Outside the Bubble:

It's No Venice, but Vermilion's Still Pretty Cute

It's the time of year again when students are getting into their cars (or onto their bikes) and exploring the area in search of a little springtime procrastination. Usually these excursions lead to certain standbys, favorite escapes, be it a thrift shop in Cleveland, an antique store in Wellington or good old Midway Mall. But if you try a little harder, every so often in your four years at Oberlin you'll venture somewhere a little more hidden and stumble across a place that makes you think, "This is Ohio?"

Vermilion's Main Street Beach is one such location. The town square is an Ohio trademark but Vermilion's personality is different enough to make you forget that. The beach itself and the town surrounding it are more reminiscent of New England than the Northeast Ohio we've become accustomed to.

The town influences may not be especially interesting until you realize that within a three block radius they've claimed four European identities. The two main eateries apart from a pizza shop and bakery present their origins blatantly in their titles: Old Prague Restaurant and Chez Francois. The former is vaguely homestyle, the latter presents itself as chic. Just next to Chez Francois lies an amazing lake front community with canals instead of streets. Of course, this enclave is none other than "Little Venice," although the houses are distinctly American.

The final and most prevalent influence on the town, however, is undoubtedly Victorian. From Harbor Town Antiques to Decidedly Different Gift Shop, lace curtains, pink paint, and collectible teddy bears abound. Is Vermilion, with it's European variety, the American melting pot dream or a confused town trying to sell itself as more foreign than it is? Maybe it's a little of both, but Vermilion's mish-mosh identity is ultimately its real charm.

Although the stenciled lettering, country crafts and scented candles ad nauseum make for a Victorian overload, within these "too cute" places you can find plenty of afternoon treats (or deserts after a dinner at the aforementioned establishments) like homemade fudge or candy. Ednamae's offers delicious ice cream cones, malts or refreshing phosphates. Don't know what a phosphate is? Just order one and pretend like you do or you'll be exposed for the tourist that you are.

And when you've settled on a snack, walk down the block to the beach to eat it. Pass the nautical museum and ponder your lack of knowledge about Lake Erie. Sit on the observation platform; notice once again the oceanlike vastness of the lake, the children skipping stones from the sand, and...the unsightly brown jetty or maybe even a creepy man with no teeth commenting on your youth (as on my last visit).

But don't let the wooden eyesore or unsettling stranger ruin your mood; it's precisely these elements that remind you where you are. You're not in Venice at all. Look around again and laugh at your escapist visions, both for thinking that you could leave this state and wanting to at all. Embrace the fact that you're in Vermilion. Enjoy the less-than-picturesque aspect of the beach and the weird man next to you. Yes, Vermilion tricked you for a little while, making you forget that you were in Ohio. But reality sets in when you realize that its quaintness is juxtaposed with oddness. It is this dichotomy that makes the 25-minute drive worthwhile.

A pretty town with some surprising aesthetic aspects: ahh, these are the incongruities that make Ohio great.