11 April 2008

Playing the Tourist

Salute to Cleveland Week finishes up with some touristy activities.

Perhaps the most popular attraction for out of town visitors is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum located down on the shore of Lake Erie. It's an odd assortment of tons of memorabilia from the entire history of rock music, with occasional side trips into country, hip hop, and various pop acts.

The biggest thrill for me was seeing the Ford Eliminator Coupe from ZZ Top that was featured in several videos. And it was a curious experience to stand mere inches from the stage costumes and guitars of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and the rest of Parliament Funkadelic (those guys have surprisingly conservative signatures). How about Madonna's slinky outfits and Run DMC's well-worn Adidas?

Less well known but more enjoyable for me was visiting the house featured in the classic holiday film A Christmas Story. The house was used for the exterior shots and some interior scenes (others were done on a sound stage--the house is very tiny). The website devoted to the house will provide you with additional information and directions.

Across the street are two houses purchased by the owner: one serves as a gift shop (where you can purchase leg lamps in many different sizes), and a museum that is accumulating material related to the movie, including the non-flexible snow suit worn by the little brother. They've got the car from the Christmas tree/flat tire scene and lots of other fun stuff.

The Kitchen

Leg Lamps in Many Sizes

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