Diamond Jubilee: down by the lake, Cleveland

June 2021

AQ drove us to the lake as it was a part of town he had visited frequently with friends. He noted Cleveland's Amtrak station - now just a platform along the mainline, not particularly convenient to anything. AQ had taken the train once and said the station and train timings were both inconvenient. What a shame. I would be happy to return to Cleveland by train if it were move convenient.

Near the station lies the ultra-futuristic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I had heard about it as an institution my entire life, yet I never gave any thought to the building.

In 1985, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was deciding where to open its physical museum, Cleveland threw its hat into the ring for consideration. Thanks to a groundswell of public support and a $65 million commitment from city officials, the Foundation chose Cleveland as the winning site, over locales such as New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago. Needless to say, the Rock Hall’s construction was cooler than most. On June 7, 1993, the Who’s Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, and Ruth Brown (to name a few) attended the Cleveland groundbreaking ceremony, while Jerry Lee Lewis performed a year later when the building was finished off with the placement of one last steel beam. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame threw open its doors on September 2, 1995, and celebrated with a blockbuster benefit concert at nearby Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This marathon show featured once-in-a-lifetime pairings and performances by greats such as James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Booker T. and the M.G.s. Besides the Municipal Stadium concert, the Rock Hall’s festive opening weekend featured a downtown Cleveland parade and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Little Richard and Yoko Ono.

https://rockhall.com/about/

Little known facts about RRHF:

One of its founders is Turkish (American)

The building design is by I.M. Pei. The design is not incredibly inventive nor appealing to me compared to some of his other buildings.

Due to COVID, entry to the museum was only booked in advance and we had arrived too late in the day. The cost was also a factor - I was happy enough to see the outside. I thought the entry fee was exorbitant to boot. We continued down to the lakeside park.

My first view of Lake Erie - wow! The Great Lakes always impress me because they are really seas, not lakes. There we saw another of the city's famous "Cleveland" signs (the more famous one). A photo session ensued as that is part of life travelling with someone much younger.

I gazed out over the lake and thought how little I had traveled in my own country. It had been a good day catching up with AQ and exploring a city that was surprisingly rich in history and architecture (for me anyway). I felt lucky that AQ knew his way around so readily.

Lake Erie - check. Cleveland - check.

First day, done. I was tired and we retired to the hotel. It was a good start.