Back in March, when Rob and I had end-dates for Fully Vaccinated Status, we got busy planning all sorts of ways to leave Woodhaven for a spell. Don’t get me wrong – I love our home and the land it sits on. But after nearly a year and a half staring at our backyard, we were desperate for new scenery and no house-yard-and-life obligations tugging at our psyches.
We’ve taken some short trips to visit family over the past
few months, but a couple of weeks ago we finally embarked on a Bona Fide Vacation. A ten-day, desperately needed escape that we
named The Halls of Fame Trip.
The plan was hatched when Rob and I were daydreaming in the rainy,
quarantined dead of winter about places in the Good Ol’ U.S. of A. that we wanted
to visit. Because cruising seemed iffy
and international travel seemed unwise. With
the Seahawks’ 2020 season coming to an end, I wistfully told Rob that I would
love to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
You know, in Ohio.
Rob added that he wouldn’t mind seeing the National Baseball
Hall of Fame in New York. I mused that
it would be cool to see Niagara Falls. A
map, a calendar, some more musing, and many confirmation numbers later, we had
our itinerary. Fly to Cleveland and
drive to Boston. Along the way we would
check out the Rock and Roll, Pro Football, and National Baseball Halls of Fame. We would also get drenched at Niagara Falls
and end our trip in Boston visiting some very dear friends.
It was a fantastic trip.
We drove almost 1,200 miles in an enormous black boat officially
called “A Ford Expedition.” It’s not what we reserved, but it’s what the overworked
Cleveland Hertz people offered. It came
with an automatic step that helpfully slid out every time the doors opened, USB
ports galore, and the ability to socially distance within its cabin. When asked what it was like to drive it (I
remained Over There in the passenger seat the entire 1,200 miles), Rob replied,
“It depends which way the wind is blowing.”
Shockingly, it got better gas mileage than the 2006 Infiniti sedan we replaced
a few months ago. And aside from a wonky
knee from using the step to catapult in, the black boat was actually a pretty
comfortable ride. And exceptionally easy
to find in parking lots…although not so easy to park.
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| At one point, Rob tossed his baseball hat to the back seat but he overthrew and it landed in the cavernous and highly-inaccessible-by-grownups 3rd row. Retrieving it might also have contributed to the wonky knee. |
When we planned the trip, I was most anticipating the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rob was most excited about the baseball one. Color us surprised to discover that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the clear favorite for both of us.
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME
We spent about 4 hours in the Rock and Roll HOF on a stormy,
humid Ohio day. The museum was a
combination of history, social movements, celebration, and nostalgia. It had interactive displays, one of which
prompted whole new level of respect for people who can play a guitar (so many strings,
so many places to put your fingers, so many combinations of things each hand
can do, and yikes my nails!).
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| I was so tickled that my strumming made a noise! And not at all surprised that the noise did not approximate music. |
The museum had videos of key moments of every induction
ceremony. It traced the music contributions
of key geographies like Memphis and Kansas City and San Francisco and
London. It wove together the foundations
of country and jazz and bluegrass and gospel music to explain rock’s origins. It had large rooms dedicated to Elvis and The
Beatles and The Rolling Stones. It had
iconic artifacts like Michael Jackson’s single sequined glove. It had the original lyrics of so many classic
songs scribbled on napkins and notebook paper and wedding invitations.
The Hall of Fame was extensive and comprehensive and so much fun!
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| It rotated and was particularly sparkly. |
The biggest surprise was an exhibit dedicated to the history
of Super Bowl Halftime Shows. They explained
the exhaustive planning behind the musical performances, the intricate and
down-to-the-second timing, and the slow evolution of the event becoming Bruce
Springsteen-worthy. On display were some
costumes worn by various performers over the years. And then…tucked in a corner, with unmistakable
nubbly, sky-blue felt celebrating The Best Moment in Modern Day Halftime Shows
was…
LEFT SHARK!!!! OMG!!!!
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| For those unaware, Left Shark was one of Katy Perry's backup dancers in the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show. Right Shark followed the choreography but Left Shark danced like nobody (not even 119 million people) was watching. He was like a spirited 5-year-old in a dance recital and all magnitudes of fun and individuality. May we all embody some of Left Shark. |
I was already having a blast at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But seeing Left Shark in the felt-flesh was UNREAL! It alone was seriously worth the price of admission, if not the plane ticket. I WAS GIDDY! I kept taking photos and selfies and lost my hat and kept trying to understand why other people were not FREAKING OUT with me and then wished I had worn my Left Shark Fashion Scarf (yes, you read that right) for an even more epic photo-op. OMG!
Seriously, one of the biggest highlights of the trip and
2021 so far. LEFT SHARK!!!
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| The one selfie with Left Shark in which I don't look entirely maniacal. |
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
Canton, Ohio is a very easy, comfy, green-trees-and-flip-flops
Midwestern town. The people were
friendly and the traffic was light. Quite a nice place to visit.
Our self-guided tour of the Pro Football HOF was another 4
hours, with an additional 30 minutes spent moping around the gift shop trying desperately
to find something…anything…souveniry and worth the NFL Licensing price. (I
ended up with a couple of gifts and a boys-sized t-shirt. Buying lower-priced L or XL youth-sized sports
swag is my newest Life Hack.)
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| Ready to rumble and not thinking about how many other people already wore the helmet that day. |
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| Very serious about reviewing instant replays to make the right call. |
A pair of Old Guy Football Fan docents greeted us when we arrived at the Hall of Fame. We later tried to avoid making eye contact with another one who was available on a portable computer monitor via some sort of live feed. It was odd and a little creepy having him expectantly sitting there on a podium in the hallway. Serving me right, I was bummed to discover he had been wheeled away when I had a question a few hours later.
My question – that was much better answered by Google than
the gal in the ticket booth – was how players are elected to the Football Hall
of Fame. A pretty fundamental question…and
one you would have thought would be addressed in an introductory display. But apparently that information is assumed to
be widely known…or widely inconsequential.
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| Why indeed? At least some basic questions were answered. |
The HOF did a great job highlighting the most successful pro
football teams and players over the years.
I was grateful to have been a 49er Faithful throughout the ‘80s, as that
provided lots of history and memorabilia for me to appreciate. As a current 12th Man Fan of the
Seattle Seahawks, I had to meticulously hunt down Seahawks tidbits like a nice
dress in Ross Dress for Less. Thank
goodness for Steve Largent. And
eventually, Russell Wilson (in the Notable Players of Today area – along with
Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes). I
also had no idea Jerry Rice played for the Seahawks for a brief minute (clearly
during my several-year hiatus from caring about pro football).
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| Watching the Niners and cheering on Joe Montana with my fan-girl mom was one of my favorite parts of the '80s. |
What I appreciated most about the Pro Football Hall of Fame was gaining a better understanding of the rivalry and eventual merging of the NFL and the AFL and why the Super Bowl is so young given football’s long history. While I sorta kinda knew some of that, the displays and stories at the museum made it finally stick.
I also loved seeing the hall of bronze busts of the various
inductees. They were beautifully displayed
with just the right touch of class and lighting to impart the proper sense of
the honor, appreciation, and accomplishment of each man.
The collection of Super Bowl rings, on the other hand. Oh good Lord.
What started out as fancy versions of college class rings have morphed
into ostentatious, gaudy, diamond-smothered show pieces that could double as a
child’s bracelet. Modern-day trophy rings
are enormous and I can’t imagine anybody actually wears them. I suspect most are kept in home safes and
brought out for show-and-tell when company comes over.
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| The photo doesn't adequately reflect the size of these rings. Rest assured, they are over my cranky back's weight-limit. |
NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
We spent about 6 hours in the National Baseball HOF in
Cooperstown, New York. The town was
adorable and all-things baseball. The
Hall of Fame was a relatively small brick building, but since baseballs aren’t
very big they were able to cram a lot of stuff in there.
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| SO fun seeing all the brick buildings back east! Brick is sort of silly in earthquake country. |
We arrived early for our 10:30am tickets (many museums are currently doing timed tickets in order to help manage lines, although that doesn’t keep the place from getting more and more crowded as the day goes on). All the staff were college kids. Young, energetic, likely excited to have “National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown” on their resumes. It was a noticeable difference from the Old Guys Docents at the Football HOF. And much more lively.
The Baseball HOF covered a lot of territory regarding both the
game and the players. There were some side
exhibits about women, the Negro League, and the influence of Latin
players in the modern game, as well as a room dedicated to baseball cards. But for the most part, the museum was comprehensive history.
I learned about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and an old timey
guy named Christy Mathewson. I especially
enjoyed learning about Hank Aaron, having never realized what a solid human
being he was on and off the field. I was
so fascinated by the stories of some of these great men of America’s Pastime
that I asked Amazon to send me a book compiling the biographies of baseball’s
most notable players. Ok, fine, the book’s
intended audience is kids ages 8-12, but no never mind that. I just want to know the basics and the heart
of the greats. It shall be my patio
reading very soon.
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| A Hank Aaron quote that I am still pondering to help me focus on the real stuff: "The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage in weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting." |
One of my favorite exhibits was a small one about the music played in baseball stadiums. It started with a history of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (actually a love song!?) and then talked about how different teams have different anthems. “Sweet Caroline” for the Boston Red Sox or “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” for the Baltimore Orioles, for instance. The exhibit started me thinking about the use of music in pro sporting events – how snippets of songs are played at different times to get the energy level up or get the crowd involved. Again I went to Amazon in search of a book about the history and use of music in sports arenas and found…nothing. Apparently I’m the only person who thinks this would make a great read. Boo! I really appreciated, though, that the baseball HOF was making me think. I was thinking about more than just the game. I was thinking about the full experience of the game, its place in society, its impact and reflection of societal and racial movements, the bonding, the memories.
The very best and most memorable part about visiting the National Baseball Hall of Fame was watching the other museum goers. My cranky back had me warming benches throughout the Hall, giving me a great opportunity to watch awed baseball fans soak in every drop of their Mecca.
I lost track of how many Little League teams I saw in the
HOF, wearing their matching uniforms and excitedly bouncing from one exhibit to
another, having the Very Best Day of Their Lives. Pumped by the environment and being 12 years
old and dreaming of being a Great Baseball Hero someday, I spied at least a
dozen boys throw air pitches of imaginary balls while wandering past display
cases. I overheard grown men sharing
stories of games they had played and ones they had attended. Fathers squatted and pointed at displays, giving
their children context and perspective. One
young boy, probably about 10, had a camera and a delighted grandma. The boy knew every stat of every game of
every player. He took photos of
everything, the flash bouncing off the glass and occasionally blinding other
visitors. He expertly told his patient
grandma why each artifact was critically important. The look on her face spoke my own thoughts: we weren’t as interested in baseball as we
were immersed in the pure joy of its truest and most passionate fans.
I began to appreciate baseball so far beyond the mechanics of the
game. The players, the teamwork, the history,
the great moments, the shared experience – all provide fertile opportunity for
bonding and connection in a way that no other sport seems to do. As sappy as it may be, I was truly on the
verge of tears any number of times as I witnessed the sweetness of the magic of
baseball.
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| The conversations were at times loud and enthusiastic and at times hushed and reverent. But there was much to talk about. |
On our way back to our car – parked in an entrepreneurial guy’s grassy field for two bucks less than the town wanted to charge for pavement – we stopped at nearby Doubleday Field. A Pony League game was underway. There were two teams and at least four uniforms, so it wasn’t too serious. But capping our visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with a couple innings of junior-high baseball was about as organically perfect as it could be. The only thing missing was a box of Cracker Jacks.
NIAGARA FALLS
Between Canton (Football) and Cooperstown (Baseball), we took
a little museum breather to visit some really big waterfalls. As we approached Niagara, we were astounded
that we could see the mist from the falls.
Like from 10 miles away. We have seen
some big waterfalls – Yosemite, Yellowstone, Shoshone – but I don’t ever recall
seeing the mist rise above the landscape, especially from so far away. I was super excited to discover our much more
proximate hotel room had a similarly misty view.
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| That little smudge of grey just above the trees in the center of the photo is mist from Niagara Falls. |
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| The American Falls. |
Before visiting Niagara Falls in person, I had no idea there
are actually two sets of waterfalls (three if you want to be technical but I
don’t, so let’s agree it’s two). There
are the American Falls which are on the American side of the canyon and are
mostly horizontal. And then there are
the Horseshoe Falls which both the US and Canada can claim portions of. Horseshoe Falls (shaped coincidentally like a
horseshoe) are the “famous” ones – the ones that I have seen in so many photos
and movies. The Horseshoe Falls are also
the source of all the mist.
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| American Falls on the left, Horseshoe Falls behind the plume of mist in the back, Canada to the right. Maid of the Mist boat on the right between the falls for size reference. |
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| I wasn't able to get a good photo of the rest of the rainbow circle in the water -- but you can see part of it on the right. It was so pretty! |
Fellow riders whooped and laughed as we rode the waves, got
wet heads, and shared an experience (something I hadn’t realized I had missed
during COVID). When it was all over and
we were motoring back to the dock, I was ready to buy another ticket and wait
in line and do it all over again. It was
exhilarating to see and feel and hear the power of so much water crashing 167
feet so close to me. If the Maid of the
Mist boat ride had been the full extent of our visit to Niagara Falls, I would have
been satisfied.
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| So wet! And so happy about it! |
But wait! There’s
more!
We walked all around the park (designed by the same landscape architect as New York’s Central Park, so it is very serene and meandery and picturesque). We took the town trolley in the rain. We walked on sturdy bridges to a set of small islands near the top of the falls. We watched as colored lights illuminated the falls as night fell.
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| We didn't stay long enough to find out for sure, but rumors were that the colors change over the course of the 3 hours the falls are lit at night. |
We ate ice cream at 10:00 at night. We looked longingly at Canada across the river, desperately wishing the border and bridges were open since the Canadians have an even better view of both sets of falls and looked like they were having a blast over there (gondolas, zip lines, restaurants…). We ate at a quintessential New York family-run Italian restaurant and had the most epic and hands-down best lasagna of my life.
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| Rob ate his calzone for two additional meals. I finished my lasagna and incredible sauce the next day for lunch. O.M.G. It's probably a good thing I don't live anywhere near Michael's Restaurant. |
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| Still honeymooning 30 years later! |
OFF ROADING
As much as I love a plan, I am also learning to love letting go of them sometimes to let life happen.
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| Sometimes the accidental selfies are my favorites. |
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| 50% off on Amazon! |
When Rob’s dad heard our itinerary, he recommended we adjust our route to include the town of Corning in New York. You know, where CorningWare comes from? Back in 1962, Dad stopped by the Corning Museum of Glass and still remembers it as “very small but worth it.” Nearly 60 years later, the museum is definitely not small but definitely still worth it. We spent 4.5 hours looking at art expressed though glass, learning how glass is made and how its manufacturing has changed over centuries, understanding how glass – particularly teeny tiny bits of it – are critical to today’s technology and medical advances, and looking at room upon room upon room of glass vases and plates and cups from all over the world from so many centuries. I overheard many other visitors voice my exact thoughts: “This is so interesting but there is JUST SO MUCH of it.”
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| Graffiti in glass. |
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| Still not sure why these are called "Portland Vases" but they were pretty dang intricate. |
Facing a rainy day in Niagara, we decided to take a little drive in our boat and go check out some Upstate New York wineries. We found three and enjoyed tasting some very odd wines -- some not too bad, some very bad, none worth trying to get safely home in our suitcase. It was fun to experience a different approach to wine tasting. Instead of highly informed pourers who can tell you the tiniest detail to encourage your purchase, we were amused by the very laid back, “meh” approach of “pour and sip, pour and sip, I really don’t care if you buy anything.” Two places touted wine slushies, one place was making nachos with deep fried jalapeños which made all their wines smell like…deep fried peppers, and one invited us to sip our wines from plastic cups while sitting on their porch across from a corn field. It was relaxing, lowkey, novel, and a great way to spend a warm rainy day in Upstate New York.
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| No volatizing the esters with these plastic shot glasses! (In other words, swirling the wine to make its smells come out would have made a big ol' mess.) |
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| Cornfield stage left! And very handy use of a green Sharpie. |
JIM AND SHARON
The biggest highlight of our Halls of Fame trip was at the
very end, in an iconic Irish restaurant outside of Boston, famous for its Guinness
Pie and a murder in its women’s restroom (I checked it out. Except for a questionable choice in blood-red art décor,
it was crime-scene-free).
Sharon and I have been friends for over a decade. We met on Facebook in a support group for
people who have had spinal fusion surgeries.
It was a big group that got all sorts of dramatic, so a very small group
of us splintered off and formed our own group of cranky back warriors. Over the years, the eight of us have safely and
honestly shared our fears, our pain, our frustration, our despair, our
triumphs, our optimism, our joy, our hearts.
Through typed words and shared photos, Sharon and I have
become very close. Our husbands
eventually joined in the friendship and they, too, share a special bond. Rob and I love Sharon and Jim dearly and
deeply. And finally, last Thursday, we
got to meet our dear friends in person for the very first time.
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| Piglet was tickled pink to finally meet two of his fans! |
Although Sharon and I met because of a shared medical issue,
it has been Jim who has faced medical challenges recently. Over the course of 2020-2021, Jim has had a
leg amputated, a bladder cancer diagnosis, two rounds of chemo (on June 30 he
found out the chemo worked!), and most recently a stroke resulting in the loss
of the peripheral vision in his left eye. Needless to say, it’s been a long and
challenging haul for Jim and Sharon. So
many times over the past year and a half, I have desperately wanted to hug them
and just be with them. What an amazing
gift to do exactly that for a couple of hours. We were grateful and honored that Jim, still
recuperating from a stroke, expended enormous energy and determination to meet
for lunch. As Sharon said so perfectly,
they were best friends we had never met.
We are eagerly anticipating another visit in one of our time zones once
Jim has recuperated from far too much medical excitement.
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| Definitely framing this. |
WHAT A TRIP
Two years ago, my travel dreams were mostly across
oceans. I longed to travel to foreign countries,
experience different cultures, have world history come alive, eat exotic food. And I still want to do all that. But being quarantined to my tiny slice of the
planet for so many months…and then having borders restricted if not closed…opened
my eyes and mind to wondering what fascinating places lie closer to home.
The woman checking us in at our hotel in Canton asked about
our travels. I told her our basic itinerary
and she remarked, “That’s a very American vacation!” And indeed it was. We celebrated music, sports, Niagara Falls,
and friendship. And we saw it by
car. We took some highways but also side
roads and state routes. I discovered the
bucolic beauty of both Upstate New York and not-Boston Massachusetts. Both had rolling hills, farmland, silos,
churches, small towns, and so many trees. Upstate New York was rife with corn fields, wild daylilies, and sumac trees. It was beautiful and unexpected.
Somehow, I ridiculously thought all of New York was New York City and
all of Massachusetts was Boston. An
official apology to both states.
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| Outside of Cooperstown but very representative of much of our driving scenery. |
It was also healing and revealing to leave our Covid-fraught routine and frolic with groups of strangers for a while. Strangers who were often without masks and closer than six feet away. Sure, there was still an awareness of the need for safety, but it was in the background instead of the constant high-pitched scream of 2020. Getting lost in the history of rock music, football, baseball, first ladies, and glass helped me forget the history I have endured the past 18 months. The desperately needed respite felt like a reset of what “normal” might be now. A new normal that is more appreciative, a bit slower, less emotionally exhausted, less acutely aware of masks, more willing to get a little closer, and a whole lot more relaxed.
Amen.
2 comments:
How did I not read this for so long? What a fantastic trip! Thank you!
Awww, thank you, Ellen! We had an absolute blast!
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