Ohio Day TripA Summer Afternoon in Cleveland
July 10, 2010
There’s just something about summertime in Cleveland. Lake Erie comes alive with brightly colored sailboats on the water, people strolling its shores and taking in all the north coast has to offer. A celebration of some kind is always brewing in Cleveland.
Neil, Megan and I decided to spend a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon enjoying the Tall Ships Festival and viewing the Bodies Exhibit. We headed up Interstate 77 North to East 9th Street, past
Progressive Field and headed toward Browns Stadium. After parking in the municipal parking deck ($10) we walked in the direction of Lake Erie, past the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Steamship William G. Mather on our way to the Port of Cleveland where the fleet of majestic ships lined the shore. The first sight of all the Tall Ships was spectacular. We made our way through the crowds to get closer to each vessel and examined them from the side. Although the admission ($14/pp) included boarding each ship to look around, by the time we arrived there were very long lines. We decided to pass on the interior tours and instead enjoyed mulling about. 
After looking at each of the ships we made our way downtown to East 4th and Euclid Avenue to meet our friend Carl and take in the Bodies Exhibit. ‘Bodies-The Exhibition’ ($22/pp) presents real human cadavers which have been dissected and displayed to inform and provoke us to learn something about ourselves in the most intimate way. 
The first exhibits included the muscular and skeletal systems. The heart and vascular system were shown in great detail. An area with signs warning sensitive viewers of its contents presented fetuses in various stages of gestation. A blackened lung demonstrated the effects of cigarette smoking. Placed beside the exhibit was a bin to collect the cigarettes discarded by those that decided to quit the moment they saw that lung. After the exhibit we discussed which displays were most fascinating to us. I was most impressed with the displays of the nervous system, reproductive system and cancerous tumors. The day came to an end with a good chuckle over the group photograph we took as we entered the exhibit. Just 42 hours after Lebron James announced his decision to leave Cleveland, the seemingly skinned basketball player displayed in the photo seemed fitting. 
