On the road again: Bouchercon, Cleveland, day 2

The con kicked off in earnest today.  I spent, as is sadly usual, far more of the day working than doing anything else, but I still managed to squeeze in multiple fun events. 

I slipped away from work in my room during the daytime to catch two panels, one on odd things writers will do in the name of story research, and the other an interview with Guest of Honor Robin Cook.  I didn't learn a ton from either one, though I came away impressed with Cook's passion and work ethic. 

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, Amazon's mystery publishing line, the Bouchercon folks were able to host a reception and opening ceremonies at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I've been a supporting member of this place since around the time of the groundbreaking, and I've always wanted to see it, so I was quite excited by this opportunity. 

Directly in front of me when I stepped off the shuttle trolley was Johnny Cash's bus.

He lived in it on the road for many years, so it was cool to see.

The I.M. Pei-designed structure was, of course, even cooler.  

The guitars appear all around Cleveland, and though their quality is uneven, I quite like them as a theme.

Wandering the museum was a very emotional experience, because rock and roll has been so important to me for virtually all of my life for which I have memories.  They don't permit photography in most areas, but a security guard confirmed that it was okay for me to take this shot of the original awning from CBGB.

Without rock music, I don't know how I would have made it out of adolescence.  Hell, without rock, I don't know how I'd make it today.   I loved my time in the museum.

Dinner was at the Greenhouse Tavern, a place that focuses on local sourcing, where we again made a meal of starters.  The sickest dish we tried was the "Animal Style Frites."  You can read the menu's description here, but suffice to say that anything with fries, bacon, fried eggs, mozzarella cheese curds, and brown gravy can't help but be as delicious as it is life-threatening.

For dessert, we had maple and walnut brittle ice cream, a special Jeni's flavor that is available only at this restaurant (and that brought me there in the first place).  It was mighty damn good. 

Walking both to and from dinner, I was struck again by how lovely downtown Cleveland is. 

The young me was wrong.  This is a very cool place, and I'm grateful for the chance to have come here.