We get into Cleveland around 2:30 in the afternoon which leaves me just enough time to go and check out one of Cleveland's main attractions, the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Tammy and the boys were not real interested which meant I would have to go by myself. It was only a 15 minute walk so off I went while my family stayed back at the hotel.
It was a real treat for me. Unfortunately they closed at 5:30 which meant I only had a couple of hours. The Hall of Fame and the exhibits were really cool. 2 hours was just not enough time but I saw what I could.
Drum set used my Ringo Starr of The Beatles.
There was lots of great stuff in there and anyone who loves music and history should go visit this if ever in Cleveland.
I made it back to the room and we went to a local pub called Flannery's where we had dinner and watched the beginning of the Women's World Cup Soccer Final which was awesome as they jumped all over Japan early. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel for the night.
The next day we needed to get some laundry done so we found a place that did it for $.85 per pound and dropped it off. There were lots of stores nearby so we did some more shopping before grabbing lunch and heading back to the room to get ready to go to the game.
On this trip we had made it a priority to get to the stadiums right when they opened to try to get a ball during batting practice. So far we had been shut out. So I asked Trey if he had a good feeling about this one before going in and he said yes. Well after reading some tips online about how to get a ball, when the gates opened at 5, we were ready. I have to give props to Progressive Field in Cleveland. They are very 'fan friendly ". They open the gates 2 hours before game time which most places open an hour early. Why does it matter? You get to see the home team bat as well as the visitors which means double the chance to get a ball! I had also read that if you are first in line to sprint to the right field section that is open and you could probably just pick one up in the bleachers since no one was there yet. Well, that is what we did and wouldn't you know it, I found one on the back row as others were charging to the front. I also read that you could possibly find a ball in the bushes of Heritage Park which is a garden in the centerfield section of the outfield that honors all the Cleveland Indians' great players. As we were looking at the monuments we happened to find another ball behind the fence in some shrubbery. Another score! All total, we left with 4 balls retrieved from batting practice. Mission accomplished!
The game featured the Indians hosting the Houston Astros which was a treat for me since the Astros are one of the best teams and best stories in baseball right now.
As I said, Progressive Field is one of the most Fan Friendly parks that we have been to. There is so much for the kids to do to keep them entertained and they have some of the best prices on concessions than anywhere we had been. I especially got a kick out of a particular stand called Dad's Place that sold some low end beer (Natural Light, Schlitz, PBR, etc.) for $4 a can which was cheap by ballpark standards.
The game was very entertaining with the Astros winning 9-4.
View of the scoreboard.
After the game we headed back to the room for the night. The next morning we had to swing by and pick up our laundry and there was one more little side trip that I wanted to make. About a half a mile from the laundromat was 55th Street which may be better known by some as Cleveland Street.
My all time favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Story that came out in the early 80s. Here is the actual house that was used in the movie. I just had to go see it. Tammy, who does not appreciate quality films like I do was nice enough to endulge me on this one. There was even a leg lamp in the window!
I could just hear Ralphie's "Old Man" saying, "You should see how it looks from out here!"
What a great attraction. There was even a gift shop with all kinds of novelties tied to the movie. I really got a kick out of that place. But it was back in the van and we were on our way to our last stop, Pittsburgh.
