Shop or dine at the shops on Cleveland’s East 4th Street.
in part—the 1983 movie we can see every Christmas on television. “The film went to the theater and unfortunately it was sort of forgotten about after the fact,” explains A Christmas Story House and Museum tour guide Addie Wallo. “But in 1997, we can mark the debut of the Christmas-Eve-into-Christmas-Day, 24-hour TV marathon that I’m sure we all watch every single year and that’s why we’re all here right now,” she quips. The house is one highlight of my trip to northeastern Ohio, where I visit Cleveland’s historic squares, bustling markets, and revitalized neighborhoods and, needless to say, the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In Canton, I’ll stop in another Hall of Fame dedicated to pro football, and I’ll learn about one of the country’s pivotal battles while visiting the two most popular Lake Erie Islands. I’ll also see the mausoleums—both notable architectural achievements—of two assassinated U.S. presidents. My first stop is downtown Cleveland’s pyramid-shaped, scintillating glass and steel Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along a boat-filled harbor on the Lake Erie shoreline. Collections include everything a rock and roller might dream about—from Elvis Presley’s 1968 glittering gold suit and John Lennon’s 1964 Rickenbacker guitar, to the band Kiss’ drum set and the dress Tina Turner wore in her “Private Dancer” video. Exhibits span seven
Welcome to Cleveland.
A TRIO OF DESTINATIONS Story and photos by Richard Varr Cleveland
At first glance, it looks like any typical neighborhood home with a mustard-yellow façade, trimmed hedges and a shaded porch where I could easily pass the time enjoying a gentle summer breeze. But with a closer look, I realize I’ve seen this house before—not in person, but on television—over and over again. All of a sudden, scenes of a famous Christmas movie come vividly to mind. “You’ll shoot your eye out kid,” says Santa to young Ralphie Parker who squeamishly asks him for a Red Ryder BB gun. Inside, I see the shapely leg lamp draped by a fishnet stocking that Ralphie’s father gloats over in an awkward family moment. And around back is the door where a pack of hungry dogs escapes the father’s ire after devouring the Christmas turkey. This house in Cleveland’s blue-collar Tremont neighborhood is where A Christmas Story was filmed
TRIO OF DESTINATIONS
COAST TO COAST SPRING MAGAZINE 2019
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