided that...I'd get lost at the track and come home and have to tell the wife we're broke...
People here love the Peninsula....
I never knew this existed until I met my wife and we visited her folks....They love the peninsula, talked about it all the time...And we just call it the peninsula...I don't know if that is an Erie thing or just us...It's formally know at Presque Isle State Park...A crooked dick that flops out into Lake Erie lined with beaches and camp grounds, and bike/walking paths, giving the city a bay...The peninsula has animal sanctuaries, places to fish and hunt, The Tom Ridge Environmental Center which is kind of one of those places you go to once, every handful of years...maybe...There's an old school drive-in called Sara's that serves burgers, dogs, fries, onion rings, shakes and ice cream cones...In the early years of our marriage it was one of those places to hit when we would visit...Now, having lived here for awhile, it's just ok...Prices have gone up and quality has gone down...Nostalgia only goes so far for me when I'm talking about food and/or spending money....
At the top of the hill leading down to the peninsula there is Waldameer Amusement Park and water park...Growing up in Ohio, everything gets compared to Cedar Point...It ain't shit compared to Cedar Point...But it also won't cost you the fortune Cedar Point does...And a bonus, I don't like rides...So if I just want to take the kids there and just chill and watch them, I don't pay full admission...
Erie has an airport...It's small and when my wife has to fly for work she has to take a puddle jumper to a real airport with big planes...After the last couple years, she's planning on flying direct out of Cleveland or Buffalo as we are parked right between the two...
One of my favorite things here in Erie....The Erie Otters, OHL team...OHL is Junior hockey for those unaware...
These are high school to college age kids that are looking to go pro...They're so good that there is a draft for these kids each year...They move away from home to take their shot...Above, that's Chad Yetman who had a breakout season this past year before COVID fucked everything up...My youngest met him and Max Golod, another Otters star (he's behind Yetman's shoulder there before a faceoff on a power play) at her school for some class reward...All the kids got a team set of cards and these two autographed theirs...After that she wanted to go to a game and that was music to my ears...The whole family went...We sat 4 rows from the ice...All 5 of us night of fun, hockey and entertainment for (tickets, food, parking) $100...These days, that's pretty damn good...and it's good, exciting hockey...Fights too! We went to about 6 games last season.
That's Jamie Drysdale...He's going to be a first round pick in this years NHL drop...All projections have him going in the top 5 picks...
Former #1 overall pick Connor McDavid played here as well and a bunch of NHLers...
So my hometown of Cleveland has minor league hockey and here we have "Major Junior Hockey"...And it's cheaper...
Erie has a zoo...It's a shitty zoo, especially compared the the Cleveland zoo, but it's good for little kids...Cleveland's zoo is an all day event...Erie's is a couple hours at best...But it's got Giraffes....
The Mall here, is shaped like a gun...No shit! Overhead pictures show it looking like a gun pointed at downtown...
Urban Legend says that the mall was designed that way on orders from the mafia...The Mafia in Erie had ties to mob families in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Youngstown...One of the most famous mobsters from Erie, Ray Ferritto is well know for his murder of the legendary Cleveland mobster Danny Greene...
One thing that has always been near and dear to my heart as a Clevelander is Great Lakes Brewing Company...I was relieved and overjoyed when I saw their beers in stores and bars here...Even Christmas Ale makes it here...But I will say this, Great Lakes has some competition...
Erie Brewing Company makes some fine beers...Bayfront Blonde has become my fallback...If I don't know what to drink, or I'm not seeing something that catches my eye...That's what I go with...EBC's Railbender is another great one...A little darker, and can fuck you up quick...If GLBC's Conway's Irish Ale isn't in season or all the Christmas Ale is gone I go with Erie Brewing Company...
Okay, I'm not a total beer snob...I mix in some Yuengling and Moosehead too...
The weather is about the same I mean we live a hour and half east...slightly a bit more north...Spring, Summer, Fall same as back in Cleveland...Winter...Winter here often is a giant frozen, snow covered dildo up our asses...
Erie is like a small Cleveland...Not that different...But more snow...
Now, after this, I just want to crack open a beer...And think about smoking...
I originally thought of titling this series, 'Erie, the Town I Love, but often rip on to Make Myself Feel Superior, because Forty Years in Cleveland can Make you Feel Inferior.'
But that seemed a little too wordy...I've been coming to Erie often for the last 15 years...My wife grew up here, and we have come back repeatedly to visit her parents and some friends...But this month we moved here...Her parents getting older, and needing help...Driving up from Cleveland once a week was just getting old....And late night long distance calls when they have a medical problem suck...So we uprooted our lives, and a our kids lives...My wife felt this was something she needed to do...I won't deny, I have been looking to make a move...In the past we talked about places like Boston, Seattle and Toronto...So landing in Erie, PA surprised some people...
We're in a good community, with good schools, and the neighbors seem really nice...As a matter of fact, I have run into a lot of nice so far...If you have read my posts in the past, you know I'm a bit of an angry asshole...I'm going to have to work on that here, because everyone I have met, or come across has been nice...The employees at Lowes were all nice...At the CVS, they were nice...The Plumber we needed to come out was nice...The garbage man was nice...Random people walking down the street were nice...My wife said even the people working McDonalds were nice...(In Cleveland, there isn't a nice McDonalds employee anywhere, let alone one that isn't an idiot!)
The level of asshole here seems much lower...Sorry me rolling into town bumped it up a little...It must be something in the water...I've noticed over the past 15 years visiting, that Lake Erie is much cleaner here...I find it amazing that a hour and a half West from here, the same body of water is a steaming pile of crap...Maybe it's all the shit overflowing from the Browns Stadium...
Uprooting the kids has been the toughest part...My sales pitch to them is that this will be an adventure...We have so much to discover...We know about Waldameer, and that Sara's is awesome! We know about Splash Lagoon and the Erie Zoo...But I know there's more...My youngest and I always like finding knew parks to play at...Here, we only know Frontier, because it's close to my in-laws...We will be setting out on a mission to find all the best parks and playgrounds in the area...
As a sports fan, I find myself pinned between Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh...So I'l still be able to follow the Indians...I like the Pirates, hate the Penguins, hate the Steelers, the Browns have made me hate them...Intrigued by the Sabres, and Rex Ryan makes me want to see what will happen next with the Bills...I'm also excited to see the next Connor McDavid come through the Otters organization...And I know Mercyhurst plays some good hockey...
As a food lover who has spent his life in the restaurant business, I know Erie is one of the Chain restaurant capitols in the country...But I'm looking for the good stuff...I'll tell you Alto Cucina is my favorite restaurant in town...But I want to checkout 1201 Kitchen, Cloud 9 Wine Bar, and 28 North...
I have many questions...Many things to discover....
Where is the best place for live music? Is the local music scene good? Please don't be all Train cover bands...My wife went to school with Pat Monohan, so I have a constant reminder of how my musical aspirations failed...
Is there any chocolate better then Romolo's? Gonna be tough to beat that...
What are the best bars? Best old man bar? Best dive? Best grub? Best "nice" bar for after fancy dinner and a show at the Warner Theater? Who makes the best Moscow Mule?
Another sports question...I'm from Ohio...And I don't care what they say in Texas...You and I know that high school football is just as big of a deal in PA and Ohio....So I have to ask...With McDowell being such a big school, why is their football team struggling? The past few years they have been taking on Northeast Ohio powers, and getting smoked...
I have a lot to do...We have a lot to discover, and I'll have more questions...But we have the rest of our lives...After the the pain in the ass that this move was, I told my wife, we're not moving again!
So my journey to become an Erieite begins...If you have tips, feel free to share them.
The choices we make can have a major impact on our lives...If you were choosing from the picture above, you're decision would be based on limited information...Who knows what the fronts look like...What if one of them has a dick? Like I said, choices can make a major impact...
In the NFL, teams have to make important choices based on the information they have...Some teams just don't know how to read that information...Perfect example...The Cleveland Browns...They consistently drafting poorly...They've had about 24 different QB's in 15 years...They thought these FUBU looking uniforms were a good idea...
And Josh McCown thought this was going to work out...Dude looked brain-dead before he hit the ground...
Another example, would be which of two big-name college QB's should you draft...Right away I thought the Tennessee Titans got it right with Marcus Mariota...
Kid looks so comfortable, and confident...Has plenty of skills and room to improve...
But based off of everything we knew, I thought Tampa Bay was making a mistake drafting Jameis Winston...The kid carries trouble in his back pocket, and in his brief college career showed so many flaws, not just in his character, but also in his abilities...The Titans D watched the film...
Honestly, I only watched some highlights...I truly can't stand the NFL...I got sick seconds after popping on the Jets / Browns game...And it wasn't just those god-awful uniforms...Just have no taste for the NFL and all their bullshit...I jumped over to NFL network to check on my fantasy guys, just to find out half my team was playing Monday night...
-Sometimes we make choices that lead to change...Sometimes change leads to making choices...The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have to make some choices after finding out they are changing QB's for the rest of the season after this...
That's starting QB Malik Zaire breaking his ankle Saturday...Now Sophomore DeShone Kizer takes over...Another "dual-threat" QB...But do they use the full playbook with Kizer? Do they try to keep him from running to prevent another season ending injury? Do they lean toward the running game? Passing game? Balanced? Choices...Choices based on what they know...Which is more then us when it comes to Kizer...
-There is a choice that needs to be made in Pennsylvania High School football...That choice is to play defense...First, teach kids how to play defense...Friday night Meadville beat DuBois 107-90...Not in basketball...Football...Meadville's offense was lead by running back Journey Brown who rushed for 722 yards on 30 carries, with 10 TD's....Shockingly while setting a PA record for yards, it's not a national record...That is 754 yards set in New Jersey by John Giannantonio in 1950...
Dubois' offense was lead by the arm of QB Matt Miller who set a national high school record, throwing for 782 yards, adding 10 TD's himself...
I find this lack of defense disgusting...But I wanted to find some video of these kids lighting it up...Local TV highlights were crap...I couldn't find anything of Miller, but I found Journey Brown's 2014 highlight video on YouTube...
Kid can run...And it sounds like he made a highlight video for 2015 all on Friday night...
-Lastly in this post about choices, is the choice my wife and I have made...With her father having dementia issues, and having had a number of small strokes over the last couple years, as well as her mother having more troubles as she's getting older, we have decided to move toe Erie, PA...We will be able to help handle things for them more, instead of being on call and having to drive in all the time from Cleveland...They don't drive at this point, and my father-in-law's health issues are far more then what my mother-in-law can handle...At some point when we get him into a full-time care facility (which will most likely eat up all their money) we'll take her in with us...
The boy, and Molly are excited...The 13 year girl isn't so thrilled as she is all goo-goo for a boy and has some very good friends here...But she understands why we are making this choice...It wasn't long ago when I wrote about needing a change...Well, here it is...And I'm very excited about it...
After we made our final decision, and signed wheat we needed to sign, I did something I never thought I would do...I started a "go fund me" page to ask for help for this big transition....but I figured millionaire actor Zach Braff used crowd funding to pay for a bad movie studios didn't want to make, why shouldn't I to help get a couple appliances our new home needs, along with a couple pieces of furniture and some paint...The boy doesn't like the idea of his bedroom staying light pink! So, if you're interested and able, any HELP would be greatly appreciated...
As for the sports scene in Erie...Beside no defense high school football...There is junior hockey, college sports, AA baseball...and it's a hour and half from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo...So, I can continue being miserable!
