I love a nice, long game of Monopoly. I don’t have a “bucket list”, but if I did I would definitely put “Play a full game of Monopoly” on there.

I don’t know why I enjoy the game so much, but I do. Maybe it’s because the rules are so simple? I really enjoy playing many of the newer board games that are gaining in popularity these days (such as Carcassonne), but I’m not a big fan of games in which the rules are more complicated than calculus.

Perhaps I am overstating the simplicity of Monopoly, though, because there’s always one space on the board that leaves everyone around the table puzzled.

monopoly_free_parking

What the heck is supposed to happen when someone lands on “Free Parking”?

The space sounds so promising, but I’ve never met anyone who knows what to do when one lands on it! For a long time, I told my fellow gamers that one who lands on “Free Parking” is supposed to receive the money in the center of the board…but then I realized that money is supposed to be earmarked for the Community Chest, right?

I may not know what to do when I land on “Free Parking” in Monopoly, but I sure do know how to enjoy it in real life! For years, I have been very grateful for the fact that finding free parking downtown was relatively easy to do. However, as Cleveland grows and develops, the amount of places at which one can park for free is rapidly disappearing! Growth and economic development inevitably require change and adjustment, and many of us longtime Clevelanders have had to learn how to be creative in our searches for free parking in the city’s most popular areas.

Fortunately, those who are attending the Cleveland Marathon Health & Fitness Expo on the Friday and Saturday before the race won’t have to spend their time hunting for free parking or shelling out a king’s ransom to park!

The Cleveland Marathon staff has been able to work out a deal with the I-X Center that allows for FREE participant parking at the Health & Fitness Expo on Friday and Saturday.  I didn’t run last year, but I do remember hearing complaints from those who ran about the fact that they had to pay $8 to park at the Expo. Not this year!

This will be my first expo as a runner, and I’m looking forward to heading right on in without having to deal with the parking lines and fees that are often found at other I-X Center events. I’m excited to meet my fellow runners, get my bib, and get pumped up for my first half marathon. As May 19 draws closer, I’m getting more and more excited—I hope you are too!