Tigers (Detroit) and Indians (Cleveland)...oh my!

Let me start off about our visit to Detroit by stating something we thought and heard before we decided to visit...the city is an absolute disaster!

With that being said, we had an awesome time. Believe it or not, out of all of the museums and ballparks we visited during the trip, The Henry Ford and Comerica Park might be our favorites.

The Henry Ford is outside of Detroit in the suburb of Dearborn, Michigan...better known as the place where it all started for Ford. At The Henry Ford are 3 things: The Henry Ford Museum, The Ford Rouge Factory Tour and Greenfield Village.

The Henry Ford Museum is vast, to say the least. We thought the museum would only be about cars, but boy were we wrong. It is about everything America: cars, trains, planes, independence, the civil war, civil rights. It is really unbelievable. We spent over 5 hours there and could've easily spent another 2 to 3, if not more.

When you walk into the museum they have the cars that some of the Presidents have used over the years including the car that JFK was killed in and Ronald Reagan was shot in. They also had the carriage that Theodore Roosevelt rode in.

The Kennedy Car

After that part of the museum, we moved over to the steam powered 1941 Allegheny Locomotive. We don't know anything about locomotives, but it sure looked impressive.

About the Allegheny Locomotive

The 1941 Allegheny Locomotive

Checking out the inside of the Allegheny Locomotive

The automobile exhibit of the museum was extensive, as to be expected. The museum had all types of vehicles, not just limited to Ford, from all different eras. Of course the Ford Model T was on display, but so were other competitors from the early 1900s like the Packard. There was also a luxury car display, camper display, display on trucks and even the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!

1904 Packard Model L

1919 Ford Model T

1959 VW Westfalia Camper

1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible - The most luxurious car ever

1952 Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

Other really special artifacts from the museum included the rocking chair President Lincoln was assassinated in at Ford's Theatre and the Montgomery bus on which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man.

Lincoln's rocking chair from Ford's Theatre

Montgomery Bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat

Obviously it's hard to cover everything, but now you have an idea as to why we spent over 5 hours at the museum! There was so much to see and learn! We also had a little bit of fun.

A mini house at the Henry Ford Museum

After spending over 5 hours at the museum (and realizing we still had the Rouge Factory Tour and Greenfield Village to do the next day plus the Tigers game at night!), we decided to venture into downtown Detroit to check it out.

The streets were unbelievably quiet for a weekday afternoon. There were a lot of abandoned buildings. It really looked like a city that was bankrupt.

We heard the Riverwalk was worth taking a stroll on though so we parked in a garage. We felt comfortable on the Riverwalk since there were a lot of people walking around who did not look suspicious. The cool thing about the Riverwalk (besides it being right on the water) is that you can see Canada right across the water.

Detroit's Riverwalk

The next day, Tuesday July 30th, we woke up and went on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. The self-guided tour usually lasts about 2 hours, but because Heather and I were so enamored by the assembly line, it took us about 3 hours.

At the factory, they make Ford F-150s, the best selling vehicle in the United States. We saw them put on the windshields, wire the stereo systems and electronics for the doors, put on the moon roofs...you name it. It was a neat experience, but because the Rouge is an active factory, we weren't allowed to take any pictures due to union restrictions.

We did learn a few neat facts about the Rouge. When it was completed in 1928, it was the largest integrated factory in the world. And recently, the Rouge went through an extensive remodeling to bring it up to 21st century standards including a state of the art roof that's covered with more than 10 acres of this plant called sedum. The sedum is used to retain and cleanse rainwater as well as moderate the internal temperature of the building, which saves energy.

After the Rouge Factory Tour, it was onto Greenfield Village. Instead of me trying to explain it, I took a picture of the plaque:

Plaque outside Greenfield Village

Even though Henry Ford was known to be an enormous racist and anti-semite, you can't argue the fact he was a visionary. Here are some of those authentic historic buildings that the plaque is talking about:

Robert Frost House

Noah Webster House

Farris Windmill - Oldest windmill in US

Wright Brothers' childhood home

Watch the Fords Go By

Miniature reproduction of original Ford factory

Henry Ford's childhood home

In addition to walking around Greenfield Village and walking through the authentic buildings, we also got to sit in a Model T!

In a Ford Model T at Greenfield Village

And then it was onto Comerica Park to see the Tigers host the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg!

Out of all of the parks I have been to, Comerica Park is definitely up there as one of the best. The outside is decorated with tons of statues of Tigers, playing up to the team name wonderfully. The park itself is extremely fan friendly, giving fans the ability to walk pretty much anywhere they would like while still getting a great view of the action. And the statues beyond the OF wall of all of the Tiger greats like Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg and Al Kaline demonstrates the great history of the franchise.

Outside of Comerica Park

Plaque of Ty Cobb outside Comerica Park

Ty Cobb statue

Hank Greenberg statue

All of the statues from a distance

The field at Comerica Park from our seats

Out of the modern parks, some might say they prefer PNC Park which has the awesome views of the rivers in Pittsburgh or the new Busch Stadium because of the brick facade and statues of the Cardinals greats as you enter the stadium, but Comerica is right up there with them in my opinion.

One day when Detroit finally turns itself around and becomes the great city it used to be, Comerica, Ford Field (which is right next door) and the new Joe Louis arena (which I read will most likely be built in the same vicinity) will be even more special.

Oh...and about the game. Alex Avila hit a grand slam to lead the Tigers over Stephen Strasburg 5-1. As a Mets fan, I was very happy.

And then it was onto our last stop.......Cleveland!

Heather got good at taking the welcome sign pictures

Well technically we first stopped at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Originally, our plan was to goto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday morning, July 31st, head to the Indians game Wednesday night, tour Cleveland Thursday morning, head to Canton in the afternoon and then start the drive home, but because rain was in the forecast, we decided to head to Canton first.

Outside the Pro Football HOF in Canton, Ohio

The Pro Football Hall of Fame was a bit crazy on Wednesday morning. Why? They were setting up for the 2013 induction ceremony on Saturday. I didn't see any players, but we saw a bunch of what looked like VIPs walking around at one point.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013

Now I've been to Cooperstown a few times and that still takes the cake over the Pro Football Hall of Fame in my opinion, but as a football fan, I definitely enjoyed Canton.

As you walk in, the main exhibit about how pro football has evolved over its first century goes in chronological order, which we both really enjoyed and the way they presented the information was very easy to follow and read.

The 1958 NFL Championship - The greatest game ever played

On the second floor, the main exhibit continues, which leads into the Hall of Fame Gallery. In the Hall of Fame Gallery are the busts of every Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Joe Namath's bust

Jim Kelly's bust

Don't worry family, Heather made me take a picture of Lawrence Taylor's bust too.

Lawrence Taylor's bust

I also took pictures of Jim Thorpe's bust, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and of course, all of the Buffalo Bills. But I won't bore you.

Here's something that won't bore you...a picture of the Super Bowl XLVIII trophy, better known as the 2014 Buffalo Bills Super Bowl Championship trophy.

Super Bowl XLVIII trophy

Yeah, I could hear the snickering already. Heather did the same thing when she saw this:

Showcase of artifacts from Super Bowl 42

Grandpa Al and my father-in-law Larry will be proud of Heather after seeing that picture.

Here's perhaps the funniest thing we saw at the Hall of Fame, a bunch of Kansas City Chiefs arrows in a referee uniform.

Chiefs arrows in ref uniform

After the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it was back to Cleveland to the next hall of fame.

Upon getting off the Interstate and driving through downtown Cleveland, we were shocked. It was absolutely spotless, the buildings were well kept and it looked...desirable. We weren't expecting Detroit, but we weren't expecting it to be a nice, safe destination.

We got to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum at about 6 PM leaving us about 3 hours to browse since it closes at 9 PM.

I was fairly excited for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I heard a lot of mixed things about it. Some people told me it was a bit underwhelming while others told me it was awesome. I wasn't really sure what to expect.

The way the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum markets itself is as the museum for all things music...that's not classical or country (there is a Country Music Hall of Fame after all...). The main exhibit starts out explaining that the term Rock and Roll is defined as the new wave of music from the 1950s that stemmed from jazz, blues and gospel. Some of the early Rock and Roll musicians include: Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fat Dominos, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley.

A question I had was why in the world is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland? Like anything else, the origins of Rock and Roll are in question, but a man by the name of Alan Freed, a Cleveland DJ on one of the local stations, began playing the music and popularized the term. Something else I read at the museum said there was a USA Today poll in the early 90s (the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 1995) asking where the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be located. Clevelanders participated thanks to local politician efforts and won in a landslide. So...it's in Cleveland.

After getting through the origins of Rock and Roll, you are greeted with everything Elvis...Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll after all!

After the room of everything Elvis, you are then greeted with artifacts of everything Rock and Roll in chronological order: a suit that Buddy Holly wore, the Everly Brothers shoes and suits, Chuck Berry's jacket. Really, really, really amazing stuff.

From that point on, we loved it.

Elvis' King of Spades jumpsuit 

Paul Simon's Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics

John Lennon acoustic guitar with drawings of him and Yoko

Jim Morrison school work from Kindergarten

Michael Jackson jacket from 1984 Grammy's

Electric Guitar used by Kirk Hammett of Metallica during 1996 tour

Kurt Cobain's death certificate

How cool is that stuff?

The museum was filled with artifacts just like that along with the stories behind them and to top it off, there was a special exhibit dedicated to the Rolling Stones.

Outside Rolling Stones special exhibit

We could've probably used some more time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum than the 3 hours we had, but we got through most of it. If you like music, it's a must see.

Thursday, August 1st was the last full day of our trip and our plan went something like this: walk around downtown Cleveland, goto the Indians-White Sox game at Progressive Field, drive around Cleveland.

Doesn't sound too exciting outside of maybe the Indians game, but we had a really nice last day.

Our walk led us through the historic Warehouse District and back to the historic Gateway District where Progressive Field is located.

If you're a baseball fan, you may remember that Progressive Field used to be called Jacobs Field, or The Jake. When Jacobs Field was built in 1994, it was widely regarded as one of the best ballparks in baseball. Since then, many newer parks have been built pushing Jacobs Field to the side.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Jake especially after just visiting PNC Park, the new Busch Stadium and Comerica Park, but I was impressed. I read over the years that many of the new parks were copied off of Jacobs Field and Camden Yards (built in 1992 and where the Orioles play) and that's exactly how I felt.

Outside Progressive Field

Outside Progressive Field

Just like at PNC Park with the Roberto Clemente statue, Progressive Field had a statue of Indians great Bob Feller outside in the plaza.

Bob Feller statue

Similar to Yankee Stadium's Monument Park, there was Heritage Park with plaques honoring all of the Indians Hall of Famers including Cy Young, Larry Doby, Tris Speaker, Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Satchel Paige to name a few.

Heritage Park

Just like at Comerica Park, you could pretty much walk anywhere around the stadium and get a glimpse of the action.

Walking around the stadium

I didn't feel Progressive Field or The Jake was the best stadium on the trip, but Heather and I both really enjoyed the experience. The crowd was sparse and the fans didn't seem as dedicated as in Cincinnati or St. Louis, which did take a little away from it, however it was a day game. Perhaps a night game would've been a bit more lively.

We were impressed though and I feel Progressive Field, despite it being almost 20 years old, is right up there with the new ballparks around the league.

Inside Progressive Field

After the game, we got in the car and drove around Cleveland. Our first stop was at the Emerald Necklace, or officially known as Cleveland Metroparks. In reading about it on Tripadvisor, someone wrote that it's like Central Park on steroids.

This is how it's described on Wikipedia: Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. The various reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, tend to follow the rivers and creeks that flow through the region. Referred to unofficially as the 'Emerald Necklace', the network of parks spans over 21,000 acres (8,500 ha) and includes hundreds of miles of walking, bicycle, and horse trails as well as numerous picnic areas, nature education centers, golf courses, and countless fishing spots.

Yes, that's in Cleveland, Ohio. We were already shocked at how nice downtown Cleveland was and we couldn't believe that Cleveland had a humongous park like 20-30 minutes from downtown where tons of people were walking, biking, swimming. You name it. It was awesome.

Cleveland Metroparks

Cleveland Metroparks 

Cleveland Metroparks

As if Cleveland couldn't do any better, our next stop was at Lake View Cemetery on the other side of town, where there is a memorial for President James A. Garfield.

Entrance at Lake View Cemetery

James A. Garfield Memorial

How crazy is this?

9/11 memorial

I realize it is a cemetery after all, but it was stunning. As I read somewhere (maybe it was Tripadvisor too), it's like Cleveland's "outdoor museum".

And that's all for Cleveland, as well as the last official stop on our trip (well I guess our dinner in Cleveland's Little Italy was technically the last official stop, but we don't have any pictures of that).

To recap Cleveland...go visit. You will be impressed.

Instead of ending the blog on such an abrupt note, we will make one more post of final thoughts along with a couple of pictures from the drive home.

So........if you're reading this and the last post hasn't been posted yet...please check back in later!