Roaming through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

When you work on the road as much as this commoner does, sometimes you just feel compelled to be a tourist when the opportunity arises.  So, when I was working last year in Cleveland, my coworkers and I made it a point to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

Yes, it was touristy.  Yes, it was cheesy.  Yes, it was more commercial than it should have been.  In other words, it was in many ways the opposite of everything rock music once supposedly stood for.  But in spite of it all, it was absolutely worth it.

  

Located on the shore of Lake Erie as part of Cleveland’s revitalized North Shore Harbor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame site is still relatively new -- even newer than the actual “hall” itself.  The giant triangle has only been a part of the Cleveland landscape since 1995.  But honestly, you really can’t miss it if you’re looking for it.   

The building features seven levels of various attractions, shops, theaters, conference rooms and meeting spaces.  For what I consider to be a great value of under $25, you’ll be able to see most of the permanent displays and many timely, temporary exhibits (the new class of inductees is typically featured prominently).  

As you’d expect, many of the “heavyweights” have permanent exhibits devoted to them, so you’ll have an opportunity to see some iconic pieces of rock history, such as Ringo Starr’s drum kit with the Beatles ...

… and Elvis Presley’s stylin’ gold suit from his 1968 Comeback Special.  

The museum also features several noteworthy exhibits devoted to the musical culture of various cities that helped shape the foundations of rock.  Anyone who knows me knows I’m partial to Memphis’ musical history, so I was especially happy to see a little of it on display.

The museum also touches on the history of other musical genres that influenced many rock and roll hall of famers.

I'm always looking for that one-way ticket to midnight.

Moving past the precursors to rock, I was pleased to see a fair number of exhibits devoted to some more “contemporary” genres of rock and roll (i.e., bands I grew up listening to).  For instance, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Angus Young’s schoolboy outfit or Michael Anthony’s Jack Daniel’s guitar if you spent your youth banging your head to the hard rock of the 1980s.  

And yes, I admit to being pleased that the Eagles -- a guilty pleasure of mine -- was well represented with their own display ... .  

I'm beginning to see why they call him the Space Cowboy ...

… as well as class of 2016 inductee Steve Miller Band, even though Steve Miller himself may still be pretty jaded toward the industry, which reportedly made for a rather awkward ceremony.

Another thing I appreciated about the museum was the fact that you don’t have to be a hall of famer -- or even a long-time performer -- to be recognized for your influence on music and pop culture.  

Where's the flying pig?

Then there’s perhaps the most unusual display I encountered -- and maybe the most prominent at the museum.  As you take the escalator to the building’s higher levels, you’re greeted by the hall of fame’s tribute to Pink Floyd’s The Wall.      

The sheer size of it is impressive, but I couldn’t help but be amused by how out of place and overly commercial it seemed to see a cafeteria style dinner being catered to some corporate outing on the other side of the wall.  

Elsewhere in the museum you’ll find a pretty interesting exhibit on the evolution of radio, how it helped shape rock music, why Cleveland deserves to be recognized as the birthplace of rock and roll, and how listening to music has changed dramatically since the dawn of the 20th Century.  There’s also a gift shop that includes, as one would hope, a vast selection of music to purchase.  

I think it’s safe to say there’s something for every musical taste at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is fitting when you consider the wide spectrum of styles that encompasses what is  generally considered rock music today.  Plus, with ever-changing exhibits, the museum is always worth a return trip to see what’s new or topical.  It’s certainly one attraction by the lake that won’t be a mistake to check out when you’re in downtown Cleveland.  

A commoner dines at La Casa de Pancho, Grinnell, Iowa

One might ask why a commoner would devote an entire blog post to a downtown Mexican restaurant located in Grinnell, Iowa.  The simple answer:  It was there, it was tempting, and when I have a craving for a certain food style, I have learned it’s best to satisfy it.  

To be fair, for a small Midwestern college town, much of Grinnell’s downtown always seemed to be more bustling than I expected whenever I wandered through on weekday evenings last summer after my work days were done.  As I covered in a previous post, Grinnell’s locals actually still migrate to their downtown, where you’ll seemingly find one shop meeting every basic need -- for instance, the grocery, the cinema, the sporting goods store, the dive bar, the Chinese restaurant, the pizza place, the trendy deli.  

La Casa de Pancho stands as Grinnell’s downtown Mexican restaurant.  It’s also one of the few downtown places to sport neon liquor signs in its windows, so that -- along with a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk highlighting each day’s food and drink special -- helped it stand out to me.  After reading about the cucumber jalapeno margaritas made with locally grown ingredients on special one night, I decided I could wait no longer.

Although it was early in the evening, I felt fortunate to find a seat.  Did I mention it was summer break at the college?  So, I was among the first arrivals for dinner.  I was still optimistic, as the place had received several recommendations from people I worked with.

Not wanting to take up a full table by myself, I found the small back bar and sat at one of the handful of available bar stools.  I figured I’d be closer to the margaritas that way.  As long as I didn’t drink enough of them to entice me to try on the sombrero.  

It was a more difficult that that you’d think, as the cucumber margarita was refreshingly delicious.  Naturally, I had another.  I needed it to wash down the abundant house-made chips and salsa the staff kept putting in front of me.  La Casa de Pancho’s salsa especially stood out … it was much thinner in consistency than most, but it was loaded with chunks of fresh onion and garlic that, when paired with their chips, made it quite irresistible.

Fortunately, I was able to save room for one of the dishes that brought me to the restaurant in the first place -- the enchiladas mole.  Anyone who knows me understands I am a sucker for any mole dish on a Mexican restaurant’s menu.  This mole was smooth, creamy and just chocolaty enough to make every bite of the chicken-stuffed enchiladas equally delightful.  La Casa de Pancho didn’t cut corners on the sides, either.  The refried beans and rice blended beautifully with the main entree.  

As La Casa de Pancho proved, even though your options may be limited by your surroundings, sometimes you can still find a diamond in the rough.  It quickly became one of my regular dining options while I worked in Grinnell.  It’s no wonder the place attracts visitors driving past Grinnell on I-80 to make the five-mile drive downtown.  The detour is worth it.  The food won’t disappoint, but the margaritas will make it memorable.

Good times flowing at Rocky River Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio

As I continue to catch up with posting my blog ideas from past work trips, I figured I might as well continue the brewpub theme with my only visit to Cleveland’s east side -- specifically the Rocky River neighborhood -- where, appropriately, we found the Rocky River Brewing Company.

Founded in 1998 and located just minutes south of I-90, the Rocky River Brewing Company appears to have become somewhat of a fixture in its namesake neighborhood.  Although I found its actual location and the building’s appearance to be somewhat of a letdown (think typical suburbia commercialization), once I got inside I was relieved to see Rocky River had just about everything you’d want and expect in your friendly neighborhood gastropub.

Tapping into Nashville’s brewery scene

I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit I still have an abundance of blog post ideas to share from my work stint in Nashville.  How far behind am I?  Well, one of the taprooms I’m about to spotlight has moved locations since I visited it in East Nashville.  It appears to be a good sign for business though … hopefully they won’t grow out of their status of a cool place to go.    

As I mentioned in a previous post from my time in Cleveland, my co-workers and I have made a habit of finding the local breweries and visiting their taprooms to quite literally get a taste of the local craft beer scene.  One in particular has amassed quite a selection of glasses from places he’s visited and was eager to add to his collection.  So, one weeknight we decided to see how many we could visit in and around downtown Nashville.