We arrived in Cleveland in the early evening of Thursday, August 4th. My family reunion was "officially" set to begin on Friday, but my mom and Gary and Aunt Rachel were already there. We had some dinner and got the kids settled in bed for the night, then Eric and I went out with my friend Megan and her husband Andy.
Welcome to my home state!
Megan and Andy, being the resident experts on all things Cleveland and chocolate, took us out for treats at Sweet Moses downtown. The ice cream was tasty and it was so nice to sit and catch up with good friends! After dessert they drove us through downtown to see the World's Largest Outdoor Chandelier in Playhouse Square. It was a beautiful night and a bunch of shows were letting out so the streets were busy, and it was a really nice way to end the evening.
A pair of Meg(h)ans! We've been friends for 27 years now, I think!
The big chandelier!
Enjoying a quick walk downtown
The next morning, we still had some time before more Hesterman people started to arrive, so we decided to head back downtown to the Great Lakes Science Center for another fun outing with Meg and Andy. This time, the kids came along!
Before going into the museum, we took a few pictures of the local landmarks.
The W. family in Cleveland!
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Ellie rocking out by the Rock Hall, with the Science Center behind her
E.J. at the Rock Hall
Inside the museum, we had a great time exploring all the exhibits together. The big hits here were the little room that takes a picture of your shadow, and the kids' play area with ball pits and dress-up.
Ellie always enjoys a space exhibit! Here she's using astronaut gloves.
Experiments!
E.J. just wanted to stay here and throw balls all day.
Eric, Meg and Andy (assisted by Ellie) built a block arch!
Listening to headphones at the music exhibits
Ball pit!
Ellie was so thrilled to dress up like Officer Judy Hopps (from Zootopia)!
E.J. wanted Eric to dress up with him!
As the morning wore on we had to call it quits and return to my grandpa's house for lunch and naptime, so we bid farewell to our friends and headed back. Thanks for a great morning, Megan and Andy!
Also, on Saturday while E.J. napped, Eric and I took Ellie with us to run a couple of errands and took her to see a couple of my old haunts. We drove past my old house, and parked at my old elementary school and let her play on the (all completely new) playground equipment. It was really cool to take my little girl back to those places that meant so much to me when I was young.
In front of my childhood home
On the steps of my elementary school
And that was our Cleveland sightseeing! Next up will be a weekend of Hesterfun at the annual family reunion!
To see our full set of Cleveland (non-reunion) pictures, click here.
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