12 Hours in Cleveland

How could I have been born and bred in Ohio and never have visited Cleveland? I'd been to an Indians baseball game, sure, but I'd never seen the city outside of the baseball field.

So when Paul had a couple of meetings in northeast Ohio on Friday, the kids and I decided to tag along. We briefly considered an overnight, but in the end decided to do it all in a day. We left our house in Columbus at 10:30 a.m. and walked back through the door a little less than 12 hours later.

We dropped Paul off at his first meeting and then drove to the Great Lakes Science Center. Right on Lake Erie, the small museum had great views and plenty of activities for the kids. They especially liked a temporary exhibit on tape and the giant climbing and slide structure constructed from it. The ball pit was also a hit.

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A friend recommended Edgewater Beach, which ended up being not far from where we picked up Paul after the museum. Paul took off his tie and rolled up his pants and waded with the kids. I ended up wishing we had brought swimsuits for the kids. The water was surprisingly warm.

Supper was at the Great Lakes Brewery. Instead of getting a pint each, we decided on the flight -- which we didn't realize included 14 beers (5 ounces apiece, I believe) until it arrived at our table! Seriously, the menu should have been a little more specific in that regard. So the bill was a tad more than we anticipated, but it's hard to be too irritated about it when the rest of our trip was almost free.

We walked around the Ohio City neighborhood taking photos until we were ready to leave. The kids fell asleep almost immediately. A 12-hour Cleveland road trip (including four hours in the car) in the books.

Bus Ride to the Ohio Statehouse

The kids like to ride the bus, and I like to show them where their parents met. That means a COTA bus to the Ohio Statehouse is something Edith, Atticus and I can all agree on.

We made the trip a couple of summers ago, and I had it in the back of my head ever since school let out to do it again. I awoke last Monday knowing that was the day. No rain, just the right temperature, everyone in a good mood. We ate an early lunch and took off for the bus stop.

The route is easy. The closest bus stop is just a few blocks away. Catch the #2 and go straight down High Street for five miles. I people watch, while the kids look for construction vehicles and ask when they can pull the rope to get off at our stop. Plus, they learn how to take public transportation.

At the Statehouse, we went to the small (but well done) museum in the basement, then took the elevator to the Rotunda. Of course, we couldn't leave without peeking into the House Clerk's office, where Paul and I met.

We ate a snack on the Statehouse lawn, then it was time for the bus ride back. A perfect outing for a lovely afternoon.

Pittsburgh Pictures & Hotel Views

Aside from visiting the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, we also did a bit of exploring downtown.

After checking into our hotel, we walked to Primanti's for supper. The Pittsburgh specialty was good, but I prefer my french fries and slaw on the side rather than on top of my sandwich.

The Wyndam Grand is right at the point where the rivers meet, and the view from our room was amazing -- maybe the best we've ever gotten. We could see the incline lit up, a couple of bridges, the rivers and the boats on them, Point State Park and fountain, the football stadium and buildings at the peak of the nearby summit. After the kids swam in the pool, Atticus just wanted to sit on the chair next to the floor-to-ceiling window to "unlax."

Our second night we went down to the park as the sun was setting. We sat by the fountain watching a man create giant bubbles with two sticks and a rope. Back at the hotel room, we watched some fireworks being set off by Heinz Field, probably to mark the end of a concert happening that night. The kids and even Paul fell asleep, and I sat by the window watching the city lights.

Cedar Point, Not as Planned

I was so excited when I learned earlier this year that the company that Paul works for would hold its annual picnic at Cedar Point this summer. I became even more excited when Mom and Dad offered to watch the kids that day and overnight so Paul and I could fully enjoy a day to ourselves -- with roller coasters, nonetheless.

The day -- two Sundays ago -- didn't turn out as planned. It started very promisingly. With a little luck and a lot of Hotwire stalking, I was able to book Cedar Point's Express Hotel for only $69. Since we had a reservation at a Cedar Point property, we were able to enter the park an hour early, at 9 a.m. We had driven to my parents' house the day before, so Paul and I left their house at 6:10 that morning while everyone was still asleep in order to have enough time to drive to Sandusky, check in and snag our early entry pass.

We got to the gates at 8:30 a.m., and I felt on top of our game. When the gates opened, we would immediately head for Steel Vengeance, the new coaster at the back of the park. The hotel even advised walking to the Marina entrance in order to avoid the crowds and cut down on our walk to the ride.

Gates opened, got in line, all is good. Until an hour later when Steel Vengeance closed down. Waiting, waiting, waiting. People exit the line. Waiting, waiting ... it reopens! Phew. So glad we stayed in line! Then it closes again. Waiting, waiting, waiting. We finally leave the line at 11:30 a.m. -- just steps from the tracks -- so we can make the company picnic, which lasts until 12:45 p.m.

In the simplest of terms -- it is now nearly 1 p.m. and we have NOT RIDDEN EVEN ONE RIDE.

SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING.

The rest of the day went well, however. We road the remainder of the main coasters, including quite a few rides that didn't exists when we were last there in 2006 or 2007. I particularly liked Gatekeeper. I noticed that I'm not quite as carefree -- I didn't put my hands up, and the rides made me feel a little funnier than they used to. But it was still fun, and the weather in the high 70s was absolutely perfect.

We never did ride Steel Vengeance.