$ Matters with Mary

Sandusky, OH Going to Cedar Point through Notre Dame

Though sad to leave Milwaukee we were thrilled to be going to one of Gary’s and mine treasured childhood places – Cedar Point! The greatest roller coaster park in the world – beautifully located on the shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio.

Our favorite sports fan, Bob noticed that half way through our 6 ½ hour drive we would be passing through South Bend, IN. This would be a great time to take a break and get something to eat. How convenient that this happened to be minutes away from the home of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame University. Too cool.

(I feel obligated to mention that we would also pass through Gary, IN which is the hometown of Michael Jackson. However, since he did not play sports it would not be one of our stops.)
We have friends who have attended the University, watched their football games on TV, went to see them play at the Gator Bowl, but have never been to the campus. We were excited to walk around the grounds and just Be There.

Travel Tip: Look at a map of your entire route. Take 10 minutes to do a little research. Will you be passing through or near a location that looks fun or holds meaning to you – the town where your favorite movie was shot; your favorite singer grew up; a historical event took place; an annual festival is held? You can have an enjoyable time just walking around. I guarantee that you will uncover something interesting to do or see that you could not have imagined. We have stumbled upon free plays and concerts, free food, free tours – all because we were There.

The aura of the University of Notre Dame environment took us by surprised. We’ve been to religious colleges and famous universities – even been to the “real” Notre Dame in Paris. But the feeling we experienced Being There was different. One reason was the Grotto. According to the university website the Grotto is a cave of stones tucked between St. Mary’s and St. Joseph's lakes. A one–seventh replica of the famed French shrine at Lourdes where the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Bernadette.

Whether you are Catholic, religious, or not, it is awe inspiring. We were mesmerized and could have spent the afternoon soaking in the calm and peace. However we had places to be, a football stadium to see and we were hungry. As is our custom, we were on a mission for food. We hit the jackpot with Legends - a restaurant, ale-house pub and state-of-the-art nightclub located on the south side of the stadium. They had reasonably priced lunch entrees, fun memorabilia everywhere, quotes stenciled on the walls, and for a free souvenir the waitress gave us extra napkins with their logo on it!

Life Tip learned at Notre Dame: Sometimes it is good to stop and reflect on all the wonderful things in the world.

Next week – Cedar Point!

PS. For those of you - who may be wondering about the Fishnet comment in my last post - In Milwaukee check out - Fishnet Fridays - Half Price Martinis at the Pfister Hotels.

Until then – I’m looking for fun and food in your city………………………….