Tommy's+Travel+Journal

= Cincinnati = June 15, 2009 Dear Journal, Today my family and I are leaving for a trip around Ohio. Our first stop is Cincinnati. I have been there a couple of times for soccer tournaments but never for a vacation. I was so happy because we are going to visit the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cincinnati Fire Museum, and the BB Riverboat. But the bad part is that it's a 2 hour drive. We drove southwest for about 120 miles. I don't know what hotel we are staying at because my mom and dad did not tell me but I did not care. Most of the time on the drive I slept so it was fast. I guess I slept the whole way because we are there. We checked into our hotel. WOW! We are staying at the Hilton Netherland Hotel at the Carew Tower. The [|Carew Tower] is over 90 years old. I loved the chocolates that they put on our pillows. My family went right to the observation deck so that we could get a great view of downtown Cincinnati. It was a clear day so we could see three states: Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The builing is very old and historical. My mom really liked it a lot. We left the hotel for a little bit to go to the [|Fire Museum.] The museum was very old, but fun. I learned a lot about fire safety and I saw old fire engines and learned how they used to carry the water in buckets. But the best part was sliding down the fire pole! We got back to the hotel and my sisters couldn't wait to go shopping. My Dad and I went to the pool while the girls went shopping. Good Night, Tommy

June 16, 2009 Dear Journal, We woke up at 8:00 so that we could eat a good breakfast before we start to go to the [|Cincinnati Art Museum]. We got in our van and drove up to the museum at 953 Eden Park Dr. We were happy that it was free to get into the museum. We saw lots of cool art work and we went to the children's scavenger hunt. After we were done at the museum we got back in our van. We drove past the Bengals and the Reds stadium. I wished we could get tickets to the Reds game. I was mad because they weren't at home. We were heading to the [|Ohio River] for the [|BB Riverboat Cruise]. We got on the Belle of Cincinnati. Here is a picture of it: The boat was fun. I got a free ice cream sandwich! We sat up on the top of the boat so we could be outside and see everything. I didn't know the Ohio River was as big as it was. The ride took about an hour. We walked along the river for a little bit when it was over. My Dad took us to The Montgomery Inn for dinner. We had ribs and they were delicious! Now we are heading back to our hotel. We have to pack up to go to Toledo in the morning. Good Night, Tommy

= Toledo = June 17, 2009 Dear Journal, We are back in the van heading North for about 200 miles to Toledo. That should take us about 3 hours. My sisters and I watched Kicking and Screaming and then I played my PSP. We went straight to the [|Toledo Zoo.] I was excited to see the Polar Bears. They are so funny. First they were walking around and then they jumped into the water. When they got out it was funny because they were super soaking so they shook all their fur and the water went flying.

After a day at the zoo we decided to drive to Sandusky to stay at a hotel next to Cedar Point. We drove at night for about 1 hour East of Toledo. It was 65 miles. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and went right to bed so we could wake up early. Good Night, Tommy

= Sandusky = June 18, 2009 Dear Journal, Today we're going to [|Cedar Point]. When I woke up I rushed to my mom and said, "Hurry up! Fast!!!" So when they got up and got dressed we went in the car. The ride was 30 minutes,the whole ride I played games on my Mom's i-pod touch. So after that we parked. I was so excited because the first ride that we are going on is the Raptor. So when we got to the gate we gave the guy our tickets. So when we got in the park we went to the ... bathroom. Then we finally went to the ... Raptor! I was so happy because I was finally tall enough to ride the taller rides. My mom said, "Do you want to ride the Millenium?" So first we rode the Raptor and then rushed to the Millenium to get a good spot in the long line. We waited for 45 minutes but it was worth it. We rode rides all day long and finally I got pooped and was ready to go back to our hotel to sleep. Cedar Point is always my favorite amusement park.



Good night, Tommy

June 19, 2009 Dear Journal, After I had a great night sleep I woke up and got dressed and got in the car and took off. When I got out of the car and got in the ferry it took off for [|Kelley's Island.] The boat sailed on Lake Erie to the island. It took about 30 minutes. There is a state park on Kelley's island and lots of people camp there. We didn't camp. No cars are allowed to drive there so we rented a golf cart to drive around the island. I sat in the way back. I played putt-putt golf for a little bit and then it was time to leave. We got back on the ferry and back to our van. Good Night, Tommy

= Cleveland = June 20, 2009 Dear Journal, Today we are driving from Sandusky to Cleveland. It is about 65 miles east which will take us an hour. We are staying at my cousin Emily's house in Westlake. The first place we are going is [|The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame] in downtown Cleveland. It was cool looking on the outside. I couldn't wait to go in. It is a huge glass building shaped like a pyramid. My mom and dad knew a lot of the music people but my sisters and I didn't know that many.

After that we went next door to the [|Great Lakes Science Center.] I saw lots of exhibits and played with a lot of things. There is a cool tornado thing on one floor. After dinner my Aunt Megan took us to a park on [|Lake Erie] and we got ice cream and played in the sand next to a light house. We slept at their house that night. Good Night Cleveland, Tommy

= Akron = June 21, 2009 Dear Journal, Now we are driving to Akron which is about 40 miles south of Cleveland. It takes us 45 minutes to get from my cousins house to my Grandma's house. On the way we always stop to look at LeBron James's house. He lives really close to my Grandma. His house is huge!!!! We got there around noon and Eemmy had my favorite restaurant food all ready for us for lunch. My favorite thing is a cheeseburger from Swenson's. Swenson's is a drive up restaurant where the guys come run to your car to take your order. It is the BEST!!!!!! Eemmy and PopPop told us that we are going to visit Hale Farm and Village. I said, "sweet."

We saw lots of fruits and vegetables. The house was very old but clean. Back to Eemmy and PopPop's! Good Night, Tommy

June 22, 2009 Dear Journal, The next night in Akron we are staying at the [|Quaker Square] Hotel. We were so excited because we were going to the pool right away. So when we got there we changed into our swim suits and went to the pool. When we got to the pool we had a jumping contest- it was fun! The rooms we slept in were round because they used to be a silo to make Quaker Oats. Now it is a hotel and shopping center. We went back to our room and went to sleep.



Good Night, Tommy

June 23, 2009 Dear Journal, In the morning I woke up and said, "we're going to the [|Pro Football Hall of Fame] ." I was so happy because soon I was going to be there. So we got in the car and I finished watching the movie "Kicking and Screaming". It was a good movie. It only took 30 minutes to get there. My Dad and I couldn't wait. My mom and my sisters were not so excited! We looked at a lot of players and team stuff. It was cool. I loved the giftshop! Time to go back to Columbus! We are heading south for about 2 hours and 120 miles.



Good Night, Tommy

= Columbus = June 24, 2009 Dear Journal, Today we are going to the [|Olentangy Indian Caverns]. I have never been there. We went in a lot of caves and it was kind of cold. It always stays about 54 degrees. I liked climbing.Now for the surprise! My mom brought our bathing suits and said "we are going to Zoombezi Bay !" So we got In the car and head off to zoombezi bay! The first ride I rode was the cyclone and a lot more! [|Zoombezi Bay] is my favorite water park in Columbus. Same with my sisters.

Today was so much fun!

Good Night, Tommy

June 25, 2009 Dear Journal, We are back home now. The trip was outstanding. Unfortunately we are done going around Ohio. My favorite city was Cincinnati because it had lots of cool things. Bye, See you soon, Tommy

=My google map=

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