Cleveland, Ohio (located on the banks of Lake Erie) is the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Museum. Those of you who have been to France (or perhaps have a special interest in architecture) may notice a similarity between the glass edifice I photographed above, and the glass pyramid that now is situated in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Both are by the world-renown architect I.M. Pei. His design in Cleveland is a magnificent structure. The many different levels and angles it has, might be said to be representative of the many different levels and angles that the music genre Rock and Roll has had. It is full of colorful and soundful permanent exhibits, as well as a constantly updated list of special, temporary exhibits. One could probably go there every day for a year, and still not see everything, or listen to all the available recordings; therefore, I recommend that you plan your visit in advance. Make a list of the artists you are most interested in and find out where their history or hall of fame award is located in the museum. Then use any remaining time to see areas that you have not covered. And here's a tip: Don't plan for a quick "in and out" with a purchase from the museum gift shop. The gift shop sells the usual souvenirs related to their theme, but since the theme is music, there is a huge selection of audio recordings to purchase as well. Add to this the fact that the gift shop is open to the public without a paid ticket to see the museum, and you begin to get the message--there were VERY long lines at the checkout counters. In fact, it was the longest lines I had seen at a shop like this since attending the Olympics in Atlanta back in the last century. Needless to say, I used my camera as my "souvenir-making machine" and skipped the long lines. After all, it was not time to Que up in a line---it was time to ROCK & ROLL!
