To make a long story short, the trip from California to Indiana was crazy! However, my broken front windshield was a blessing in disguise because it lead me to explore Downtown South Bend. Alright, so South Bend never really seemed all that exciting to me. It was just a bigger town down the road with a few more stores (and cheaper windshields :-)). As it turned out I had a real good time as I hit the streets while my car sat in the shop. I started my quest off right by going to Goodwill where I picked up a Dave Matthews CD for $2. Walking further downtown I was truly surprised by the nice variety of stores. Everything from a Chocolate shop to Idle Hours Bookshop where I found a first edition of The Andromeda Strain (Tho I didn’t buy it for $40) to a Cambodian Thai place that I am real excited to visit with Beth sometime! To boot, there is a free noontime outdoor performance series through the end of September, so I got to listen to Kim Hoffman while I downed my Quiznos for lunch. The College Football Hall of Fame is in Downtown South Bend and while I didn’t pay the entrance fee (yeah I was trying to find entertainment on the cheap) I was impressed by the turf field outside of the place. I finally ended up at the South Bend Regional Museum of Art where I wandered their various galleries. While they didn’t have a huge collection, they did have several very nice pieces and you can’t beat the price (free unless you donate). By the time my car was ready I was very satisfied with my day of exploration and relaxation. So yeah, regardless of what it may at first sound like, South Bend really can be a cool place to spend an afternoon!