Greetings Family and Friends,
When in Cleveland, Ohio, one can easily visit not just one, but two Hall of Fames. In Cleveland itself, down on the waterfront, is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while an hour south in Canton, Ohio is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And if you are of a mind to, which I was, one can visit two museum ships as well down at the waterfront.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in 1963 in Canton, Ohio. Back in 1920, also in Canton, the American Professional Football Association was founded. It would later be renamed the National Football League.
Within the HOF is the gallery that houses the bronze busts of the members of the hall. At present, the membership is 382. I photographed 60 of the busts and did so in portrait mode. So use the scroll bar on the right of the picture frame to pull down the photo to see the name and team information for each bust. Of the 60, a third are of Raiders – to be expected since I have been Raiders fan since Joe Namath and the Jets won Super Bowl III. The other two-thirds are of players and coaches that I find to be particularly noteworthy in the history of the game – just my opinion.
The other photos are of various exhibits within the hall including panels covering the history and evolution of the game over the decades. There is also an exhibit which displays samples of each Super Bowl ring. As you might imagine, the rings have only gotten bigger with the passage of time. As you might also guess, the three that I photographed are those of the three Super Bowls won by the Raiders.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1995. Cleveland beat out other contenders: New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Memphis. In appearance, its glass pyramid frontage reminds me of the Louvre in Paris.
Within the HOF is a wall which presents the members of the hall not on busts but rather on plaques with name(s) and signature(s) of the individual performer or the members of a band. There are quite a few instances of artists who have been inducted twice as a member of two different bands or as an individual performer and a member of a band. Eric Clapton is currently the only member to have been inducted three times. I photographed 30 of the plaques – my favorites.
The other photos are of various exhibits within the hall – instruments and apparel as well as three motorcycles (Elvis Presley, Billy Idol, and Jon Bon Jovi). The museum also has a floor known as the “Garage” were visitors can play instruments and sing. Quite a few were giving it a go, even some who I would urge, if asked, not to quit their day jobs. But I give them props for putting it out there in public.
The first museum ship I visited down on the Cleveland waterfront was the SS William G Mather. This was my fifth and final lake freighter to see on this trip. She is hosted by the Great Lakes Science Center which is to the left of the Rock and Roll HOF as one faces Lake Erie. The vessel was built in 1925 and comes in at 618 ft in length. Check out the photos in the gallery below which include some really nice views of the Cleveland cityscape and waterfront.
The second museum ship I visited was the USS Cod (SS-224). Another Gato class submarine of World War II vintage but with a unique attribute as a museum ship. The attribute being that she has not been altered to facilitate access to the sub. For other submarines serving as museum ships either a more standard naval stairway is fitted fore and aft to facilitate access down into and then out of the sub, or door size holes are cut into the hull for entering and exiting the sub by visitors. In the case of USS Cod, the original vertical, narrow ladders are in place. I had a go at the fore hatch and ladder and decided that was a no go for me. Then took a look at the aft hatch and ladder and realized that prudence dictated this was a bridge too far for me. So took a few photos topside of the sub and spent some time talking to a docent by the name of Jim who provided explanations and information.
That’s it for now. As always, feel free to share this link with anyone who expresses an interest. Next stop is up where the really big waterworks are found.
Until later,
Papi