Three Days in Chicago

My dad and I spent the last three days in Chicago. It was a really fun time. Neither of us were familiar with Chicago. We had some interesting experiences. For starters, to get to our hotel from downtown, you had to drive past the National Headquarters of the Nation Of Islam. Before we left, I tried to call some of my Chicago friends to see if our hotel was in a decent neighborhood. Everything turned out alright. The immediate neighborhood just south of the city limits seemed pretty safe.

The whole trip I felt like I was visiting Cleveland's rich uncle. I was very impressed by Chicago. The whole town seemed full of life.

We spent two days at the Museum of Science and Industry. As far as museums go, this is the Taj Mahal. The entire museum was loaded with amazing things. Above is a picture of a giant model train exhibit called "The Great Train Story". The display featured a mock-up of Chicago, the Great Plains, The Rockies, and finally the Port of Seattle. The display outlined the importance of railroads to the country.

The museum also featured full-size locomotives, model boats, classic cars, an exhibit on the human body, and a tour of a mock Coal Mine.

By far the most impressive thing in the museum was the German U-Boat, U-505. The story of how U-505 wound up in American hands is quite a compelling. The U-Boat was captured in June 1944 by a US Navy Hunter Killer Group. Nearly fatally damaged by the naval taskforce, the crew of the U-505 abandoned ship in such haste that they didn't activate the self-demolition bombs. A US boarding party risked their lives and saved the boat. The fact that the US had the ship was kept from the Germans for the rest of the war.

The most impressive part of Chicago was the way the lakefront was integrated into the city. For the ten miles of lakefront I saw, it was all one big long park. The road along the lakefront was a 45 MPH boulevard. I presume that this is similar to what Cleveland leaders are planning with the Shoreway project. The way Chicago's boulevard worked, the whole city was connected to the lakefront. Pedestrian exchanges like the one above allowed visitors to walk between the city and the lakefront unimpeded.

The lakefront near downtown Chicago was pretty impressive as well. Everything was integrated. There was a nice balance of amenities aimed at locals and tourists. The lakefront was anchored by major museums and Soldier Field, but the lakefront itself seemed like a major destination. There were skate parks, basketball courts, and small beaches. The entire area had the feel of a college campus with people exercising, walking dogs, and playing ultimate Frisbee.

One of the things I noticed while walking through some of the parking garages in Chicago was that most of the cars were from Illinois. Granted a lot of tourists come in via bus and plane, but Chicago draws tons of visitors from its own state.

Likewise, I'm sure the vast majority of visitors to Cleveland come from places like Westlake and Mentor, not from the likes of Paris or California. We don't need a convention center with more bells and whistles to attract out-of-town tourists. We need a lakefront destination that will draw suburbanites like me downtown. We also need to utilize our lakefront to make city living more attractive. We need more parks and bike trails to show off what we already have.

Chicago will always have more money, flashier attractions, and bigger buildings, but there is one thing that Cleveland has that Chicago, with all its money, people, and power, can never have:

A beautiful Great Lakes sunset...

Cleveland's Forgotten Coaster

Cleveland was once the home of one of the most dangerous roller coasters in the country: the Puritas Springs Cyclone. The Cyclone was built in 1928 by John Miller. Other area coasters built by Miller include the Derby Racer at Euclid Beach and the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake. Of these coasters, the Cyclone was by far the most violent.

With the Cyclone, Miller utilized the terrain of Puritas Springs. The coaster traversed dense forest, plunging in and out of a ravine at exhilarating speeds. The Cyclone became notorious for causing spinal injuries. These injuries because so common that the ride was shut down for a time by the Cleveland Police Department. The ride eventually re-opened and operated until 1958 when Puritas Springs closed. Most of the park including the Cyclone burned to the ground.

Today Kathryn took me on an adventure to search out the remains of the Cyclone. We searched all over for the Cyclone, climbing up and down ravines in the area. All we found were bricks and vintage beer bottles from the 50's.

After 2 hours of searching, we finally stumbled upon the ruins of Cleveland's mighty Cyclone. Not much was left of the coaster. The largest intact piece of track was about 30 yards long. Most of the coaster had long since succumbed to the elements and tumbled down the ravine.

The track we did find was pretty neat. Above is picture of me being a geek, explaining under-friction wheels to Kathryn. As I told her, John Miller was the one who invented under-friction wheels. This type of wheel alignment allowed roller coasters to go at high speeds without flying off the rails.

Looking at the coaster ruins, it was hard to believe that our grandparents had ridden the coaster half a century earlier. The overgrown ravine gave little hint that an amusement park once stood there.

If you're interested in checking out the ruins yourself, don't look here for help. I wouldn't dare deprive you of your own adventure.

My Summer Project

Over the course of the summer, I've been working to update the Lake County Democratic Party website. I've run the site for over a year and a half and it was badly in need of a facelift. A few weeks ago we went live with the completed project. The updated site features a new layout and a blog.

So far the site has received a good response from party members and the online community. Sherrod Brown's GrowOhio.Org calls the site "one of the better looking county websites I have seen thus far in the state."

Of course, I'd love feedback. What do you think about the new site? What do you like? What would you change?

O - A - R!

O.A.R. is a jam band that came out of Ohio State a few years back. They've since hit it big nationally among college age kids.

Last night they played to a packed house at Tower City Amphitheater. Among the songs they played during their 90 minute set were crowd favorites "Hey Girl", "Road Outside Columbus", and "Crazy Game of Poker".

They delivered one helluva show.

"This Midwest way of ease, it surrounds us. I can't deny the rhythm here." -O.A.R.

The Feast

Alex and I went up to the annual Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy. The aroma of good Italian food hung in the air for blocks, an Italian band played jubilant songs, and smiling Italians filled the street. The entire atmosphere gave off the aura of a liberated Sicilian city.

Patton would have been proud.

Northeastern Ohio Live Steamers

Yesterday we visited my grandpa's train club out near Medina. The club has built a miniature railroad at Lester Rail Trail, part of the Medina County Park District. The club members operate their own train engines at the facility. My grandfather is currently working on his own locomotive, building it entirely from scrap. He's been working on it for 2 years. He has a few more years to go before its complete. When he's not working on his own engine, my grandpa volunteers at the club's facility. He assists in laying track, constructing buildings, and other maintenance.

As part of the club's deal to build the railroad on park land, the club is required to host train runs for the public. Over 200 people showed up for yesterday's public run. The runs are free but the club asks for donations. Donations help the club maintain the track and improve their facility.

This was my first time out to the club. It was a good time. The club members were really friendly, especially when they heard we were Kalman's grandkids. One of the members jokingly argued with my sister about who was going to get the first ride on my grandpa's locomotive.

The track is pretty long and takes you through forest, brush, a train station, and a field. There were bridges, mini-telephone poles, and all sorts of other train accessories. One of the neat features of the park is that it abuts a full-size train line. During a couple rides, we ran right next to a freight train. The conductor of the freight train whistled twice for the miniature trains. One of the club members explained that two whistles are used to acknowledge another train.

If you want to check out the train club and get a couple rides around the facility, there are a few more public train runs this year. Club members recommended the special Halloween runs when the facility is decorated for the holiday. This year's Halloween runs are October 15th and 16th from 6:30-9:30pm.

You can visit the Northeastern Ohio Live Steamers club on the web at www.livesteamohio.homestead.com/LiveSteamOhio.html

Conneaut Lake Park

Today we took the kiddies to Conneaut Lake Park in Pennsylvania. Conneaut is an old-fashioned amusement park in every sense of the word. I felt like I stepped back into the 50's. Conneaut Lake is one of Pennsylvania's many classic amusement parks. Ohio too once had a bunch of small amusement parks. A few of those small parks (Geauga Lake & Cedar Point) grew into mega-parks during the 1970's. Around this same time, a lot of smaller parks (Chippewa Lake, Euclid Beach) closed in part because they couldn't compete with the new mega-parks. Although Pennsylvania has mega-parks such as Kennywood and Hershey Park, a bunch of smaller parks have survived. Conneaut is one of them.

The park featured a lot of classic rides, including the Turtle, a miniature Tumblebug ride. Old timers may remember a larger version of this ride at Euclid Beach Park. Other classic rides included flying scooters, a dark ride, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and the Blue Streak rollercoaster.

The Blue Streak was clearly the gem of the park. Built in 1937, the coaster still gives a good ride. It's a bit rickety in the back seats, but the front seats offer a pretty smooth ride. The coaster is a classic out and back design like the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake. I convinced most of my 5 and 6 year olds to give it a try. The Blue Streak delivered enough negative G's to scare the bejesus out my little campers. At the end of the ride, some of the first-time riders were a bit dazed, trying to comprehend what just happened. The more experienced riders, impatient and excited, weaved between them to quickly get back in line.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the small park. Although I hadn't been to Conneaut since I was a kid, returning counselors from last year warned that the park was dirty and that the waterpark was "disgusting". Under new ownership, the park seems to have made drastic improvements. The park was tidy and nearly everything had been given a fresh coat of paint. The only major attraction lacking fresh paint was the Blue Streak. Whether intended or not, the worn look added to the vintage feel of the coaster.

This was definitely one of the best days of camp this summer. I'd recommend a trip out to Conneaut Lake for anyone with kids, especially grandparents who want to show their grandkids a good old-fashioned amusement park. Conneaut Lake Park presents an opportunity to step back in time and experience a bit of pure unadulterated Americana.

Cleveland Remembers

Tonight my father and I attended the memorial service at the IX Center for the Marines killed last week in Iraq. It was a moving ceremony. Everyone young and old came out to celebrate the lives of these great men.

We stood next to a World War II veteran at the ceremony. Between my father, the veteran, and myself, there were three generations of Clevelanders. We all had come out to show our respect for the newest generation of American heroes.

The most emotional part of the ceremony for me occurred when Rear Admiral Duret Smith of the Marine Reserves spoke directly to the children of the fallen Marines:

Kids, I'm going to tell you something that your moms and grandparents already know. Your dads are true American heroes.

Another gripping part of the service was the portion where the names and faces of the fallen Marines flashed on the giant screens. Looking into their faces, it really hit home. The Marines looked as if they could be just another kid living down the hall in my dorm. These Marines had so much of life ahead of them. It's really such a tragedy.

It's a sad time to be a Clevelander, but it's an important time to come together as a community. I was pleased with the turnout at the ceremony. I'd estimate that over 15,000 people showed up to pay their respect. With the ceremony broadcast live on Channel 3, many more were able to watch from home.

In case you missed the ceremony, you can watch it online courtesy of WKYC.

Always Browns Town

Last night I joined 32,751 other Clevelanders at Cleveland Browns Stadium to watch a Browns practice. The entire event, originally supposed to be an inter-squad game, reminded me of the annual Spring Game down at Ohio State and made me excited for Browns football in the fall.

The biggest attraction was QB Charlie Frye, the Brown's 3rd round draft pick from Akron. He looks like he could be a star down the road. Another treat was seeing Simon Fraser playing for the Browns. He made a tackle and the crowd roared. Fraser played last year for the Buckeyes. Of course, as an undrafted free agent, his chances of making the team are slim.

The oddest thing of the night was the orange and brown cotton candy. I don't know if they've had this in the past. Perhaps the Browns are trying to copy the local flavor of the Indians' I-shape pretzels. I can't tell you how it tasted. I was too repulsed by the coloring to give it a try.

I had to leave early so I missed the two minute drill and the fireworks, but the view of the sun setting behind the stadium was pretty impressive.

Mi Playa

We went up to my favorite place in the world last night for the sunset. As usual, Mentor's Headlands Beach did not disappoint.

During our walk down the beach, we stumbled upon some not-so-ancient ruins.

I love living by Headlands Beach. Some people travel thousands of miles to go to beautiful beaches. I just hop in my chevy and drive up the road.