Northern Tier 2007

Petoskey, MI to Kewadin, MI

Date: 1 August Wednesday (Day 59)

Starting Point: Petoskey, MI
Ending Point: Kewadin, MI
Via: Walloon Lake, Boyne City, East Jordan, Ellsworth, Atwood, Eastport, and Torch Lake
Mileage: 59.8   
Time: 6:25
Mph: 9.3
Terrain: extremely hilly
Temperature High: 94
Temperature Low: 63
Cooks: Clive and Gregg
Food: BBQ Pork, BBQ Steak, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Hot Dogs, Salad, Pie & Ice Cream
Weather: hot and humid, sunny, some helpful cooling headwinds
Lodging: Robert Lundy’s cottage on Birch Lake
Cumulative Mileage: 3.050.8
Miles to Go: ≈1,249

    The first day of August has arrived and with that the realization and relief that the ride will indeed have an end. To begin the day I     found a fine café in downtown Petoskey where I could write and send in commentary and photos. The front entry of the establishment Roast and Toast had cups and saucers embedded in plaster or stucco all over it. It was a lovely design and striking representation.
    After writing for a while and enjoying a bagel (though it pales to those from my favorite place in Brunswick, Mister Bagel) I finally set out by 9am. The weather was hot and humid already, though not yet at its peak, of course.
    I caught up with the usual gang in Boyne City but, for some reason, couldn’t keep up so I contented myself with riding alone. The hills were phenomenally difficult and seemingly infinite in number. At one point when I was behind Tim, our leader, I came upon the same sign that was there three years ago: Steep Hill. I again thought that this was an example of Michigan irony because the hill that was immediately after that sign was just a small one (for a change!) What appeared on the other side of the crest was the steep part. It was the steepest thing since the day we went towards St. Mary, Montana. Within seconds of cresting the hill, I reached 43 mph. It was a real pleasure and it felt like a reward after all the uphill climbs we had to endure. Later on I discovered that Kevin also had reached very high speed, but in the process somehow, he got stung on the leg by some sort of bee.
    Many of us reassembled in East Jordan where there was an ice cream parlor, Sodalicious. We all had generously large helpings of various flavors along with soft drinks. The best part was that there was air-conditioning and that part was cost-free.
    We were discussing the route to Ellsworth, MI with the young woman behind the counter and she felt that going in a slightly different direction (Atwood Road vs. Essex Road) would be a better, easier idea. She seemed confident that the road to Route 31 (where we had to end up anyway) would be less hilly than the alternative. How many times have I fallen for the assurance by a non-cyclist that a particular road is not hilly? Indeed this was another one of those times.
    Once I reached Route 31 after countless leg-numbing hills I stopped at fruit stand for a smoothie and conversation. The entire stretch from that point almost all the way to Ellsworth featured fruit stands with cherries and other fruits. I was extremely glad that I stopped at this first one as it had air-conditioning. By this time it was 94º and humid, so I felt incredibly vulnerable. Additionally I was riding alone at that point on a outrageously busy road with not much shoulder.
    The owner of the fruit stand suggested that the route provided by Mapquest to our destination for the night could be more direct; she lived very close to that road. to be sure she was correct.
    Two minutes after arriving it made great sense to park the bike and jump in the lake with bicycle clothes still on. That was just the initial shower.
    Bob Lundy was a friend of Tim’s and was very cordial in inviting us to use the yard for camping and his kitchen for cooking. He even allowed four of the participants to sleep in bed inside; the only requirement was that the sleepers not be snorers. Thus, was I out of the running.

   

Kewadin, MI to Interlochen, MI

Date: 2 August Thursday (Day 60)

Starting Point: Kewadin, MI
Ending Point: Interlochen, MI
Via: Elk Rapids, Acme, and Traverse City
Mileage: 37.2   
Time: 4:09
Mph: 9.0
Terrain: very hilly
Temperature High: 83
Temperature Low: 61
Cooks: Bruce and Aede
Food: Pasta
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Interlochen State Park
Cumulative Mileage: 3,088
Miles to Go: ≈1,212
Pledge Amount Raised: $29.265 with 389 sponsors
Goal: $30,000
Amount Needed to Reach Goal: $735

Please give generously and soon. Thank you in advance for any donation you might consider.

To pledge, go to: www.mainelung.org/pledgejohn.htm

    It was a wonderful change to wake up behind a cottage by a lake and be able to actually go inside and eat breakfast sitting in a soft chair. Usually we have only toadstools upon which to sit. In order to complete the breakfast meal it seemed like a good idea to stop in Elk Rapids and enjoy a bagel, a cappuccino and an internet connection via wi-fi. It was the first time during the entire expedition that I had to actually pay to connect, but it certainly was worth it. With four weeks left, I’d like to not get too far behind in posting comments and pictures.
    We had some doubts about riding on Route 31 since it seemed so dangerous yesterday; there was hardly any shoulder and there was a lot of traffic. Today, though, the road had grown a much wider shoulder for the ride into Traverse City so it seemed more comfortable.
    As I was passing Acme, there was a parking lot on my right. In that lot, there was an older woman motioning me to enter the lot. It turned out that she and her husband had many “suggestions” for what route I should take to get through the city. I was advised at all costs to avoid the main street (Front Street) which passes right in front of the harbor area. At this point in the summer there is a film festival that is rivaled only by the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, so that traffic was predicted to be horrendous in the middle of town. She had some Michigan maps that she wanted to give me, but asked me first if I was a AAA member. I admitted that I was and she said I should also go to the AAA office which would be just a few blocks out of my way. I truly appreciated their efforts to save me from traffic, but I stuck with the ACA suggested route. Front Street was very beautiful with hardly any traffic at all, so I didn’t regret not heeding their advice.
    It was a relatively short day and as a consequence, it was very restful. My rest was enhanced by taking in some concerts at the Interlochen Center for the Arts across the street from the State Park.

Interlochen, MI to Luther, MI

Date: 3 August Friday (Day 61)

Starting Point: Interlochen, MI
Ending Point: Luther, MI
Via: Karlin, and Mesick
Mileage: 56.2   
Time: 5:22
Mph: 10.4
Terrain: moderately hilly
Temperature High: 85
Temperature Low: 62
Cooks: Logger’s Landing Restaurant
Food: All-You-Can-Eat Fish (complete with cigarette smoke)
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Lions Club Park
Cumulative Mileage: 3,144.2
Miles to Go: ≈1,156

    Unlike Bruce, who had the wherewithal to go back to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and listen to music in the morning, I headed out fairly early. I stopped in Karlin for a “second breakfast” and was impressed with the selling job the owner did for me to get one of his special breakfast sandwiches. I was hesitant at first, but he finally convinced me to try it. Indeed the sandwich was worth writing home about. It was made with scrambled eggs, pork sausage, a little bacon, lettuce, white onion and their special somewhat secret sauce. He described the recipe as 1 gallon of hot mustard, 2 gallons of mayo and some regular mustard to balance it off. I thought such a quantity would last me several decades.
    Today was a lovely day with no humidity and tolerable heat and I spent a good part of it biking with Bruce (he did catch up to me as I was eating lunch in a shady spot.) The countryside was a mixture of farms and forests. We came upon a hill that had a 9% decline which I remembered from 3 years ago. It was certainly fun going down that, but the ride wasn’t terribly long.
    I was dreading going to Luther because 3 years ago we camped in a spot that had dozens of ATVs and dirt bikes zooming around and creating huge clouds of dust that absolutely covered the campground. There were no showers, no access to any store and no shelter. It wasn’t until Bruce and I ran into Tim about 10 miles from the end that we found out that the Lions Club was going to help us out. They put us in a field ½ mile from downtown with access to water and a bathroom. There was still no shower, but there was a hose to use that gave forth very cold water. It was just like bathing in the water at Reid State Park.
    We went out to eat at a place in town that had infinite fish to eat. I couldn’t stay inside though because there was also infinite cigarette smoke. I ate across the street next to the ice cream stand that served me my dessert at just the right moment.

   

Luther, MI to Clare, MI

Date: 4 August Saturday (Day 62)

Starting Point: Luther, MI
Ending Point: Clare, MI
Via: Le Roy, Avondale, Temple, Lake George and Farwell
Mileage: 68.8   
Time: 6:38
Mph: 10.4
Terrain: moderately hilly
Temperature High: 84
Temperature Low: 62
Cooks: Richard and Tim
Food: Tacos
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Herrick Recreation Area Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 3,213
Miles to Go: ≈1,087

    One thing I’ve attempted to achieve in my writings is a focus on the positive and a recounting of interesting things and interesting conversations I’ve had. Today was one of those days where I really met no one and had no conversations with anyone. There was only one lively character with whom I had a brief encounter in Lake George. Tim was in front me and had stopped at a house for verification of directions. He was speaking with a young man standing on his front porch. As Tim and I rolled away he yelled out, “You have more [colorful term for gonads] than I do, bicycling like that! I then revealed to him that we were bicycling across the country. He yelled, “No [colorful term for excrement]!” I yelled back, “No [colorful term for excrement]!” He finished the interchange by yelling, “Rock on, Dude!!” I briefly thought of stopping and giving him my spiel about the Lung Association but I noticed that his girlfriend was just inside the front door smoking away. I thought that they might by the liveliest audience but not necessarily the most receptive.
    So today was one of those days that harkens back to a phrase that was used in last year’s cross-country ride: I was biking just to get from one place to another. This phrase came up one day when Kaitlin, one of the leaders from last year, observed that I was zooming on a particular day. I replied by saying that I don’t bike to zoom, but rather to get from one place to another. She and another participant were merciless in repeating this to me on a daily basis at the end of a day’s ride for several days running.

   

Clare, MI to Bay City, MI

Date: 5 August Sunday (Day 63) and 6 August Monday (Day 64) – Rest Day

Starting Point: Clare, MI
Ending Point: Bay City, MI
Via: Pere Marquette Rail Trail (Loomis, Coleman, North Bradley, Sanford and Midland)
Mileage: 50.9   
Time: 4:37
Mph: 11
Terrain: flat
Temperature High: 74
Temperature Low: 54
Cooks: Dave and JF
Food: Rotisserie Chicken (pre-made), Wild Rice, Mixed Veggies, Boston Cream Cake (pre-made) and Banana Nut Cake (pre-made)
Weather: overcast
Lodging: Bay City State Park Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 3,263.9
Miles to Go: ≈1,036

    The Pere Marquette Rail Trail is close to 40-miles long and paved the entire distance. An advantage is that it is almost perfectly flat. The other advantage is that from Clare to Midland it is pretty much downhill. What more could one ask for? There was a fund-raising event going on over the entire distance of the trail. People could in-line skate or bike in an event created to raise money for the trail. We had incredible luck when we arrived in Midland: Kevin had arrived before I did and he gave a donation. This allowed Gregg and I to have a refreshing rejuvenating cold drink.
    We easily found our way to the state park in Bay City even though we (Gregg, Kevin and I) had some minor disagreements as to how far it was. Linda had had a conversation with a woman earlier in the day who volunteered to chauffeur us around to laundry and shopping from our campground. I was trying to rush somewhat to get to be part of that, as it was my turn to shop with Dave. Unfortunately I rolled in as the van was leaving. It took some time to calm down from that so I drowned my sorrows in a bottle of Coke. Tomorrow is a rest day!

   

Bay City, MI to North Branch, MI

Date: 7 August Tuesday (Day 65)

Starting Point: Bay City, MI
Ending Point: North Branch, MI
Via: Fairgrove, Caro, Mayville and Silverwood
Mileage: 63.9
Time: 5:48
Mph: 11
Terrain: First 30 miles-flat, Second 30 miles-hilly
Temperature High: 84
Temperature Low: 62
Cooks: Clive and Gregg
Food: Pasta with Veggies and beef(for beefeaters) or chicken(for non-beefeaters), pie
Weather: am-rain, torrential at times, pm-sunny and humid
Lodging: Sutter’s Recreation Camping
Cumulative Mileage: 3,340.6
Miles to Go: ≈959 (under 1,000 miles!)

Normally on a rest day I try to avoid riding the bike all together. The laundry was far enough away to warrant riding; so were the internet café and the movie theatre. All three being essential ingredients to any bicycle expedition. I used the morning to catch up on writing and photo editing. Both the barista and the owner of the café were interested in hearing about the nature of the ride. They were enthusiastic about the idea and at least the barista seemed to want to pledge.
Bay City produces a tourist guide of all aspects of interest in the city. There are boat rides to explore some of the history of the area, museums and the like. There was one entry that struck me as ironic: VanBuren Street Dinner Theatre (the blurb was accompanied by a photo of a somewhat scantily clad female dancer). Comedy dinner theater presented in the intimate atmosphere of a restored former Christian Science Reading Room.
Today, though, began early; there was a thunderstorm that began at about 5am with strong rain and lightning, of course. It continued hard for a good while, so long, in fact, that breakfast didn’t happen at our usual 6:15am time. No one was astir at 6:30 or 7:00 either. Finally we braved getting out of our tents when it seemed that the intense rain was letting up. For probably the first time, I was the first person to leave the campground. Not long after leaving the rain began again in earnest. Clive and Aede flew by me and I lost sight of them quickly because it was raining so hard. I had thought of stopping in at the café again to see if the owner had been able to consider a pledge. She wasn’t in yet so I downed by espresso and asked for some directions from a new barista because I had taken the wrong bridge into the east part of Bay City. She gave me good directions that saved me from retracing my steps. At one point I needed to stop at a pharmacy and while I was waiting inside for my order, I thought I would check on the bike outside. From inside the store it was impossible to see even the other side of the street because it was raining so intensely. It looked like fog as the rain was so dense. I was fortunate, then, to miss biking in the most drenching part of the storm. Others in the group were less fortunate.
Not long after, the sun came out and it became really warm again. We were traversing a lot of corn and soybean fields. The terrain was surprisingly flat; it reminded me of western Minnesota again. There were irrigation canals everywhere. In one I spotted a Great Blue Heron really close to the road so I wanted to get a picture of it. I parked the bike, got out the camera and snuck over to the little bridge next to where it was standing. It was a perfect view of his profile and his right eye. Just as I put the camera up to shoot, it flew away. The resulting picture is still acceptable; but it wasn’t the intended result.
Not long after Mayville I ran out of water. Fortunately it wasn’t that far to the campground, but it was worrisome.
All of us had to dry out virtually everything in our panniers or trailers. Thanks to the efficient rain, all of our clothes got pretty soaked. That was the focus for the rest of the day besides dinner.
As we were getting ready for sleeping, I became aware of a tent that was right next to the shelter in which we had setup our camp. There was a television on inside the tent and it was fairly loud. Just this evening in the laundry room I had discovered a forgotten or abandoned bag of earplugs and so in the hopes of achieving blissful silence all night I put those to use. During the night one or the other kept falling out and I kept hearing the TV. This went on with no sign of abating, so at 2:40am I got up to take a walk over to the tent and ask the TV viewer to turn it off. I went up to the door of the tent and found the occupant asleep. I said, “Hello!” twice in a loud voice, but he was undisturbed. I didn’t think it wise to go inside the tent and turn it off. The TV was plugged into a source of electricity some distance away by a very long extension cord, so it made sense to unplug it. I waited for the guy inside to yell, but he remained unconscious. There was an empty case of beer outside of his tent that he had shared with the trailer neighbors, so I was confident that he wouldn’t wake up.
At 5:45, the TV came on again just as loud as before. Without hesitation I got out of the tent and walked over. I asked the rhetorical question, “This place must have quiet hours?” He responded that he thought it did.  I let him know that his TV woke me up and quiet hours were still in effect. He said, “I wanna watch the news. So I’ll turn it way down.” I reminded him that his tent wasn’t sound-proof. This seemed to have the desired result, but I was just waiting for some blowup like the famous one from Minnewauken, North Dakota. Bruce, in our group, put it best, "Another night's sleep ruined by another clueless camper."

North Branch, MI to St. Clair, MI

Date: 8 August Wednesday (Day 66)

Starting Point: North Branch, MI
Ending Point: St. Clair, MI
Via: Brown City, Capac, Riley Center and Memphis
Mileage: 64.4   
Time: 5:48
Mph: 11.1
Terrain: mostly flat
Temperature High: 92
Temperature Low: 70
Cooks: Bruce and Aede
Food: Teriyaki Chicken, Wild Rice and Salad
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Thousand Trails Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 3,405
Miles to Go: ≈895

    At a café in town I stopped to have breakfast. As I opened the door there was a table full of older guys who looked like farmers. They all looked at me in a sort of unfriendly manner, but I greeted them all by asking how they were doing today. Later on I had a conversation with the waitress about the opening hours of the library. She wasn’t sure and she looked around the room to see if there might be someone there who might know. She looked at the table of older guys and said, “Nope, none of them would know. They’re not the library-going type.” It turned out that they were all retired GM workers and not farmers at all.

   

St. Clair, MI to Eatonville, Ontario, Canada

Date: 9 August Thursday (Day 67)

Starting Point: St. Clair, MI
Ending Point: Rondeau, Ontario, Canada
Via: Marine City(MI), Sombra, Port Lambton, Wallaceburg, Dresden, Kent Bridge, Troy and Eatonville
Mileage: 67.9   
Time: 6:30
Mph: 10.4
Terrain: mostly flat
Temperature High: 75
Temperature Low: 64
Cooks: Bayview Bistro
Food: Mouth-watering items from menu
Weather: rain, heavy at times, only occasional clearing
Lodging: Rondeau Provincial Park Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 3,472.9
Miles to Go: ≈827

    After some confusion in St. Clair as to how to find the bike path that leads to Marine City, I successfully located it. In that town there is a ferry that goes over to the Canadian side. Anne and Dave were waiting in line as I arrived. During the somewhat short ride a passenger, Janet, came over from her car and wanted to know about us and our ride. She revealed that she was a music teacher and when I mentioned to her that I’m a singer, she said, “Ok, sing something.” It was a little surprising and I couldn’t think of anything. She provided the beginning of a 50’s song that I happened to know something about. So she and I sang for Dave and Anne. When I mentioned to her that I sing in a church, the same thing happened. She suggested Swing Low Sweet Chariot and she and I did a duet with me being the bass line (as it should be). That ferry ride was one of the most fun in memory.
    After arriving in Sombra, I had a snack at a café right in the little town. Next door there was a woman selling fish flags that move with the wind. I was curious if she might have something that could work on a bicycle. She said she could sew a sleeve on a colorful fish banner that could be used as a flag. While she was sewing we had a chance to chat a bit. She was so thoroughly impressed with this bike ride that, as I was checking out, she gave me a native Canadian totem, an inoukshouk, which would help me get home without getting lost or taking wrong turns.
    Normally I don’t report on what other people say if I haven’t heard it myself, but the interchange (or perhaps better referred to as a verbal dual) between Kevin and the border official in Canada is too good to pass up. The scenario has been reported to me by Bruce, who witnessed it.
Border Official: What are you bringing into Canada?
Kevin: What do you want me to have?
BO: I’m asking you to tell me what you have.
Kevin: I have bananas, granola bars and Gatorade.
BO: You know, we do have grocery stores here in Canada where you can buy those things. Why do you need to bring them in with you?
    We arrived very late (7pm) at the Rondeau Provincial Park entrance. Just outside of the park was the restaurant where we were to have dinner. The restaurant was absolutely impressive because there was no smoking at all anywhere. It was a huge room of people and the air was clear. This is not to say that the people were; plenty of wine, beer and liquor was flowing.

   

Rondeau, Ontario to Port Burwell, Ontario

Date: 10 August Friday (Day 68)

Starting Point: Rondeau, Ontario, Canada
Ending Point: Port Burwell, Ontario
Via: Morpeth, Wallacetown, Fingal, and Port Stanley
Mileage: 76.2   
Time: 7:04
Mph: 11
Terrain: mostly flat except for horrendous hills in and out of anything beginning with the word, “Port”
Temperature High: 88
Temperature Low: 57
Cooks: Rich and Tim
Food: Pizza
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Port Burwell Provincial Park Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 3,549.1
Miles to Go: ≈751

    The last time when I was writing about a previous day I was sitting in a library in Port Stanley under the constraint of having to complete a very long day. So I left out a few details about the second to last day in Michigan. They weren’t major events but worth recounting. In Capac there was a library that had an Internet connection so I could send in another report. As usual the librarians were very helpful. Just as I was exiting the front door, a middle-aged guy approached me. It might have been his leather vest that made me think he was a biker of the other sort. In only a few short minutes I knew about his life, his dream of being in the Tour de France, and his frustration at having back problems that prevented him from having that dream come true. He had a tattoo on his right upper arm that was an entire quote. It was difficult to read without lifting up his vest, which I thought might not be welcomed. It went something like, “It is not how much success you have in life or how many times you fall; what’s important that you get up again and keep going.” It was only surprising that his arm had enough real estate to show it.
    The chosen route for today was sparsely populated and had almost no cafés, restaurants or stores the entire distance. The route, like yesterday, was rich with farms. These farms had corn, soybeans, cucumbers (apparently picked by hand…unlike Michigan), and tobacco. The latter was rather surprising considering that even Ontario has a tobacco-free campaign underway. As I might have mentioned, smoking is banned in any public place in Ontario. Apparently even the tobacco growers of Ontario have a tobacco grower’s marketing board that is committed to an exit strategy for tobacco production. Their website, rather than argue with the tobacco-free policy, seems at least resigned to the idea.
    In each tiny hamlet we went through I was hoping to find a library to be able to sit down and write. In each case, that search was thwarted. At least that was the case until Port Stanley. As mentioned above, there was a fair amount of pressure to get to the destination. Sometimes this pressure is intolerable, because there are moments when a desire comes up to relax in a restaurant, jump in a lake or stroll through a gallery. It’s sometimes an sizeable effort to not get sidetracked.
    Last year one of the participants, Matt from England, often cited the quote, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” Lately the ride and riders have seemed more closely focused on the latter which is a source of frustration. Additionally it has been impossible to actually fund-raise in Canada. One person mentioned that he didn’t want his money going elsewhere. At least, though, our discussions expand awareness of the Lung Association of Ontario.
    Even after such a long day four of us went into town after dinner for a inaugural swim in Lake Erie and a celebratory drink in a bar. At the bar Gregg and I had soda…after all; we had to ride back to the campsite. It was after 9:30 and dark when we finally started back (this was the only time we contravened the stated ACA policy of No Riding At Night. I have enough flashing taillights that, when Bruce was riding behind me(something that doesn’t happen often), he observed that I was lit up like a Christmas tree.
    At the campsite it was some time after 2am when I was awakened by some strange noises. From inside my zipped-up tent, it sounded like a large animal so I was somewhat hesitant to become unzipped. Finally I did undo the inner flap and found some surprises in my tent vestibule: the plastic bag with 2 bottles of oil had been partially pulled out from under the vestibule cover and my Tupperware™ lunch box was gone. Other items seemed to have been moved out of place. I got up to go outside the tent and went to check on my bicycle because I had stored in the front compartment of the trailer a bag of sunflower seeds(the very same type from the last encounter with a ravenous raccoon) and I was curious to see if it had damaged the trailer. The only evidence that it had been there was that my bicycle shirt from today was partially pulled out of a space in the front. It was full of salt of course and fortunately it wasn’t eaten! Later after sunrise I located my lunch box…it was in the woods about 50 feet from my tent. Surely this was a cousin of my previous visitor.

Port Burwell, Ontario to Selkirk, Ontario

Date: 11 August Saturday (Day 69) and 12 August Sunday (Day 70) - Rest Day

Starting Point: Port Burwell, Ontario
Ending Point: Selkirk, Ontario
Via: Clear Creek, Port Rowan, St. Williams, Turkey Point, Port Ryerse, Port Dover, and Nanticoke
Mileage: 67
Time: 6:49
Mph: 9.8
Terrain: Same as yesterday... mostly flat except for horrendous hills in and out of anything beginning with the word, "Port" or "Point"
Temperature High: 91
Temperature Low: 72
Cooks: Dave and JF
Food: Mac and Cheese, "Veggies", Scrambled Eggs and Éclairs
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Selkirk Provincial Park Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 3,616.1
Miles to Go: ˜684

Another long hilly day with lots of corn, soybeans, tobacco and Lake Erie views. Even though every port was down in some sort of hollow and required massive effort to bicycle out of, the views were spectacular and the little ice cream nooks welcoming. We went through Port Dover which is very similar to Old Orchard Beach except that it is pretty exclusively the Anglophone Canadian population who come there. It had its share of tacky shops and junk food joints. It did have some lovely looking restaurants and a combination café and guitar store.