I Had it Made in Manhattan

 

 

Last weekend, my handsome husband and I went on a little road trip to Manhattan...Kansas, that is.

 

It was about a 5 hour drive...worth it for 2 nights away from home, and 2 nights of Hellbound Glory.

 

I have already written about this band...but that was before I saw them live. And met them. Yeah, that's right.

So, they get another post from me!

First... a bit about our trip...

In case you are wondering...yes, we pretty much just made the trip to see Hellbound Glory 2 nights in a row. There's not really a ton to do in Manhattan. But, as a lifelong Springfield, Missourian, I found myself pretty jealous of Manhattan's downtown college district, Aggieville. 

Aggieville is a super cute, busy, energetic little place. It's fun, quirky...and not peppered with run-down, empty buildings.

I pretty much ranted for an hour Friday night...wondering why downtown Springfield isn't that alive.

Any city's downtown is its heart. Where you'll find a place like Nonna's...instead of an Olive Garden, Staxx instead of a Forever 21. I feel like Springfield deserves better. It deserves more great places like the ones I just mentioned.

I blame the 2006 "bar ban" for a big part of downtown's decline. Several venues closed because of that decision. Now, no one younger than 21 is allowed in businesses that make a majority profit on alcohol sales.

 

No disrespect to downtown Springfield... or any of the people who are working to make it a fun, exciting place. There may be some "grass is always greener" attitude in what I'm saying. Manhattan is also a smaller town, so maybe it's a more tight-knit place, and everyone goes out together on the weekends.

One more thing: This anti-anxiety med-popping gal hasn't been so relaxed in...uh...years? I don't know why a 2 1/2 day road trip was just what I needed to get a break from being on the brink of a panic attack several times a day...and stomach knots that strike like clockwork at 5:30 every morning, but it was.

It was such a relaxing trip. Pretty much all we did was sleep and eat (cheaply).

Well, that, and kick it up to some of the best music out there. And meet Hellbound Glory. Did I mention that? Yeah...yeah, I did. Okay.

More on THAT--and my brush with what is, in my mind, country music genius-- is coming a bit later.

Peace!