Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Welcome to Cleveland

Tuesday, 7th August 2007 by Alex

In a classic example of large type on Google Earth, here’s a roof where someone has written ‘Welcome to Cleveland‘ in 6-foot-high letters.

Usually we’d assume that this was a kind message welcoming air passengers to Ohio’s second largest city - but in this particular case the writing is actually in the flight path of the nearby General Mitchell International Airport. That’s the General Mitchell airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

The story goes that one day back in ‘78, Mark Gubin was having lunch on his roof with his assistant, who remarked upon all the low-flying planes - saying how nice it would be to make a sign welcoming everyone to Milwaukee.

Apparently Gubin simply said “You know what would be even better..?”

Thanks to Carson Diltz, oz and Chico Seay. You can read the full story at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

3 Responses to 'Welcome to Cleveland'

  1. 1. CookieMonster says:

    Are you sure it wasnt done to welcome this guy?

  2. 2. Gordon says:

    I live under the flightpath to London Heathrow. I’m now inspired to create a large message reading ‘Bienvenue á Paris’. That should get a few people worried…

  3. 3. sfcmac says:

    And what was Gubin’s point besides the one on his head?

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