Another view of the Cleveland skyline.Key Tower.Terminal TowerThe Hilton Hotel with First Energy Stadium in the distance.Fifth Third Bank?Progressive Field, Home of the Cleveland Indians.Progressive FieldBob Feller statue. My father saw him pitch.Statue of Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League for the Cleveland Indians, several weeks after Jackie Robinson became the first black player in all of major league baseball, for the National League Brooklyn Dodgers.Slyman’s Restaurant. President George W. Bush ate here in 2007 when he came to Cleveland for a presidential visit. This was a very clean place, and the food was exceptional!Corned beef hash. After one bite, Mary Jean said this was the best corned beef has she has ever had.Bacon and swiss omelet.Slyman’s known for its deli meats and sandwiches. We ordered two sandwiches to go for lunch on the road. Here is what the turkey sandwich looks like! And it was the best turkey I have ever had!This is Ralphie’s family’s house from A Christmas Story movie.The leg lamp is in the middle window.The leg lampThe Bumpus House next door. Both houses are available for overnight guests.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
This is the only national park in Ohio.Brandywine FallsBrandywine FallsBrandywine FallsThick forestLedges Overlook – you can see for miles and miles!This cabin was built in the 1930s by young men who were in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the group created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to alleviate unemployment during the Great Depression.Everett Road Covered Bridge. From the early to the late 1800s, Ohio had over 2000 covered bridges. This reconstructed bridge is modeled on a pattern from 1869.
Nativity Museum, Akron OH
Replica of Bethlehem’s Nativity Cave.In the actual Bethlehem cave, this star supposedly marks the spot where Jesus Christ was born to the virgin Mary.This museum displays hundreds and hundreds of nativity scenes from all over the world, and made from many different materials.Cardboard and Foil, from PolandCoconut from HawaiiOlive wood from BethlehemAustralian AborigineMade of wood, from China, by Christians who were persecuted by the Communist government.Thorn wood from NigeriaFrom ColumbiaMade of coal from West VirginiaAnd even one made of Legos.
President William McKinley Library & Museum Canton OH
William McKinley was our 25th president, serving from 1897 until he was assassinated in September 1901. President McKinley bustPresident McKinley was one of the “front porch campaigns”. He did all his campaigning in 1896 from his home here in Canton.McKinley’s White House deskHis bed from the White HousePiano that First Lady Ida McKinley played at the White HousePresident and First Lady McKinleyAdjacent to the McKinley displays is a museum called Street of Shops which are models of Canton shops in the early 1900s. Notice the horseshoe prints on the street!General StoreBlacksmith ShopPioneer HousePost Office stage garagePrint shopService stationFire housePackaging from the early 20th centuryChoose you apron style!Go for a bike ride?President McKinley Memorial. This is a huge structure, and it looks even larger because it sits on a hill.Statue of President McKinley (23 steps from ground level)A sense of the scale of the size of the structure.The crypts of President William McKinley and First Lady Ida McKinleyLooking up at the top of the dome.The brass exterior doors were the largest ever cast when they were built in 1905-1907.
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton OH
Here it is – the Football Hall of Fame. John Madden’s busSpecial exhibit on football cards.Joe Namath’s 1965 rookie card is the holy grail of football cards, so Namath is featured prominently in this exhibit.The “Big 4” football cards: Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Bonco Nagurski, and the Goodwin Champions.Joe Namath’s rookie cards – 15 of them!Autographed Joe Namath jersey.Displays for the decades…Jim Thorpe statueTribute to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only Super Bowl champions with a perfect record (17-0)Each Hall of Famer is honored with a bronze bust. It is a pretty neat display to see row after row of these busts.How the busts are made.Me and JoeMary Jean and John ElwayMe and Dan Marino. For you, Keith!Earl Campbell, the only hall of famer I have met.Jim Brown, greatest football player ever.John RigginsSuper Bowl III display: Jets 16, Colts 7Terrell Davis wore this helmet during the 1998 Super Bowl XXXII win.The Vince Lombardi TrophyNiemann portrait of Super Bowl III.Super Bowl ring, 1969Super Bowl ring, 2016Super Bowl ring, 2019Carrie Underwood’s outfit when she sang “Oh, Sunday Night!” to open the 2017 prime time Sunday Night Football season.Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
Lawnfeld, Home of President James A. Garfield Mentor OH
This is the home of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States. When Garfield bought this house it was a 1-1/2 story 9 room farmhouse. He expanded it to a full two-story 20 room house to accommodate his growing family. When he was alive this was a 160 acre working farm. When he campaigned for president in 1880, he did so from this front porch, the first of the “front porch campaigns”.
Garfield served as president for only 200 days; he was shot by a disgruntled office seeker on July 2, 1881 (Garfield was inaugurated on March 4, 1881) at the Washington DC railroad depot, then the president hung on and eventually died on September 10. The president was coherent during that entire time, his condition fluctuated numerous times, and finally took a turn for the worse and died on September 19.
This is wallpaper on the ceiling of the entry foyer. The wallpaper was somewhat unusual, but it used on the ceiling because it was easier to clean the kerosene lamp soot from wallpaper rather than paint and plaster.The parlor.James and Lucretia Garfield’s summer bedroom, on the first floor.Interesting heater.Dining room china cabinet. The china on the right was the Garfield family china, and is what the Garfields took to Washington to use at the White House. They never had time to pick out official state china.Garfield’s mother Eliza’s room. Eliza was the first mother to live to see her son inaugurated president, and she was the first president’s mother to live in the White House (albeit for only a few months).The Garfields’ upstairs (winter) bedroom.Carpet on one the floor of one of the bedrooms upstairs. Prior to its use by the 20th century Nazis, this design was used to indicate well being or good luck.Garfield’s study. His children bought him the chair for reading. Garfield was a voracious reader, and he liked to read in a semi-reclined position.After Garfield’s death, his widow Lucretia created the first presidential library with an addon to the house.Interesting door hingeGarfield’s campaign headquarters office.Garfield’s campaign headquarters office. During the campaign Garfield had a telegraph installed here.Lucretia had this windmill installed in 1894. This windmill would pump water up into the tower, which held a 500 gallon storage tank. There was a water line which gravity-fed the water into a 300 gallon holding tank on the third floor of the house, which then flowed to the faucets in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry room!A mock-up of President Garfield taking the oath of office.President Garfield with First Lady Lucretia at his bedside.
James A. Garfield Memorial and Grave Cleveland OH
It was a great disappointment to see the Garfield Memorial under renovation. Normally, this gigantic monument looks like this:This is where President and Lucretia Garfield are entombed.Inside the main hall stands a large statue of Garfield, standing as he would as a congressman when he served in the House of Representatives.The ornate designs throughout this chamber are spectacular. This is looking up to the top of the tower.Down below the main chamber are the caskets of the President and First Lady.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Cleveland OH
Johnny Cash’s tour bus.A very cool museum!There are many, many displays like this. So many outfits, posters, guitars, handwritten letters, etc. KISS drumsElvis has the largest section, of course!Yup, a suit worn by Elvis.Elvis played this.While this video was playing…Mary Jean was rocking it!Rick Nelson’s guitarMama Cass (Mamas and the Papas) outfitDollyTaylor Swift outfit from 2014 concert.Rolling Stones.The BeatlesNow, on to the Hall of Famers…So the Hall of Fame has a “Garage” section, where you can jam like you are in your garage. There are people to teach you to play something simple, so a couple people tried it out…Mary Jean on the drums!Me on the keyboard!
Cleveland OH
Cool skyline picture!USS Cod Submarine MuseumSteamship William G. Mather MuseumLake Erie redo! Yesterday’s Lake Erie picture in New York was a bit overcast and gray. Today in Cleveland it is clear and beautiful!Lake ErieShip on Lake ErieLake ErieFirst Energy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns.Statue of Cleveland Browns great Jim Brown, perhaps the greatest football player ever!
Our hotel in Cleveland
We are staying at the Key Tower Marriott. The Key Tower is the tallest building in Cleveland at 57 stories tall.The view from our 19th floor room – the Terminal Tower, a Cleveland landmark.The Terminal Tower lit up at night.
This is the home of our 13th President, Millard Fillmore. This is the only house built by and lived in by a president. He and his family lived here for about 4 years in the 1820s.There are many items in the house that actually belonged to the Fillmores. Our docent Kathy was a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide who truly seemed to love the Fillmore legacy.A lock of Millard Fillmore’s hair.President and Abigail Fillmore’s bed. The quilt was made by Abigail, and is silk.Millard Fillmore made this table.The bookcase was the actual first library in the White House. First Lady Abigail Fillmore, a teacher by training, was stunned to see there were no books in the White House when they moved in, in 1850. She petitioned Congress for the funds to create the first White House library.
Vidler’s 5&10 Store
This is a throwback vintage 5 and Dime store with many vintage items among a huge store.
Buffalo NY Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo in September 1901. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President at this location, a private home.This is where Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in.Both President McKinley and Vice President Roosevelt were in Buffalo to attend the Pan-American Exposition, which was a very large exposition demonstrating modern conveniences, including, for the very first time – French Fried Potatoes! The museum has a nice setup of panels explaining the scale of the exposition.At the time in 1901, Buffalo, New York was the 8th largest city in the United States.Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office at this “pie crust” table in this room. (The table is a replica.)Replica of President Roosevelt’s Oval Office desk.President Roosevelt faced many issues as he assumed office. This museum was pretty neat. The docent “transported” us back to 1901, painting a detailed picture of Buffalo in 1901, the excitement of the exciting exposition, and then the shock of the assassination, and then the Roosevelt swearing in.
Lake Erie
Lake Erie, at Hamburg NY Town ParkLake ErieBuffalo skyline from about 8 miles away.
Jamestown NY Lucille Ball Desi – Arnaz Museum
Crossing off a bucket list item. This was actually a pretty cool museum for any Baby Boomers who grew up watching I Love Lucy!The Ricardos’ kitchenThe Ricardos’ living roomThe Hollywood apartmentThis is what the production crew and studio audience looked like to the cast as they were being filmed.This is me doing the Vitameatavegamin sketch. I can show you the video if you are up for a laugh and a cringe!Lucille Ball’s gravesite.Lucille Ball’s childhood homeStatue at Lucille Ball Memorial ParkCeloron Lighthouse at Chautauqua Lake. Chautauqua Lake
Buffalo City HallMcKinley Memorial. President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo in 1901.The Liberty Building. Each of the two towers is topped by a replica Statue of Liberty.Buffalo skyline from the east.Of course, in Buffalo you don’t have to go far before you see a buffalo of some kind. This is at the front door of out hotel.…in front of a restaurant…… apartment building…… even on street signs!
Lake Ontario
Here we are at Lake Ontario, first of the five we will see this trip!Lake Ontario. Beautiful clear morning. Lake Ontario is the smallest Great Lake.Looking across Lake Ontario at Toronto, 27 miles away!Ship on Lake Ontario.
Old Fort Niagara
We took a tour of Old Fort Niagara, a once-crucial fort.Old Niagara Lighthouse, the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes.This location at the mouth of the Niagara River into Lake Ontario, was crucial to Colonial shipping in all the Great Lakes. Ships had to pass through here before they could continue to Lake Erie, and on to the rest. The French built the fort in 1727; the British took it from the French in 1759 during the French and Ind1an War, and the United States took it from the British during the American Revolution. There is much history of Fort Niagara if you are interested, it would be some fun research to do.This is the reconstructed US flag that the British took from the fort during the War of 1812. The dark areas are the original fragments of the 1815 flag. Notice there are 15 stripes. It was later that Congress changed the flag makeup to maintain 13 stripes – until then, a stripe was added to the flag whenever a state was added to the US>Fortifications at the fort.This is a cannonball oven. A cannonball would be dropped into the oven until it got really hot. It would then roll though a track and come out on the other side…The extremely red-hot cannonball would come out of this hole. It would be picked up with tongs and rushed up the steps and put in the cannon. When fired, the cannonball (if it hit its target) would burn whatever it hit. This is the “castle” that was completed in 1727. The French made an agreement with the Seneca leaders that the French would not build a fort but a facility for trade. The French lied. This was a fort in disguise – the top floor dormer windows extended out over past the roof line so the French could attack from above. Several other clues convinced the Seneca that they were lied to – a moat with a draw bridge, and a well was inside the front door!The castle, the oldest building on the Great Lakes.Just inside the middle front door, a well. If you are able, zoom in on the portrait – and see Louis XIV.Barracks inside the castle.A hallway – this building had a “Game of Thrones” vibe.Trade Room merchant explaining his wares. Beaver furs were the most valuable product that Europeans wanted from this trade route.Musket demonstration.Woman at work.Northern redoubt.Fortifications.Southern redoubt, complete with drawbridge.Canoe hewn from a tree.
Niagara Falls NY
Niagara River, Niagara Gorge. Beautiful aqua-hued water.This is a “must-see” in Niagara Falls – The Prophet Isaiah’s Second Coming House! These designs have been meticulously placed. This house is in the middle of a plain, kind-of run-down neighborhood.
The Falls
Our very first look at Niagara Falls. The American Falls are nearest, The Canadian Falls in the distance. These pictures cannot do justice in any way to the awesomeness of Niagara Falls. I took many videos of the falls from various angles, and we would love to show them to you!This is a Maid of the Mist boat. We got on a boat just like this one.The American Falls from the boat.Approaching the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls on the boat.Getting closer to Horseshoe Falls… We got very close, but I took a lot of video rather than pictures. You have got to see them!We were in a boat just like this one, and we went in even further into the mist! You couldn’t see out of the mist!Rainbow Bridge. We walked across this bridge to and from Canada.Niagara Falls, Canada. Skylon Tower is the tall tower on the right.The Canada – US border over the Niagara River.American Falls from Canada, ground level.Horseshoe Falls from Canada, ground level.Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Canada. The observation deck here is 520 feet tall. We ate dinner here in the revolving restaurant, and we had a beautiful view all around!American Falls from 520 feet high.Canadian Falls from 520 feet highBuffalo skyline from the top of the tower.Niagara Falls, Canada has much beautiful landscaping everywhere.Statue of King George V!.
Before we start hitting the Great Lakes, we made a few stops on the way to Buffalo that we crossed off our bucket list.
Flight 93 National Memorial Shanksville PA
This memorial honors and memorializes the 40 people who were killed when Flight 93 crashed in this field near Shanksville on September 11, 2001. This was a very solemn, quiet, peaceful and poignant museum. This is looking down the flight path toward the crash impact site.This view is looking back at the flight path.From the end of the flight path sidewalk, looking out in the distant field at the impact site.The Visitor Center had a great display of many items from Flight 93’s hijacking and crash, as well as all the other events of September 11, 2001. It was very sobering. Here are recovered items from the crash site.This is a mockup of the inside of Flight 93. The phones play actual audio of three phone messages left by people on the flight. This was very emotional, and a parental advisory was provided.One of several display panels. This was very informative and thorough.Kleenex were provided. I can see how emotional this can be.Walking out toward the crash site Memorial Plaza, this is a meditation area. Memorial ceremonies are conducted here at different times.This is a memorial Wall of Names with the name each of the 40 victims engraved on a panel.Todd Beamer was the passenger who organized and apparently executed a counter-attack against the terrorists to prevent them from flying the plane into the US Capitol in Washington DC. He is famed for telling his fellow counter-attackers “Let’s Roll.”Behind tis gate is the final approach path leading to the actual crash site impact point, which is marked by a boulder at the end of the path. No one is allowed past this gate except for family members of the 40 victims.This boulder marks the actual impact site.This is the Tower of Voices, and it is still under construction. The tower is built, and the plan is that it will contain 40 chimes (one for each victim), and they will be built and placed such that a special sound will be created when the wind blows them.
Punxsutawny PA, “Weather Capital of the World”
This is the site of the center of the weather world on every February 2 – Groundhog Day! This is where the early morning nationally-televised ceremony is held. Here is the stage. Here is the trunk where Puxsutawny Phil, the groundhog, “lives”.I had to open the doors and check!Actually, during the rest of the year, Punxsutawny Phil lives here, in Phil’s Burrow, which is located within the town library. There are Punxsy Phil statues all over town!Phil and Phyllis live here.This is either Phil or Phyllis. This is downtown Punxsutawny, Pennsylvania. Incredibly, this small town in deep (I mean deep!) rural Pennslvania welcomes over 30,000 visitors each year for the February 2 holiday celebration!
Oil well in Bradford PA
One of the earliest oil discoveries in America was in Pennsylvania (think Pennzoil and Quaker State). There is an oil museum in Bradford. This oil well is just outside of town. I used to see a lot of these in Texas and Oklahoma.
Buffalo NY
We finally made it to Buffalo!This is the grave of Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States. We will tour his home on Saturday.Replica of Michelangelo’s David, in Delaware Park. It was surprisingly imposing.President William McKinley was shot at this spot on September 6, 1901, and he died 8 days later in Buffalo. This house was designed and built by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This was built in the early 1900s, and is a private residence. This is his prairie style.The Dwight D. Martin House, designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1903-1905. It is open as a museum. It is very impressive from the outside.The Anchor Bar, the original home and creator of Buffalo Chicken Wings (1954). This is basically a biker bar, but very popular in Buffalo!This is a Buffalo specialty, the beef on weck. It is roast beef on a kimmelweck (caraway and salt) roll. Mary Jean wasn’t feeling well enough to have the wings.
