Last week I wrote about how my annual trip to a Michigan Wolverines game fell apart. My friends and I were talking about it and decided to take a last-minute trip to see an NFL game this past weekend.

The only game within a decent drive was in Cleveland. Since the Browns are having a bad year, we figured tickets would be easy to get, even at this late date. Cleveland in October would not be my first choice, but I was happy to go.

After checking into the Marriott in downtown Cleveland, we had a great workout in their fitness center. It had a large selection of free weights and machines. After a short stay in the whirlpool and a great shower (excellent water pressure, by the way), we headed out for dinner.

For dinner, we chose Mallorca, a restaurant we first visited 12 years ago on a baseball trip. This “taste of Spain and Portugal” was just as awesome as ever. I had shrimp stuffed with shrimp, scallops and mascarpone. I was on such a food high, I am not really sure what the others ordered, but I know they enjoyed it, too.

We walked to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and saw a concert by the Rick Derringer Trio. Derringer has been performing since I was born, but he had plenty of energy and the music still sounded fresh.

On Saturday night, we attended the closing ceremonies of the 4^th annual Cleveland Beer Week. The stars of the night were the 3-ounce samplings of over 70 local brews, but tasty wings and more from the Winking Lizard were perfect accompaniments. The World Series was on the big screens, and all was good.

Of course, Sunday was football day. Despite the chill, Clevelanders are legendary for outstanding tailgating. The game was not too exciting, but the Browns won 7–6.

It was a fun weekend and certainly an unexpected one. I guess it proves that a good trip doesn’t necessarily take a lot of planning.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor