१० मे, २००५
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I need to drive east, to pick up my son in Ithaca next week, and I've decided to stop halfway there in Cleveland and take a day to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Any Cleveland travel tips? Any advice for scenic byways or charming towns or natural beauties on the drive from Cleveland to Ithaca? I'm already aware of Niagara Falls, of course, and I've even seen Taughannock Falls. I'm looking to do some interesting photoblogging as I make my way east and then dart back home again.
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Does the river there still catch on fire? I'd like to see that!
My wife grew up in Ithaca. Tragically, it is after her bedtime so I can't tap her useful knowledge.
Can you schedule it to catch some stock car racing at Watkins Glen?
Pancho: Every story on Cleveland always refers to that. I think it happened in the 1970s, but they will never live it down.
Tigerhawk: I've never attended any sort of a car race. I have attended horse and also dog races however.
Ann:
As a life-long Ohioan except for one year in Michigan and five months as an infant in some town called Madison, Wisconsin, I have a few suggestions for the Ohio portion of your trip.
(1) For some scenic and enjoyable views, if you have a little time, you might want to check out Put-in-Bay or Geneva-on-the-Lake.
(2) For fun, you could visit the best roller coaster park in the world, Cedar Point.
(3) For a relaxing time in a pretty setting, you could go off the path just a short distance and visit Grand Rapids, Ohio, astride the Maumee River. There are lots of little shops there. On a sunny day, it's a fun and beautiful setting for eating an ice cream cone and taking in the sights.
Except for those two stints in Michigan and Wisconsin, I spent the first thirty-plus years of my life in Columbus, then six in rural northwestern Ohio. For the past fourteen-plus years, I've lived in the Cincy area. There is so much to see and do here and it's such a diverse place, from the flat reclaimed swampland in the northwest to the Appalachian foothills in the southeast.
I hope you have a nice trip.
I second Mark's point on Cedar Point being the best roller coaster park.
The Finger Lakes region has some nice scenery. Rochester, NY used to have a Kodak plant and museum, but it's beem awhile since I've been there. And there are vineyards (never seen 'em myself but would like to). Try I-86--not bad scenery for an interstate route, although I imagine it still pales to the back roads.
I see two people beat me to the punch on Cedar Point. I'd be surprised if you turned out to be a roller coaster fan, but for coast fans from all over the world Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH is a holy site. http://www.cedarpoint.com. You can ride 4 of the best coasters in the world in one park. Zero to 120mph in 3 seconds... eeoooww. Cedar Point is an old fashioned park with the most modern of rides. Sandusky looks like it was picturesque in its day, but not so much now. The islands near there such as Put-In Bay are a good bet.
When I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I just happened to be there when they had a special Beatles exhibit with things like John Lennon's first guitar. I was on cloud nine. Without that special exhibit, I don't know what it would be like.
Somebody mentioned Rochester... it's a little out of your way, but talk about holy sites... for photography... the George Eastman House Museum is astonishing.
http://www.eastmanhouse.org
Speaking of falls... be sure to see Ithaca Falls right there in Ithaca. It's better than you'd think.
One other Cedar point:
I'm not really a coaster fan, but I love the place. It still has some of the charm and ambience of it's early twentieth century roots. There's a beach there. The Breakers is a nice hotel. Their outdoor water park is da bomb. (They also have an indoor water park, which I haven't yet visited.)
When I was a kid, we used to drive to Sandusky and take a ferry boat to the Point. It's still a cool place.
As far as Not-Ohio goes, it has been a long time since I was at the Finger Lakes, but they were beautiful. I once participated in the wedding of a friend that took place on Lake Onandaga.
All of upstate NY is a wonderful area to see and explore.
You will be passing near to my hometown of Buffalo, New York. The Anchor Bar, on the corner of Main & North, is the original home of Buffalo Wings; the place they were first served. Its worth the time, if not on this trip, then at some point before your son graduates!
I don't know if you follow baseball at all, but Cleveland has a beautiful baseball stadium which is right down the street from the R&R Hall of Fame. Jacobs Field is one of the prettiest parks in the American League -- baseball fans love it. Also on that same street is a tacky Alice Cooper-themed restaurant called "Alice Cooperstown." Referencing both the nearby R&R Hall of Fame and the nearby baseball stadium, I found its name and decor rather amusing, though its food to be your basic TGI Friday's-caliber fare.
Right next to Niagara Falls is a beautiful little town called Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. It has changed little since the pre-WW2 days; it still has a heavy British influence.
Every summer, they have a George Bernard Shaw festival, to which Shaw fans come from all over North America. Many of the actors are classically trained actors from Britain. I don't know when the festival begins (it might not be until later in the summer) but that too is another good idea.
If you want a waterfall theme, there are spectacular falls all around Ithaca. Your son may know a few . . . though, if this was his first year of law school, he may not have had time for much of that kind of exploring. Anyway, Cascadilla Gorge in the middle of town makes a lovely afternoon walk. Buttermilk Falls, just south of Ithaca on Route 13 on the left, is easily accessible and spectacular. Or, best of all, you could travel down 13 another few miles to Newfield and explore magical Enfield Gorge in Treman State Park. Here, a pathway leads you through a two-mile gorge with 12 different cascades, including Lucifer Falls.
There's also Letchworth Gorge in western New York, the "Grand Canyon of the East." It's a couple of hours west of Ithaca and wouldn't take you far out of your path from either I-86 or I-390.
Ann Arbor beckons...
I know it's out of your way, (slightly) but it still beckons!
Plus it's gloriously quiet now that the rodents, er, students are gone...
Wow! Thanks for all the advice. Maybe I will go to Cedar Point. I'm especially fond of the old fashioned wooden type of roller coaster.
Rick: thanks for the tip on the "Body Worlds" exhibit. That is actually one of the first things I ever blogged about, back in February 2004 (here). So I'm very interested in seeing it -- especially if photography is allowed.
I don't know if you're still reading this, but being a native Clevelander, I thought maybe I could help:
1. The Cuyahoga river burns daily. First show's at 8, next show's at 11. No recording devices please.
2. Cedar Point is America's Roller Coast and you should definitely check it out. Bernstein Bears Land is equisite. No, seriously, go.
3. The Cleveland Museum of Art is nice. I'm not a big into art dude, but Terry Teachout is and he liked it.
4. There's always stuff going on at Playhouse Square. It's the second largest theater district west of NY and east of Chicago . . . something like that. Let's just say they put on a lot of shows.
Doesn't sound like you'll be in town long, so that be plenty. I also know plenty of places available for drunken bs-ing.
Cuyahoga River fire....June of 1969. Actually, much good came from the river fire.
At 11:56 am on June 22, 1969, an oil slick caught fire on the Cuyahoga River just southeast of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Over thirty years later, Cleveland's image is still scarred as people recall how "the river caught fire." The 1969 fire is the most famous fire on the Cuyahoga River, even though a previous fire in 1952 on the Cuyahoga caused nearly thirty times the amount of damage. Yet the day after the 1969 river fire, the two major Cleveland papers both ran front page pictures showing the aftermath of the fire. Only The Plain Dealer ran a short story on the fire.
Not until a Time Magazine article on August 1, 1969 did the river fire begin to get national attention. Eventually the river fire, with its seemingly implausability, became a rallying point for the environmentalists in their fight for cleaner water. The Clean Water Act passed three years later in 1972, while clean-up of the Cuyahoga River continues to today.
Two additions......just an hour apart, and really unusual....
1st - Conneaut Lake Amusement Park
Home to an original wood roller coaster plus an entire park of the old style amusement park rides and game places as they were 80 years ago. It all sits on the shores of beautiful Lake Conneaut with a restaurant there with what we found to be good food!
2nd - Lake Pymatuning
This lake is where "the ducks walk on the fishes back"....and it is true. Carp are groiwn along a causeway and they are there in large sizes and by the hundreds of thousands. People go there and, using bread, toss chunks to the fish and local ducks and geese run literally across the swarming fish's backs to get to the bread...
I must have shot a roll of film of this really cool event!
The two are located almost on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border just about 30 miles S. of Erie....
My Dutchess is from nearby Meadville, PA.
Duke of DeLand
http://pekinprattles.blogspot.com
If you're interested in faux manor houses, Stan Hywett in Akron is a good one.. About 50 rooms, gardens, etc., built with Sieberling | Goodyear money.
Cedar Point rocks.
I'd skip Geneva-on-the-lake, unless you like a very 60's run down resort atmosphere. The conference center there is an ok place to stay, and there are a lot of small wineries run by interesting people in the area.
www.boringmadedull.blogspot.com
Rick: You're right. There are already many photos of those things in the press. This may be one of those places where putting it into words is better.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is pretty cool, but it's also currently under construction and many of the galleries have been closed. Inquire locally.
On the other hand, the Phillips Collection exhibit is pretty cool, if it's still there (extra $).
ziptang
I've taken visitors to see our beloved integrated steel mill, if they are the type of people that might like such a thing. There's no plant tour or anything (as far as I know), but it's still impressive, and one of the most obvious remaining pieces of the Glory That Was Cleveland.
If you're coming to Cleveland from Sandusky, you could consider taking US6 along the lake rather than OH2 or I90. It would definitely be slower, but there are no major obstacles between Sandusky and Cleveland, and it's not a bad drive.
How long are you going to be in CLE? Are you staying overnight here?
Skip the Hall of Fame. It's an ABSOLUTE WASTE of your seventeen dollars.
Go to the Aquarium just across the way instead.
Michael: I am somewhat concerned that there won't really be anything to see at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Costumes, guitars -- what difference does it make? It's at least an interesting piece of architecture. $17 is an interesting amount of money: it's what it cost for a ticket to Woodstock, which I skipped because I didn't have $17. But it won't be a waste of my time, even if it's awful, because I'll blog about it.
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