Cleveland Rocks!!!

Today we took a drive up to Cleveland. I was curious about what other cities in Ohio are like. Plus, I had heard that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland and thought it would be fun to check it out. It took about an hour and half to make the drive from Canfield to Cleveland. Rock Hall, as it seems the museum is called fondly by the residents, was a bit of a frenetic experience. The exhibits do not seem to be laid out in any logical order whatsoever and there is so much stuff on display you can quickly become overwhelmed. There is (loud) music piped in as you make your way from one exhibit to another -- different music in each area. A definite sensory overload. But maybe that was intentional. I spent a lot of time looking at the Jimi Hendrix exhibit. They had a number of drawings he made as a teenager, plus some of his flamboyant costumes, some of his guitars.... At the John Lennon exhibhit I pored over several issues of The Daily Howl -- a "newspaper" he put together as a grade school kid. I could see the seeds of John Lennon In His Own Write there. There were countless other displays featuring vintage album covers, musical instruments, stage costumes, Elvis's white jumpsuit, a letter from Charles Manson to the editors of Rolling Stone. Really interesting stuff. I also learned a bit about Alan Freed. He was a DJ from Ohio (not originally, but that's where he worked) who coined the phrase "Rock and Roll". The actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the third floor (we had been advised not to miss this highlight of the museum) was a bit of a letdown. It consisted of a long hallway with the signatures of the inductees backlight in gold light. Big Deal. Very Big Deal. Actually, the best part was an interactive computer monitor on all the R&R Hall of Famers allowing you to read profiles and listen to a selection of songs on headphones. I checked out some numbers by Howlin' Wolf and now I want to buy a CD by him.

After the museum we walked around a bit in downtown Cleveland. I was very impressed. The city is very clean and has some interesting architecture. What a nice position it has situated there on Lake Erie. All in all a lovely day out.