Browns, Boondoggles, FreshWater, and Statues

We finally won a home opener! Browns 26 - Saints 24

My friend Betts somehow landed free club seats to the Brown's home opener and after Dave couldn't go, I was the next in line to get invited! Of course I saw "free" and said yes before I knew what I was agreeing to do (which is dangerous with Betts) but this time it paid off. After last week's comeback almost-win I was kinda excited to see this team up close and personal. Plus there were those flashy new scoreboards that I helped pay for that I wanted to see. Really for the amount of money we put into that place you'd think we'd get at least a little discount on the tickets right? Nope. My free ticket that someone was nice enough to give me was $200 face value... Seriously. If it was snowing, I would still be outdoors in my seat. I was close to the indoor bars and restaurants but the markup on the food still exists. The cost of things confuses me. It was like buying beer, bringing it into Chasers, and then having them sell it back to you because they didn't have a liquor license. Any man who went to Kent in the late 90's/early 00's remembers that. At least that place was entertaining every night and not just 8 Sunday's a year.

I sometimes forget:

1. How there is no way across the tracks if you park in the docks to tailgate without walking forever and sliding under not 1 fence but 2. I'm hoping once they start developing the land out by the stadium, they connect downtown to it better.
2. How sticky the floors in a dance club are. Anyone who's seen me walk knows without seeing that I have basic white guy dance moves at my very best and drunkest. That being said, I've traditionally not gone to dance clubs... but they were the only places where you could buy a drink on W 6th without waiting in an 4 hour line. We were rewarded with some heavy Jack and Coke's for our trouble. The soles of my shoes however have the clap now.
3. How it feels to be around people, drunk or not. Tailgating only happens during football season so when you can get your hands on tickets you want to make the most of it right??? Daniel Tosh said that no one frowns on a jet ski. Well that can also be said about tailgating in Cleveland. Hope spring forth from the glassy eyes of every fan in the lot. They're talkative and welcoming and willing to share whatever they have as long as you're wearing the same colors. It's nice to be about the masses.
4. How it feels to see someone so big support local anything. Since we were able to save the $200 on the ticket price, we decided that we should make up for it buying beer... $10 beer... for 4 people... 3 of which are married... 2 of which have children. Ya so we made liberal use of the bar area throughout the day and boy was it nice. I was really surprised at how nice actually. There was a large area with 5 normal sized bars surrounded by restaurants from the Mt Rushmore of local chefs. Let me say this again... local chef run restaurants and a bar that served draft Dortmunder Gold! I have to say... nice job Browns! Finally an Browns owner and front office who cares about local anything. Now let's get rid of the dingling piss water from pittsburgh and I'm all in!
5. How it feels to watch the Browns win at the stadium.

Our new opportunity street is being called a boondoggle

Usually when I think Scene, I think sarcastic criticism of anything and everything in Cleveland without no real solutions. I have never really read a Scene article where they've said "This is a great idea and everyone here at Scene stands behind it 100%. Have a nice day." I did however finally find an article I agreed with and didn't make me think that this could all be over tomorrow... ok 2.

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2014/09/18/opportunity-corridor-recognized-as-a-national-model-for-highway-boondoggles

The opportunity corridor is an extremely expensive extension of 490 to University Circle. Here are some good's and bad's in my mind:

• Bad - It mainly serves West Side car drivers by giving them an easy route from I90 to the UC for work and then home again. Suburbanites and their cars are what killed Cleveland in the first place. You live here or deal with the hassles of driving a non direct route. Scared, bitchy, white people.
• Good - It's 35 mph and contains bike lanes. This means that it's not a straight shot for people to speed through trying to avoid the poors. Stop. Take a look around. Plus bike lanes are always awesome! Give people yet another alternative to driving. It's a cheap perk of urban living.
• Bad - There are no businesses lined up to build on the land adjacent to this new road... that I know of. No tax money to pay back whatever we're borrowing to build it and/or no money to repair it when the time comes. This isn't Field of Dreams people. It's still Cleveland and when I last looked Eaton, Progressive, and BP aren't coming back any time soon.
• Good - The HealthLine was a catalyst to growth along Euclid Ave connecting downtown (urban area) to the UC (urban area). It was a gift to the city's residents connecting the 2 nodes and allowing them to share in healthcare, entertainment, and jobs. One will always prosper if the other grows because of this connection.
• Bad - This is connecting, at the very least, ultra poor urban areas where 40% of residents don't even own cars to the UC... who locally is going to drive on this? Doctors who want to go buy crack?... In all reality I'll drive on it from Tremont to the UC, if I'm in a hurry. I am someone who's house isn't being torn down to build it though. Even past that, this opportunity project isn't in my neighborhood. Read this: http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2014/07/03/no-one-gives-a-shit-about-car-access-in-kinsman
• Bad - Do we really need more land to not build on? Do we think it's our old buildings and roads in those areas that attract the poor and not businesses? Ohio's too busy worrying about Columbus suburbs to help infill a new road project all the way up here in ethnic democrat land.
• Good - I almost want it to go in while people get swallowed up by pot holes on their shortcut roads to work. I just want to see people who complain about potholes (in a city they don't live in) jump up their own ass. Unless you're a resident tax payer... shut up. You're the problem.
• Bad - This money should be going to light rail projects. I want to ride a train or a street car to Akron, Canton, the Beachland Ballroom, Tremont, Gordon Square, and the Zoo. There's already a train to the UC. And a Rapid Bus line. And a street. And a sidewalk.

There. As snarky and hard hitting as anything you'll find in or around Scene magazine or e-zine or whatever they are PLUS it includes some solutions and alternatives. Who said I wasn't fair? All snarkiness aside, I guess if every idea that Cleveland's brain trust had was a good one, no one would feel the need to complain.

A glass of FreshwaterCleveland to cleanse my palate of snarkiness

Every Thursday Freshwater Cleveland cranks out the feel good stories that Cleveland not only deserve but craves. I'm there every week just to see what wonderful things are going on in the city that I love and call home. The features are well written and up beat. Heck they just make you feel good! Now with all of that being said in such a positive manner, click on the link below to read a story that I love seeing come up every now and again pointing out the big projects that all Clevelanders are looking forward to. It's an exciting time people! Mmmmm BBQ...

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/top10projects091814.aspx

Do any of you remember who helped make Cleveland famous?

Bernie Kosar? Drew Carey? Bone Thugs? Let's get historical. Your memory of Cleveland probably goes back to "the fumble" or possibly watching the Cavs in Richfield. You know the River caught fire but when isn't important. You live in the now when the city is on the comeback trail... and most Clevelanders tend to agree since our past can be sort of depressing. BUT there was a time when we were the shit! The city was home to millionaires and movie stars and was a get away destination for New York's elite. The city had more amusement parks than you could visit in a week. 

We forget those times because it's painful to remember how great things were or how close we came. That however doesn't mean we have to forget the hard work that went into building what we have today. That's why I was happy to see that we put up a statue of Johnny Kilbane. "Who?" you might say. When it comes to holding a boxing title the longest, there's Joe Louis, of the arena in Detroit, and then there's Johnny Kilbane. The featherweight is considered one of the greatest in his weight class and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995. He fought his way up from poverty and tragedy to become the champion of the world in a time when boxing was just long and brutal. 

We don't memorialize the good in this city enough and it's sets a bad example. It makes the city seem unforgiving and forgetful. No one wants to be forgotten most of all by their hometown. We moved Alan Freed's ashes from the rock hall for goodness sakes and he represents the only bit of popular culture still left in this city! He's the foundation upon which that Hall of Fame is built on.

With that being said, here are 10 ideas for remembering some of Cleveland's famous residents:

1. Use the fact that John Heisman was born in Cleveland to get the Heisman Trophy presentation to come to Cleveland. If that can't happen, put a large statue of the trophy in the middle of a newly formed Franklin Circle in Ohio City which is blocks away from the house where he was born.
2. If you can't get the rights to the Heisman trophy, kill 2 birds with one stone and make the statue of Desmond Howard doing the Heisman pose.
3. Name a theater after Bob Hope. He wasn't born here but he called it home.
4. Have a plaque in a park under a giant American flag say "Only in America... -Don King".
5. Put up a freaking statue of Superman already! It should be huge and in a public place. I don't want to say "Not in Glenville"... but you know... not in Glenville.
6. If you can't get the Superman statue done, do one of the Penguin since Burgess Meredith was born here too. Or maybe one of him calling Rocky a bum?
7. Name a wing of one of the area hospitals after Dr Oz.
8. Name every track and stadium in the city after Jesse Owens.
9. Catherine Bach deserves at least a Daisy Duke Lane right?
10. Elm Ave in the Flats should be renamed Elm St for director Wes Craven. A Freddy/Ghost Face mural wouldn't hurt either.

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Geneva and Wine

Do me a favor... pretend that I posted this last Friday like I had planned on doing? That'll save me a lot of edits. Thanks.

The Geneva and Geneva on the Lake area have the right idea. The area offers a retreat for Northeast Ohioans from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You get to enjoy lungs full of country air, the relaxing sounds of nature, and a delicious selection of the regions best wine. They don't try to be any more or any less than a relaxing and enjoyable destination for all.

I'll admit that last week wasn't my greatest so this little retreat was well needed. After a deep nap in the car on the way there and depression bubbling up in the form of a dismal 1st half for the Browns against the regionalism powerhouse that is pittsburgh, I groggily stepped out of the car... OK seriously pittsburgh and all of its "brands" are creeping into all of the surrounding areas like some sort of marketing black death. The steelers, yingling, giant eagle, pnc, heinz, ppg pittsburgh paint... the list is getting bigger and they are expanding into our area without a fight by anyone... but I digress.

Our first 2 stops were to Ferrante Winery & Ristorante and Chalet Debonne Vineyards and they were beautiful. All the wineries seem to have acres of grapevines on their premises and wonderful outdoor entertaining areas. They seem to be designed to blend in with their surroundings and the busy season in which they operate. Each building is unique in its own way with no sense of cookie cutter chain design or super modern urbanism. They reflect the times in which they opened and stay true to what the area promotes. They aren't pushed by ultra competitiveness to the point of becoming clones of the most popular. They act as a truly supportive community that strives to bring the whole area up equally. When needed, they share grapes, equipment, and ideas in a time where other industries would watch as the weaker businesses are snipped from the vine and push to thrive further as additional nutrients come their way... all puns intended.. unless it sounded stupid.

The main reason we went up to Geneva was to visit a brand new winery owned by a friend of Gina's cousin Kerry called Hundley Cellars. Upon first glance the winery looked like an small redone two-story sitting on some beautiful green country acreage highlighted by the late afternoon sun. We walked in and the first thing you notice is the size of the great room. The smell of the wood that wrapped the room from ceiling to floor still hung in the air as if it were just finished that day. There were a few burlap wrapped tables positioned around a wood support pillar and what looked to be a family room setup on the far end. There were children laying on the sofas that were positioned around the fireplace playing hand held video games. Once the awe of this beautiful room let go of you and you got your bearings, you see the obvious first stop. The smiling owner, Tracy Hundley Pringle, and her mother behind the bar in front of where we walked in.

We talked for a bit with them about the winery and how it came to be. Once we were properly introduced and caught up, they took us out to see the grape fields. We walked out of the back of the building onto a large patio that had tables and chairs set up on it. There was a large grassy area directly behind the patio and a pond off to the left. Far in the back of the lot were the rows and rows of grapes. Tracy pointed out which rows of grapes were which and even showed us how the technique they used to help them grow and produce more bunches. We were told that because of the polar vortex filled winter they were afraid that they would lose most of their crop for the year. Much to everyone's surprise however there were grapes on the vines. Tracy and her family currently live in South Carolina and had not been up to the winery for a while. During this time she wasn't able to keep tabs on how well the grapes were doing given the weather situation. Her face lit up as she picked one and put it in her mouth. It was a great moment to see a person right at that wonderful moment where they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor... Again pun/no pun whatever.

We walk back to the winery and re-entered through the cellar doors into the basement fermentation/storage area. My mind had a hard time wrapping itself around how many bottles or grapes for that matter each of the containers held... but it looked like a lot. When we looked into one of the containers we saw the chemical reactions of the fermentation process just whirring and whooshing the almost wine around without a bit of help from any of us. Even though it is probably the least glorious or designer part of any winery tour, seeing the near finished product there in those containers made me feel like I should be out there picking grapes just so I could feel like I was a tiny fraction of the process that created it. It's something that's been brewing in me for awhile (Goodness I'm on fire with the puns!) and I'm just going to have to start creating something and selling it. The thought keeps me awake at night.

The wine samples that we were allowed to taste were delicious and surprisingly different. I like sweet wines if I'm generally going to drink it without food, and there was one there that I will definitely grab for my own shelves to go along with my Cabernet Sauvignons and (brace yourself for the chills) dandelion wines from Amish country. You stop judging right now! I can easily say that if Tracy or her mother are at the winery, you should go for the conversation alone as they were exceptionally nice people and are more than willing to teach you about the whole process. Having a bottle or 6 of their delicious wine while chatting doesn't hurt either and you won't be disappointed. I highly recommend stopping by to see them at 6451 St. Rte. 307 in Geneva.

We closed out the night at a winery in Geneva on the Lake... the name escapes me for obvious drunken reasons but it was right on the strip with a lake view slightly obstructed by a working ferris wheel. As it got dark I remember enjoying the long conversations we had far more than the food or the wine that was served. We actually mixed the 2 wines together there at the end and it made it sorta better. Our tiny glimpse of Geneva on the Lake from our picnic table gave us enough incentive to revisit it for a longer time next year once things get kicking again since, unfortunately for us, we arrived on the last day of this year's busy season. I also slightly remember witnessing the power of religious faith and, even though I may not be the most devout anything, it warmed my heart. The drive home wasn't too bad and I'll make you a deal... if I get enough shares and retweets, I'll post a pic of Gina sleeping in the car... and maybe a funny video of her too.

OK I love ya Cleveland buh bye!

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Favorite Wineries are

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I Just Feel Like I Need to Help

Lately I've been wondering what I can do to help Cleveland other than being a consumer. I don't have a lot of money which could be my most major road block. Without money you can't start a business, donate to a local cause, or even rehab a house. I can volunteer my time. That's relatively free and helping others is its own reward. That I will start doing more of. What else? I care about Cleveland and want others to care about it too... so I will continue to write this blog? I know the hate and fear that is out there aimed at CLE and I want to show everyone that this city (in the right areas) is a great place to live, work, and have fun. 

I want to be honest about it too though. It's not Shangri-La by any means... but it's coming around. It's came around before though. A few times actually. So what's to keep it from hitting the skids again? It's about here in my process that I usually run out of answers. 

Eventually, as history has taught us, this progress will slow down and we will start the decline again. It's nice because right now we're past the "If you build it, they will come" stage. In the 90's we built a whole bunch of stuff. Stadiums, science centers, halls of fame... but they didn't come. Well not to stay anyway. We actually watched as they kept leaving. Now we have a medical mart and a new convention center. We're currently rehabbing old office buildings and turning them into apartments because the demand to rent downtown is so high and that's a great thing. There's demand! Slowly as the population of downtown grows and the last of the old office towers are converted to apartments, businesses will have no choice but to move to where the workforce is. Since there won't be many office towers left, more will need to be built... sorry, now we're back to speculation again. That's the unknown hope that a lot of people are hanging their hats on here and in many other large cities. Unfortunately corporations continue to move out of downtown Cleveland for cheaper rent and less taxes. The Exurbs (Urban>Inner ring suburb>Outer ring suburb>Exurb) have become the new place to escape to. People see the promise of cheap land, convenient highways, and big box stores... the American dream?

Remember when people thought the world was flat and was positioned at the center of the universe?

Remember when asbestos was a safe fire retardant material?

Remember when 4 out of 5 doctors said smoking was OK?

Remember when the American dream was owning your own house on a plot of land surrounded by a white picket fence in the suburbs? It sounds like what we were all told and is a great idea in theory. You get to be King of your castle and rule everything in it. You make the rules and no one can come and tell you what to do. It's safe and the schools are great. The local chicken joint has crazy Tuesdays where you can feed your whole family for $7.99. It's what's best for you and your family and I don't fault you for thinking that. You were sold a red, white, and blue promise that few turned down. The profits were even there initially. Everything seemed to be working just fine...

Unfortunately, like in some of the examples above, planners didn't look far enough into the future to see what the long term effects were... even more unfortunate is, like all of the examples above, we were wrong.... but the most unfortunate thing is, there's political juggernaut that continues to push this broken belief forward. It takes a big person to admit that they were wrong and even harder to admit that we trusted them.

See I've always had a hunch that my feelings towards things of this nature were close. I just never had actual proof... until I started digging. Once you start looking for it, you find out that there are others who have done the work for you and share in your mindset. They have set up a road map to help others turn this Titanic around. It's a work in progress but it begins to correct the sins of the past. OK, humor me for a minute and do some reading: 

First, go to www.strongtowns.org and read The Growth Ponzi Scheme. It's going to make logical sense if not kinda blow your mind. Then at the bottom of that page read through Days 1-5 of the series. After you read it you'll want to get as much info on it as you can if a) you're like me and soak this kinda stuff up like a sponge so that you can apply it to your life or b) because you think it's bullsh!t and want to find the flaw in it to expose it. It's fine either way because it's something that's not being discussed across America as much as it should be.

Next, read From the Mayor's Office on the same site and pretend that this is your mayor talking to his staff about your town. There are some very insightful ideas here on how to stop the status quo in local government. Cities are trying to attract people and businesses while trying to re-brand themselves but are doing it the wrong way. Don't keep up with the Jones because they're just stupid... play a different game.

Lastly (for now), read The Cost of Auto Orientation still on the same site. This is actually something that's catching on a little but no one understands why. You read about bike lanes and street cars and you think it's all about nostalgia or being different but it's not. It's about choices. It's about letting the numbers and not the cars dictate spending, planning, and future costs.

After all that reading, take a look at this video from our friends at 19 Action News:

http://www.19actionnews.com/clip/10540907/cleveland-takes-steps-to-improve-parking-for-west-side-market-and-ohio-city

Now take what you've learned from Strong Towns and apply it to this issue. Here was my attempt on Facebook:

If everyone who had the means would walk, bike, or take a bus or the rapid to W25th, our city wouldn't have to waste the money dealing with how to bow down to suburban cars in an urban area. This is what cities have to do to pay for the empty swaths of land used for parking lots. The more people that use alternate forms of transportation, the less parking spots they take up. The less parking spots they take up, the less we have to deal with this "issue".

I'm still learning and trying to craft my beliefs but I think I'm on the right track... and that makes me happy. I've decided to write a short outline called "What I believe." I'll share it with you as soon as I finish it up... although the more I learn the more I realize that it'll never be truly finished. Life allows you to change your mind and take a new path based on what you learn. Thank God for that!

We're at a crossroads (again) and any lack of progress on these types of things this time around may mean that we could see our first "I am Legend" type ghost-town... our first abandoned highway...  our next bankrupt major American city. It all begins with you redefining the American dream to make sense for you, your family, and your city. One where the numbers dictate your decisions and one where everyone benefits including future generations. It's time to reconcile past mistakes, admit we were wrong, and move forward with a new plan. A new plan based on living within our means and still being able to enjoy life.

Thanks to StrongTowns.org for hopefully being OK with me posting links to their site. If you like what you see, please consider becoming a member.

Love you Cleveland. Good day!

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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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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge... as Batman!

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Eli Kazimir, Jeremy Fulks, and Andy Walters... you have 24 hours!

And as a bonus -- here's Batgirl Gina Riley's!

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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Videos

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Gay Games 9

In 2016, Cleveland will host the Republican National Convention and the Transplant Games of America. The mass of visitors and competitors will be able to zip in and out of downtown over the new Innerbelt Bridges or in the new trains cars on the RTA Red line from the airport. They'll be staying, among other places, at the new Hilton Convention Center Hotel which will be adding 600 new hotel rooms to downtown. They'll also have the opportunity to stay at any of 450 other new rooms that will be added to downtown as part of 3 other hotel projects. Public Square will have a totally new look with less concrete and more green space. It will be a relaxing central recreation spot for a downtown population that will have over 2000 new apartments to fill, that is if the occupancy rate stays over 95% as it has over the past few years. The 2nd Phase of the Flats, which will include 242 of those new apartments, 12 restaurants, and 1200-feet of boardwalk along the Cuyahoga River will be a year old and a cornerstone of that new and vibrant mixed use neighborhood. Sports fans will have a chance to see the Indians from a newly renovated Progressive field or can fight for a handful of remaining tickets to see a settled in Lebron leading the Cavs to hopefully another championship. The Gladiators could be pushing for a possible AFL 3-peat... and I can only hope that Johnny Football is still the last name on the bottom of the infamous Brown's quarterback jersey.

2016 sounds like it is going to be pretty great for the city of Cleveland but every day starting with today we need to prove ourselves as a city that not only deserves all of these great opportunities... but can handle all of the responsibilities that come with them. That's why this week was so important for the city. We had our first big test of our new found glory in the form of Gay Games 9. It was over a week filled with event coordination, visitors appreciation, and a bit of controversy to overcome. Did Cleveland shine on the big stage?

I decided to volunteer through work for the games. Why? Lots of reasons. Mainly because I have yet to find a way to make a lasting positive impact on this city. I've been racking my brain on how to leave my mark in a positive way on Cleveland in the time I'm going to spend here and haven't come up with anything yet. I know I have to start finding the right people and asking the right questions but until I get the nerve to do that, I figure volunteering is a great way to help out and where better to do so than at the biggest event of the summer... and anyone who doesn't believe that Cleveland being the host city for the Gay Games is a huge deal really needed to come downtown and see everything going on. There were people on the streets when there would normally not be. There were activities going on throughout the city. There were events happening in the stadiums, centers, and facilities. The city really was alive with activity! 

On Saturday I helped setup the festival village. It was a lot of manual labor but I was able to see and be a part of Mall C's transformation into the center of all of the Game's activities downtown. There were booths, tables, and a big stage area all going up at the same time in preparation for it's opening on Sunday. There were a lot of volunteers out and about doing various tasks. Actually, there were a lot more than I thought there would be. Definitely a pleasant surprise! The Terminal Tower was lit up in rainbow lights and welcome banners and flags were up all around downtown welcoming the athletes and visitors. The city looked great and all of the construction downtown made it look like we were definitely the up and coming city that we were expected to be based on all of our recent publicity. After my volunteer shift was done, I went to the casino and turned $25 into $90! I know I know... a casino so close to where I live is going to be great until it isn't. Until then though... whooohooo!

On Sunday I came back to help out some more at the festival village before it opened. This time, instead of manual labor, I was tasked with passing out flyers about the village to the athletes going into the Convention Center and really anyone who passed by. I got to talk to a lot of people from all over the globe about what the festival village was, were to check in, what was there to do, and how to get to places. This was right up my alley because all I do is keep up on everything Cleveland in my spare time. I was able to get people to where they wanted to go and give them some options on what to do. I loved it! I got people to go to the Rock Hall, East 4th, University Circle, the Casino, The East 9th pier... I was in some small way directly responsible for helping sell tickets and promote the city! This was truly a thrill for me.

Later on Sunday I worked the Key Bank (who in no way is affiliated with this blog or the comments expressed in it) booth at the festival village. We had a wheel to spin with prizes on it and everyone who spun won something. The village was rocking with lots of people and that one dance song base line that seemed to continue all through the night. It really was the place to be! Some of the spinners were not too happy that my scruffy beard and I weren't on the wheel as a prize... by the end of the night I was declared festival man meat and like a rock star had to slip out undetected when my shift was over to avoid my adoring fans... think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. It was a fun time!

Monday was my last day of volunteer work for the games and this time it was for an actual event... water polo. Why water polo? Truthfully it was all that was left really when I signed up. I've never played or even watched it before but that was good because I like learning new things. The water polo event was at Case and I'd never been there either so that was 2 new experiences in one night. Some call that a bonus! If you've never been to Case... go for the architecture alone! Especially if you're a dummy like me and wouldn't get accepted if you tried. Because I got there a tad late, I missed getting a chance to work the scoreboard or be a spotter but it worked out for me. They gave me a sharpie and put me in charge of updating the scores on the 2 schedule boards. Yup, sounds exhausting huh?! Seeing as I only had to do this between games, it gave me the opportunity to watch and learn a little about the sport. The matches were very entertaining and I even got a chance to see the hometown Cleveland team play.

I didn't get a chance to make it to any of the other events that week (except briefly to the rowing event) but I did follow it closely in the paper and on social media. There was only really great press. There actually should have been more in the Plain Dealer on the events in my opinion. Either way it was a success! The city came together and was a great host city for out new friends from the Gay Games. We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to come to our fair city and hope each and every one of you had a positive experience. 2016 is a long ways off but, if this past week was any sort of indicator, we will be ready for our future visitors. Bravo Cleveland and bravo to the Gay Games! What an amazing week it was.

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Gay Games experience

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Eat, Drink, & Be Merry in CLE

It was finally a "fun in the CLE" type of weekend last weekend! There were plans galore and they all took place in my city. We hit up some old favorites, some new trendy spots, and... bought a mattress. The best part about it was that we were able to experience it with friends and family. We love big plans and groups but we don't often get a chance to indulge in either. This weekend was a welcome exception.

Friday

Friday started with us hitting up the brand new extended patio at Barrio in Tremont with our friends Eli and Alexa. Barrio has a great outdoor fireplace and a fun little vibe to it. Unfortunately we couldn't take advantage of their great happy hour since it was packed but the tacos and margaritas are tasty at any price. Not much more I can say about the place that I haven't raved about before other than it's that much more fun to have great friends to enjoy it all with.

James Bond and Kevin Nash pose for a celebrity pic.

After we finished it was off to Hilarities on East 4th Street to see one of my favorite comedians, Jim Breuer! I've listened to him for years on the Opie and Anthony show and this was the 1st time I've seen him live. I can't lie... he did not disappoint! I'm pretty sure he told 3 or 4 stories but they were elaborate, animated, and hilarious. His impressions whether it be James Hetfield, his family members, or a pride of lions were over the top and comically accurate. It really was a laugh riot from the get go. Go to Netflix and check out his specials! You will not be disappointed.

Afterwards we couldn't pass up an opportunity to snap a pic
with the beautiful streetscape of East 4th as our backdrop.

Saturday

We finally bought a mattress! Poor Gina and I  have started walking like shrimp-back old fogies so we decided to bite the bullet and get ourselves a memory foam mattress. As I write this, we've been sleeping on it for a week and it's... much much different. We equate it to sleeping on a comfy slab of concrete but our backs are feeling much better.

We went right from the mattress place to TownHall in Ohio City to meet our friends Matt and Christine to catch up and grab a few (liberal term) drinks. They also have a great patio and beer list a mile long. Oh and if you haven't heard me rave about their bacon wrapped dates... is this your first time reading my blog? Christine and Gina decide to split a bottle of wine so the rest this blog may be filling in the cloudy blanks on the rest of the night.

From there we headed to Platform Brewhouse in SoLo (South of Lorian). This is a relatively new brewery so it was great to go check it out. The area it's in is kinda bare of businesses so the hope is that it becomes popular and attracts more investment. The idea behind the place is interesting as well. It's a brewery incubator which means they not only brew their own beer but it acts as a place for new brewers to come and try their hand at brewing. The beer that is brewed their is also sold there so you get to see how your recipes are received by the public. From there the new brewers can spin off and move to their own breweries. Although I don't know the details, there's usually some low cost rental, use, and possibly some financial investment, if the business plan of the new brewers is solid. I love the idea of business incubators! It gives newbies a chance to get up and running with minimal risk and lots of helpful resources. Good for business and good for Cleveland.

When you walk in there's a bowling machine and then a large bar and a lot of space. Gina and I got a flight of beers and went to chill out on their patio area. It was great to catch up with my former Parma Hospital running buddy and life coach, Christine. When it comes to being a great listener and cheerleader, she takes the cake. I can truly say that I wouldn't be the person I am today without her. I'm so proud of her and her boyfriend Matt. Their son is the cutest little man you'll ever see. They are also a huge part of Forest City Brewery which is currently in the planning phase and will call the Duck Island neighborhood of Cleveland home. I'm so excited for this and can't wait for them to clear up all of the financing and open!

We ended up the night at the most talk about bar in Cleveland lately, the Porco Lounge and Tiki Room. I know what you're saying... aren't there 50 or so tiki lounges in Cleveland? I mean our beautiful weather lends itself to Hawaiian shirts and coconut drinks right?!? That's what makes this place so awesome! It's unique and beautifully out of place. It's like it was picked up off the beach of a vacation island and plopped right on West 25th street. Be prepared when you go because the drink menu will blow your mind. It's stuffed full of delicious tropical rum drinks with the best names in the industry. The ambiance of the inside is dark but colorful. The decor is what you'd expect from a tiki bar but is so refreshing that you forget that the skys are grey here 85% of the year. The back patio is nice and the combination of a sunny afternoon and a fruity rum drink on your lips conjure up the comfortable sounds of waves breaking and seagulls squawking.

Great nights out are only as great as the company you get to hang with.
This was one of those nights where we got to enjoy every second because of these guys! 

Sunday

Yes we were hungover... but we were still ready to rock and roll! Gina's cousin Kerry joined us for Sunday brunch at Press Wine Bar to end our whirlwind weekend. We love hanging with Kerry as she slowly falls in love with Tremont. No better way to show off the neighborhood a bit like a Press brunch and their delicious and creative menu. There's nothing better on a non football Sunday than a great brunch conversation and Kerry never disappoints. The drinks were great and the weather was beautifully comfortable. The food was good but I think they kinda forgot about us. It did take a bit to come out and was a tad cold but we didn't mind too much. It just gave us more time to shoot the shit. I don't hold it against them and will certainly be back.

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Leave me comments on your favorite 

Restaurants and Bars in Cleveland

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