Why the long drive, you ask? Answer: I play basketball in a league here in Valparaiso and our captain needed a couple players for his company's annual basketball outing. It just so happens that they play this tourney at Quicken Loans Arena (The Q). For those of you not in the know, The Q is the arena in which the Cleveland Cavaliers play.
We arrived at the Renaissance Marriott, a very cool vintage vibe (check out the link) hotel, around 11:30 Cleveland time and had a light lunch and then it was off to The Q. Shooting in an empty NBA arena is a heck of a lot different than shooting in your local YMCA! The seats go way back and throw off your depth perception. To make a long story short, our team played well but ended up finishing second in the tourney. To be honest though... playing at The Q is only half the fun.
After the game we showered up (again, good form folks), and headed to dinner. I'm a big fan of food and we went to Morton's Steakhouse. The atmosphere is dark / cool and the food is excellent. Dinner was on them and we were told to live it up so, naturally, we did! Here's my meal...
On the Table: Insanely good circle loaf of soft buttered bread.
Drink: Amstel Light Beer... OK, a couple! :)
Appetizer: Salad with vinegrette dressing and blue cheese crumbles. I make a mean one of these kids!
Main Course: Surf n' Turf - Small cut fillet mignon and a huge lobster tail with steamed asparagus ($69)!
Dessert: Morton's legendary hot chocolate cake... I love the sweet stuff and this was unreal!
After dinner we headed back to the Arena to watch the Cavs play the Detroit Pistons. My ticket read - Section 125, Row 1, Seat 15. Where is that, you ask? Well, you know when players check into the game? I sat directly behind that table at center court. Check out the seating chart here.
I've been fortunate enough to have some unbelievable seats and these were great! Highlights: Watching and listening to the behind the scenes chatter between players / coaches / refs. It brings a whole new element to the game. Also, seeing LeBron James play is a highlight in itself.
The best part of this mini vacation: I spent about $50 on the entire trip! So lets tally that up: Stayed at a great hotel, played basketball on an NBA court, ate an amazing meal at a great restaurant, sat in fantastic seats and watched NBA basketball. Worth $50? Um... yeah.
Note: We didn't have time on this trip but if you're ever in Cleveland I would also suggest visiting the Rock N' Roll hall of fame. I went there once before and it's a great place for music lovers and memorabilia nerds. I fall into both categories so naturally I love it!
Until next time...
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