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I spent eight weeks this spring in Cleveland. Most normal people probably wouldn’t have. After all, this is Cleveland we’re talking about here. But, the trip was work related, and it was an interesting project, so can’t complain too much. For most of the time I was there, it was pretty much work-eat-sleep-repeat, all confined to about a five block area around our Cleveland office. The highlight of the trip was the last weekend I spent there, as the family came out to visit. This was a whirlwind tour of the city and environs, as we only had a day and a half to try to see what Cleveland was all about. Highlights of our tour:

One of our goals is to visit every Nation Park in the US. Cleveland conviniently boasts the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, about 15 minutes south of downtown. Since this was the “Been there, didn’t quite do that” tour (and knowing that there’s no good reason in the world to fly the family back out to Cleveland ever again), we stopped just long enough for Kathlyn to run in and get the stamp to prove we were there. I didn’t even get out of the car. This picture was taken through the car window.

Speaking of cars, we rented a minivan for the weekend to see what the fuss was all about. We ended up with the Toyota Sienna. I’ve got to say that for all stereotypes of “soccer moms in minivans,” I can definitely see the appeal of a larger, more versatile vehicle when you’ve got kids. It was much easier to get Andrew in and out, and so much room to carry stuff! This might become a necessity if we ever have more than one child… But for now, I think I’ll stick with the WRX!

Andrew: “Hey mom, this is much nicer than sitting in the trunk of dad’s car. When are you going to get one?”

We also visited Ohio’s Amish country. Despite Lancaster County, Pennsylvania being better known, Ohio’s Holmes County actually has the largest population of Amish in the world. Nearby, the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center had a cyclorama called Behalt that explained the history and beliefs of the Anabaptist movement (Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites). No pictures allowed in the cyclorama, sorry! In keeping with the “Been there, didn’t quite do that” theme, we didn’t even get to finish hearing about the history. We paid for the 1/2 hour tour, but Andrew got fussy and we had to leave…

Before we left, though, we did get to see a traditional one-room school house.

Even the Amish have to take Driver’s Education, although it’s not what you would imagine. (Or maybe it’s exactly what you would imagine!)

We also saw an authentic Conestoga wagon, the type used to settle the American west. This is not a replica. It’s an original that was found stashed in a barn somewhere, and now it’s stashed in a brand new barn, and you have to pay to see it.

Our last stop on the “Been there, didn’t quite do that” tour is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio. On the drive back to Cleveland, we passed through Akron. We decided that if the Hall of Fame was close to the freeway, we would get off and see what it was all about. Lo and behold, the Hall of Fame is directly next to the freeway. Probably makes it easier on all the tourists…

The Hall of Fame was closed, but at least I can say that I’ve been there, but didn’t quite do that…