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Published: April 22nd 2008
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"Are you nuts?"
"Why??"
"Ohio?"
These are all the responses I got when I told people that I was taking a trip to Cleveland over MLK Day weekend this year. Granted, you have to take advantage of a three-day weekend when you can, but Ohio in January isn't exactly Cancun. So why did I decide to venture to the home of the Drew Carey Show (and who didn't love that show, honestly)? A few reasons. First off, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been on my "must visit" list for some time now, and I wanted to make the pilgramage. Secondly, a good friend of mine from Syracuse, TJ (aka "The Deuce" or "Il Deuco") is a proud Clevelander who sweats the city. In his own words "The rest of Ohio is a s**thole, but I f**king love Cleveland." I had to see for myself what this city was all about. Finally, I had heard that the food in Cleveland was pretty damn good, and you know I'm all about that. I was ready for some good old mid-western fare. Bought my tickets, and I was gone!
One of the most interesting things that I
noticed right off the bat was the actual layout of the city. It was clear that there is a distinct downtown area, but there were literally rows and rows of plotted out townhouse in perfect grid fashion. As The Deuce told me, this is very typical for a mid-western city. No apartment buildings or complexes. No massive structures. Just good clean family livin' all around. I also noticed right off the bat that it was pretty f**king cold. With all the lake effect snow and wind chill, I thought I was back in Syracuse. We headed to a BWW to watch some 'Cuse hoops, and then drove around the suburbs of Cleveland for a bit. I have to say, these towns scream out "Hometown America, USA". The layout, ammenities, and yes, the water tower with Ziggy all add to the mid-western charm. It seems like a great place to grow up, but the impression that I got from The Deuce was that it was. Later that evening, we headed to a restaurant that I had seen on my cable network of employment. It's a small Eastern European eatery known as Sokolowski's University Inn, or, A Cleveland landmark. It's like walking
into your old Polish grandmother's house. The smell of perogi and kielbasa was just awesome. The Deuce and I were ready to eat. After about 3 minutes of "Oh man, I am pumped", we moved through the cafeteria style line and got our food. I had chicken paprikash, a mound of mashed potatoes, a side of 2 perogis, small salad, and homemade rootbeer. Hey, if you're going to go all out, you gotta get the works right? And could I pass out the chocolate cake with an oreo crust? No. In all seriousness, if this meal would have given me a heart attack, I wouldn't have cared, because it was sensational. Down home, Polish cooking. It's like the Cleveland version of Soul Food. After they carried me out on a stretcher, The Deuce and I went downtown to take in some Cleveland State basketball. For a non-power conference, good stuff all around, with some wild mid 40s fans that run around in viking helmets. The pep band even played "Cleveland Rocks" which was a nice local touch. Too bad it was mildly off-key.
The next day was a day I had been waiting for, the visit to the rock
hall! There was no better way to get fired up for this than listening to some Bob Seger while driving into the city. Again, another cold ass day, but the hall was nice and warm on the inside. As we walked in, there was some great props from music videos, like the "Gwen/Moby" neon signs from Moby's Southside video, and a giant hot dog from some Weezer video. As you walk around the main floor, there is just tons of rock and roll memorabilia, from signed drum heads, to famous guitars, to Michael Jackson's outfit from the Thriller video (yes, the iconic red suit). There's some great regional exhibits focusing on the music from Seattle, London, and Memphis, just to name a few. There were also cool exhibits featuring Hendrix (awesome!), The Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones. As The Deuce informed the, the exhibits are on a rotating basis, so every visit should bring something new. There's also a massive collection of every song that was ever recorded by all the inductees, which was also very cool. We then watched a movie for about an hour that showcased all the inductees through 2007, and saw the famous "Wall of
The Free Stamp
Yes, it's a giant stamp. Signatures". We checked out some exhibits on other floors, like the Ramones display case (sweet), some stuff from James Brown (awesome), and other cool memoribilia.
To top it off, there was a rotating exhibit on the very top floor that was all about the Doors. As you walk up the spiral staircase with lime green painted walls, old Doors posters follow you on the way up. You can also hear the strange sounds of the Doors live in concert with odd piano riffs and strange Jim Morrison poetry. Once you reach the top, all you see is a picture of a shirtless Jim Morrison with a glow of light under it. I said to the Deuce "Should we be on acid right now?". Your guess was a good as mine. Lots of great stuff from The Doors' career, but still, I don't think being sober was the intention for viewing this exhibit.
Because it was so damn cold, we decided to do a quick driving tour of downtown Cleveland, which included such sights as the Free Stamp, Browns Stadium, Jacobs Field (home of the Indians), and Quicken Loans Arena (home of the Cavs). As we went by this
last landmaek, there was a huge poster of LeBron James that was opposite the arena that just screamed "What! This is my town!". He really is the King in Cleveland. Went to grab some dinner @ then viewed some football afterwards, and the next day, it was back to D.C.
Honestly, Cleveland was a surprise hit. I didn't know going there whether I would like it or not, but I really dig the city. I need to get back out there in the nicer weather and take in an Indians game and spend a little more time outside, but definately worth a trip back. Oh yea, and you can guarentee that Sokolowski's hasn't seen the last of me.
I'm goin' bowlin', so don't lose her in Solon. Safe travels.
-Kacz
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