Tourist for a day-Cleveland Library

I thought I had sufficiently prepared for our outing on Saturday. It turns out, I didn't 😂 The result is that we did not spend as much time as I wanted to and we didn't even see half of it. Obviously, if you read the title of this blog post you know I am talking about the Cleveland Library. I have never been in a library so large in my entire life! That is saying something considering I have been in libraries all over the world, and the Singapore Library is a good size.

When we found out we were moving to Cleveland I bought the book Secret Cleveland: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. I did not want to live in Cleveland forever and never visit anything (basically what we did in Monroe). I wanted to know the area and I wanted to visit obscure places.

I know what you are thinking, how can a library be an obscure place...it's not. I believe it falls into the "wonderful" category. Here are two descriptions that put the library on my must-see list (besides the obvious fact that it is a library!):

What does the largest library collection of chess sets, miniature books and a Great Wall of China brick all have in common? There are so much more than books within the walls of the Cleveland Public Library. Wander around the 1925 building, pass  through doors, wander under arched, titled ceilings, and climb grand marble staircases. Soon, you will discover an entire world beyond the typical books and you enter a place of art, collections and culture.

The Cleveland Public Library is so much more than a place to check out books. It is part library, part museum and all inspiration. A great place to wile away an afternoon or a rainy day.

You would think after these two descriptions we would be ready to visit the library. Nope, I was completely unprepared for what we found when we got there. And, I will admit to acting like a tourist the minute we walked in the door 😂 I was like, "Oh cool, look at that wall!" Pointing and everything 😂

I knew I wanted to start on the third floor because that is where the special collections are kept (like the chess sets mentioned above). So, we got there and we started up the staircase (I wanted exercise, no elevators for us!). We got to the third floor and I was like, wait, something is wrong, this is not special collections. Plus, we had not walked up marble staircases (which I knew when we were walking up). I had not realized/known there are two wings to the library! I knew it was huge when we walked up to it, the building is impressive, I just hadn't realized there was more than one section. So, we trekked back down the three flights of stairs and crossed to the other wing, and walked up the marble staircases, where EVERYTHING was more impressive. It was hard to know which way to look, and it took a while to get to the third floor because I would stop and take pictures 😂 This is where we were unprepared. We should have brought in our water bottles because (if you have been counting) after walking up six flights of stairs, we needed water! There was a water fountain and it may have even worked, but after all the sickness we had in February you could not pay me to drink from a water fountain.

Anyway, long story short, we had a great time at the Cleveland Library and I can't wait to go back. I have NEVER seen so many books in one place, and for these introverts, it was overwhelming. It will take several trips to see everything. I loved how it was part museum, part library. It is a must see experience if you are anywhere near the Cleveland area, or will be passing through. Pro tip: Parking is metered, but it is FREE on the weekends.

These pictures were taken by me and Kayla.

 

I snapped the picture of this light fixture (globe) because I thought it was super cool...I didn't realize it had a story! According to Wikipedia "Hanging from the Main Library entrance hall is a large terrestrial pearl-gray art glass globe made by the Sterling Bronze Company in 1925. This globe is based on a Leonardo da Vinci map, now housed at Windsor Castle. The map is one of earliest to depict the Americas-with North America indicated simply by small islands^."

Above the elevator!

The marble steps

I forgot to mention the super cool Superman Exhibit!!!

All the rooms had something above them like this

We really enjoyed the library and playing tourist for the day. I am not sure where we will go next 😁