Cleveland rocks!* (unless you are staying at the Radisson)

OK, I'm still tired. But I'm not sick - I promise. Just whiny.

Feeling a bit more rested now after spending a weekend away with just the hubs. Yes, friends, my main man and I got to finally celebrate our 10th anniversary (which was last October) and my husband upcoming big-numbered birthday (I won't say which one) with a weekend away.

And we chose Cleveland. Well actually I chose Cleveland. When I mentioned it to Jeff he wrinkled his nose and said "Cleveland?" (much like many of you are doing right now). I actually said "Let's get excited about Cleveland" and he told me I was the first person ever to say that. In fact about half of the reactions to our Cleveland trip were "Cleveland? Really?" Even our emergency room doctor at the Cleveland Clinic wondered why we were vacationing in his city. But I'm getting ahead of myself ...

Yes, Cleveland. Partially because of it's close proximity to where we live (only a three hour drive) so we could easily get there and back in one weekend. Partially because we could do it on the cheap and partially because there are actually a number of things you can do in Cleveland.

The trip started rather uneventfully. Except I ended up with the second half of the driving shift which had me driving into Cleveland. I'm not a big fan of driving into larger cities that I am unfamiliar with (not sure that anyone is) but it seems most times I am doing it, there is construction and it is raining. Then we ended up walking farther than we should have because Sarah is not so great with the parallel park.

Highlights of the trip included:

- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Being passed by dozens of bicyclists yelling "Happy Friday!"
- Grossly under dressed for a mediocre meal in Little Italy
- Impromptu (and unwelcome) visit to the Cleveland Clinic for some emergency care for my hubby
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- A better meal (and more appropriately dressed for it) downtown
- Learning the California valley girl vernacular is alive and well in Cleveland (I blame MTV)
- Kids these days call nuggets, nugs (or at least valley girls do)
- A visit to my husband's 'Graceland' can almost make all the pain of a rib contusion disappear

The Cleveland Museum of Art was very lovely (and free) and full of wonderful pieces of art. While I like to think of myself as sophisticated, when I walk into someplace like that I quickly realize I am not. Because some of that art I just don't get. I'm more of a smack-me-in-the-face-with-the-meaning kind of gal when it comes to art, rather than interpreting the subtle meanings. Plus all those naked paintings and sculptures turn me into a 13-year-old boy. Nope, sophisticated I think I am not ...

Lovely place though. And did I mention free?

I am sure you are all a bit curious about our trip to the hospital. Well you see, when we looked into hotels for the trip we purposefully tried to pick one that could be walking distance to restaurants and attractions. We didn't want to have to try and find parking everywhere we went. We did not realize that when we were looking at hotels we needed to check the grippiness (it's a word, kind of) of the bathtub floor. If that had been in our criteria we certainly WOULD NOT have picked the Gateway Radisson.

I don't know if the higher ups at the Radisson know about physics, but when the something is wet, and that something is a bathtub, it gets slippery. And maybe the folks at the Radisson don't use a lot of soap, but when you add soap to slippery it gets even MORE slippery. And if there is not a suitable amount of resistance on the tub floor - like a bathmat - someones feet could go one way and his body could go the other causing his rib cage to fall full force on the side of the tub.

Yeah, so that happened. And a trip to the emergency room and two and half hours later we we back at the scene of the crime with the hubs with a rib contusion. The tough guy kept going and we were at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame only a couple hours later.

(That's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the background

He is smiling through the pain.)

Some other points of interest:

- I very much enjoy Sleep Number beds and hope some day to own one

- The Goggle Maps lady is not very familiar with Cleveland. We took more indirect routes to get places than direct ones, including down a back alley that I'm pretty sure was not a really street.

- There is something very special and unique about the City of Cleveland. Something that I have not encountered in any other city I have been to. No matter what direction you walk in - the wind will be in your face. It's quite amazing.

The highlight of the trip however would have to be Sunday. As we drove out of downtown and into the outskirts we could tell that this was not the part of Cleveland everyone brags about, but then we saw it - like a glowing beacon at the end of the street. My husbands face lit up and as we walked closer he slowing regressed into a 12-year-old. You couldn't wipe that smile off his face (rib contusion and all). We were at the house from A Christmas Story.

This is my husband Graceland. 

I am sorry to say that I did not see is glorious movie until I met my husband (I lived a sheltered life), but now that I have I love it. So this place was as much fun for me as it was for him. (Well, maybe not as much - his level of excitement was pretty high up there.) It still was awesome though. We got to tour the house - pose by the "leg lamp," climb under the kitchen sink, hold a Red Rider BB Gun and even taste Life Bouy soap if we wanted (we didn't).

I know it was the highlight of the trip for my husband and quite possibly may have been for me too. 

Hmm, what does that say about me? Choosing Ralphie's house over priceless works of art and Micheal Jackson's sequence glove? 

Oh well, don't care. It was fun and I hope some time before another 10 years go by we can do it again. But this time we are bringing our own bath mat.

Did this post rock as much as Cleveland? If you would be so kind, please click on the Top Mommy logo at the top and vote for me!! Thanks! You rock!!