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Published: October 18th 2010
We arrived at San Francisco domestic airport and checked in our bags.
"Where to?" the check-in man asked.
"Cleveland" we said
"???" he responded "Clevelaaaand??" "Why y'all going ta Clevelaaaannd?"
"A wedding" we said. "Oh" replied the check-in man "Cause Clevelaaand aint whatcha call an international hot spot"
"Very diplomatic" I said...
The flight from San Francisco to Cleveland is 4 hours, 30 minutes but as we travel from US Pacific Time to US Eastern Time, we arrived 7 hours, 30 minutes after we left.
We'd been advised by the Bride, Lisa, that the quickest way from the airport to the hotel was on the RTA Rapid Transit Rail system but she, as a Cleveland local had also told us 'in the spirit of full disclosure' (her words) that the RTA doesnt travel through the best parts of Cleveland.
We spent the next white-knuckled 30 minutes trying to stare at the floor, or the luggage, or each other.
Whenever my gaze lifted, I occasionally caught the eyes of all the other 30+ gangsta rappers, drug addicts and pimps in the carriage that had no concerns about staring directly at us whilst slurping from liquor bottles or playing with
their chains, switch blades or in the case of one nutcase, talking to himself. I had one ear open just in case he was chanting to himself "I am the angel of death" but I was worried that I might accidently urinate on myself from fear.
We finally arrived at our hotel, the Marriott which is in the very centre of Cleveland. The hotel is very grand, as is all of the middle of Cleveland.
By 'grand' I mean, everything is 1930's big and impressive. the streets are wide, the old skyscrapers are ornate and impressive, Even the Railway station is part of a 30 story-high ornate Empire State style building.
Apparantly, Cleveland used to be one of the few cities that rivialed New York in grandeur back in the days when it was a huge industrial powerhouse of a city. Over the years, as that dwindled, more than half the population left so there is this big old grand city with just a few people knocking around in it.
Even on a weekday, you can walk around the city and bascially not see anyone. I swear I have seen many more people inside the Marriott hotel
than I have seen on the streets of Cleveland.
The next morning, after our arrival, we assembled the troops and took off to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame which is Cleveland's most well known tourist attraction and only a short walk from the hotel.
Unfortunately photos are not permitted inside the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame so there are no photos to share but we do have some of the outside of the building and of Johnny Cash's tour bus which was parked outside.
Inside, some of the highlights included Michael Jackson's thriller costume, and bejewelled glove, handwritten songsheets of many of the most famous songs, John Lennon's glasses, guitar, piano, US green card, school report.
Elvis costumes, one of his Cadillacs, one of his grammys, the ZZ Top HotRod.. actually I could go on and on, but wont.
We've met up with Al, the groom. He seems nervous, but excited, and is drinking a lot of coffee.
Tommorrow is the big day!!
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susan
non-member comment
laughing
Hi Paula and Richie Really enjoying your blog - laughing out loud every time. You should write for a living Paula, you're so funny! Sounds as if you're having a great time and glad to hear you're educating the yanks love susan