Day 100: On the 100th day, I ate at Moe’s

DAY 100: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Miles traveled: 14,005
States visited: 35 (just added: Indiana, Michigan)
Weather: 72, sunny

It’s Day 100 of my cross-country adventure! I celebrated by… spending the day in my van… driving from Chicago to Ann Arbor via South Bend, Indiana. Exciting, I know! Most of the roads in and out of Chicago require tolls, but thanks to the “avoid toll roads” setting on my GPS, I was able to deftly maneuver around those.

I had to stop at Notre Dame and get a quick look at campus. I was unimpressed with the area around the campus – it looks like a neighborhood no one would want to live in. But the stadium is indeed majestic.

I really wanted to stop in Gary, Indiana, to see the house where Michael Jackson was raised, but Gary place is one of the most dangerous cities anywhere. Funny that I was fine driving through Compton, but Gary frightened me. I think it was because I knew I could drive through Compton and be back out into a safe neighborhood in 5 minutes, whereas thee entire city of Gary is a murder playground, so I wouldn’t know which areas to avoid.

Instead I went to Ann Arbor and took a quick drive through the campus of the University of Michigan. It was a pretty typical university area.

On the way I passed through Vandalia, Michigan and encountered a cool historical marker. This town was one of the main arteries of the Underground Railroad. Most of the historical markers I’ve been seeing lately are lame, but this one was truly worthwhile.

For lunch I was excited to dine at a Moe’s Southwestern Grill. I’ve been craving Moe’s since the last time I went to one in Charlotte. Since then, I’ve tried on four separate occasions to find a Moe’s, from Seattle to Denver to Minneapolis, and each time they were out of business.

Allow me to say a few words on behalf of Moe’s. This place is so much better than other Mexican fast food places like Chipotle and Qdoba. Moe’s gives you free chips with every purchase. They have a salsa bar with 5 different kinds of free salsas. They greet you with a hearty “Welcome to Moe’s” every time you walk in the place. They have cute names for their burritos, like the “Art Vandelay.” They have televisions throughout every store. Many stores even have free Wifi.

Why does my beloved Moe’s keep going out of business? I urge everyone to support this struggling company!