last year, billy made the trek to cleveland with coach for the marathon while i was in atlanta working, so when he signed up for this year's race, i was excited to join him since i'd never been to cleveland before. so, we watched the video below a couple of times to get pumped for the trip :)
we also have been thinking about getting another dog, and i found this cute welsh terrier (jefferson's breed) right outside of cleveland, so we wanted to work a possible dog adoption into the trip as well. so, i had high hopes for our trip to cleveland :)
the trip ended up being fun but also a pretty stressful weekend for several reasons...we didn't end up getting the dog, and i was overly emotional about it (not sure why, but we didn't feel like he was the right dog for us, and i felt really bad about that and wanted to make sure he gets a good home). also, billy didn't have his best race performance - probably from being physically exhausted, as this was his 3rd marathon in less than 60 days!, and it was a very windy, rainy day for a race - so that was frustrating for him. and, it was just an overall long trip to have a 9+ hour drive each way in about 60 hours.
we did have a good time while we were there, though, and i would definitely go back to cleveland again. and, if it weren't so far from the coast, it wouldn't be a bad place to live. friday night after we dropped jefferson off to stay with possible adoption dog, we headed into town to check into our hotel and go to dinner. our hotel was really nice, and with the exception of some not-so-efficient front desk systems, we had a great stay there. it was an older hotel that had been renovated but still had lots of classical and ornate details. there were a couple of indian weddings there that weekend too, so we got to see lots of fancy saris and even witness a pre-wedding parade similar to the one we'd seen on outsourced just a couple days before.
for dinner friday, we ate at momocho, a great restaurant in a neighborhood near downtown cleveland. it had been featured on diners drive-ins and dives, and billy had wanted to go last year but kindly waited till i was with him to check it out. we always love trying a triple-d place everywhere we travel :) i highly recommend their unique guacamole, beef taquitos (more like what we're used to as fajitas), and margaritas!
saturday, we grabbed breakfast and went to the race expo at this expo center that was in sad shape, then headed to coach's alma mater, baldwin-wallace college, to check it out. it was a pretty campus and seemed like a great place to go if you want a small liberal arts school. we thought about going to see jefferson and murphy (adoptable dog) but decided not to, as i didn't know if it would be a good idea emotionally. so instead, we went to the rock and roll hall of fame, which was lots of fun. there were lots of costumes, guitars, etc. from so many great musicians over time, and we watched some neat videos and also got to see their new special exhibit, women who rock. so fun to see all of those costumes! unfortunately, lady gaga's meat dress had not yet arrived, but that will be there shortly :)
couldn't resist getting a picture of the custom b-w mini
outside rock hall (which is a glass pyramid like outside the louvre)
g is for goodtime :)
that night, we walked to east 4th street for dinner and went to a great little place called la strada, which was the perfect spot for our pre-race dinner. billy got steak, and i got pizza, and we shared. it was very good, and the interior of the restaurant was eclectic and fun - romantic lighting, we sat in the upstairs area overlooking the bar and lower dining area, charlie chaplain (sp?) film was playing on the from a projector.
sunday morning we got up super early and walked down to the browns stadium, where the race started. i hung out with coach for a bit, but he had brought his bike and stayed with the runners a good portion of the course. i, on the other hand, walked back to the hotel and read a magazine until it was time to head back down to the stadium for the race finish.
coach & billy
almost halfway
at the finish
mistake by the lake
after the race, billy was less than thrilled with the outcome, so we headed back to the hotel, packed up our stuff, and headed out to go get the dog and make sure murphy wasn't the dog for us. and then, the three of us headed back to virginia.
so, it was a long and rather emotional weekend, but an ok trip overall. we're hoping our next trip is a little better but look forward to going back to cleveland sometime :) - maybe for the half next year, but the full is too much (especially with shamrock and boston in the few weeks leading up to it).
