It all happens in Cleveland !
We started the day with a more satisfying breakfast and got away fairly quickly, spending most of our drive heading north along I-77 to Cleveland.
Sunday is the big football day for the NFL in the US and along the way we passed through Canton which is the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – even the overpasses make sure you know about it.
Near Acron, we stopped at Everett Road Covered Bridge. Ohio had over 2,000 such bridges in their peak of popularity in the 19th century. These wooden bridges were eventually replaced with steel etc.This particular one was washed away in a flood in the 1970’s but was replaced through donations to restore it for its historical significance.
We then ventured a little further into our next National Park – Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is a very “urban” park nestled in a river valley between Akron and Cleveland. The area hsitorically was very industrial with the Ohio and Erie Canal system nearby. The river became so polluted at one stage that the river itself caught fire which created a push to have the river cleaned up.
Today the Towpath Trail which follows along old sections of the now unused canal is popular for walking and cycling. The railways were also prevalent in the area and are still used for tourist trips through the park. We walked some of the trail near the main visitor centre at Boston Mill.
We then headed into Cleveland arriving in the middle of the day. We are staying at the Drury Plaza Hotel in central Cleveland and our room was ready when we arrived. And the Cleveland based NFL team – the Browns – had a home game against the New York Jets so the area was buzzing !
Our destination was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – which just happened to be right next door to First Energy Stadium where the game was being played – down near the lake, another of the Great Lakes – Lake Erie. So we found ourselves in the midst of all the fans heading to the ground for the 1.00pm start. Many of the roads around the stadium were closed and there was a large police presence directing the crowd to the stadium – mostly brown but a few brave green Jets fans amongst them.
The game probably meant that we had less crowds to deal with at the Hall of Fame so we grabbed a sandwich for our lunch at the snack bar and were then able to easily wander around the exhibitions. They have a great collection of memorabilia and displays – and plenty of music ! We spent a good couple of hours looking around.
As we left it was half time in the game and we wandered down to the front gate to take in some of the atmosphere before heading back to the hotel. With the game on, the rest of Cleveland almost seemed empty ! It was time for us to do some washing so we took advantage of the empty guest laundry.
While we waited for our washing to complete, we had a front row view of a police bust right outside the hotel ! They were there for ages and, with the game now complete and the crowds heading home, there were people everywhere and cars almost at a standstill in the streets all around. The Browns lost 31-30 in the last seconds so most of the fans would have been disappointed !
We have stayed at Drury Hotels on previous tours and they have “5.30 Kickback” which is free drinks and food from 5.30 till 7.00pm. They are generous and excellent and that does us dinner – tonight included nachos, hotdogs, chicken strips, pasta and vegetables – and with beer and wine. With the sad football crowd there in numbers, it helped a few dissecting where it all went wrong !!
So it has been all go for our day in Cleveland – football, music and crime 😂 Tomorrow should hopefully be a little more subdued as we head to Pennslyvania …