Lake View Cemetery

CC and I occasionally like to enjoy something I call "Cultural Sunday" or sometimes "Cultural Saturday". This started when I moved out of my parent's house a few years back and realized that no one was going to stop me from wasting an entire weekend sprawled on my couch watching non-stop MTV, E!, and the Food Network (Blaze and Snickerdoodle can attest that I am expert at this). And there is so much to explore here in Cleveland, so thus Cultural Sundays were born. All you have to do, is leave the apartment, and go do something interesting. Eat, shop, walk, explore, drive, photograph, relax, whatever, just do something. Luckily for me, CC hates laying around and is very good at pushing me off the couch on the weekends.

This fall, CC and I enjoyed one of my favorite Cultural days to date at Lake View Cemetery. I know that sounds a little strange, but it is the most beautiful place I have been to in Cleveland. We spent a lot of our time taking photos around the Garfield Monument on a beautiful fall afternoon. It has these amazing blue doors, see:

Here are some interesting facts about Lake View Cemetery: Did you know that President Garfield, John D. Rockefeller, and Elliott Ness are all buried here? The interior of Wade Chapel is original Tiffany glass designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself and the chapel has to be heated very slowly so that the glass won't break. Lake View's most famous piece of graveside sculpture stands atop the grave of Francis Haserot and his family, near the Mark Hanna mausoleum at the edge of the cemetery proper, the Haserot Angel:

Among other tours offered at the cemetery is one called "Angels of Lake View: Guides, Guardians and Messengers". It is such an interesting and beautiful place. I can't believe I lived in Cleveland for 20+ years before first visiting this place.

So if you are free this Saturday there are some Holiday events taking place at Lake View that CC and are planning to attend:

SCHWAN GRAVESITE TREE-TRIMMING (Mrs. Schwan was my fourth grade teacher, fyi)

Saturday, December 06, 2008 10:00 AM
Join us as Hope Lutheran Church decorates a tree at the gravesite of Rev. H.C. Schwan, of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, known for bringing a candle-lit tree into a public sanctuary for the first time on December 24, 1851. Parking is available on "Lake Road" in front of Section 25.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM OF MUSIC AND LIGHTS

Saturday, December 06, 2008 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM
Please join us for our 14th Annual Holiday Program in the spectacular, historic Wade Chapel. The merry music, bright candles, and lovely chapel surroundings are sure to lift your spirit for the season. Parking is available in front of the sections surrounding the Chapel. Reservations requested, as seating is limited.