Sunday, March 11, 2012

Cleveland and Toledo

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Sorry for the lack of cocktail this week. Scott didn't get home from work until 11 or 12 pm on Wednesday and Thursdays nights, and then we hosted gaming on Fridays, and then this weekend, we left town. We went to Cleveland to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Scott's family to celebrate his dad's birthday.

Guitar Gift Shop Entrance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Saturday, we spent the afternoon at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Cars at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Of course, we couldn't take photos once we were inside the ticketed area, but I got some photos of the atrium.

Cars at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Cars at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Of course, Scott and I took the most time in the museum, but we really enjoyed it. I think my favorite part may have been the Les Paul exhibit. I knew about the Gibson Les Paul guitar, but I didn't know about the inventive man whom it was named after. It was clearly Scott's favorite part as well -- when I asked him just now, he started reading from the Les Paul Wikipedia article!

There were all kinds of cool items from the major figures of Rock & Roll, as well as the major precursors. Of course, we enjoyed looking at all the instruments and costumes, some of which were pretty amazing. Note to the wise: if some famous person had some object of theirs painted specially, keep it that way. I really enjoyed the gallery that had Janice Joplin's porche as well as costumes and instruments from bands from the Allman Brothers to ZZ Top to David Bowie to Michael Jackson, including the Thriller jacket and the famous glove, which was embroidered with crystals. I ended up learning a lot of cool things from reading rather than just looking at the exhibits. One thing I left with was a lot of curiosity about Quicksilver Messenger Service, especially after seeing the amp with the horns attached. Of course, I couldn't help but see possible steampunk inspiration everywhere, like in the Van Halen drum set, with the kick drums extended by accordion pleats.

For dinner, we went to The Winking Lizard Tavern, and checked out some cool shops, including Phoenix Coffee, Big Fun and City Buddha. Scott's brother's fiancée got her law degree form Case Western and she was our tour guide around town.

Amphitheater at the Toledo Zoo
Amphitheater at the Toledo Zoo

This morning, we decided that we didn't want to drive backward from the hotel to check out the art museum, natural history museum or other tempting things in the area. We ended up choosing to stop at the Toledo Zoo on the way home.

Snow Leopards at the Toledo Zoo
Snow Leopards at the Toledo Zoo

Sloth Bear at the Toledo Zoo
Bear Sloth at the Toledo Zoo

Cranes at the Toledo Zoo
Cranes at the Toledo Zoo

Colobus Monkey at the Toledo Zoo
Colobus Monkeys at the Toledo Zoo

Birds at the Toledo Zoo
Birds overhead in the aviary at the Toledo Zoo

Vultures at the Toledo Zoo
Vultures at the Toledo Zoo

Rhinoceros Hornbill
Rhinoceros Hornbill at the Toledo Zoo


Giraffes at the Toledo Zoo
Giraffes at the Toledo Zoo
The most exciting thing that happened was that the baby giraffe noticed me when I crouched by the window into its home. It came within a foot of my face and licked the glass right at my face.

After that, it was pizza at the Village Idiot, then home, glad to to rest my feet.

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