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In the summer of 2011, I spent two weeks driving across the United States with my friends Mike and Bryan. It was a trip that most people make right after college and before they start their first real job. I waited until I was 43 and I probably cheated by flying back to Washington, D.C. from Portland, Oregon instead of making the return trip by car. Hey, there's only so much time I can take off from work.

Our trip took us along a northern route across the continent and we visited a lot of places that I had never been before and some which I probably will never see again. Our first stop was in Cleveland, Ohio, which is somewhere I had wanted to visit for years to see The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Cleveland is a great city (yes, you read that right). We saw the Rock Hall but also discovered the West Side Market and the nearby Great Lakes Brewing Company; toured the Steamship William G. Mather Museum to learn about shipping on the Great Lakes; and ate some good food, although probably not enough perogies.

On our second and final night in Cleveland, we visited City Tap, which was absolutely the best bar we visited on our cross country trek, and I took the photograph that is now the background image for this blog. City Tap was the bar which introduced me to cake flavored vodka (awesome) and Thirsty Dog beer (great logo). Throw in Carling Black Label in cans and I can't believe when I go back to Cleveland that I'm hanging out at any other bar. Bryan and I also agree this place had the best bartender on the trip.

But the real treat, and the reason I took this photograph, was their collection of bobbleheads, which was impressive to this bobblehead collector in so many ways despite the preponderance of Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeye bobbles. At least they had one of former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler. Go Blue!!!