From Tokyo: How to Enjoy Cleveland during the convention

[quiller]

The Japan Times calls Cleveland "the perfect place for political history geeks." Here's why.....

But what might be the most intriguing presidential-themed site in Cleveland isn't a museum or historic home. Nope. It's a dive bar named for an obscure president who was actually born in New York. It's called the Millard Fillmore Presidential Library, but the only political memorabilia on display is of the goofball variety — like a photo of Mount Rushmore with Fillmore's face plastered in. The drink menu includes a Fillmore Manhattan and beers named Fireside Chat, 21st Amendment and Jackie O's Firefly Amber.

Elsewhere, the Cleveland area has plenty of bonafide political sites — like the James A. Garfield Memorial, honoring the Ohio-born 20th president, and the First Ladies National Historic Site 95 kilometers away in Canton. But for GOP delegates and anybody else needing a place to kick back when the Republicans come to town to pick their presidential nominee July 18-21, the Millard Fillmore Presidential Library might just be the place.

Why Fillmore, when he's not even born in Ohio? Bar owner Tom Bell says he "wanted to puncture the whole idea of presidential libraries. It's such a pompous, self-aggrandizing tribute. So I did a little research and found out the most commonly bottom-ranked president in the history of our country was Millard Fillmore."

The bar is located in an emerging hipster 'hood called the Waterloo Arts & Entertainment District, amid businesses on Waterloo Road like Blue Arrow Records, Star Pop vintage clothing, Citizen Pie pizza and the Beachland Ballroom, a live music club. On a recent visit, a man was throwing up in a sidewalk trash can a few doors down while a shouting match took place at a bus stop. "It's kind of a gritty neighborhood but that's part of the charm," said bartender Jim Caldwell, adding that Cleveland's self-deprecating identity is sometimes summed up like this: "At least we're not Detroit."

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/07/09/travel/cleveland-perfect-place-political-history-geeks/

[Solar]

 "At least we're not Detroit."

[quiller]

"At least we're not Detroit."

The Japanese, I devoutly assure you, do know a thing or two about drinking establishments. If they like this "dive bar," then it certainly must be worth the effort to pry yourself away from the Presidential burial site to go see....yaknowhatImean?

[Solar]

The Japanese, I devoutly assure you, do know a thing or two about drinking establishments. If they like this "dive bar," then it certainly must be worth the effort to pry yourself away from the Presidential burial site to go see....yaknowhatImean?

Yes I do, we have a local watering hole, or rather cesspit, which is how the locals view it, but by God, the place is world renowned for what? I have no fuckin clue, but Japs, Ausies, Chinks etc all love and frequent the place when touring Calif. gold country.
Poor Red's was an old Wells Fargo stage stop if memory serves, and later turned into a bar, and lost to Poor Red in a dice game in the 40s and has been a local dive ever since, but I'll never understand the attraction tourist have to the dive, you'd think word would spread about just how crappy and greasy the food is, and the lousy legendary golden Cadillacs are.

Hell, maybe white trash is the attraction?