Betwixting My USA INTERIM part 3A: Chicago, Cleveland thence New York Siddy

Oh my oh my oh my.

Ok oh KAYYYYYYY. So.

USA is huge and if you’re travelling around it it’s about North and South. Of North America that is. South America is not involved here as I probably will save a trip to Rio or Macu Picchu til the next life.

So I stayed on this particular foray in Los Angeles which is WEST COAST. And I’m ending up on the EAST COAST (North East) in NEW YORK CITY, having also stopped in CHICAGO which is the MIDWEST but isn’t really mid way to the WEST at all. The MIDWEST definition goes back to the MID 1800s when one also had the CORN belt and the RUST belt, but Most Americans say the MIDWEST includes 12 States including Illinois and Ohio, both of which I’m visiting on this trip.

I’ve also been to the Northernmost of the SOUTH of NORTH America TENNESSEE (Nashville) and the DEEP SOUTH isn’t very PROFOUND at all, especially if you’ve watched DALLAS.

Got it? Good.

SO it’s ALL ending up being CHICAGO (for two weeks but like LA shoulda been longer) CLEVELAND (shoulda been PROVINCETOWN, New England but no ferries or buses go there in MARCH as it’s a coastal resort on the tip of a bit of New England two hours or so from BOSTON, Massachusetts, until it gets much warmer, ie, MAY) but CLEVELAND is INTERESTING too and it’s in OHIO and kinda on the way to NEW YORK CITY, which is on the EAST COAST and is MY FINAL STOP in this SIX MONTH trip and TWO WEEKS there will just about be enough for this now weary soul, and with four BROADWAY shows already booked plus visits to Major Art Galleries in CHICAGO CLEVELAND and NEW YORK inked in (NOT LinkedIn, see what they did there?), well this, DEAR READER, will present itself as SUFFICIENCY itself to complete and terminate this whole BLOGONTEUR’s chapter and bring it to hopefully a SUCCESSFUL and HILARIOUS CLOSE.

GOT IT? Good.

Chicago then. SNOWY ICY SUNNY and in FEBRUARY so not too many Lake Michigan walks, but SHOPPING for overcoats thermals woolly hats and gloves for the last month of my sunburnt trip is the order of Mrs Day.

Meeting up with more friends, Beth and Tom, plus making new ones, Joe and Christian (Oh Lordy, Christian!) plus many bars in my favourite area LAKEVIEW where BOYSTOWN is located (lots of cabaret karaoke and cool cowboys, including Matthew The phew Barman) and the oldest Blues Club (Buddy Guy’s Legends) downtown in Central Chicago (aka The Loop) for some concert entertainment not forgetting a most welcoming CHICKEN and MUSHROOM PIE, in a gorgeous very BRITISH hostelry called THE ELEPHANT AND CASTLE and occasional gorgeous breakfasts in EGGSPERIENCE near my hotel, as the LATTER’s own attempts at morning fare were so pre-packaged and lacking in any culinary joy whatsoever that I feared a bout of plastic poisoning was on Mrs Cards, as in “Mr Marshall, you’re suffering from too much Polypropylene in your Diet”.

(“That was a very long sentence”- Non Existent Ed. “Just Like This Entire Blog” - Me).

Overdid it in Chicago, largely because 2 weeks is nowhere near enough time to experience what should be experienced, but floods more of tears to leave….

So Dear Reader….,Amtrak for 6 hours was painless and at first Cleveland was VERY COLD and FOGGY, so we started with well needed R&R overlooking Lake Erie, another of the Great Ones! My oh my, this America has contrasts like mad.

Just chatted to some lovely folks Anne and David who’ve been both Man Utd and Chicago Cubs fans all of their lives and just loved how they “loved my accent” as does Jermaine the hotel barman, and I just thought to myself that in England cos of my surgery, people look at me and turn away and certainly would rather not talk to me in many cases. Think my voice is incomprehensible at times. Yup you didn’t know that dear Reader. Ho hum. (***** Return to UK TERROR 1).

When the peasouper has lifted, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame done (great and numerous exhibits really) Downtown Cleveland so far is a bit bleak and horrific in its concretitude (©️rpl2026) and ugliness.

Mind you, “Ohio City” has a bunch of excellent microbreweries and the fabulous Stevie at Saucy Brew Works where they make FOURTEEN different beers was a great chatterer as she served me UNDISPUTED (Pilsner) and DISPOSABLE THUMBS (a Hazy IPA, of which there are now hundreds in the US). My Heavens have beers progressed in this fabulous country since the garbage of Bud and Coors back in the late 70s.

There is some Terrific Art and Music scene here but you gotta travel to get to them just a bit….there’s jolly people too! Stevie did say that musical acts or big theatre won’t come here, more like head to Chicago…but there’s bands and acts galore.

The essence of lovely chatty interesting and interested humans remains. Gawd bless ‘em!
The Cleveland Museum of Art and the Modern Art Galleries are both terrific, and there is a wonderful Queer Space called the Twist Social Club, where I didn’t Chubby Checker as such (look it up) but boogied on the dance floor with a lovely drunken lady and her naughty male pal for an hour of OAP madness! Great fun!

PLUS In the middle of the University campus is the Jolly Scholar, a Brewpub Microbrewery run by students that serves over 20 of its own beers (I tried 3 all delish) and the lovely student barman Kieran (“hi Kieran”) explained it all goes on in the basement but he hasn’t a clue how. There was also live music by bluegrass/folk musicians jamming away gloriously and having a ball. I had a beer with the double bass player !

Sorry Dear Reader, got meself distracted there. Must have been the Munich Bierhalle where, the next day, I sampled a “stein” (yes Andreas, I KNOW it’s called a Maß aka Maas, really, but not here in the USA or UK), of their delicious foaming lager plus Black Forest Caloriecake….

Finally I actually saw some of the Great Lake the city is on. “Erie?”-Non Existent Ed. “Not too creepy once the fog had lifted”. 🤣

Said bye bye to barperson Kenni and she posed for me laughing her head off! Nice hotel, shame about another plastic breakfast !

So it’s 2 weeks to go and TWELVE FLIPPING AMTRAK HOURS to New YORK CITY and………cue…….

©️betwixt bloggings March 2026