Having seen a total eclipse before, I know solar eclipses are in danger of being overhyped. IMO, they probably aren’t worth driving across the country. But if all you need is a 3 to 5 hour drive to get to the path of totality, I think you should absolutely do it. They’re legit. Not, like, life changing, but legit. Find a place with a few trees so you can watch the crescent shadows and maybe hear some wildlife freak out.
Pretty much any distro can do everything you want. But since you liked crunchbang, consider Mabox. It’s an openbox distro based on Manjaro with a bunch of QoL improvements like super+arrow to tile a window, or their own little fork of jgmenu to expand the functionality of the tint2 panel, plus some custom ricing tools. I’m not saying it’s the best distro ever, but it might give you just the right nostalgic feels.