Our plan was to go and see the Geauga Lake amusement Park which has been abandoned for several years. We got there in no time, but that place is as locked up as Fort Knox. We truly could find no way inside the park, and we realized it would probably be a short lived visit in there, followed by a potential visit to the local law enforcement facility. Not really all that worth it. It was also raining. I however, had a backup. Please, let me state, this backup was something I had seen online several times and really had not thought too much about, but we were truly in store for quite an adventure.
We traveled another thirty minutes or so and came upon East Cleveland and right on our right side came upon the Case Observatory. This wonderfully abandoned and decaying building was once the Case Western University and was built in the early 20th Century and was named after two men Warner and Swasey. It was in working condition until too much light pollution caused them to have to move the telescopes, one of which is now is Arizona at Kitt Peak. The building however, still sits, wide open and full of history. We traveled through the majority of the building. We saw various rooms, some empty, some with desks. Doors were broken down, windows cracked, leaks here and there causing puddles on the ground. The beautiful tile floor peaked through the dirt and grime that has developed over the years. The years of abandonment has resulted in lots of graffiti, much of which is quite profane. Little girl noticed the lovely penmanship of a young lady with quite the obscene name.
I traveled around back to see the smaller dome. When I came back, little girl and big man were high on top in the big dome. They had found the stairs and were up there, just peaking through the windows, circling the balcony. I found my way and got one of the most amazing views I could ever dream of. Partially missing tiles gave way to the cloudy sky. The mechanisms to open the roof still existed. I could only imagine kids of all ages looking up into the heavens, searching for stars, planets, maybe even ET.
The best part of the day was when we went to leave. Three locals, deer, passed right by us. We fed them apples and pears we had in the car. and as we started to leave, this kindly elderly woman walked by us walking her dog. We started to ask her about the observatory and she gave us lots of local lore about the spot. She told us all about the area, asked us about our hobby and about what it looked like on the inside. We exchanged lots of details about Pittsburgh and Cleveland, then parted ways. We smiled the whole way to dinner. Funny, this side note ended up being the shining star.