Guitars! Guitars! Everywhere You Look in Cleveland

 University Circle

Tower City

Welcome Hub

We drove past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with its current exhibit about the Rolling Stones, but it would have taken us hours upon hours to really see it. There is tons more that we drove past that we did not stop and see.  That is for our next trip to Cleveland.  Thanks Maggie and Tim for a great tour!  We'll be back!

Drive By Cleveland Art

 

I really enjoy seeing art in any city.  Cleveland is no exception.

Their utility boxes in University Circle are being covered by artists, just like in Santa Cruz.  

We walked by these, and I just had to take photos.  Tim remarked that he had never noticed them before I had stopped to take a picture of them.  

And he liked them very much, too.  

Click on the pictures to see the artist's name and greater detail.

Cleveland has a lot of churches.  We only went inside two of them.  This was a particularly lovely stained glass window in one we drove by.  

I did not see its name.

It was fall in October, but sparkling snowflakes were being hung in a tree near the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Occasionally there was the odd piece that would make you wonder why it was there.  Any guesses?  

Perhaps a nod to spring and the joy of those first flowers to appear.

Murals are wonderful art, too.  Perhaps this one advertises a nearby bar in Tremont?

This mural was appropriately near the West Side Market in Ohio City.

This was the best utilitarian piece of art I saw.  I love it!!  It was also in 

Ohio City.

Sometimes man made elements are very artistic if you just stop and notice them.  

The birds will help you out.

Okay, this is an old house. 

 But it is where Maggie and Tim's video store used to be.  It's part of the tour.  

It seems to have been repurposed many times.

This is one of the first electric street lights developed by Charles F. Brush in Cleveland downtown on the Public Square.

Oh my!  Where have we seen this before?  

Of course, it is the lamp from A Christmas Story that was partly filmed in Cleveland.  

You can find this at the Welcome Hub near the Public Square.

What do Jim Thorpe, Halle Berry and Life Savers have in common?  

Cleveland, of course!  

Be sure to enlarge the photo to see more of Cleveland's firsts and headliners.

This mural is next door and behind the West Side Market. 

In our three day stay in Cleveland, I learned about many firsts that happened in Cleveland and about many people who hail from Cleveland.  It is quite a list.  

After visiting New York City, I have developed a theory about Cleveland.  

I think many folks found New York to be too crowded, so they looked for a similar place not too far away in which to create, develop new ideas, and conduct their affairs.  

Cleveland was born. 

It really is an amazing city!

Eating Out Cleveland Style

Up front I told Maggie we would not cook at her house.  This was to be a vacation for both cooks.  And Cleveland did not disappoint.

Our early evening arrival was perfect timing for us to go to one of Tim's favorite local buddy hangouts-Bilo's Bar and Grill.  Wonderful food, great beer, and tons of television monitors for us sports-minded folks.

Well, truth be told, Maggie cooked breakfast.  It is hard for Tim and Jim to turn down bacon at any time.  But we had a lovely soup, salad, and sandwich lunch at the Cleveland Museum of Art's Provenance Cafe.  With their new enclosed Atrium, it is a warm, delightful place to eat (practically) outside on a brisk, chilly day.

That evening we had a wonderful supper of all the appetizer specials and great beer at The Market Restaurant.  Who would know?

Yes, Maggie cooked bacon again.  The guys really like bacon.  Lunch was a long time coming, but it was wonderful at the Great Lakes Brewing Company near the West Side Market.  Tim and Jim could hardly wait to dive into their specialty pot pies, but the great craft beer kept them in check.  I had a very unusual, but very delicious and memorable garbanzo bean salad.

Since we had a late lunch, we decided upon pizza for supper.  Fortunately, Tim's great friend, Kevin, is the owner of a wonderful pizza and other Italian foods take out and delivery palace, Tony's Pizza in Parma.  They opened at 4 pm and were already taking orders as we arrived near that time.  Kevin gave us a sweet treat while we waited for our pizza.

Our last full day in Cleveland, we followed our promise to not cook.  We ate breakfast out at Jennifer's Restaurant in Strongsville, including Kevin and his lovely wife Rose.  I love not having to make my own oatmeal.

Because it was so cold and our last day, we decided to go to an afternoon movie.  Consequently, we ate lunch at the food court of SouthPark Mall with everyone following his or her own tastes.  Yum!   Surprisingly, Maggie was the only one to brave ice cream for dessert.  Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream creates the most amazing and delicious flavors.  I know, I tasted Maggie's.

We wanted something special for our last night, so Maggie and Tim picked Don's Pomeroy House in Strongsville.  The restaurant has two levels, and we chose to be more informal in the lower room aptly named The Pub.  I am not sure what any of us ate, but I know I was warm and happy when we called it a night.

Big Busy Day in Tremont, Downtown Cleveland, and Ohio City

"Whew!"  That's what you will be saying at the end of this post.  We began our day in the trendy Tremont neighborhood at St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral.  You know it...the one from the wedding scene in the The Deer Hunter.

                    Tim got out of the car to see if it was open.  Nope.

But Lilly Handmade Chocolates was just down the block and open.  It is always a must stop, must taste, must buy, spot on the tour.

Flying eastward we cruised through The Flats District crossing the Cuyahoga River where cruise ships from Lake Erie tie up. 

Tower City Center, the Cleveland Public Square, and the East 4th Street Districts were next.  The Terminal Tower is quite impressive.  You could spend all day walking around in the casino, the shops, and the restaurants.  Mostly I looked up.

                  I love the reflection of the tower on a nearby building.

The Old Stone Church with its beautiful organ was open.  It is the oldest building on the square.

Across the street in the Society for Saving Building, now part of the Key Tower complex, is a truly beautiful interior.  

One exterior side of the older building has these huge, very simple, one piece granite stone columns.

We walked across the Cleveland Public Square towards the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.

Here is one of the first memorials for women who participated in the Civil War.

The Arcade is now the most beautiful lobby for a Hyatt Hotel.  Originally it was the first indoor shopping mall.

Crossing to the south we entered the East 4th Street Entertainment District where we checked out the famous House of Blues.  Because it was so cold, there was no one taking advantage of the nice outdoor seating of the many restaurants.

On our way to the popular Ohio City neighborhood, we passed through the Gateway District which is home to the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The West Side Market was near our lunch destination, so walking past all the vendors with their beautiful fruits, vegetables, bread, meats, poultry, fish, pastries, nuts, cheeses, pierogi, and anything you could possibly desire to eat was extremely hard.  It all looked so delicious.

                              We saw all that by 3:00 pm.  Whew!