Game 17 - Cleveland Indians

Once the Pirates game was over, we pointed the RV towards Cleveland and made the quick 2 hour drive. Both my parents and I would be meeting friends in Cleveland, so we were excited to make the trip. We visited Progressive Field Wednesday night and would have Thursday off to visit with friends.

This was my first time in Cleveland, and honestly, I wasn't expecting much. I had heard the city was a little beaten down, but I was pleasantly surprised. Progressive Field was one of the first stadiums to be built with an open layout, and many other parks followed its lead. We watched the Indians take the rubber game against the Reds and the crowd was really into the game. The ballpark was nice, but the food selection was lacking compared to other parks. Plus, they had the guts to cover the 'future site of a Jim Thome statue' with a garbage can, so that immediately took one Big Jim away.

Big Jim liked the park, but he just didn't think it was special:

Pros: Jim Thome played here, pioneer in ballpark design, open layout

Cons: Food selection, ballpark showing its age 

The following day, my girlfriend Jeanette would be coming into Cleveland to spend some time with us, and travel to the next few games. One of her best friends, Erica, and her husband Rob, recently moved to a small town outside of Cleveland called Chagrin Falls. They moved from Naples, FL to run the family Goat Cheese Creamery (http://www.mackenziecreamery.com/). Check them out, its really good stuff.

We had a great dinner with Rob and Erica and stayed at their awesome house in Chagrin. I have to say, its one of the coolest towns I've been to in a long time. It has a small town feel, with a main street lined with shops and restaurants surrounding a waterfall. We hope to make it back soon.

My Mom was also able to have brunch with her friend Beth, whom she met in Naples, Florida. Beth and her husband live in Westlake, Ohio and she was nice enough to drive to our hotel to meet my mom and talk about girl stuff or whatever girls talk about (my mom needed it!). She even brought my parents a gift, which came in handy during a rain storm in Baltimore!

-JJS