CHICAGO This World Series has a decidedly middle-of-America feel.You have to go all the way back to 1985 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals to find a middle-of-America World Series played between two cities in closer proximity than Cleveland and Chicago. That 1985 cla sic seven-game series dubbed the I-70 Series had only 320 miles of Mi souri countryside between Kauffman Stadium in KC and Busch Stadium in St. Louis.For the 2016 series, there are 351 miles and approximately 2,382 toll booths between Cleveland’s Progre sive Field and Chicago’s Wrigley Field. So Je se Spector (my Robin Ventura Jersey fellow Sporting News baseball writer) and I decided to take Thursday’s off day and road trip between cities, stopping at a couple iconic spots along the way to get a feel for a little slice of this part of the country.MORE: Biggest moments of the 2016 World SeriesCouldn’t leave Cleveland, of course, without a quick stop at the town’s signature attraction, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Didn’t have time for the complete tour, but it was obvious from the outside where the Hall’s baseball loyalties rested.the @rock_hall is pulling for the local baseball squad pic.twitter.com/bZYqwijSsW Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) October 27, 2016You have no idea how difficult it is, with the wind blowing that hard off Lake Erie, to get a picture of the flag like that. Two dozen attempts this time, at least.And, this has nothing to do with baseball, but the first thing you see inside the Hall is a giant flying hot dog. Good times.MORE: SN names its 2016 Player of the Yeari admit, a giant flying hot dog is not the first thing i thought i’d see at the rock and roll hall of fame. but phish is awesome. so is this pic.twitter.com/wHLo6mq45a Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) October 27, 2016Anyway, we decided to make our first stop at one of those roadside oddity places. The Duct Tape Heritage Festival in Avon, Ohio, sounded great, but it’s on Father’s Day weekend, so we were out of luck. Instead, we chose to see a replica of the largest bald eagle’s nest in the world, at the Carlisle Visitors Center just outside of LaGrange, Ohio Nellie Fox Jersey .To see me and @ryanfagan talking baseball at a bird’s nest, go to @sportingnews Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/KErDaflgY9 (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 27, 2016Yep.And we even did a Facebook Live chat about the World Series from there. Because why not.MORE: 2016 Sporting News AL All-Star team| NL All-Star teamFrom there, it was back on the road. Next stop was a late lunch/early dinner at Tony Packo’s Cafe in Toledo, Ohio. I admit, I was not prepared for this place. I knew they were famous for hot dogs and famously had a bunch of signed hot dog buns on display, but you can’t grasp what that might be like until you’re actually there.Even better. pic.twitter.com/PeSRFmsYKG (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 27, 2016Hunting signatures was more fun than it probably should have been.People who have signed hot dog buns at Tony Packo’s in Toledo: Don Shula, Burt Reynolds, Wayne Newton, Walter Mondale and Ron Howard.Yep. pic.twitter.com/o3fS8kstql Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) October 27, 2016Had to find Tony Packo’s signed-bun representation for both Cleveland and Chicago … pic.twitter.com/HtxIChEv4R Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) October 27, 2016SPECTOR: Chief Wahoo needs to go, and it’s easyto see whySeems those aren’t “real” hot dog buns that have been signed. They used to use real ones, but they all fell apart. So they have people sign fake hot dog buns now. A little disappointing, but oh well.Turns out all the hot dog buns are fake. Except these from Carter and Mondale. pic.twitter.com/cfDjKFFnVz (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 27, 2016Food was darn good, too.And I’d be remi s if I didn’t show the food, right? pic.twitter.com/ucjUvJCoiI (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 27, 2016MORE: Last Series at Wrigley? ForgettableWe left Ohio and ventured into Indiana. About five minutes in, there was https://www.whitesoxedge.com/chicago-white-sox/jose-abreu-jersey one of those signs that usually warns of construction or accidents ahead. This one, though, said “I-80/90, Road to the World Series” which was awesome. Didn’t get a pic, though. Here’s the Indiana sign.Weird that they went with “Lincoln’s Boyhood Home” and not “Where Schwarber Went To College” pic.twitter.com/LI1bxkyQio (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 27, 2016Considering the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 and Cleveland hasn’t won since 1948, it seemed appropriate to stop off at a place where many, many prayers have been offered up over the decades.Here’s @ryanfagan taking a picture of Touchdown Jesus. pic.twitter.com/OThRlrc48V (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 27, 2016And here’s that pic. Final stop on our World Series road trip from Cleveland to Chicago … pic.twitter.com/LKPyL7i3tb Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) October 27, 2016Sure, Touchdown Jesus might be connected to a different sport, but there is no Home Run Jesus along the Interstate 80/90 corridor, so we went to the Notre Dame campus.Finally arrived in Chicago, where we were welcomed by road construction, of course, andtraffic, of course. I dropped Je se off at his hotel, and he was welcomed by something else.views #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/JJfIjPdWm4 (((Je se Spector))) (@je sespector) October 28, 2016Of course. These games in Chicago are gonna be fun, folks. Enjoy.