July 30, 2015 (Ohio)

We woke up again with the birds this morning in order to make it to Sandusky, Ohio. There has been quite a bit of build-up leading to this next destination. Today, we visit the ROLLER COASTER CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!! WEEEEE! But first, I drank an entire pot of coffee and fell asleep immediately when I got in the car. I rode for two hours with mouth agape and drool soaking into my neck pillow. I am that tired.

Mile 1557-Cedar Point is situated on the banks of Lake Erie. It is the second oldest amusement park in the U.S., it features a world-record, 72-ride menu from which to choose. It is the only amusement park in the world with four roller coasters taller than 200 ft!

Roller Coaster pose. Or, bank robbery pose.

Cedar Point is a lot like most amusement parks. No, I would NOT like you to guess my age or my weight. That's between me and Jesus.

But, it is set in a beautiful location, meticulously clean and beautifully landscaped. The food is over-priced and the people watching is epic.
Mr. Bullington and Charlotte got the fast pass so they could cut in line. Not sure what message this is sending, but they wanted to maximize coaster time since we were only going to be there one day.

The little Bullington's and I rode this in memory of Aunt Lindsay's lunch at Lake Winnie in the late '90s. We managed to hold on to our vittles. 

I hung with the younger two. Thomas' courage did not quite match his height in inches so he was a bit of a grump and kept reminding the workers that he was  "NOT A BABY!"

Barf.

This is more our speed

View of Lake Erie from the Ferris Wheel or the Ferrosel as Thomas calls it.

T and his new best friend Owen that he met in line and invited his family to eat lunch with us :/

I caught Thomas demonstrating his new warrior technique to his random friend. He calls it Dance-fighting. It's when you use some rocking dance moves to distract/wound your opponent. Imagine "the sprinkler" to the head. You really have to witness it...

Could I get three of these to go?

Dare Devil Daddy Daughter Duo

Cedar Point was a hot day in the sun and a hit with the kids,  now we are headed to Cleveland. Mr. Bullington sleeps this leg while I pound Red Bulls. We are in survival mode up in here.

Mile 1589.4- Cleveland, Ohio.

All I can say is Wow. I am not sure if Cleveland shines a little brighter because I still have the after taste of Detroit in my mouth, but Cleveland Rocks!

It doesn't hurt that the Marriott points afforded us a Marriott suite in a historic hotel downtown. I actually have a real live door between the kids and the parent sleeping quarters! This current Marriott was historically the The Colonial Motel. It was built in 1890 and still has many historic features. During renovation of this building, they opened up the arcades (kind of like shopping hallways that run through the block.) John D. Rockefeller funded the original arcades and Cleveland's restoration efforts have reclaimed them. 

Ring. Hello, Detroit? This is Cleveland. Sarah asked me to call you to see if you wanted a consult?

A little much needed wiggle room

Cute little door knocker with a cute little door knocker

We figured that after a blazing-hot day at an amusement park the kids would be up for a brisk walk and a nice dinner out. We shoved them full of cotton candy at day's end in hopes that we would maintain glucose levels through dinner.  And, we had a little surprise up our sleeves....

WORLD'S LARGEST OUTDOOR CHANDELIER!!!  She's a beaut! This is located in Cleveland's vibrant theater district.

But, Cleveland. What a big Chandelier you have....

We strolled among the beautiful buildings and finally landed at The Green House Tavern. It's proprietor won the James Beard award and it was delicious. The kids drank sarsaparilla out of bottles and pretended it was beer....precious little imps. It was a really cool space with a vast library of VHS tapes on hand. You could even pick a vidia-tape to play on the VCR behind the bar. Someone had picked out High Fidelity with John Cusak. Fortunately, the kids had their back to the TV so they missed out on the racy scenes.

Green House Tavern

If you build it, they will come.

Looking forward to exploring more of Cleveland tomorrow!