Here’s a tip for a successful family vacation: be sure to include the entire family. Not only when you load-up the car (no Home Alone scenes, please) but no matter how painful, include everyone in the planning. Don’t just go visit someplace mom and dad want to see, and assume the kids will be happy to tag along. Odds are, they won’t be. Face your fears, and schedule a trip to Legoland or a heavy metal rock concert or some amazingly greasy hamburger joint, even if it’s the last place on earth you’d care to visit. It’s not just about you — it’s about your family.

So, whenever possible, Bill and I have tried to include visits to places the kids would enjoy. This accounts for the ridiculous number of minor league baseball games we’ve seen, the two-visits-in-one-day to Harry Potter World, and here in Cleveland, the visit to the World Famous National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame.

Lemme tell ya, the kids were absolutely clamoring to learn all about the polka. How I wish we could’ve gone to a live performance. Bill and I are big fans of polka, as it reminds us of our time in the beer halls of Germany. Oom pah pah. Cleveland boasts its own special version. The friendly woman at the Polka Hall of Fame told us all about the music’s popularity in the area. Apparently there’s a large Slovenian community in Cleveland, that Americanized their native polka during the 1940s and 1950s. Cleveland was even once considered the polka capitol of the world!! The polka is very easy to dance to, and our guide was convinced that the polka will always remain popular because it’s just such happy music. I like this woman.

Turns out, there’s another musical museum in Cleveland — The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Who knew?

The exhibits were extensive, but of course the main attraction was the music. It was absolutely addicting — I could’ve listened for hours. What a great play list for your iPod. After a while, I began to feel a bit of sensory overload. Exhibits, recorded music, and live performances on stage had my head spinning. Still, I enjoyed it very much, despite the glaring omission of one of my favorite rockers, Sheryl Crow (I asked, they weren’t sure why she wasn’t profiled. Harumphh).

We left our teen to explore every nook and cranny of the museum, while we went in search of the perfect pirogi. We found it. Oh my.

This place was dangerous. Moving down the cafeteria line, you simply have to pick one of everything and put it on your tray. Among other things, we ended up with a stuffed cabbage the size of a football and about 300 pirogies that we had no problem devouring.

We found Cleveland to be a very pleasant city — definitely no longer the “mistake by the lake” of years past. Easy, wide streets, interesting architecture, lakeside views. All this and pirogies, too?!

Exactly what do they do or make at this company?

I wonder about our Cleveland’s hotel accommodations — we may have to add this place to our Do Not Return list. Our large room had a comfy sleep sofa and cozy fireplace. Just perfect for roasting marshmallows. Or your toes — without even getting out of bed.

Leaving Cleveland, we traveled along interstates 490, 480, 71, 90, 80, 475, and Ohio routes 2 and 6, stopping in Sandusky for a fish fry. The area is famous for Lake Perch and Walleye, served up fried in a light batter. Bill’s family is from this area, and we look forward to returning next summer for a huge family reunion and enormous fish fry! We were tempted to put our toes in Lake Erie, but a local woman warned us of snakes in the area. Yikes. We’ll wait until next year when the relatives can show us where to swim free of sea monsters.

We passed a huge, shuttered factory in Sandusky, and read about the area’s ups and downs. The Cedar Point amusement park is here, packed with wild roller coasters, but the area has also been on an economic roller coaster. At one time, GM, Ford, and Chrysler all had manufacturing plants in the area, but they have all closed down. On the other hand, not long after our visit, Forbes magazine named Sandusky as the best place in the US to live cheaply. Up and down, up and down.

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Speaking of roller coasters, I’m finding myself on an emotional ride these days. The end of the 50/50 tour is in sight, which brings excitement but also serious melancholy. Despite raising our family’s stress level tenfold, the 50/50 tour has been wildly entertaining and just plain old fun. Visiting new places with my family is my absolute favorite thing to do. I find it hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since we started this terrific adventure. Seems like only yesterday we were heading west to begin our quest. Looking at the calendar, I remember vividly what we were doing on this date last year. Bill can’t remember anything from last summer — must be his age. He’s much older than me, you know.

43. Ohio
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame