_eliot_spencer (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} _eliot_spencer) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} omega_reality, |
After they left the beach, April navigated them on the one way streets, past Lighthouse Place, until they were back on 421 and the turn on Route 20 that would lead them to the City of LaPorte. More strip malls and car dealerships were on Route 20 in Michigan City. Nate pointed out a Muay Tai/Brazilian Jujitsu Club, which perked Eliot’s interest. They passed a gun shop, a golf course, and a small airport before they reached Route 35 and turned south.
Route 35 returned them to the tree-lined rolling road similar to that which stretched between Westville and Michigan City. They drove past a sprawling vineyard, another surprise for it being Indiana. The welcome sign to the City of LaPorte introduced their arrival to a completely different feeling city. There was a lake beyond the welcome sign, with houses visible along the shoreline. Route 35 became Pine Lake Avenue that followed along Pine Lake, with small restaurants and a few hotels, including the Holiday Inn Express that April had on her list, interspersed between houses and businesses.
An overpass crossed a set of railroad tracks, but this time it didn’t lead to the feeling of a depressed area. They’d reached downtown LaPorte. It was reminiscent of old time Main Street USA, with three story buildings running along Lincolnway. A giant Santa waved at them from the Courthouse lawn, a banner in front of him telling the town that the Santa Parade was on Saturday. Non-chain restaurants, many bars, and a variety of shops occupied the first floor of the buildings. People in winter coats walked down the sidewalks, some stopping to talk to each other.
To Eliot, the area immediately felt like small town living without being a small town. Stores began to spread out the further they got from downtown, until they were back in farm country, Lincolnway becoming Route 2. Eliot had scanned both LaPorte and Michigan City for cameras, and they were few and far between, mostly in banks, box stores, and gas stations. April had liked the Holiday Inn Express, but monetarily, it was better that they stayed at the Cool Spring Inn.