Rock & Roll, Hoochie Coo.

Well, I can now say first hand that Cleveland does, in fact, rock. Or at least, if it doesn't full on rock, it emanates an unusually pleasant vibe to which one might amble along. John and I hit town on Tuesday evening (making fabulous mileage in the new Hyundai, which Daisy has christened 'Shark', for its dorsal fin/XM radio antenna) and grabbed a bite at a nearby sports bar (the Mongolian barbecue that had been recommended was closed) and crashed at our hotel, the Alcazar (which was the low point of the trip - despite being high on curiosities, as it functions simultaneously as hotel, long term business housing for foreigners and a retirement home, its lack of comfort earned it a solid 'thumbs down' from the Henry/Luzar Board of Review.)

Wednesday morning (after an unpleasant and largely unsuccessful battle with mattress-inspired insomnia), we trundled across town to check out Hot Sauce Williams for some breakfast barbecue, the likes of which I have never before had. It wasn't the best I've ever experienced, but it was one of the more unique sauces ... somewhere in between Chicago sweet and Louisiana hot. Once full of meat, we were off to the crown jewel of the trip, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

The RRHoF was a blast, though the things included just made me want more. Music is such a vast field that every time I came across a choice artifact by one of my favorite performers, I wanted to see other things. For instance, there were only a few Led Zeppelin pieces on display (both belonging to John Paul Jones.) But on the whole it was a very unique and entertaining experience. The one big minus: lousy gift shop. Just the standard caps/mousepads/shotglasses all with the ugly logo and "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum" emblazoned, and a lot of grossly overpriced compact discs.

That evening we stuffed our bellies with steak at the Cleveland Chop House. I had a fantastic Kansas City strip and some delectable white cheddar mashed potatoes. Also, it seems every place in Cleveland offers beer in two sizes, 16 and 22 oz. Guess which we usually chose.

Finally Thursday morning we made a trek through the Museum of Art, which was surprisingly delightful. The forbidden newly renovated East Wing featured a fantastic collection of paintings and sculpture from Romantic to Impressionism to Modernism to Post-Modernism to Pre-Apocalyptic (including some of the most charmingly pretentious pieces I'd seen in a long time), and the rest of the gallery was quite well stocked too. We did get pushed away from an area containing what I'm sure was either a bastion of mystical treasures or a heist in progress by a condescending Russian docent, but on the whole, the experience was enjoyable.

After that, it was a quick but incredibly satisfying lunch at Yours Truly (housed in America's second oldest planned shopping center) and we were back on the road, Chicago-bound.

On the whole, a very nice getaway, even though very brief. And the best part - I still don't have to be back at work until Tuesday. Ah, vacation, I adore you!