The plan was for Dalissa and I to visit Cleveland, OH this year. We had so many people ask what's there. I hate that question because I could find something anywhere. Anyhoo, that was the plan...until it wasn't.
In May, Dalissa sent me a link with the message, "Would you?"
Is that even a question?
I clicked on the link to find that one of Dylana's best friends was cast as Sebastian in the Little Mermaid in Illinois. I quickly checked maps and did some very quick research. What I found was that Cleveland, OH was the midpoint between RI and Princeton, IL where the play was. So I responded. First we would have to change the time we are going so that we could accommodate for the play, which was not a problem for me (or for Dala). Then we would have to extend our trip because that is a lot of driving and I needed and wanted more breaks. Dalissa asked how much we needed to extend it and I got to work planning. Chicago, IL was only an hour from the theatre in Princeton so I suggested we stay in Chicago and get to see all the sights that Chicago had to offer. I had always wanted to see The Maggie Daley Park, The Bean and just the city there. While planning our trek from Clevelend, OH to Chicago, IL I quickly realized that we would riding the border of Michigan and Indiana and I was not willing to be that close to two states but not spend time in them. So the planning continued with our roadtrip being Cleveland, OH, Three Rivers, MI, Michigan City, IN and Chicago IL. I mapped out our drives and allowed for enough time in each one city to see the sites I had found. It wasn't until I met with Tracy & Sarah, that Tracy said to me that Wisconsin is only an hour from where we are staying in Chicago. Wisconsin, the cheese state. How could we not. So I chatted with Dalissa and we added that to our trip. Were we planning too much? Would the trip feel rushed?
We left for Cleveland, OH on Thursday July 24th bright and early in the morning and returned back Wednesday July 30th. I was worried that the trip might be too long but I didn't want it to end.
Day 1 was a great start to our trip. It was a travel day so pictures were limited but the fun was plentiful. My passenger princess did a great job and took the state signs. She thinks the state signs should be in the middle of the highway and I think there should be warnings. Anyways, our trip started with a turkey being hit by a semi-truck on the highway. No picture was taken and I would love to say no turkeys were harmed in that stunt but that poor turkey didn't have a chance. We stopped to have breakfast at Fiddlesticks in Fort Plains NY. What are the odds that we would pick the one restaurant that the chef / owner went to culinary school at J&W in RI? We made it to Ohio where we found a place perfect for us...Marianne's Chocolate & Cheese. It did not disappoint. And day 1 ended in Cleveland OH where we enjoyed such a great meal at Cozumel, because our first day couldn't conclude without Mexican food. Side note: Ohio license plates are so colorful and beautiful.
Day 2 we had breakfast in Ohio and then headed to Michigan. Three Rivers has a very quaint downtown with purple street signs and a bookstore that we absolutely fell in love with. We each got 4 books for around $15. The weather, of course, was not cooperating but we did make the best of it. Dalissa has decided that old McDonald lives in Michigan because we saw more farm land than imaginable. We found our way to White Pigeon, Michigan to eat. Jaywalker had great food and it had a beautiful view of a river, both in rain & shine. We called it an early night and decided that a stormy night was better served with us curled up with books and enjoying some relaxing time.
Day3 What a day we had! The short version is that we had breakfast in Michigan, ice-cream in Indiana and dinner in Illinois. We headed out early from Michigan and headed to Indiana. The ocean was calling me. We took a misty walk to a beautiful lighthouse. We found a cute park and we had ice-cream before the weather changed our plans and we adapted. Due to the rain, we headed to Illinois early yesterday. On the way to late lunch / early dinner we stumbled on an area where the houses were gigantic. It was the most adorable area. We ate at Fuller House, the food was truly an experience. We enjoyed another bookstore where we might have gotten more books. And then Dalissa was craving dessert so we found our way to Molly's Cupcakes, who was a winner of The Cupcake Wars. Molly's was in an outdoor mall that we spent the cool evening venturing through. Oh and we gained an hour somewhere that we almost didn't notice. We are in a different time zone. I am not sure why that was so exciting but it was.
Day 4 we had a nice slow morning. Then we headed to Princeton, Illinois to see Dylana's friend Aiden in The Little Mermaid. He was Sebastian and I wish I could share that with you but I can't. We enjoyed the play and then found another wonderful place to eat in another small town....seems to be our thing on this trip. By the time we got back to the hotel it was way past my bedtime so to bed we went.
Day 5 was an amazing day. We started with breakfast in Illinois and then headed for Wisconsin. The Mars Cheese Castle was so much fun and I might have spent too much on cheese. From there we headed to Chicago. We almost got caught in a downpour before getting to see the most beautiful and breathtaking sights. It was much more than I expected. We had Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and I really liked it. If you know me, you know. Dala said she had to take me all the way to Chicago to find a pizza that I like. We stopped at another cute little bookstore where Dala got a surprise book before hitting the road again. We arrived back in Cleveland a little past midnight but no worries, we did not turn into pumpkins and we have so many adventures to show for it.
Day 6 we had a late start since we got in so late the night before but it was still a day filled with adventure. It was a heavy picture day. I know, I know, you are all surprised. We started with breakfast in Cleveland. Our first stop of the day was The Christmas Story house. There was so much to do between the tour of the house, the museum and the gift shop. We were there longer than we expected but it was so much fun. The second adventure yesterday was The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This place was beautiful inside and out paying tribute to the most musically inclined people on earth. Souls that have touched our lives through music. At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame we both had our favorites. I don't think there are any surprises here. Just two exhibits that we truly enjoyed. Cleveland is not a sight to be missed. So many little places to see including the 48ft tall rubber stamp that I had to take a picture with of course.
