A Small Town That Shines on the Shores of a Big Lake

 Lorain, OH

The first stop on my roadtrip was Lorain Ohio, a quaint little town on Lake Erie that I chose because of it's two-ish hour proximity to Detroit Michigan, where I needed to be the following morning to pick up my sister at the airport, and the fact that it had an old, fairly-recently renovated, boutique hotel, the Ariel Broadway Hotel. 

Thanks to an early start from Alexandria, and even with the unexpected half hour that I sat on the roadside of the Pennsylvania Turnpike during blinding rain and golf-ball sized hail -- an interesting experience in a rag-top convertible -- I rolled into Lorain early enough to truly enjoy the town. I checked into the hotel and regrouped my camera gear to head out into the town for some shooting. 

As I walked past the front desk, the clerk who had checked me in asked if I was pleased with my room. When I said it was nice (and it was) but not quite the view I was hoping for as it was on the second floor and largely had a view of a parking lot because of a tent blocking the river, and I had hoped to shoot some sunrise or sunset photos, he apologized profusely and immediately snapped into action to move me to a higher floor. He also suggested that he could get me access to the rooftop, even though the bar there was closed on Mondays. I thanked him, traded keycards and headed back upstairs to move myself to higher grounds. 

While I was setting up in my new room with a much improved view, there was a knock on the door and it was the hotel manager who wanted to show me another room, and the event room that she said had spectacular views. The other hotel room that she showed me was a two-bedroom suite with amazing lake and river views, but not really worth the upgrade once she showed me the event room and rooftop that she offered full access to. 

I thanked her and went back to my room and was regathering camera gear to head out again when there was another knock on the door. This time it was the assistant who was with the manager on my tour of other options. She suggested that I should also check out East Beach and the Piers in town as possible good sunset sites. She also said that I should visit the Shipyards area. She even had a sheet of QR codes with directions. This is why I love staying at boutique hotels -- they seriously care about a positive experience, no matter what. 

I drove to East Beach first. It was a truly charming place that I was glad I had not missed, and might have but for the interactions with the hotel staff. There was a giant Longaberger Basket filled with flowers. (Longaberger, a manufacturer of high-end baskets, is an Ohio company in Newark OH with a corporate headquarters building actually shaped like a basket.) There were also Bocce Ball fields with lots of folks playing, a large group of Martin bird gourd houses, a playground on the beach, and a stunning rose garden. So many people were enjoying the park on a sunny weekday evening. It made me think that perhaps small towns have a lot to offer to their residents, even if they often get press only for their problems. 

Next I went to the Shipyards, which looks to be a newly created retirement housing area and events facility with restaurants and shops, across the Black River from the hotel. The Black River empties into Lake Erie and has a large marina area with access from both sides of the river. How ironic that the Shipyards also hosts a regular vintage car event on Monday nights. 

I spent much of my youth at car shows with my dad, and I have even been shopping for a vintage car for myself lately. I have always loved British Racing Green cars, so I guess it was a good thing that the owner of one that I talked to at the event was not interested in selling. That may have changed the trajectory of my trip. Even so, it was fun listening to the old time music being piped in while I checked out the old cars. I certainly felt my dad's presence there. 

After leaving the Shipyards, I headed over to the pier area. Maybe it was the car show I had just attended, but the moment I walked onto the piers, I spotted an image that melted my heart. An older couple were sitting in their lawn chairs just looking out over the marina at the fading light. It depicted exactly how I had always seen my parents spending their golden years. Sadly, that is not how it had turned out. 

I walked to the end of the pier, enjoying sights of water birds and people fishing. The lighthouse in the bay at the end of the pier was beautiful in the evening light. I laughed out loud at one particular fisherman who I could only imagine must be employed as a plumber by day -- the image tells it all. 

I walked back to the restaurant at the head of the pier, Erie Steak and Seafood, where I enjoyed a lovely wall-eye fish dinner and a stunning sunset over Lake Erie. The next morning, I saw a beautiful sunrise from my elevated hotel room, packed up and headed out of a town that I will always have fond memories of, even if my stay was short. Lorain kickstarted my goal on this trip to witness as many sunrises and sunsets as I could. 

Post note: Lorain's historical claim to fame happened in June of 1924 when a tornado developed in Sandusky Ohio killing eight there, and then traveled across Lake Erie, coming ashore in Lorain killing 78 people and leaving thousands homeless and billions of dollars in damage (in current dollars). It's other claim to fame is that in 1931 author Toni Morrison, then known as Chloe Wofford, was born in Lorain and grew up there before leaving for college at Howard University.     

If you came to this first through the blog, know that there are more photos on the related Facebook post

Google Album for these photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/V15uMrDpJ1XBkoT9A