And that's as far as I got with nostalgia-flavored ice cream.

I used to live in a town called Port Clinton in Ohio. Walleye Capital of the World - right on Lake Erie. Mom and I hopped around a lot, but there was one spot we called home that came furnished with a lot of character. The entire building used to be an old brothel, or so I was told, which later was broken up into a few apartments. Think turret meets silo - tiny bedrooms with lofty ceilings (perfect for trapping unreachable heat in a lake-effect winter). 

We lived on the second story accessible (why is it an "i" rather than an "a"?) either through what I would call a "stair hall," which was very dark and very steep, or by way of the back courtyard and fire escape. Both included a cat walk that overlooked the roofs of neighboring buildings. Who remembers how hard-lined phones would sometimes cross-talk? An entertaining pass time in that building, haunted by walls that saw far too much for their liking...

Any who, it was right in the middle of the single strip of downtown, which is probably where my joy for wandering shops and alleyways began. There was a popcorn shop where you could try out every flavor before they kicked you out, and across the street was a convenient store with a tiny ice cream parlor in the back. In the Summer, I would buy Pringles and walk around town, but I always preferred ice cream in the cold months. I really couldn't tell you why, but it may have something to do with not wanting to make a mess. I still don't like eating from a cone, and in the winter the ice cream melts much more slowly.

How do you like your ice cream?