(Almost) Finding El Dorado. In Ohio.
By Drew Holmes
Senior year in college I had the opportunity to write an honors thesis. The topic was whether the librarian of an orchestra should be classified as staff or as a member of the orchestra (spoiler for those who did not read my 77-page paper — they should be an orchestra member) and at the time there was no real research on the topic.
So, in a fit of youthful insanity, my roommate, Geoff, and I hit the road. We spent the month of January driving from one city to the next, interviewing over two dozen orchestra library professionals while touring a significant portion of the country. Every day was a new adventure and soon each mile we drove was the furthest I had even been from home. Being reasonably broke college students, Geoff and I subsisted on a diet best described as “ill-advised”, consisting mostly of fast food.
First, a bit of context for the Ohio fast-food scene in the late 1990’s. After more than a decade working for Harland Sanders (of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame), Dave Thomas founded Wendy’s in 1969. From that first location in Columbus, OH, Wendy’s expanded nationwide. However, being the “hometown” restaurant for the region the Ohio market was, to put it mildly, saturated.
As Wendy’s was virtually the only game in town, a week in Ohio had led to a thorough exploration of the menu. The trip had me figuratively and literally out of my comfort zone and though we occasionally dined at Wendy’s back in NJ, I was craving something more familiar.
We were somewhere in western Ohio when I spotted something not seen since entering the Buckeye State — McDonald’s! Like Coronado on his quest for the mythical cities of gold, the Golden Arches were calling to me, my El Dorado.
Pulling into the lot, parking proved a greater challenge than anticipated. The main entrance was half blocked with cones, so I pulled around to the other side of the building and found a spot. The taste of those perfectly salted fries (smaller and fluffier than Wendy’s) flooded my memories and my mouth started watering as I approached the building.
I pulled on the door and to my surprise found it locked. This was odd, as it was the middle of lunchtime, and the parking lot was packed full of cars. Peering inside the building I was met with the quizzical stares of a large crew of construction workers wearing hardhats, all sitting down with their lunch pails enjoying their noon meal.
That was when it dawned on me — this McDonald’s was not only closed for lunch, but it was also still under construction. As we dejectedly walked back to the car, clues that should have been obvious abounded. Yes, there was the coned off entrance, but now I noticed the drive through had an open pit where cars would someday pick up their food. Next to that was a massive pile of bricks, which would eventually adorn the façade.
The coup de gras of signs I should have noticed was a literal sign. By the street, high atop the pole upon which rested those golden arches that had guided me there like a lighthouse were the words “Coming Soon”. Mildly devastated (but still hungry) we went down the street to the nearest Wendy’s.
Sometimes being out of our comfort zone causes a retreat to the familiar. We seek some shred of the known to re-ground us, to remind us of where we came from. These visits back to who we identify as can be just the boost we need to continue to face the new and forge a new path.
This trip proved to be immensely valuable, not just for my research but also professionally. Many of the interviewees became friends and later colleagues when I joined their ranks as a professional orchestra librarian. Pushing out of my comfort zone gave me passage to a new world that I had not known existed and guided me on the path to where I am today.
In the end my golden arches turned out to be fool’s gold. The embarrassment I felt was brief and I learned a valuable lesson about paying attention and being aware of my surroundings. I’m just glad I did not attempt to go to the drive through.