Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks!

Near 715am, I shook away the cob webs and leaped to my feet. Good thing I took the 4 Advil the night before after all that bending over I did building the deck. I started some coffee then complete calisthenics. I kept thinking I needed to walk Eiknarf but that wasn't so. She was at Chrissy's. So, after completing exercises I played on the computer for a while then readied for a run. It was near 830a when I headed out the door.

I ran only three miles figuring to get lots more exercise walking the streets of Cleveland later that afternoon. I was back around 9am. Mindy was up and enjoying some coffee from the deck. We talked about our departure schedule and rough itinerary. While Mindy showered, I packed the few articles of clothing I'd be taking and then headed out to water all the flowers.

During the watering, I remembered all the comfort items I wanted to take along, including my iTouch, camera battery charger, book, etc. As soon as I headed inside I gathered most of those things and placed them in my back pack. I also packed our small cooler with water, pop, and Gatorade.

While Mindy primped I took a shower. As usual, I was ready a few minutes ahead of her. While waiting, I loaded our gear into the Honda. I'm thinking it was near 1030a when we left the house. According to the Honda, it was already over 90 degrees.

It was a smooth drive up I-71N. No traffic snarls whatsoever. About 2.5 hours later we arrived in downtown Cleveland. We found the hotel along the lake with no trouble at all. Must've been near 115pm when we parked in the attached garage. I checked in while Mindy peed. At first the young lady advised that we were too early for check-in. But after pulling up our reservation she allowed us to check-in early. We planned to head directly to the hall of fame anyway. They offer a complimentary shuttle anywhere downtown, but when asked if they'd take us to the Great Lakes brewpub she shared that that was considered outside the immediate downtown area. We thought we might shuttle to the rock n' roll hall of fame, too until we realized it was just around the corner. We decided to walk instead.

Rumor had it that it was 96 degrees. I know this, it was hot! The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame is a pyramid shaped glass building that sits right next to  the Great Lakes Science Center and Cleveland Browns stadium. Pretty area, especially in the gleaming sunshine. Once inside I noticed a sign forbidding photos of the exhibits. Crap! I pocketed the camera.

Our self guided tour started with the roots of rock n' roll, which include such notables as Lead Belly, Professor Longhair & Pete Seeger, & Les Paul. We listened to number of their musical riffs, none recognizable as rock music by today's standards.

I'd never given it much thought prior, but the hall does a good job taking one through the major cities and countries that have contributed the most to rock n' roll's evolution. In total, we spent almost 4 hours strolling through the museum's exhibits. By the last half hour we started losing interest. My legs were stiff and tired from walking, standing all day. Mindy complained of being hungry. I was getting there too. We walked back to the hotel. It was still really hot & sunny.

We didn't hang at the hotel long. After Googling the exact location of the Great Lakes Brewery I once again asked the hotel shuttle driver if he would take us there. Nope, 'outside my zone'. We didn't want to drink & drive so we asked the hotel desk to call for a cab. Standing ready and waiting was Johnny, the provider of a local car service. Said he'd gladly get us there. We hopped in his Lincoln and headed off to the brewpub. According to my Droid, it was a relatively short drive, only 2 - 2.5 miles.

 Johnny gave us the run down on the local area also giving us the names of two or three  other happening spots he said we should try. The brewpub is located in what I would deem the old part of downtown. I believe it's in the warehouse district. The front entrance is along a narrow brick road lined with trees and a canvas facade. There was room for only one car. Johnny stopped directly in front of the brewpub where we settled up using Mindy's credit card. He used his iPhone to complete the transaction. Pretty nifty! By the time he was done there were two or three cars getting restless behind us. Mindy and I found it a bit amusing. Johnny had a NY accent. He was patient but direct with the complaining drivers.

The main bar area was smaller than I assumed, but there were many adjoining rooms: up, down, and to the west. They also have a huge outdoor patio and a dedicated gift shop. We took two stools at the main bar. There we met Carrie and Kevin, the two bartenders. I ordered the Rye of the Tiger IPA. It's a newer IPA that they still don't bottle. It was quite good. Reminds me of CBC's IPA.  After a tasting a sample or two, Mindy ordered their Blackout Stout. When asked if we wanted to order food, Mindy explained that we wanted to finish our initial beer first. I've trained her well.

We eventually ordered appetizers, the fresh plate first then later the yummy sausage sampler. I didn't realize it prior, but Great Lakes is well known for their green initiatives and locally grown and raised foods. Both appetizers were extraordinarily good. I made my way around the bar taking pictures and visiting the gift shop. While there, I bought shirts for both of us and then two beer glasses.

We met a couple locals that were very friendly. One guy sitting next to us was a school teacher. He was in after attending a graduation. He dropped the 'F' bomb more than anyone I've talked to recently. Hmmm?  Another guy worked in the printing business.  I think we were there until 10p. That's not too late accept for the fact that we got there around 630p. I drank four beers in total, 2 - Rye of the Tigers and then 2 Lake Erie Monsters, their IIPA. Mindy, I believe, drank three beers, but her Imperial Stouts were  9%. Far more octane than mine. She had a good buzz. About then I suggested she call Johnny for our ride home. He gave us his card when he dropped us off.  He answered and said he was on his way. Called back five minutes later sharing that someone else would be coming. His name would be Paul.

We settled our tab then headed out by the street to wait. There, we met two young ladies that rode their bikes to the brewpub. They were quite cute. I asked if they were lesbians. Nope, just friends. They let me take their photo and then took one of Mindy & I. A car finally arrived, only this guy's name wasn't Paul. Instead, his name was Stan. He was in a limo. We laughed our ass off. Johnny arranged for the limo. Cool!

Bella called us as we rode back to the hotel. Talked with her for a while. We were back at the hotel in a hurry. So far, we'd been in Cleveland for about ten hours and hadn't spent 10 minutes in our room. And we weren't done. Laughing, we took the elevator to the top floor, where we learned there was an  executive club a bit earlier. Probably a good thing, it was dark and closed.

We took the elevator back to the lobby where we visited the main bar. We bellied up to two stools at the bar. Mindy ordered a glass of wine. I hemmed and hawed over their beer selection, eventually choosing a Jack & Coke. That went down fast and easy. Next, I ordered aDortmunder Gold, a Great Lakes lager and a chicken quesadilla. Mindy commented that she couldn't believe that I was hungry. The quesadilla looked good but wasn't. To be fair, it simply had no taste, about as bland as one could imagine. I didn't complain, but ate only about a 1/3 of it.

 Mindy struck up a conversation with the two guys sitting next to her. We talked about skiing. I think they were in town from somewhere out west. I believe it was Utah. Mindy was tired and wanted to go back to our room. And the truth is, I was done too. OK, I was drunk. We put the tab on our room and headed back to our ninth floor room. I took my Dortmunder Gold.

For the first time all day, we spent some time in our room. I'm guessing we were asleep by 1am. Good night Elvis!