It was a Thursday morning, and I had a prepaid time ticket for 10 am. I found parking at a marina behind the museum. There were no attendants, but a sign displayed a QR code to pay for parking. The museum tickets were around $50, and parking set me back around $10. While walking towards the Museum’s entrance, I snapped some photos of Lake Erie and a Great Lakes freighter.

I was disappointed to discover that the museum’s signature red LONG LIVE ROCK letters that usually stand in front of it weren’t up. This was due to a massive $135 million expansion project currently underway and slated for completion sometime this Fall. I dodged a few workmen on my in. 

Aside from saving a few bucks, my prepaid status made the admissions process go quickly. The woman who put on my wristband said the best way to enjoy the museum was to go down to the lower level and work my way up the higher floors. She then pointed to an escalator nearby. While descending, I spotted a snack stand that was designed to look like New York’s CBGB, a club celebrated as the birthplace of American punk and New Wave music.

Upon reaching the basement, I saw their latest attraction, a temporary “Saturday Night LIVE: 50 Years of Music” exhibit. I haven’t watched SNL since the ‘70s/’80s, but I do love The Blues Brothers, and I’d certainly have been remiss as a Chicagoan not to appreciate seeing the duo’s original costumes. I grew up near the Dixie Square Mall that the Blues Brothers drove through in their self-titled film. Unfortunately, it lay abandoned for years before they finally demolished it. 

My main draw was The Beatles, and they had lots of cool items, including their famous gray, collarless suits. These were introduced to them by their manager, Brian Epstein, and designed by a London tailor named Dougie Millings. 

The suits were displayed alongside other priceless artifacts, such as John Lennon’s glasses. 

In this area, there were many other items from the classic rock era, including The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and the “King of Rock and Roll” himself, Elvis Presley.

They also featured a special “1984” exhibit, which they heralded as the “most pivotal year in pop music history.” Here you could find items from all the pop icons of that time: Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince, to name just a few. I turned fourteen in 1984 and was definitely the right age and in tune with MTV’s golden era. It was surreal seeing these artists and their artifacts in a special museum exhibit.  

Speaking of Madonna, I was happy to see her signature 1984 lace gloves as well as an outfit she wore in her 1993 “Girlie Show” tour. I caught that show live at the Palace in Detroit, Michigan, with my friend Jason (mentioned recently in my KISS Expo post). Unfortunately, the Palace closed in 2017, but I’m glad I was able to see it. Madonna wore this outfit during a Marlene Dietrich-style rendition of her first number one single, “Like a Virgin.”

While checking out the rest of the Museum, I was surprised to see an outfit I’d seen before. It was the metal costume worn by Lady Gaga and previously on display at the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communications. I saw it during Svengoolie’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum also had a section where musicians (or would-be musicians) could grab a guitar, sit at a piano, or play any instrument off the wall, which was a neat touch. 

I’d end up spending a little under two hours at the RRHOF Museum. It was definitely worth visiting despite the $50 admission + parking.

This is also one attraction where you don’t mind exiting through the gift shop. Theirs was most impressive, and I probably would have dropped a LOT more cash if not for the fact that I’d be at a horror convention the very next day. 

They even sold vinyl and CDs, which I assumed would be marked up, but it was priced the same as you’d see at Target or Walmart. If these albums had included an exclusive Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hype sticker slapped on the shrink wrap, I would definitely have bought some records, but they didn’t, which was a missed opportunity on their part (and something of a relief to me).

I picked up a David Bowie magnet for my daughter and a replica KISS Paul Stanley guitar for myself. It’s too large in scale for my 1978/1979 MEGO doll (which has its own custom guitar) to hold, but it looks good displayed next to it. I would end up buying yet another mini-guitar the following day, but that’s a story for my next post. 

I left the museum and decided to spend the afternoon at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. On my way back to my car, I saw some people handing out anti-Iran War literature. Just then, a huge military jet flew overhead, making for an odd juxtaposition.

The weather was perfect, and I spent the afternoon hiking its trails. If you’re thinking of ever visiting this often-overlooked National Park, I’d suggest renting one of their bikes. 

The hotel I was staying at offered free breakfast, but it was pretty awful, and I opted for just a cup of coffee. Needless to say, I was famished after leaving Cuyahoga Valley. I decided to stop in Cleveland’s Little Italy to pick up a pizza. I had passed through Little Italy both times I left the Lakeview Cemetery and set my sights for a place called Mama Santas. It was incredible!

I spent my last evening in Cleveland getting packed up and reading/watching YouTube. The television was an exercise in futility. Funny thing about hotels: there’s usually nothing on TV unless you like to torture yourself with the News or a marathon of The Deadliest Catch. The only actual movie playing that night was Independence Day (1996), which I can’t stand. I last saw that flick at a movie theater when it was released, and, thirty years later, I could only make it through about thirty minutes before switching off the TV. It was back to my crappy ‘80s horror paperback, which I’ll review in a future post.

I had an amazing time in Cleveland, and it is far from the “mistake on the lake” I’d heard it was once called. I packed a lot of activity into my two days there and wished I had given myself an extra day or two (in a better hotel) to see even more. It was now time to focus on the true objective of this trip.

~Dave

Coming up…The New Jersey Horror Con!

(Before you start thinking this site is becoming a travel blog)!