I just completed a trip to the Rust Belt with my brother for stadiums #5-#8. We thought the trip was going to be our worst one, but we were pleasantly surprised. Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are all very nice cities.

We found the best BBQ chicken we've ever had at Red Smoke BBQ in Detroit's Greektown. It was moist, well seasoned, and out of this world when paired with their cherry molasses BBQ sauce.

In Cleveland we stayed at the Drury Inn Downtown. Drury Inns are our go-to hotel chain because they offer a free breakfast, a free light dinner, and three free drinks at happy hour. We ate dinner at the Hofbrauhaus in the theater district. The food was excellent and the polka band was loads of fun.

Hotels in downtown Pittsburgh were too expensive, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Green Tree. The hotel was only $140 per night and they have a game shuttle. We weren't hungry enough for a Primanti Bros sandwich, so we tried some pierogies. They tasted like cheese ravioli to us. I liked them but I don't think my brother did.

In Cincinnati we ate dinner at the Montgomery Inn. They have world famous ribs, and their other meat entrees are fantastic as well. I wanted to get a Skyline coney dog at the game, but my friends said that the chili has cinnamon, cloves and allspice in it. Yuck!

We are looking forward to our other two trips this summer: Minnesota (#9) and Chicago-Milwaukee (#10-#12).