Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Technically, our first full day of vacation. This is my travelogue. You are welcome to read along.Our little camping cottage is super cute and efficient, but I don’t like the bed. It’s big, plumpy, and covered in a bamboo woven comforter. But my back hurts.The breakfast local recommended by our friends was closed today. So we detoured to a coffee house called ‘The Bean’ that hit each note you’d expect from a coffeehouse servicing vineyard tour groupies. It wasn’t pretentious, but felt oppressive in a sort of desperately upscale vibe. The customer ahead of us talked nonstop after her order was concluded and kept talking over our heads when we moved into line. I really wanted coffee so I just started ordering. The staff person was zero bit attuned to anything.The food was okay, the tables are too close together for the mostly older customers. I’d suggest trying another spot.Then we went into Erie to your the reconstituted Brig Niagra. We’d toured the museum in 2015, but this time the ship was there. Our tour was punctuated by lots of mansplaining, sexist jokes about marriage, and a very awkward reference to people ‘doing terrorisms’ on international cruise ships in the Lake.

The brig is cool. The commitment to nautical life and water quality is admirable. I just don’t have strong feelings about historical pine flooring on a replica boat from a battle with 80% casualties including 11 year old children. More on that in my next column for Pittsburgh Current.

One thing I do find interesting is the multitudes of solar panels around here. I wonder if that’s the result of a concerted effort? We have yet to be served a beverage in a plastic disposable cup.

For dinner, we had the worst meal at Molly Brannigans in Erie. The food was quite bad and overpriced to be so bad. Our dessert was practically dumped in our table; who serves bread pudding ala mode with the ice cream in a separate dish with one regular teaspoon and one coffee spoon? But worst of all was watching our server and the manager take turns hitting on the female host. It was like a sitcom of cheasy eighties Scott Baio knockoffs harassing this woman. We were right there. When the manager is being skeevy right in front of you, it’s time to leave.Then we were trapped in our car by the Starbucks delivery truck. At 7 PM on a weeknight in Downtown Erie. Dude parked in front of us seemed ready to explode in a Taxi Driver way. It was that kind of dinner.We came back to another gorgeous sunset.There’s a set of steps leading down to the lake. There used to be a rocky trail along the lake, but the water level is 3 or more feet above usual so no path to explore. Laura did venture down the steps until she reached the lake.On either side of the path, there is just sheer rocky hills. It is very different than Presque Isle.Here’s the catTomorrow, we head first to McKean County to see the Zippo Case Museum, then to the Kinzua Bridge and end up in Elk County at a B&B.Let’s see what tomorrow brings …