Cheap Fun Time Alert!

Want a cheap night out that's sure to be fun??? Well I got one for ya. On June 5th at 7:10 pm the Indians are playing the Orioles and you can get $10 tickets in the upper bleachers. I believe that's standard when it's fireworks night. Sure you have to get out of your seats after the game and before the fireworks but if you've seen the crowds at Tribe games recently, you'll know that you should have no problem finding an open seat in an area where the fireworks can be easily viewed. (I mean com'on people! Get out to a ballgame!) Plus...they're fireworks and everyone loves those! OK, still sounds lame and not worth it? How about it's not only dollar soda night...wait for it... but it's dollar dog night too! That means you and a friend can get tickets, 6 hot dogs, 4 sodas, and watch fireworks for...

Total Convenience Fee for (2) Tickets:	$4.00
Price for (2) Tickets:	$20.00
Processing Fee:	$3.35
Price for (6) Hot Dogs:	$6.00
Price for (6) Sodas:	$6.00
============================	======
Total:	$39.35

"But Sam, what about Parking? Isn't that like $20?!?!" 

Yes, person in my head, it is -- BUT I'm going to help you out. Ready????

Option 1: Live here and walk to the game! It's just that easy.

Option 2: Take the Rapid to Tower City - $2.25 each way

Option 3: Park for Free -

1. Leave your house about an hour earlier than normal. You're going to want to take pictures and see the new areas in the Stadium. Plus the Indians crowd knows this trick so you have beat them to it!
2. From 77 N once you get close to Downtown, take exit 163 to East 14th St. Usually you'll take the right lane around to East 9th but go middle lane straight on to East 14th.
3. Follow East 14th Street through the light until it ends at East 9th Street Extension.
4. Turn Right on East 9th Street Extension.
5. Follow it by taking a sharp left.
6. Turn right onto Commercial Road. This will take you under the new I90 bridge where there are 2 free parking lots that are right across the street from Progressive Field!

Um, holy crap are you welcome! 

I'm not going to account for fuel because that's your cross to bare in life depending on what you drive. That being said, for under $40 you can spend a summer Friday night watching professional sports, eating processed food, drinking sugary soda, and watching explosions. 

1st off - 'Merica. 

Secondly - You and your guest get a whole bag full of awesomeness for the price of 1 mediocre ticket to any other sporting event in town!

Now what you go do after the fireworks are over (gamble at the Horseshoe) is up to you. I'm sure that since you made your way to the big city at least 1.6% of you will want to do something afterwards. For you I say, go out and enjoy urban adventurers!!!

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5/9/2015 - RiverSweep was last weekend and our neighborhood volunteered in record numbers to help clean up garbage on the streets. You'd be amazed how much crap gets thrown about or blown out of trash cans. The epic number of tires we pick up every year is just mind blowing. A company or 2 in this area that recycles tires into something like playground mulch or creates retread tires would make a pretty penny in my opinion. Anyways, the neighborhood got a good cleaning and never looked better. This is the kind of project that I love to be a part of. Take a few hours and really hit the streets to make our neighborhood a better place. I'm proud of everyone that participated and of where I live!

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If you're a Tremont West voting member, don't forget to:

#SaveAVoteforSam

on May 28th at 6 pm at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church here in beautiful Tremont for the Tremont West Board of Directors!

Here is my short statement for voters to consider:

"I’m your average citizen that loves Tremont and Cleveland. I’m not rich or famous. I have a regular job and rent an apartment. I believe Tremont is the best neighborhood in Cleveland and should be used as a template for success in other places. I want residents and visitors to always feel safe here. I want to see less litter and fewer pot holes. I want to send my future children to good schools. I want my money to stay in the community through thriving local businesses and worthwhile neighborhood improvements. I want art, color, festivals, 4-star food, full storefronts, feet on the sidewalks, and bikes on the road. I believe these are the same things the majority of residents in Tremont want…We don’t want the progress to stop or even slowdown in any way. I know I can properly represent the members of Tremont West and people of Tremont in my thoughts and decisions on this Board. Let’s continue to bring everyone up and keep this neighborhood the best in Cleveland."

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The Campaign Trail and Yoga

Thanks to Christine Rinto for turning my MSPaint kids drawing into a beautiful work of Art!

Well in these past few weeks I've gone to a bunch of block club meetings around Tremont...that's right 1) we're a huge neighborhood and 2) we citizens are well represented. We each get a minute or 2 to introduce ourselves and make our case on why you should vote for us. So far I've counted 10 people for 7 open seats on the board. There are one or 2 people running I'm told who just run to run and never get elected based on their beliefs not meshing well with the voting members. See how I did that. I said something without even saying something. Practicing my politicking.

There wasn't much time for adventuring this week because of all of the meeting so I took the time to stay at each of the block clubs and explore the inner workings of my neighborhood. My block club, "North of Literary", past the pop topics of the area, deals a lot with building and business variances since we are partially in a business district area and because our corner of the neighborhood is still very popular for gentrification based building and remodels. Basically what that means is that any business that opens shop or house that gets built/remodeled or other things like those has to follow the somewhat cumbersome and deeply intricate Cleveland building and zoning code. Our little step in that process as a block club is to hear about the project plans, hear about the variances that they need to make to the code in order to do what they want to do, and then to vote as a group to support the requests or to send them back to make any changes we'd like to see before we approve. Yup, we as regular old citizens get a choice in what gets done in our neighborhood. More past that, people have to actually listen to us. Democracy at its finest!

Different block clubs have different things they deal with more often than others and I got a chance to listen to those these past weeks. Some deal with a lot of crime and come up with ways that their area can be safer. Some deal with trash clean up, snow removal, and other things as they trying to help keep their area looking attractive for businesses or home buyers. You as a voter control things as small as getting a new trash can for a corner to something as big as a new development being planned for an abandoned lot. The clubs help organize volunteer efforts and participate in activities that benefit Tremont. They get the word out about other issue that are happening in the city and in other areas of our neighborhood. A lot of times city councilman will attend the meetings to make sure that the direct line of communication to the people stays open and that their needs are heard. These truly are the dirty little 1 hour meetings where things get done and are vital to the success of not only Tremont but to our city as a whole.

I've always said that when you sit silently and let things happen around you, you have no right to complain about them when they effect you. These meetings are your chance to stand up and be heard. This is your opportunity to represent not only yourself but people like you who may want the same thing but feel as if 1 voice doesn't matter. You never know if you're alone until you speak up and see who agrees. Your vote for a 3rd party candidate may not matter in a presidential election but your idea about trimming the tree branches around a stop sign to make it more visible can make a huge difference for the safety of the neighborhood you live in. Hell it pretty much makes you a hero.

I learned a great deal from the meetings I've attended. The Duck Island area is booming with new housing and business that will close the gap between Tremont and Ohio City. North of Metro is worried about crime and what the rehab of the old Aragon ballroom will do for street parking. Central Tremont is not happy about having garbage all over the place and are waiting for new trash cans that they lobbied the councilman for. The 2 South Tremont clubs got a small neighborhood grant and plan on purchasing dusk-to-dawn devices for the outdoor lights of area houses to increase safety in the neighborhood. Different areas with different needs but all with one goal...a better Tremont. This is why Tremont is an amazing place to live and why I want to be more a part of it!

With all of the speeches I've given so far I've had a fair chance to refine my slug line. Ready for it...

#SaveAVoteforSam

It comes from the fact that my name will be at the bottom of the alphabetical list of candidates. Not too shabby right. "Vote for all these great people but save a vote for Sam at the end." I think it's catchy...

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I always knew I'd like yoga. I just never got the chance to go or it was out ranked by other fun in my life at the time. Luckily for me I got a day off from campaigning and was planning on going to bed as soon as I got home from work. That is until Gina asked me to go to Practice & a Pint at Platform Beer Co. It's run by Balance and Brews in the upstairs area of Platform (among other beer location). Melissa was our instructor and I'm glad that she was for my 1st practice. She was detailed in her descriptions of what she wanted us to do and that is priceless to a newbie like me. She walked us through everything nice and slow and allowed the advanced people to continue on while I stayed in my beginner poses trying not to slip in my own sweat when I wasn't struggling to keep my balance. Speaking of sweat--holy crap did I ever! The cool down time after was the most relaxed I've been...ever I think. Gina said I fell asleep even though I felt her nudge me and thought it was just her being funny. I must snore meditate. I sure as hell snore sleep and snore wake up alone. Anyways, it was the hardest most relaxing thing I've ever done and truthfully the whole practice and culture fits my personality perfectly. I am sure to do it again as my schedule allows and will definitely attend another Balance and Brews practice. If you do the Yoga or are thinking about starting, register for one of their events. I felt calm, safe, and not once did I feel I was being judged and you will be sure to feel that way too. I just know it.

Oh and we got beer afterwards which also fits my personality. Plus we got to talk with Melissa's husband Sean who was a heck of a nice guy!

Some wonderful Cleveland public art and my cute little ballerina!

Namaste urban pioneers! Get out there and make positive change no matter how small.

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I'm Running for TWDC Board of Directors

To be honest, I was having a hard time coming up with something to write about this week. I was busy at work (even on the weekends) and Gina and I really just had a plain old week last week...well not plain old for us but you know. Then this Tuesday happened and everything changed.

In past posts I've made comments about wanting to help this city out, wanting to be more than just a consumer, and have laid out some ideas I've had about improving things. Well I've officially taken the 1st step in putting my money where my mouth is. I've officially applied for the Tremont West Development Corporation's Board of Directors. This year there are several seats open and I want to be elected for one of those seats for a 2 year term. I toyed with the idea since the first e-mail came out about applying but ultimately knew that this was the right thing for me to do. I just had to put some finishing touches on my application and pull the trigger. 

Tuesday night at our block club meeting each member who was running from our club was introduced and said a few words about who they were and why they were running. I was mentally preparing an off the cuff speech that wasn't really off the cuff since they were words and ideals that live in my heart and sit on the tip of my tongue at all times. While I was preparing and listening to other to get an idea of how to frame it all, Gina was elbowing me and whispering things in my ear making sure that I was going to speak up. She knows me too well and knew that in most cases like this I'd need a little push in order to stand up and deliver...in this case I didn't, although it was good to see how much she supported me at that moment.

I stood up, introduced myself, and laid it all out there for everyone to hear. I talked about how I heard a calling to do more for the city and neighborhood that I love. I talked about how I see everyday in Tremont things that other city are trying to mimic in order to survive in this new era of millennials and retired baby-boomers flocking back to big cities with big urban dreams and ideas. I talked about wanting to keep the success that we are seeing in this city and this neighborhood going and doing my part to guide it in the right direction with the same velocity. As I took breaths and looked around I saw captivated eyes, smiles, and people being responsive to what I was saying. I can't see you guys who read this and really don't ever get feedback, so it was a shock to finally see people react to what I've been saying all along. It gave me this feeling inside...a feeling like I may be able to finally help out in the ways I've always wanted to... a feeling that I wasn't alone.

I may be an idealist. I may be wearing my rose colored glasses. I may be a bit naive. I do know in my heart of hearts though that win or lose, this is the path I must follow in order to feel full in my personal life. I'll use this moment as a springboard to bigger and better things for this neighborhood and this city no matter how small the opportunity I get. I'll feel no sense of pride in winning and doing nothing. I'll feel no sense of shame in losing but continuing to help where ever I can, volunteering, pick up trash, supporting local businesses, and writing this blog.

So now I ask you for your support. If you are someone or if you know someone who lives in Tremont, especially if you or they are a member of Tremont West, please let them know that I, Sam Vozar, am running for the TWDC's Board of Directors. If you're a member, please come to the meeting on May 28th (location TBD) and vote. If you know a member, point them to this blog. Tell them how I spout off each week about how much I love this city and neighborhood and how I only want the best for the citizens that reside here. Please let them know that it's very important that they come out, show their support for Tremont West, and vote (hopefully for me). None of this is possible without the proper guidance and support that a neighborhood development corporation provides with the help of block clubs, activists, and good neighbors. When you don't feel like DC or your statehouse hears you, these groups do. This is where real change that you can actually see and touch happens. That is why I'm excited to have the opportunity to be a bigger part of it.

Unfortunately, if you're not a member already, the deadline has passed (4/1/15) to be eligible to vote in the upcoming meeting on May 28th. Even though you won't be able to vote for me, you should definitely consider being a member of Tremont West. See the information below for eligibility:

Membership Eligibility for Membership

Membership is granted, upon completion of a membership form and verification that the applicant is:

A. A person eighteen (18) years of age or older, who owns real property or resides in the Membership Area; 

or,

B. A business that is located in the Membership Area.

1. A "business" includes but is not limited to the following legal entities:Nonprofit Corporation, Limited Liability Corporation, Corporation, Partnership,and Sole Proprietorship.
2. A business that is eligible for membership is required to designate one (1)representative to act as the voting member. An individual designated as a voting member by a business is not eligible to be a voting member as an individual who resides or owns real property in the Membership Area.
3. Affiliated Businesses are eligible for only one membership. "Affiliated Businesses" are businesses located in the Membership Area that are under the control of the same person or entity. Control is ownership of more than 50% of the business. Paid employees of TWDC are not eligible to be voting members. Membership remains in effect until: 1) an individual member changes his or her residence address or dies; 2) a business member changes the location of its business or ceases operations.

Download a Membership Form Here

Please mail or drop off to:
Tremont West Development Corporation
2406 Professor Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

I'll keep you up to date on everything about this including the meeting place when they pick one up until the meeting. Thank you in advance for you support. Take the next step urban pioneers and don't be afraid to fail as long as you can make a difference.

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Tremont Restaurant Hop

Before I get to the restaurant hop portion of this blog, I have a few random things:

1) I've been working at Key (who does not back, agree/disagree with, or condone anything in this blog) for a year now. The writing was on the wall at Parma when UH took over and I saw it coming. The more I see people who I once worked with let go, the more I know I made the right choice to leave. Being acquired is like losing a war (on a no one actually dies kinda scale)... those who don't lose their jobs right away will soon or will be exiled to Shaker Heights no matter what promises are made or how rosy it may look for you.

2) I've lived in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland now for 9 months. Here's an update. I'm still alive. I haven't been mugged. Gina's car was broken into once and she had her GPS stolen. We captured 3 opossums in our basement. I haven't joined a gang. Homeless people don't ruin our walks by bothering us for change every 5 feet. We have however been to countless bars and restaurants, sporting events, farmer's markets and craft fairs, concerts, festivals, and other fun special events all within a 5 min drive or 20 min walk. We've entertained countless friends and family who all (except for the Merwin's Warf fiasco) had a wonderful time and would love to come back. It can be done people. If you're bored doing the same thing over and over in the suburbs or out in the country, please please read this blog and get the courage from our experiences to live in your nearest downtown or urban area... unless it's Columbus... then don't bother and come to Cleveland. Even if for only a year or two, urban areas will give you stories and experiences that you will hold on to for a lifetime. It's "tell your grand kids about" kinda stuff.

3) I've become the Membership Coordinator for our block club! It's step #2 on my way to becoming a city council person. Joining the block club was #1. Basically that means I make sure everyone signs in at the meetings and that if you attend a certain # of meetings in a rolling year, I designate you as a voting member. It's important... I think... I mean it is! Either/or it's momentum and I'm happy about that.

4) My posts will soon (if they don't already) have ads! Ya, I sold out. So click your little heart out people! Make me some $... but more than likely cents!

OK on to the Tremont Restaurant Hop!

The Bourbon Street Barrel Room is the newest restaurant in Tremont and boy did they go all out! Chandeliers, 2nd floor seating, and 2 bars are just some of the unique features of this renovated space. All of the lighting is unique and intriguing. The view from floor to floor is different and adds a fun dimension to the place. It really is the little details that makes BSBR stand out. I can only say that it reminds me of what movies tell me a restaurant in New Orleans is supposed to look like... minus the topless college girls covered in beads... although Marti Gras is only 2 weeks away so that could change.

The drink menu is colorful, tropical, and includes hurricanes which are always fun... or so I've been told since I can never seem to remember the next day. The menu is packed with traditional creole and southern staples but doesn't skimp on the flavor and heat like you may think a place like this would. They also have hush puppies and I haven't had those for years!... so I had about 15 of them. Yum!

The food is good and the atmosphere is out of this world. It's a wonderful addition to the neighborhood and is a wallet friendly meal which is hard to come by in Tremont. Bring a group and get ready to drink and get spicy. It's certainly a place worth showing off.

Ligali's Bistro is a fairly new joint with front window views of Lincoln Park. It's a joining of 2 spaces so make sure when you go, you go to the door on the left. You'll want to walk into the door that goes right into the bar but it's locked. Me and 3 other old people that night know from experience. There weren't a lot of folks there the night Gina and I went so we got some great personalized service from our waiter. I ordered off the happy hour menu... because I'm cheap. I ordered 2 things because usually happy hour servings are much smaller than the regular entree size. Not only is this not the case here, it's downright crazy how much food we got for $5 a plate. They have 3 happy hour food offerings. The fried-green tomatoes were out of season so they were out of them. The Thai Chili Wings were big (twice as big as a normal wings) and full of flavor... oh and there were like 8 of them! I was expecting 3-4 at most for a $5 happy hour plate in Tremont. I was also expecting the Wild Mushroom Flat Bread to be on something the size of a burger bun since again it was happy hour... this thing was huge. Both servings were so big that with a side of fries I looked like I was the host of a Man vs Food challenge. Not to just harp on the size, they were all delicious as well. Pair one with a $5 happy hour cocktail and you could get a pretty filling meal for $10. I recommend this place for happy hour for sure from 5-7 pm on Tuesday - Friday. I'll have to get an honest-to-god meal there too because their menu looks like a food wish list I would have come up with for my imaginary restaurant. I'd call it "Fat Sam's Disco" and serve nothing but healthy food.

Now for the I'm a genius portion of the blog:

1) In my post Planes, Trains, and Automobiles I talk about the need for a Inter-modal transit hub on the North Coast of Cleveland by where the current Amtrak station is. Well the Plain Dealer is now reporting that the RTA, city, Amtrak, and Greyhound listened to me and it's now on their radar. This is a huge deal in transportation for a city that lost it's airport hub status and a bunch of non-stop flights to big business cities along with it. Bravo everyone!...of course it wasn't originally my idea but I'm sure someone important read my post and was finally persuaded. Kind of a straw that broke the camel's back kinda situation.

2) More dead malls coming to the greater Cleveland area as Macy's and a bunch of other stores close their doors at Richmond mall. I not only predicted more of this type of suburban mall decay in this area but I gave you the blueprint on what to do to keep retail here in greater Cleveland. Reread (or for most of you based on the view count read for the 1st time) my post about How to Save a Supernova Mall and see if you agree. Could this be Macy's positioning themselves for a downtown location???Someone from Macy's has been peaking at my blog I think... OK, maybe not but you don't know!

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Family time & Saturday Sports Spectaculehhh...

Family Time

Thursday's in college were the official start to the drinking weekend. If you were smart, you didn't schedule Friday classes so you had a whole free day to re-coop before you got to start again on Friday night. You also didn't schedule classes after 4 pm on Thursday so you could be there for the 1st pop of a watered down can of light beer... unless you were me and had public speaking class until 7 pm. Then you got yelled at for saying "Um" and "Uhh" for 2 and a half hours and wet yourself at the very thought of speaking in front of any number of people including fractions of people. That 1 day a week painful reminder of my crippling shyness always properly prepared me for 10-12 cans of liquid courage which, unfortunately, would only bring me just enough confidence to allow me to mumble a weird misplaced pickup line to a group of sad chubby women. I guess it was my duty to give the herd something to say "no" to before I went to bed. Yes ladies... I was a catch. Yuck! Anyways, this past Thursday night conjured up the ghosts of college days of old... except Gina and I don't have that "Friday off" luxury. 

We invited my Aunt Fran and my Uncle Stan out to our beautiful neighborhood of Tremont for dinner and some bar hopping. Unfortunately in my myopic quest to "do Cleveland right" I have kinda lacked in the getting everyone together from any of our friend/family circles to come to our fair city for fun and general merriment. This is where Gina shines brightest. She picks up where I falter and gets people over to our place, plans nights out, and keeps this blog filled with fun group activities. I mainly focus of the big ticket events but only because I have a bucket list to stick to and a shit summer that has produced less 90 degree days than Brown's wins.

All that aside, we went from drinks and appetizers on Press's front patio to drinks at Treehouse's back patio to discovering that Edison's has a kick ass back patio in which to drink and have Pizza! The drink of the night was a mix of Redd's Apple Ale and Fireball Whiskey called Angry Balls at Treehouse. A close and less embarrassing to drink 2nd place is my favorite Fall beer, Southern Tier Pumpking! Food of the night was, as always, Edison's pizza. Just to show how much I love this pizza, I practically burned the upper part of my mouth off on the oven trying to get it in me as fast as I could. Seriously though, the roof of my mouth was destroyed... but it was well worth it for the greasy deliciousness.

You can't beat good family time especially when they want to get out and enjoy what you like to get out and enjoy! They live in Berea so they're more than familiar with the area and are close enough to know that there should be no trepidation when you come to any central Cleveland neighborhood, especially in Tremont. All we had to focus on was great conversation and what to drink next. By the time the fun was over it was already surprisingly past midnight and we all know that any good night out is measured by the old "Time Flies" adage. Thanks for coming over and hanging with us Stan and Fran! You are welcome any time.

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Cleveland Saturday Sports Spectaculehhh...

Billions of people were set to come downtown to be a part of a unprecedented sports night in the Land of the CLE. We have in no particular order:

1. An Indians home game -- Our winning record against one of the worst teams in baseball
2. A Browns home preseason game -- Johnny Football's 1st game at the Factory of Sadness
3. The Gladiators in the ArenaBowl at the Q -- A Cleveland Sports Championship?!
4. Kevin Love signing with the Cavs -- A reason to drink and celebrate!

Having been disappointed by the teams in 1, 2, and 4 in the past, I decided to go with #3 in a big way! I was 2-0 at Gladiators games this year so either Gina or I was a good luck charm right?! Right?! With that glimmer of hope in mind I decided to go all out and get a hold of tickets for the Key Bank (who in no way is affiliated with or endorses any ideas expressed in this blog) suite. Sure they were 5X the amount I usually pay but damnitt I was going to see a Cleveland sports championship! 6 generations of Clevelanders can't say that and they sure as hell weren't in a suite if they could, so suck it! 

OK, I can't say that I was as excited as I sound in this blog but I had hope... and hope it a terrible thing to have in Cleveland sports. Here's a summary of the nights events:

This was our awesome view...

We both got sick on what we think were the medium wings we had.

We still are awaiting that sports championship...

I broke even at the casino thanks to a 40 min free spin bonus on some game with apes in it.

The city ended up going 2 for 4 on the big sports day (I count Kevin Love as a victory). I do love the Gladiators and I'm proud of their season even if we didn't win the ArenaBowl. They gained a whole lot of fans this season (myself included) and I can't wait for next season to come. They give give us hope that one day, Cleveland can have a Football Championship... and they're the only hope we got because this year's Browns team stinks on ice. Wake me up when the season's over.

Love you Cleveland. Goodnight!

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Taste of Tremont

As I sit here at the Coastal Carolina Regional airport waiting for my flight that was delayed to Atlanta, I have some time to blog away about the last Clevelandy thing I did before vacationing in North Carolina. The Taste of Tremont is a yearly neighborhood celebration of everything Tremont. They close the business strip of Professor Ave and all of the area shops, restaurants, and galleries set up stands on either side of the street. Some are as simple as an outdoor table with employees selling the same thing they sell inside their storefront. Others are elaborate beer gardens with a stage, sound systems, and a band playing. It really is a good ole neighborhood block party... except this one has 4 star food booths and designer boutique stands.

We were lucky enough to have the main beer garden and stage right outside our place. We got to drink our own beer on our own front porch and listen to some great local bands play tunes all day long. We did decide to venture off our porch out into the crowd... although I was kinda content right where I was. It really was an awesome spot!

Gina's cousin Kerry stopped out to enjoy the day with us. After listening to some tunes we all decided to venture out for some grub and to check out the shopping opportunities. Once we turned the corner and started on our way, I could tell that the ridiculous amount of people they had predicted were going to show up wasn't as far fetched as I had previously thought. Seriously, it was packed and I was so happy to see everyone come down to enjoy Cleveland! Tremont does a great job getting people into the neighborhood for some reason or another. Eventually you think (as I did) "There are so many reasons I come here, it would just be easier to live here and cut out the drive time!"

The food booths were hard to choose between. Not only did they all look great but there were some places there that Gina and I hadn't ventured to yet. Lines were long for some like neighborhood favorite Sokolowski's. Most others were at least a few minute wait. I got an italian sausage sandwich but from where I couldn't tell ya. It was good as I equate it to summer in my mind so it was perfect for the day. There were tons of other options such as gyros, burgers, pasta, pizza, and tubular meats a plenty.

In case you're keeping track, I'm now at the Atlanta airport. I got to spend the night at fancy hotel on Delta's $ since they made me miss my flight...

Gina and Kerry did the shopping and general goods browsing. There were the same kinda booths set up as you would see at a Tremont or Cleveland flea type of event. I don't mean to sound put off by it at all but it's the best way to describe it without spoon feeding you the experience. The main goal of all of this is to get you to come out and experience it yourself... or at least get you to go to the websites. I will tell you though that I got a bag of Chai Tea and a fancy drinking bottle from Gina. I love getting gifts!

Two places to note in our travels that day: 

1) Churned Ice Cream - Delicious and off the wall flavors keep us coming back to Churned for ice cream. We took Kerry there for what I suspect was technically dessert #3 of the day. Ya, we know how to party! It does me no good to pick out anything specific because everything we've had there is awesome... ok, Maple Bacon with French Toast. Get it and let it blow your mind.

2) Brewnuts - I'm literally going to start telling you every time I go to Brewnuts until you send me an e-mail that says you went! You don't know what you're missing! No more Giant Eagle dough circles of blah. Every time you get bakery from Giant Eagle you send money to Pittsburgh and it goes right into the pockets of people who love the Steelers... ya never thought of it that way huh? Yingling too! Stop it people! Support a local brewnut where the brew is also local. The one I had was made with Christmas Ale and it was delicious! Ya, Christmas Ale! You know, that thing you fight to get a hold of come December and then try to ration for the rest of the year until you can get your hands on it again.

Kerry enjoying her 1st Brewnut! I wouldn't be surprised if she was addicted after the 1st smell. We were!

I'm thinking it was Christmas in July or something... Get her Santa Shark!!!

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4th of July Week Part 1

Huge week this week as far as things to do! 1st we'll start off in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio bouncing from place to place in Tremont with my brother John and his girlfriend Brooke. Next we head out to America's Roller Coast to get on the world's best rides at Cedar Point. Then we'll hit the Star Spangled Spectacular in Public Square to see the Cleveland Orchestra and some fireworks. Lastly to end this stretch (but certainly not this week), we mozzie out to my old stomping ground in Lakewood to have some dinner with our friends and my renters Stacy and Kevin.

John and Brooke came up from North Carolina to visit us in Tremont and have a little fun. Since they're both teachers, the lucky bastards have the whole summer free and we're happy that they do because it means that we can spend some much needed family time with them.  We started off with dinner right down the street at Parallax. It was our first time being there so we didn't know what to expect. First of all, bring your wallet because it's an expensive meal... but if you like sea food, it's worth it. The sushi is great! Our server was very nice and the atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable. If you have a date night coming up, I highly recommend it. Next we headed to Gina's favorite bar in the neighborhood, the Treehouse, for a drink. It's a great bar with a awesome patio and according to John, they have great drink prices too! To end the night we headed to Barrio for some delicious margaritas and to watch the Indians. My favorite times with my brother have to be when we are just sitting around bullshitting and having a few (liberal use of few) drinks. Since we don't see him and Brooke often anymore it gives us an opportunity to catch up and reminisce.  It was a great night but we had to get back and get some sleep in preparation for a long day at Cedar Point.

I haven't been to Cedar Point yet this year because of our Hallo-weekends nightmare where we rode 3 rides and then waited in the parking lot for 4 hours before we were able to get out. It was brutal but we picked a Tuesday this year so we wouldn't have to wait in long lines and could maximize the fun. The weather looked sketchy at the beginning and it did rain for about a half hour... BUT after that it cleared up and was a beautiful 90 degree day. We rode everything we wanted to ride -- even the Top Thrill Dragster!... even though it did break down while we were in line. Shocker, right? It was tons of fun as always and a great way to spend a beautiful day. When we got home we ate some delicious Edison's Pizza and watched Ted. The perfect way to end the perfect day!

On Wednesday John and Brooke headed home and I headed back to work. That night though Gina and I walked over to Public Square with our chairs to witness the Star Spangled Spectacular. The Cleveland Orchestra played a free show for the crowd and boy are they good! Not a surprise though. They are one of the many diamonds of this great city and a source of pride for all of us citizens. It was a flawless performance and very entertaining. Afterwards there was a wonderful fireworks display to celebrate the 4th of July. It was yet another great gift from the city to all of us in attendance. I love when the city comes together to celebrate as one! It shows the world that Cleveland is a great place to live and play. The city cares about us and is always there to reward us with wonderful 1st class entertainment.

We too this little gem on the way home.

Thursday night brought us dinner with our friends Stacy and Kevin at one of my favorite places in Lakewood, the Buckeye Beer Engine. The beer list is like 8 pages long and it's printed in a very small font. The menu is classic old world food mixed with some new takes. I've had some great meals there in the past and it keeps me coming back. We were there for 3 hours talking and having fun. The time seemed to fly by. They are great people and a joy to be around. I couldn't have wished for any better renters and friends. Stacy told us about a great idea for promoting neighborhoods and their small businesses. I won't get into too much detail but it's something that I'm very interested in getting going. Anything to promote our great city and the surrounding communities gets me excited. More to come on that one!

Well we have even more to do this weekend including fireworks, birthdays, and a father's day Indian's game gift but before I go, I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!

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I'm nuts for BREWNUTS!

There's so much going on this week but I have to focus on my favorite meal of the weekend. Gina's Aunt Julie texted her out of the blue early Sunday morning and told her that we should pop into Brewnuts for breakfast and tell her how it was. Of course I was saving Brewnuts for when Gina finally moved in so she could experience it with me but it's moving week and this was as good a time as any... plus it's doughnuts made of beer for goodness sake! We threw on some clothes for the day and headed over. We were planning on getting a couple of goodies 1st and then stopping in at Press for some brunch. You know, like French do it! Dessert before the meal... or maybe it's the Chinese... or maybe it was in Star Trek but either/or, it's a great idea! Well after that fun word play sentence, we never made it to Press. Hell we almost didn't make it back home. Wanna know why?...

Meet owners of Brewnuts, Shelley Fasulko and John Pippin. No, seriously. Go in to Brewnuts and chat them up. Ask them about their business or the city in general. They are the nicest, most down to earth people we've met here so far and if I failed to take one delicious bite of their product that day, I'd go back just for the conversation. I'm just so fascinated with the way they started their business, how it's working out so far, and where they are going with it. They're small business owners who took a great idea and are running with it. This is the story Clevelanders want to follow. We want to cheer for them and find out where the snags are so we can try to help eliminate them. We want to know if the city/state is inviting to new small business or if they set up miles of red tape. We want them and good people like them to succeed so we can believe that Cleveland is continuing to get better.

First Impressions - I loved the whole look of the place! Right when you walk in you'll notice how the colorful furniture and decor pop from the grey walls. If you know me, that's right up my alley. Gina noticed the old hand picked furniture right away as she has a nose for it. Most pieces in the store have a Pintristy re-use look to them which adds that Tremont art dimension to your experience. It's a cozy space which does lend back to the bakeries of our youth but they also have some window seating for you. It comes in handy for when you're too far away from home to carry these delicious little things for fear that you'll eat through the box to get to them. Instant gratification opportunity!

The Food - Brewnuts are doughnuts made with local beer that have icing on them made from local beer. I'll wait for the college students to regain consciousness... OK. They start the morning with quite a variety but don't get there to late because you'll be out of luck. These things sell out and they only make as many as they can fit onto the flat surfaces in their condo. Yes people, homemade! Gina and I are adventurous but we are trying to slim down so as much as we wanted to buy all of them, we settled for 2 a piece and a cup of coffee.  I had a chocolate with caramel and salt icing and a blueberry with poppy seeds. I can't quite remember what Gina had but one thing is for sure... we loved the doughnuts. The addition of beer made the flavors uniquely stand out but didn't give it that bitter beer taste or dominate the flavor like liquor in cupcakes. Replacing some of the milk with the beer didn't change the consistency either. These were honest to goodness doughnuts... and they were great!

I can't say much either way about the coffee since I'm not much of a coffee connoisseur but it was a fitting and traditional pairing. It could have been any brand at any price and I'd have no idea. That one you'll just have to check out for yourself.

Overall - I love this idea! It surfs the tsunami that is the craft brewery revolution in Cleveland but also fills a very basic need in this city... Normal everyday businesses that you'd think would be abundant in an urban area but aren't for some reason. It's a small locally owned business which is what neighborhoods like Tremont are in the business of kick starting and supporting. It puts a new-age twist on an all time favorite which gets you in the door and allows you to stand out and get noticed. It has all of these things going for it and that's why you want it to succeed. Plus Brewnuts taste delicious! Every once in awhile, especially by us, you just want some coffee and a great doughnut and not a full out brunch. This is my new go to place for that.

You can visit them at 2406 Professor Ave in Tremont, the Cleveland Flea, or grab some at Rising Star Coffee Roasters in Hingetown. I personally recommend stopping into their store in Tremont for their great personal service.

Look for Gina & my's polaroid on the map in the bathroom under Spokan and the fish :) 

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Nom Nom Nom

So in my livings here in Tremont I have had the chance to eat at some great places so far. The thing Gina and I are trying not to do is eat out every night so we can A) fit through the door in 6 months and B) continue to be able to pay rent. It's true that the great restaurants here in the neighborhood have wonderful food but they can be kinda pricey. Your best bet is to treat yourself every once in awhile and make sure to hit up happy hours and specials whenever you can... oh and start working out! This is all contingent on if you're like me - barely making it by financially and have 0 metabolism to speak of. If you have neither of those traits, go nuts!... And send me money... but like old money that's just siting around not doing anything. Not like brand new crisp money.

Dervish Grill

Dervish Grill is way at the other end of Professor. OK, I do say "way" like it's not a 5 min walk from my house but it is significant because it's not in the heart of everything around the Lolita/Press/Dante/Banyon Tree area. That may not make a difference to Tremonters who are use to the size of the neighborhood and where everything is but location is everything to use newbies and to other outsiders. Now with that being said... wait for it... if you like Mediterranean or want to try Turkish food, find this place! Gina and I went and the food is not only great but the atmosphere is great too. These places all have the feel as if they were retrofitted into buildings that weren't originally designed for business and I really like that kind of look and feel. It gives you a unique setting that isn't really out there in the mainstream too much. I ordered the a gyro which was served with a combination of season lamb and beef. If you get there around lunch, I was told that you get the freshest cuts of both in this meal. They were fresh and delicious. I actually ate them so fast that I made quite a mess of my area. Next time we're going to ave to bring the bag attachment to catch my shavings. Gina got a white bean salad that was great and refreshing. I may get it on a 99 degree 132% humidity day as a pick me up. The baklava dessert was a fitting ending to a wonderful meal and probably the best I've ever had. We sat in a cute little curved corner booth and enjoyed every minute of it.

Bac Asian American Bistro and Bar

1st and foremost when it comes to Bac Asian American Bistro and Bar, bring your appetite. The servings are huge. We stopped by Bac and sat on their great front outdoor patio to get some dinner. They have lots of variety on their menu and each meal looked delicious and packed full of ingredients. We started out our meal with Summer rolls and if you haven't seen a roll wrapped in soft rice paper then you may be in for a weird surprise. It looks like white skin and the texture is like sticky rice. These aren't strip mall Chinese egg rolls like you may be used to. If you can get past the look and feel, it's worth it for the refreshing taste. I got the Pad Thai and Gina got the Avocado Green Curry. The Pad Thai has a peanut sauce on rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, and veggies... and the portion is huge! It looked like a family style portion. It was delicious too and I had to struggle to eat it all. I keep stressing the refreshing flavors of the meals and the refreshiness of the ingredients was a perfect compliment to the fullness I felt after eating it. The Avocado Green Curry was spicy and good. It comes with lots of curry so if you like that I definitely recommend it. The price of the special drinks are kinda high so bring your wallet if you plan on fancy drinking. The patio is a major perk so head there on a beautiful day and enjoy!

Edison's Pizza Kitchen

Last night I had a hankering for some pizza so I stopped out to Edison's Pizza Kitchen. I tried to pre-order but their link to foodtoyou.com didn't seem to take me anywhere. It was OK though because during my 30 min wait, I grabbed a beer at Edison's Pub. The pizza is greasy deliciousness and if you like your pizza like that, it may be the best in the city. The sausage comes in huge chunks and is spicy Italian (like me). The crust is painted with a garlicy butter sauce and sprinkled with shaker cheese. Once you get to the crust, you can dip it in the honey that they provide you for a nice little treat. The whole pizza experience was awesome and the pie is so big that I will be eating it for days to come. Edison's also has sandwiches and other pizza shop type food like calzones. If you're in a hurry, you can get a cheap slice too. Edison's pub has tables for you to eat the pizza at while you grab a drink or 5 if you're out for that too. I'm so happy that this is so close to my place and it will be my pizza of choice while I'm here.

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