Downtown in Cleveland somewhere. There were crowds of people filling the streets everywhere. It was impossible to even consider trying to drive through these crowds, so my wife and I decided to park the car in a small lot behind a run-down brick building and continue on foot. I griped that it was way too far to walk, but my wife assured me that we'd be there before we knew it. We turned the corner onto a wide main street which sloped down away from us. From the high ground I could see a vast river of people stretched out before me, channeled by the banks formed by the tall buildings on either side. There was a constant roar of excited chatter, and there were even streamers and confetti in the air above everyone's heads, along with that strange, dizzy haze that's caused by a large mob of people.
Before long, this river of people carried us down by the docks along the lakefront. There were several boats anchored alongside one another. The crowds poured up the ramps to the different boats. I noted with some relief that the ramps were quite easily accessible, not as narrow and precarious as some I'd seen. We seemed to instinctively know which boat was ours, and we headed eagerly up the ramp. At the top, I could see out over the lake. Some of the boats were already loaded and on the water. The setting sun was half-dipped in the lake and huge on the horizon. I turned to my wife. A warm breeze blew through. I had no idea where we were going.
