Cleveland Rocks! Part 3

Need to catch up?  Here's Part 2.

All righty, so when last we blogged, we were on our first full day in Cleveland, having made breakfast burritos in the VRBO and visited the amazing Christmas Story House (after retrieving the rental car from the tow yard, of course).

After we finished the Christmas Story House, we hit up a nearby WalMart to grab some essentials the VRBO either didn't have (aluminum foil, a dishwashing sponge, Clorox wipes) or needed more of (did you really expect 2 extra rolls of toilet paper to be acceptable for 7 people staying for 4 nights?  Really?).  Hoping to minimize our time inside the store (something I strive to do, even when it's just me), we made a list and assigned everyone a few items, and we all met in the Subway near the front of the store once we were done.

Mom and Aunt Kim win the prize

for speedy shopping!

After the WalMart stop, we headed to our lunch destination, Sokolowski's University Inn.  Sokolowski's has been around for just under 100 years now, and it's the city's oldest family owned restaurant.  Additionally, just a few years ago, it won the James Beard Award for being an "American Classic."  It's an institution, and it was well worth a visit.

Ready to eat!

The Deuce says the food is blessed.

My pierogies!

Sokolowski's is focused on traditional Polish cuisine, and while they didn't have a lot of health food options on the menu, it was delicious.  I got the pierogi plate shown above, and while my mashed potatoes weren't anything to write home about, the main feature was outstanding.  For a meal that showcases the original residents of this area, this spot absolutely can't be beat.

After ingesting around 8000 calories (each!) during our midday meal, we figured a stroll was in order, and as it turns out ("as it turns out" - heh - like this wasn't meticulously planned), the West Side Market area we'd visited the night before was just under a mile from lunch.  On our stroll, we took in some great views of downtown, including a local park featuring this:

Cool photo op, right?

We found these signs a few other times

throughout our visit.

Stop it, you hooligans!

The main West Side Market building

Strolling

So shady, that one.

The market itself spans one major building and two smaller spots on either side (you can see one of the smaller, side halls in the picture above where I'm behind everyone).  We started out in one of the side halls, which seemed to mainly feature produce of every sort.

Jim with an eensy, weensy

cup of banoffee pie

Veggie stands - 

one of the guys here told us that

famous chef Michael Symon

started out selling produce across the way.

No clue on the historical accuracy

of that statement, but the guy was convincing.

"I had to listen to that laugh all day long!"

He clearly had PTSD.

Leigh conducting a transaction

for pomegranates.

Having had our fill of produce, we next headed into the main market building, which was incredible - gorgeous pieces of meat and desserts as far as the eye could see.

Look at the ceiling in this place!

We passed on the cuts of meat, but most of us grabbed some sort of dessert option.  Mine was a cup of fresh mint ice cream, which the ladies in the booth made with liquid nitrogen.  Fancy!

It was super delicious.

After we tired of the main building, we headed across the road to a Penzey's Spices shop we'd seen the night before; since it was open this time, we went in and some members of our party conducted some business.

We think this was in an old bank building - 

the architecture in this area was incredible.

With the haul!

On our way back to the cars, we took a quick moment to visit the site of our mistake the night before:

This would have been helpful earlier...

Thankfully, upon arriving back at our starting location this afternoon, both cars were still there.  You can see Chris celebrating this in the shot below:

Whee!

After all that eating and walking and eating and walking, it was back to the VRBO for some rest (I took a nap - it was lovely - and then Chris and I wandered to the nearby college area for some iced caffeine) and a change of clothes before dinner.  Given the size of our party, we'd made a reservation at Market Garden Brewing, a great brewery and restaurant right next to the West Side Market we'd visited earlier that day.  We parked in an appropriate location (having since learned the importance of this - thank you very much) and headed in!

Mom at dinner with a stout

Most of us ended up with flights, and between us all, I think we tried almost everything on offer.  Most of the brews ranged from solid to really good, and the food was great, too.  Although it was a bit loud (there was a 40th birthday VERY boisterously happening near us), it was a fun spot, and we'd recommend it.

We weren't quite ready to pack things in, so our next stop was Hansa Brewing, just down the street.  It specializes in European-style beers and food; although we'd reached our daily acceptable limit of pierogies, we did sample some of their strudel, along with a good variety of their beers - all of these were great.  It was at this juncture that my cousin Ethan, Uncle Jim and Aunt Kim's oldest, was able to join us; he'd been doing training in Virginia (I think), and after departing there earlier in the day, he beat a trail northward to meet us for the general revelry.  

Our entire party,

in stunning black and white.

Well fortified, we decided to give one more spot a go, Nano Brew, a smaller offshoot of Market Garden.  We grabbed a tall table and each had another pint to cap off the night.

Bruce the Moose at Nano Brew.

I don't know that his name is actually Bruce,

but it very well should be.

By this point, we were plum worn out and ready to head home.  It was back to the VRBO to rest up for another exciting day!  In the next blog installment, we find out exactly why Cleveland "rocks" and get ready to see Ashley get married!

Later!

Amy