Tourists in Our Own Hometown

After visiting the observation deck of the Terminal Tower, Gayle, Duffy, Frank and I decided to wander around downtown Cleveland a bit.

In front of the tower is Public Square, and one quadrant of the square is dominated by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.  It was dedicated in 1894 and honors the more than 9000 men from Cuyahoga County who served during the Civil War.

 The monument with the Key Tower, Ohio's tallest building in the background

One of the four bronze statuary groupings which surround the monument.

In the background is the Terminal Tower.

Although I had been inside the monument once before on one of Alejandro's visits to Ohio, none of the others had ever been inside.  So, we entered the monument which is free of charge.

The walls inside are covered with the names of those who served in the Civil War.

One of fourteen stained glass windows which were designed by a local glassworks

There are bronze panels with life-size figures in the center of the interior.

The three men in the center were Ohio's wartime governors.  To their left and right are Civil War generals who were born in Ohio or who led the Ohio troops.  Among them are two Ohio-born men who would later become President of the United States.  To the far left is James Garfield and second from the right is Rutherford B. Hayes.

Lincoln breaks the chains of slavery.

Lincoln discusses with his generals how the war should be brought to an end.

After visiting the monument, we then headed down Cleveland's main street, Euclid Avenue.

We took a short detour onto East 4th Street.  It was once a rundown street lined with pawn shops, but it is now a pedestrian zone with trendy restaurants and bars.  However, we didn't see any place that really appealed to all four of us for lunch.

Back on Euclid Avenue we popped into the Cleveland Arcade.

When it opened in 1890, it was one of the first indoor shopping arcades in the United States.  It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  The lower two floors are still occupied by retail merchants, but the upper floors are now part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Gayle loves cupcakes, and she had read that a new cupcake shop had opened on Euclid Avenue.  When we found it, we had to go inside.  She bought a couple of cupcakes, and she reports that they were very good.

Duffy sitting in an over-sized chair in the cupcake shop

By this time, we were getting hungry, and we agreed upon a downtown restaurant for lunch.  That will be the subject of tomorrow's post.