(Photo) John Lennon’s Guitar.

Piece 1: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Located near the Lake Erie shoreline in downtown Cleveland OH, just north of State Route 2, is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

The building, opened to the public in 1995, was designed by celebrated Asian-American architect I. M. Pei and is a combination of geometric forms and cantilevered spaces connected by a 162-foot tower.

The most recognizable feature of the complex has to be the triangular-shaped “glass tent” entryway facade that extends down onto a large plaza space resembling a record player.

Inside the museum are multiple floors of artifacts, memorabilia, and interactive exhibits that give visitors more insight into notable people involved in the creation, performance, and production of rock (and pop) music.

The “Signature Gallery” features autographs from Hall of Fame inductees, artistically etched into shiny black walls. It’s fun to scan the famous individuals and groups represented in the gallery, and trace over their signatures with your finger.

The performance costumes on display are definitely works of art; like the multicolored jacket worn by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones at a 1973 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City and the incredible white leather beaded and fringed vest Sly Stone wore on tour in 1970.

Perhaps our favorite piece in the museum collection is John Lennon’s acoustic guitar, which was personalized by the former Beatle with some drawings on the body. The pick marks and gouges in the wood of the instrument are a reflection of how much it had been played over the years. In fact, Lennon used this relatively simple guitar on several Beatles albums, including “Meet the Beatles” and “A Hard Day’s Night”.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a fascinating place, inside and out.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Gallery

Piece 2: Pro Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF). Located about an hour drive south from Cleveland OH on Interstate 77 is Canton OH, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2121 George Halas Drive).

The PFHOF opened in 1963 as a 19,000 square-foot stone structure that followed a circular design and had a distinctive football-shaped dome. This original building remains a key part of the now 118,000 square-foot facility, and its image is the organization’s logo.

The feature exhibit here is the Hall of Fame Gallery, where bronze head sculptures (or busts) of every player inducted into the PFHOF are displayed.

Visitors can also see every winning team’s Super Bowl ring, uniforms of famous National Football League (NFL) players, a PFHOF jacket, and various other artifacts and memorabilia from different periods of professional football.

One interesting item we saw was a knee brace used by quarterback Joe Namath during his years with the New York Jets, which made it possible for him to continue playing despite his oft-injured and surgically repaired joints.

Fans of pro football will enjoy the PFHOF, and the drive down from Cleveland is very scenic.

Cleveland Public Square

Piece 3: Cleveland Public Square. Located in downtown Cleveland OH at the former intersection of Superior Avenue and Ontario Street is a 10-acre central plaza (established in the mid-1800’s) known as the Public Square.

Part green space and part pavement, the Square is a pedestrian friendly area that offers a unique perspective of the city.

It is surrounded by some of the tallest buildings in Cleveland, and adjacent to two noteworthy landmarks, the Old Stone Church (built in 1855) and the former Higbee’s Department Store building (featured in the classic 1983 movie “A Christmas Story”).

When in Cleveland, the Public Square is a worthwhile stop.

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