Indians and Rolling Stones

1 June 2013.  Well, as promised, here's an update to our blog as we once again have started our travels in the LynDenHaus.  After leaving Carlisle, PA, on 29 May (and our granddaughter Skye's softball tourney in Chambersburg...congrats again, Skye!) we headed south on I-81 to connect with I-70 and I-68 west thru MD and WV, where we picked up I-79 north at Morgantown.  We reconnected with I-70 in PA (this route allowed us to avoid the dreaded PA Turnpike, which in addition to being a terrible roller coaster of an interstate, is also heavy with tolls.....especially for a 35-ft motorhome towing a car!) and headed west into Ohio.  We crossed the mighty Ohio River (very impressive) just south of Wheeling, WV, and within the hour we were set up at our campground for the next three days at Spring Valley Campground (SVC).  SVC sits conveniently just one exit west past the intersection of I-70 and I-77, which was great since we would become quite familiar with I-77 over the next few days.
 
Thursday, 30 May, saw us heading north on I-77 for Cleveland, the city of "Progress and Prosperity."  This day's sightseeing was two-fold: One we wanted to take in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (HOF), which sits right on the Lake Erie waterfront, a few blocks from downtown Cleveland.

View of the Rock and Roll HOF on the Lake Erie waterfront in Cleveland

And two, we had tickets to an evening ballgame at Progressive Field featuring the Cleveland Indians against their in-state rival, the Cincinnati Reds.  Now, neither of us had ever been to Cleveland before so we really didn't know what to expect.  Armed with a HUGE downtown map of Cleveland and a smaller diagram map showing where the Rock and Roll HOF was located -- and also some internet research of the various roads leading to the downtown area -- we set off on our two-hour drive north.  This took us thru the town of Canton, Ohio, which is where the Pro Football HOF is located, and which would be the object of our attention on the following day.  The Pro Football HOF is located right off of I-77 and very visible from the interstate, so we figured the next day's drive would be a snap.  Anyway, back to our trip into Cleveland.  We knew that I-77 basically comes to an end as it empties into the downtown area.  Unfortunately, this is similar to a river delta, with many branches, or in this case streets, flowing into the downtown area.  But we had done our homework and just like we knew what we were doing, we took 9th Street straight into the heart of the downtown area, and also right by the ballpark.  We knew we wanted to park close to the stadium, since we'd becoming out of the park well after dark.  We found a high-rise parking garage right across from the field and for only $7 we parked from about 1pm until 10pm.  We didn't think that was too bad at all, especially since we were used to downtown Baltimore parking lot prices. Almost 3x that price.

Diagram map of downtown Cleveland showing the location of the HOF on the waterfront.

After parking, we began to look for Cleveland's "free trolley" that ran throughout the downtown area, including the Rock and Roll HOF.  Unfortunately we found out that a film production crew was filming some car chase sequences for new "Captain America 2" movie.  Cleveland was being used as a substitute for New York City.  With film crews in various locations throughout the downtown area, various streets were closed or blocked off at various times throughout the day.  Nobody -- and I mean NOBODY, from cops to security people to taxi drivers -- nobody knew the reconfigured route, and stops, for the free trolley.  So, we ended up walking from the downtown area to the waterfront -- a walk of several blocks.  Good exercise for my knee following the operation, right?  NOT!  Knee got sore walking down to Lake Erie and the Rock and Roll HOF, so it was slow going.  But we made it and enjoyed a two-and-a-half hour visit to the HOF.  If you grew up in the late '50's, 60's, or even the early '70's, this is a definite MUST for a visit.  There is just so much to see and do.  I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the pics.  We were using Lynette's phone camera, and combined with trying to shoot displays that were behind glass, well, the pics aren't the greatest.

Part of the HOF's Aerosmith exhibit.  Believe this is Steven Tyler in costume. 

Part of the HOF's exhibit on the Beatles, featuring the "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" costume that John Lennon wore along with the album cover.  Lynette actually still has the album.

After our visit to the HOF, we decided to grab a taxi instead of walking back to Progressive Field for the ballgame.  But once again, the film crew had several streets blocked off for shooting (we even saw several camera cars go zipping by on one side street), so our cabby became very frustrated at not being able to navigate where he wanted to go.  I think we could almost have walked back in the same amount time as it took our cab to make its way to the ballpark.

I had wanted to arrive as early as possible to watch batting practice, so we got to Progressive Field just before 5pm -- game time was 7:05pm -- and the gates didn't open till 5pm.  Once inside, we procured a couple ice cold beers, found the shady side of the field, and proceeded to enjoy batting practice.  If I had been slightly more energetic -- and had brought along a glove -- and was willing to fight the younger kids for a ball -- I might have caught a batting practice home run.  Alas, was not to be.

Progressive Field.  Our seats were behind the home team dugout (3rd base side), about a 20 rows up.  Excellent seats for the price -- good view of everything!

Progressive Field is one nice ballpark to watch a ball game.  I came away very impressed.  I've always thought the Orioles' Camden Yards was a nice ballpark -- and it certainly is -- but this field the Indians play on is one really nice ballpark.  Even Lynette came away impressed.  Very fan friendly.  So, we enjoyed the usual ballpark food: hotdogs, soft pretzels, peanuts, and cold drinks.  It was a beautiful evening for a ballgame and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  And the Indians won!  Final score was 7-1, with all the Indians' scoring coming in the 4th inning.  And all but one run came with two outs.  I believe I read on the Jumbo Tron scoreboard that the Indians lead the majors in scoring runs after two were out.  They certainly did so on this night.  Wonderful to watch as consecutive Indian batters laced single after single -- with one double thrown in just to break the routine -- scoring run after run.  The home crowd loved it.  And there were so many Reds fans in attendance; guess its not that far of a trip for a game.

We left after the top of the 8th inning, made our way across the street to our parking lot, retrieved the Saturn, and headed home.  All in all, one great day.  Checked off a couple more things on my bucket list and will add another tomorrow after visiting the Pro Football HOF in Canton.  Can't wait!

P.S.  Oh, yes.  I did manage a couple souvenirs: an Indians ballcap and t-shirt.  And worn them at the game!

Before the game started.....me wearing my new ballcap and t-shirt.  Gotta root for the home team when you're in their ballpark!