Wandering Around Cleveland

Since I was close to Cleveland and it wasn't too late yet, I decided to wander into the city.  It was a pretty nice day for it.

 The Indians game was already complete, so I didn't have to compete for traffic.  One thing I like about Midwestern cities is that they have some pretty unique looking buildings.

The Terminal Tower is a 52 story building that is 771 feet tall.  When it was dedicated, it was the fourth tallest building in the world and the tallest building outside of New York until 1953.  It would remain the tallest building in Cleveland until the completion of the Key Tower in 1991.  One of these days, I just need to go to Cleveland with the idea of touring Cleveland in mind.

To the right of the picture is part of Cleveland Indians Stadium.  For the longest time, it was known as Jacobs Field until money entered the picture.  Now it is known as some sort.

 Since I saw other parts of the Cuyahoga River, I figured it was appropriate to see the mouth of the River, so I headed over to Wendy Park.  It is a fairly nice place for pictures of the city.  This is a railroad lift bridge.

 While this line doesn't see Fostoria numbers, it does appear to be pretty busy.  In the two hours I was near it, I heard or saw at least 5 or 6 trains.

 The line itself is owned by Norfolk Southern and it takes priorities over the boats in the river.  I suspect that changes when one of the boats is a ship though.

 Wendy Park also presents a pretty nice vantage point for a shot of the Cleveland Skyline.

 One of the sheriff boats heading into the river.

 Another shot of the skyline.

 The former Coast Guard station at Whiskey Island is a pretty unique structure.  It was built in 1940 and looks like it.  It looks like it was a beautiful building at one time.  I think there may be a group interested in restoring it.

 One of the Cleveland lighthouses.  Since I didn't bring my longer lens out with me, this was the best shot that I could get.

 Another view of the Coast Guard Station.  I wonder what it looks like on the inside.

 Another train.

 Looking towards the tower.  This reminds me of an art deco interpretation of a lighthouse.

 Another view of the station.

 And the boat house.  The station was closed in 1976 when the Coast Guard moved to the north harbor.

 A tour boat heading out to the lake.

 Another train.

 I was surprised to see this guy.  Sadly, I didn't have the right shutter speed when he flew away.

 The Polsteam Vessel Iryda at the docks.  She was built in 1999 and has a capacity of almost 35,000 tons.  She is one of several salties that calls on the Great Lakes.

 A statue of the American Olympic track star Jesse Owens.  He was able to win 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.   The look on Adolph Hitler's face was priceless as this was happening.  There was talk of boycotting those Olympics along with the British and a couple of other nations.  Had that happened, the Olympics would have still gone on but instead of this moment of triumph, we would have seen Germany walk home with the lions share of medals.  This is one of the main reasons I am not a proponent of boycotting the Olympics (despite how horrible the host nation is).

 A statue dedicated to Oliver Hazard Perry.  This one seems similar to the one in Perrysburg, Ohio.

 The Cuyahoga County Courthouse.  Like many courthouses, it is a building of pretty impressive stature. 

 It was built in 1875 and is the fourth courthouse of Cuyahoga County.  In 1884, it was expanded (rather than building a new one).

 Another view of the Cleveland Skyline.  The Building in the middle is the Key Tower which was built in 1991.  At 57 stories (and 927 feet), it is the tallest building in Ohio and the 109th tallest in the World.

Looking down one of the streets.

 This is a statue of Thomas Jefferson and is front of the Cuyahoga Courthouse.  Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States.  He was the principle author of the Declaration of Independence.  He served many govermental posts including Secretary of State, Virginia Governor, Congressman, Minister of France and a few others.  During his Presidency, he oversaw the Louisiana Purchase from France and started the Louis and Clark Expedition.  In 1807, he signed a bill outlawing slave importation.  Like many figures, there are moments of controversy including an alleged affair with one of his slaves.

A cannon from one of the British ships captured by Oliver Hazard Perry during the Battle of Lake Erie.

Like I said, I need to make a point of going to Cleveland for the sake of going to Cleveland.  There is so much to see there.