Awesome Summer Adventures // Part 2

Hey y’all!  Remember that little post I did about my trip to Chicago this summer?  And remember how I kind of implied that there was more to come by naming it “Awesome Summer Adventures // Part 1“?  Well, since autumn is right around the corner, it might be about time to introduce the next episode.  So I’ma gone ahead and do that…

Cleveland

Yes, you read that right.  Cleveland.  Perhaps not the summer adventure you may have thought of when you read the title of this post.  In fact, Cleveland was not my idea of a summer adventure either.  But some old school friends of the hubs from Florida were gonna be there for a week or so and Jeffrey and I had a long weekend to spare, so off we went.  To Cleveland.  Horray.

As it turns out, Cleveland wasn’t nearly as desolately boring as the 5 hours of Ohio we usually drive through in order to get the hell out of Michigan.  It was green and lush, had a glorious breeze, and was home to some surprising swankiness.  In case you don’t remember your geography, Cleveland is lakefront property.  Actually, more like oceanfront property if you’ve never seen a great lake before.  As a Michigan resident, OF COURSE I’ve seen a great lake before.  But not one as vast, serene, and beautiful as this one.

Another really awesome thing about Cleveland is all of the charming little neighborhoods and old brick buildings.  I’m a sucker for old ass buildings.  Especially old ass brick buildings.  And boy, does Cleveland got em.  We dined in Little Italy (and overdosed on cannolis) and drove around the old downtown areas that have clearly been there since god was a boy.  Since the whole point of the trip was to spend some QT with Jeffrey’s friends, we even had some time to get some silly kodak moments with our buds.  FYI, this is generally what life is like in Ohio:

The absolute best part of our trip to Cleveland was our day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I must admit, when I first learned that it was in Cleveland I was like, “WTF! You mean to tell me that the world’s largest rock and roll museum is in some BFE town like Cleveland?  Cleveland, OHIO?!”  But y’all, for real.  Even if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the only reason you visit Cleveland, it will be worth every minute, every dime, every boring mile you spend driving through the state of Ohio.  (Sorry for all the anti-Ohio stuff… I am a Wolverine after all)

The one shitty thing about that place was this: NO CAMERAS ALLOWED.  Seriously.  Even cell phones.  But, being the outlaws that we are, we snuck a few.  Like this one:

Johnny Cash’s git-fiddle!

And this one:

Jimi Hendrix’s quilted outfit of awesomeness!

I think my favorite part of the museum was the special exhibit they had goin on entitled “Women Who Rock”.  Of course, all of bitchin ladies you’d expect were highlighted… Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Kim Deal, Tina Turner, Madonna, Siouxie Sioux, Patty Smith, Janis Joplin, etc, etc.  I did have to do a major double take when I saw some imposters in there though.  Nelly Furtado?  Rhianna?  Are you KIDDING me?  I’m not saying they aren’t good at what they do.  I’m just sayin they ain’t worthy of the adoration true female rock and roll icons are.  At least they had the good sense to include my teen idol Kathleen Hanna in there:

Anyhow, it was fascinating to be within a mere 6 inches of rock and roll–nay, AMERICAN–history and I highly recommend a trip to anyone who can make the drive.  Chances are, Cleveland will surprise you just as much as it did me.

xo Em

PS – Oh yeah, and since I’ve never done more than get out of the car to pee in Ohio, I considered this a visit to a brand new state.  Which means, I crossed off #84 on my 101 in 1001 list.  Hells yeah.