Midwestern Road Trip!
I'm going to drive a lot, love on the Heartland, and write a freakin' book!!
Hello!!
Welcome back to the on again off again experience that is This Newsletter!
My Recommendations Project is actually still plodding along steadily (despite never getting anything remotely resembling a catchy name) though I certainly won’t be done by October 11 of this year -
partially because: I’m writing a mother effing book!!!!!
I absolutely could not be more excited that my little hometown love letter, A Guide to Midwestern Conversation, will be published as a full, freakin’ shelf-sitter in (slight womp womp) Spring 2023.
Part of the fun thing about *pitching* a book on proposal is that you sell the book before it’s written, so if things don’t work out, you’re not left with a sad, full orphan manuscript. All of the NOT fun thing about *selling* a book on proposal is that you get all of the success endorphins at the very beginning, and then once they subside, you still have to… write the book. I am not complaining. It’s a whole different energy to write something that I really care about because someone offered to pay me for it in advance. Joy and gratitude abound! Truly! They abound!
But I also have a (few) day job(s) and I felt like I was giving myself the short shrift by:
1) forcing myself to do my book work on top of my other jobs - a scenario that I’m sure would result in my “saving the best for last” and then rushing to finish and turning in a manuscript robbed of focus and joy (Robbed of joy!? How could it be robbed of joy! Joy abounds!!)
and
2) writing a love letter to the Midwest from various coffee shops, office buildings, and apartment surfaces in New York City.
So, I’m taking a little bit of my advance and a LOT of support from my employer and embarking on a 3 week road trip throughout the Midwest to focus on this most wonderful and personal of projects.
While obviously the main objective of this trip is Write Book - I am also excited to do a little Midwestern explorin’ and solo trip soul searching. So if you have any ideas/recs for places I should go/see/avoid please let me know! Also, this will not be my only trip to the Midwest for this book so please do not be offended if I skip any city close to your heart!
Here is where I am going:
Kansas City (To pick up my car! Thanks Mom + Dad!)
Des Moines
Cedar Rapids
Madison
Milwaukee
Ann Arbor
Detroit
Columbus
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
St. Louis
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on what I should do or see or run far away from!!
<3 Joy Abounds!
—
Currently Reading: Godshot by Chelsea Bieker
Currently Watching: All of it. (Ted Lasso, What We Do In The Shadows, Only Murders in the Building, Y the Last Man, New Girl for the 4th Time)
Currently Listening to: The first episode of A Good Cry by Michael Cruz Kayne feat. Stephen Colbert. An incredible new podcast about grief.
Currently Laughing at: The Classic New Yorker Piece, If You Ever Hurt My Daughter, I Swear to God I'll Let Her Navigate Her Own Emotional Growth by Sophie Kohn
Currently spending money on: Preordering Frog and Toad are Doing Their Best by Jennie Egerdie!!!!
Love you all!
I LOVE this trip! And I truly apologize if I just spew too many recommendations. I second Zingerman's being worth it even though it's so notorious! Just went to The Vanguard in Milwaukee a couple weeks ago and loved it. It's bar/sausage restaurant (it works, trust me) and the whole time they were playing this trippy Chuck E Cheese training video on mute on their TVs. Amazing energy. In Columbus, I would also recommend Dirty Franks. Both places have vegetarian dogs too. For non-cylindrical options in Columbus, Melt which is a grilled cheese bar. Another great Columbus spot is The Book Loft in German Village (and either Schmidt's or Lindy's to eat in that area). The River Walk downtown is beautiful too. My fiancee is from Columbus so tons of recs there. Also! Not sure if Madison Children's Museum will be doing Adult Swim (no actual swimming involved, but you get to play on all the equipment) while you are there but I had SO much fun at one of their past Adult Swims. Another random fun thing, in Detroit, I enjoyed seeing Hamtramck Disneyland. You can't play on anything but it's so cool to see what someone was able to build in their backyard. Okay! I'm done now. Have so much fun gathering inspiration on this trip! Can't wait to read your freakin' book!
Ann Arbor has hella eateries and coffee shops. If you're downtown, Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea (123 W. Washington St., Ann Arbor) is away from the student population. For eats, the Kerrytown area has many options, Zingerman's being the most notorious (and a bit cliche) but their food is awesome (418 Detroit St., Ann Arbor). There's also a Sweetwaters Coffee in Kerrytown; it would have a higher student thing going on.