Cleveland Rocks

Crossing cities poses some unique challenges as well as opportunities. Cleveland will end up being about a three day effort when it's all said and done, but today, the opportunities made the challenges worth the effort.

My friend and work colleague Nick has been hyping Cleveland from the day that I met him.  Frankly, I was a little worried that the city wouldn’t life up to the stories, but today, I’m forced to admit that my concern was wildly misplaced.

Home of the Browns with some firefighter city pride leading the way.

Cleveland has it all.  Good food, big sports, and a cultural scene that includes a thriving arts community and, of course the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sixteen miles of walking and experiencing this great city at a pedestrian pace couldn’t even dampen my enthusiasm for how the pilgrimage turned out today.

After a more than pleasant ten-mile saunter through Euclid and along the shores of Lake Erie, we found ourselves in one of the many Metropark complexes that line the shoreline and provide public access to the lake.

Ever since we ran across the Walleye Association in, I believe, New York, my Uncle Bill recommended we find a walleye and eat it.  I've been looking for an opportunity to sample the pescatarian delight, and today, we found that opportunity.

Down on the shores of Lake Erie, the East 55 Bar and Grill carried their signature crispy walleye sandwich on the menu. Now, I'm not normally a fish person. I like my protein brought in on the hoof, but suggestions are suggestions so we decided to give it a shot.  

Crispy Walleye Sandwich - East 55 Bar and Grill - Cleveland, OH

Tasty.  That's the only way to describe it. I'm not sure if it's the most tasty fresh water fish, but walleye is certainly in the running.  Thanks for pushing me out of my hamburger comfort zone Uncle Bill. It was a delightful experience.

When you walk to Cleveland from Rhode Island, you'd be a fool to stroll casually past the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame without poking your nose in the door.  I almost made that mistake today, but a friend pushed me in the right direction and we took a little time to pay appropriate homage to the masters of Rock.

A work colleague of mine and I have had a running debate about what genre of Rock & Roll is represented by the music of AC/DC.  Now I know that my opinion is not the most popular one, but I have consistently argued that AC/DC fell into the "Hair Band" category of Rock & Roll. Don't get me wrong. I love them, and the album Back in Black is clearly a true gem, but I’ve held my ground.

Angus Young’s AC/DC costume and initial draft of Highway to Hell lyrics clearly displayed in the Heavy Metal section at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Earl B.  I was wrong.  The curators of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame place AC/DC front and center in the Heavy Metal genre of the craft of Rock & Roll.  I hope you can accept my very public admission of error and acknowledgement of your enduring correctness in this particular matter.

Please accept this photo of Bruce Springsteen's acoustic guitar as a token of peace between us.

Bruce Springsteen’s Acoustic Guitar circa 2005 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, OH

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was epic. Walking here from Rhode Island made the experience that much sweeter.  It's almost as if we're actually on a real pilgrimage with visits to the shrines of America along the way.  Good stuff.

Finally, the art scene.  If you’ve been following along, you know that I love finding murals or other displays of public art to photograph while in cities.  Our route today through Cleveland proved to be a target rich environment.

Prince and a Donut - Cleveland, OH

From the larger than life paintings on I-90 overpasses, to the very small but poinent messages of grief and loss, the city covered all the bases.

Trying to Fix a Broken Heart - Cleveland, OH

Thanks Cleveland!  You've exceeded all expectations!

Big Waters

Having a background in the Navy, I’ve grown a fondness for “Big Waters.”  I’ve spent over half of my life near the ocean, but in my book the Great Lakes certainly fall into the category of Big Waters.

These are places where the land meets a great body of water, and you’re unable to perceive an obvious impact from the other side of the expanse.  The water stretches to the horizon and beyond.

Thunderstorm rolling in from Lake Erie

These waters produce their own weather, and the weather drives the waves.  They have a life of their own. Where they meet the land, there is conflict, but in the end there is a balance that’s retained for years.  Sand may move from one spot to the other, but the water and the land maintain and active but still stable meeting point.

It’s a boundary area on earth, and at these boundaries the curtain between the physical world and the spiritual world thins just a little.  These are places where real magic happens. Old magic driven by the ancient and perpetual powers of the Universe herself.

Today we were blessed with visiting this border zone.  We saw a thunderstorm from and roll into the lake. The land took the water and returned it to its origin.  Sand flowed from the land into the water with the rain, and the waves washed up more sand from the water to the beach. Undeniable action and movement, yet, the balanced was maintained.

Being away from the ocean, I’m grateful for moments like these where I can once again gaze out upon the Big Waters.  They are a place where it is easier to reach out and touch the hand of the divine.