We're Going to Cleveland Ohio

We are leaving in a few days for Cleveland Ohio. It's where my husband's family is from.

For about 30 years now I have travelled to this city to visit my in-laws and to get together with my husband's great, big italian family. It's always fun to visit. People often ask me what kinds of things do you do in Cleveland? I'd thought I'd share a few of these things I like to do. Well, you can visit downtown Cleveland, tour the historic Terminal Tower and shop in the stores within the terminal building. We make a special trip to the Italian deli store called Gallucci's: Gust Gallucci's is a complete Italian food market, located in Cleveland's Midtown Corridor, halfway between downtown Cleveland and University Circle. Started over 85 years ago by an Italian immigrant, Gust Gallucci, hungry for the food of his homeland, Gallucci's still sells a wide variety of Italian canned goods, fresh and cured meats, cheeses, wines, and many varieties of olives and a variety of hot foods, pizzas and yummy sandwiches. We especially love the fresh bakes loaves of pepperoni bread.

The Terminal Tower is a landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920's and 1930's and was the second tallest building in the world when it was completed. The Terminal Tower stood as the tallest building in North Amercia outside of New York City from its completion in 1930 until 1964.

Crocker Park, Westlake Ohio
If you are in the suburbs near my in-laws home you can have a great time shopping and eating out at Crocker Park. This is a place my daughters like to come to spend some hours.

http://www.crockerpark.com/

You can place chess like this...


or like this...

Located on 75 tree-lined and beautifully landscaped acres at the intersection of Crocker and Detroit Roads in Westlake, Ohio. Crocker Park is one of the most exciting developments of its kind in the country. This $480 million project encompasses 12 city blocks and features a mixture of internationally known retail stores, spacious office buildings, great restaurants, luxury apartments, and spectacular homes. It's all in a park-like setting filled with the captivating charm and bustling energy of a traditional downtown main street.

Here's a photo of my in-laws Nate and Lucy. They are 2nd generation Italian Americans. In 2007 they celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary. We are looking forward to spending time with them. My mother-in-law is a wonderful cook. She's always in the kitchen making something wonderful.

So you can imagine we will be eating alot of her good home cooking!

Little Italy Cleveland's Murray Hill area

While in Cleveland a visit to Little Italy is always fun.

Frequent stops for bread, pizza, gelato and cannoli's...mmm...the eating never stops.


"Little Italy's Historic Museum" is full of interesting photos about the first italian immigrants

in the city.

Here are some examples of photos you would find there:

New residents of Little Italy in the early 20th century generally married fellow immigrants, such as the couple pictured above.

Rosa and Charles Presti started their bakery business in Little Italy in 1920. Originally located on Coltman Road, the business moved to Mayfield Road in 1938. Presti's continues to be a popular neighborhood meeting place.

Cleveland Museum of Art

Very close to the Little Italy area is an area filled with interesting art museums and specialty art shops. The Cleveland Museum of Art has a wonderful collection of art and they will be opening a new wing of the museum this month. I'm definitely going to make this a high priority on my "to do" list.

Completion of the East Wing marks the halfway point in an eight-year expansion and renovation aimed at giving a world-famous collection the clear, eloquent frame that three earlier expansions failed to give it.

Work started in 2005 with a temporary total shutdown of galleries. Last year, the museum reopened 20 galleries in the renovated 1916 building, which houses art from 17th-century Europe to late-19th-century America.
The new wing adds 21 new galleries with 25,000 square feet of exhibit space for hundreds of paintings, sculptures, photographs and decorative items that have been in storage or on tour to other cities since 2005.
The wing traces the history of art from the 19th-century precursors of French Impressionism to works by contemporary artists who deal with racial identity, sexuality and cultural politics.
Highlights include a glass-enclosed gallery filled with the sculptures of Auguste Rodin, from which visitors can survey sweeping views of University Circle.
In a gallery devoted to Impressionism, a luminous, quasi-abstract panorama of waterlilies painted by Claude Monet holds court over visions of ballerinas by Edgar Degas and a trio of paintings each by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin.
Further along, the wing salutes Pablo Picasso with a display of nine paintings, including his seminal, Blue Period masterpiece, "La Vie."

Address11150 East Blvd Cleveland Ohio44106
Telephone216-421-73401-877-262-4748 Box Office216-421-73501-888-CMA-0033
Admission Free ExhibitionsTicketed
HoursTues, Thurs, Sat, Sun10:00-5:00Wednesdays, Fridays10:00-9:00Closed Mondays

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

If you are ever in Cleveland be sure to come here. I love visiting the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

Address: 1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44114
Tel: 216-515-1228

Five floors of fascinating exhibits of music through the ages. Here are some things you will experience:

1) History - lots and lots of exhibits that trace the development of r&r..early blues, c&w, early guitar pickin's (Les Paul), early rock-Chuck Berry-Bill Hailey, thru glam, punk rock, and MTV influence. Provides a greater appreciation of the music

2)Technical exhibits: walk thru the early "garage"projects that resulted in break thru's in recording, amplifying and packaging music. The Les Paul exhibit is truly amazing. Oh yes..lots and lots of guitars!!

3) Fun with Fashion..whats r&r without the duds? An array of fashion-from the "flashy" to the "what were they thinking".

4) Plenty of listening. The moment you walk in..you can spend extra time sampling the hundreds of sound exhibits

5) Read more if you dare. Many of the exhibits include extra readings and postings of lyrics, personal letters from then aspiring musicians (the letter from college co-ed Madonna to a friend was interesting and amusing)

6) Special exhibits.. In 2004 the fashion display of the Supremes (feast for the eyes), and in 2008 a fantastic display of Marty Stuarts' personal collections which included a Patsy Cline performance outfit and Johnny Cash's hand written lyrics to "Folsum Prison Blues".

There is a lot to experience here. Expect to spend at least 3 hours minimum if you are into music and it's history.

John Lennon's passport

Westside Market

Built in 1912, this thriving public market offers fresh produce, meat, dairy products and a delicious variety of prepared foods.
Address: West 25th and Lorain Ohio City Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: 216 664 3387

So off to Cleveland we go "Ciao a tutti!"