Ohio City Bicycle Co-op

This month, in strict, reverential observance of the April 14th 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, our second monthly (and 572nd, or so, all-time) Saturday Social Ride will depart from OCBC at 10:30am (returning by noon) to visit legendary local sites of immense import to Rock's history:

After a brief Safety Check (in partial view of Major Hooples, where the yet-to-be-inducted Schwartz Brothers have played for the last 20 or so years) we'll start by checking out any recent (and the remnants of some ~ 40 year-old) rock-art installations at one of the grittiest and saddest underground spots in the Flats, the Temple of Lost Love (not far from, and artistically entwined with, Pat's in the Flats). After a moment of reflection, we'll head uptown past the Plaza, where most of the original members of yet-to-be-inducted Pere Ubu shared an apartment in their early days to visit  BOTH of the Agora Ballrooms (the current, renamed theater, and the site of the legendary old club); passing, between them, the Cleveland Arena site, where it all began with the Moondog Coronation Ball; and then the parking structure that usurped the venerable Hippodrome Theater, where the Beatles "played" a Closed Circuit gig (be aware that we will have, in our very shop for you to sit upon before or after the ride, an actual seat from that theater, salvaged by none other than the amazingly talented Max Bangwell, former drummer for yet-to-be-inducted Robert Lockwood Jr., whose memorial "way" we'll use not once, but TWICE on our odyssey).

Finally, after a stop at Public Hall -- where a Walk of Fame was recently Cast in Concrete and the Induction Ceremony and Simulcast will soon occur; and where, once upon a time, the Beatles got Rock shows banned from Cleveland  -- we'll look down upon the hallowed Rock Hall itself.  In the same breathtaking vista we'll see the site of the former Cleveland Municipal Stadium where the Beatles' played the first outdoor concert of their last tour; many World Series of Rock concerts were attended by many inebriated, off-duty football fans; and a great little garden undoubtedly offered many a weary teenager welcome respite from the dizzying activities they'd come to enjoy -- but where there now stands just another expensive, generic football stadium (yes, the exploration of Rock's history is often sad).

Along the way we'll pass many long-defunct or currently-hot clubs and hang-out spots, so bring your fading memories and eccentric favorites for classic rock sites-of-interest between the Flats and E 55th St., and we'll see how many we can hit, on a route of about 6 miles, counter-clockwise, around the ROCK AND ROLL CAPITOL OF THE WORLD.

(A soundtrack will be provided on this ride, if we can get the band back together, sobered up, and up on their bikes... or if someone can bring an Ipod loaded with Raspberries and Michael Stanley tunes to plug into our bike-mounted boombox. An extra, longer ride may also re-depart after noon for those interested in prolonging their reveries into the suburbs.)