26th July 1991 Day 6

The diary entry "Cleveland, OH. Walked to the Tower City and caught the RTA to Green Road. Joyce Isakov picked us up and took us to Pepper Pike. We found ourselves in every stereotyped American family/suburbia TV programme rolled into one. 30+ channel TV, cable, 6 cars, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 kids, swimming pool, bathrooms galore, basketball ring and a fridge big enough to live in. Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Beverley Hills 90125 (surely 90210 - Ed.). And the two English dudes lived it to the full. 

Strange happening of the day: we went to a Jewish dinner, wore beer mats on our heads, ate lots of fish and subsequently failed to make it to the Riverfest. Met Alan and Ian, the equally, if not more so, rich kids from next door and saw their large screen TV (which was as big as our local Odeon) with it's speakers inside and outside the house.


Got a few videos and a few beers and introduced Cleveland, OH to the joys of Fawlty Towers. "You started it....no we didn't...yes you did, you invaded Poland". The Jews loved it!"


2011 - The Isakov family are part of Beth Ebenezer's (Oz's better half) extended family. Joyce is Welsh and married a South African Jew and eventually ended up as a South African Jewish Doctor's wife living in Cleveland. We'd been told to look them up for some hospitality on our trip. Being the tightarses that we were we were more than happy to venture to the tourist mecca of Cleveland for some free board. It didn't matter to me - the US was one big adventure as I'd never been there before. It was a bit strange calling them from a call box and introducing ourselves as Beth's boyfriend and his mate. They were incredibly hospitable to us as you will see over the next few days. [Rest of the family to be introduced later].


I had no idea how we ended up at the Jewish dinner when we were supposed to end up at the downtown beer festival - it was a Friday and it seemed to be the done thing so the two committed atheists kept our mouths shut for the free feed. The only downside was the small talk we had to make with the ageing people at the dinner but Alan and Ian saved us. Why did we have to wear the things on our heads ? Religion schmeligion.


As we didn't make the beer festival we all decided to rent some videos (note - it was still the age of the VCR). Fawlty Towers went down a storm with us and Joyce but completely bemused her teenage kids. That particular joke absolutely cracked everyone up - Jews have a great sense of humour.


I've struggled to find much info about the beer festival. It looks like it was called the Flats Fest after the rejuvenated area called The Flats at the Cuyahoga river - see here.


Cleveland was another place I've returned to since - even working here for a few weeks in 1993/1994. I happened to be there when they had their coldest ever week. Brrrr.