Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Cleveland, Ohio, USA to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Weather: Sunny with clouds, windy, 19 celsius
Today, we woke up around 9am and headed into Cleveland to check out the city. I usually like to do a little research before traveling to a new city, but since we only decided on which highways to take, it was refreshing to have complete flexibility and no preconceived ideas, with the option to stop in any city along the way.
Music is always essential on long road trips.
For your listening pleasure, here are links to some of the music we enjoyed on the road:
Dan Croll - Sweet Disarray / Suuns - Images du Future / Andrew Bird - Break it Yourself
Since we didn't really know where to go once we arrived in Cleveland, and I'm always drawn to water, we headed for the waterfront. This was the first time that Javier and I had a chance to see Lake Erie from the other side! and it was Ricardo's first time seeing one of the Great Lakes.
We passed a huge pyramid-shaped building on Erieside Drive so we decided to stop and explore the area.
We parked beside a large stadium under construction, right along the waterfront.
Down the street, we came across this monument to firefighters.
Notice the plane in the top right.... Javier pointed it out at the perfect moment.
We stopped in the Great Lakes Science Centre to browse around. They had one of those communication discs (I'm not sure what the correct name is) so we tested them out. It reminded me of the time that I was in a large space observatory at the University of Guelph. With the perfectly rounded dome top, you can hear someone whispering in your ear while they're standing on the other side of the room, directly across from you. Pretty neat.
Behind the Science Centre, we found a small, elegant harbor...
We approached the pyramid building from behind, and peered in the through the glass.
On the lower level were various displays of drum sets and guitars.
After some wandering around, we realized it was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
There were several free exhibits on the lower level, so we took some time to check them out. Apparently the lady below was a famous journalist for the music scene in the 1970's.
Do you recognize her? I forgot to write down her name...
This was one of several interactive piano installations. It was designed so that you can play both instruments at the same time, but unfortunately the guitar no longer had strings.
This 1985 Chevrolet AstroVan was the touring van used by Rage Against the Machine. The size and red colour reminds me of my sister's touring van. You can hunt down some music and photos of our tour at this website: http://mirandastone.com
There are many beautiful guitars to feast your eyes on!
And then there was this crazy set up!
Here's a quick snap of the caption on the wall.
This giant guitar was installed in the gift store on the main level.
These cars looked somewhat precariously suspended but I'm sure they are safe.
After a lengthy discussion about taking creative band photos.... this is what happened.
Later we headed down to the waterfront to take a closer look at the lake.
It was a very windy day and the air was cool and refreshing.
Yes, sometimes I'm a nerd.
I
t was so windy that I almost couldn't open my eyes!
t was so windy that I almost couldn't open my eyes!
Heading back into the city, we wanted to see a little more of the city. The downtown area is quite lovely, with several high rises and many buildings with plenty of character.
Around mid-afternoon, we popped into Bar Louie for a late lunch.
The seared tuna salad was a great choice...
...and the blackberry beer was a nice compliment.
After lunch, it was time to hit the road again.
Back on the i90 headed to Columbus, Ohio on the 71 South.
The sky was beautiful and the scenery green for miles.
The drive took around three and a half hours.
Javier was doing all the hard work, while I was relaxing in the back seat, taking photos.
We arrived in Columbus and headed towards downtown. We passed by this beautiful office building on East Gay Street. I especially love the detail on the top of the edifice.
Perhaps because it was a Wednesday afternoon, the city was pretty quiet. We drove down along the waterfront of the Scioto River and decided to skip a more in-depth tour of the city in favor of arriving in Cincinnati before nightfall.
We passed many acres of corn fields, and "Field of Dreams" came up in conversation.
We arrived in Cincinnati as the sun was setting and found a Super 8 hotel for the night.
Tha lady was Jane Scott. Interesting to know that... she was an influential rock critic for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. During her career she covered every major rock concert in Cleveland. Until her retirement in April 2002 she was known as "The World’s Oldest Rock Critic." She was also influential in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland. Source: Wikipedia
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