Travelogue-Cleveland

Here's another little cutesey idea that I had that I will start implementation on immediately. I get to go to so many beautiful, exotic places that most average people don't have opportunity to visit, places like Omaha, Carson City, Nashua and - don't get too excited - Cleveland! It makes me so sad that many of my beloved friends and family members may never get the chance to be witness to the glory and splendor that is the backbone of America. I suppose I say this with a grin on my face, but actually, some of these places have their little redeeming qualities. Okay, not to say that if one of you were to ask "Alison, if you had one place to go on vacation -- where would it be?" that I would respond with a spark of excitment in my eye and a glimmer of glee and happiness in my voice "Portland -- Maine!" But, at least, if one has to be in Nashua, Omaha or Carson City, or Portland, ME I'd like to at least let you gleen a little bit of benefit from my vast travel experience - which happens to be in all of these lovely towns....

So - I commence with my "dig deep to find the fun" series in CLEVELAND! Ding ding ding ding!!!! We have a winner!

So here's my deal - I was supposed to come in to work with an implemantation at a 7 hospital system here in Cleveland. There were two of us "specialists" (as they like to call the people who know TONS of stuff about one little product) coming in to work on this trial and conversion. It was a package deal, so - I fly in yesterday and I find out that the other specialist who is coming in has a health scare with his wife and so he has to cancel this trip. Unfortunatley, the system we're working with wants that package deal - all of nothing. SO - we're now having to reschedule the whole thing. Thats the joy of my job.

There's another rep that I work with near the Cleveland area that is awesome and always has stuff going on so I gave him a call and he can dredge up a whole day of work for me, but on Thursday. Today is Wednesday.... Today I have to find my own work which I will get to sooner or later :) I have a whole day in Cleveland!

One of the new shows that I've been watching since I actually have access to a tv and cable television as of late is a little silly show on the Food channel called Diners, Drive Ins and Dives with this guy names - Guy. He goes to all these little hole in the wall places around the country based on peoples recommendations and the they have a certain topic that they follow on the show and they cover these places. Its actually kind of cool and you end up sitting there drooling most of the time.

There have a been a couple of places that I've seen as of late in Cleveland. I tried one out yesterday evening when I got in.

My first place was in Lakewood, OH which is a suburb of Cleveland, kind of like Evanston is of Chicago. Lakewood, I've actually frequented before as there was a space of time that I was in Cleveland for many weeks. Lakewood is a really nice town - more upscale definitely, but mixed with upper and middle class. It right on the Lake (Erie that is) and has tons of old houses and shops and just really quaint.

The place that I tried out is called Melt Bar and Grilled. The whole base of it is grilled cheese sandwiches - just wild and out of the ordinary. I've got the link here for the restaurant
http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/galleries/food-network/
and here's the DDD episode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTD9BtjE8q0

I tried the Parmegeddon that they featured as, since my trip to Poland a few years ago, I must admit that I love the Peroggis! The Parmegeddon is this huge sandwich that has the obvious toasted bread (yum!) and then aged cheddar cheese. Now comes the interesting part - they take two potato and cheese peroggis, cook them and then put them in the sandwich with this vodka saurkraut (I'm not a saurkrat fan and it didn't sit well with me later) and then put them all together and make it into the grilled cheese. In retrospect, I probably would have gotten a different sandwich, but it was definitely good. I think if I did it over again, I'd create my own grilled cheese. The bread was excellent and the cheese as well. I think I'd go back and try it again - just not this time.

Ok - restaurant number two....

This one is called Luckys Cafe. This one is in the city proper (not directly downtown but its in the actual city limits). I put the address into GPS and I must admit that I did get a little frightened the closer I got to the place. It was not the best looking area. But then I drove about a half a mile past scared, and it was pretty normal looking. Its right in the middle of this neighborhood and the buidling is amazingly cute! They have an outdoor seating area that is just plain old fun. You walk in and the place is adorable! They've used they old diner chairs but have dressed them up. All the tables are different but its not a yucky, old or gross feeling place at all. Its just a friendly place that I wanted to stay at all day. The coffee was excellent and the orange juice was fresh squeezed. Here's the restaurant link.
http://www.luckyscafe.com/

It was a struggle with the menu as I had watch the DDD show (I'm putting that link as well) and they had two dishes that they featured that looked delish, but I had looked at the menu before and I was ready to eat everything. I ended up ordering something that I would never have dreamed I would eat in a million years. In fact, usually, the mere thought of it makes my stomach turn and my lip go up in disgust.

My brother in law would be in 7th heaven, though.... I ordered the biscuits and gravy. The only reason I did is because I saw them make it on the DDD show and I fell in love. These use these cheddar scallion biscuits and the sausage and "gravy" and all is homemade. It was AMAZING!!!!!! If all biscuits and gravy were like this, I'd eat it! Here's the DDD episode link where you can see those amazing biscuits and gravy being made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TCnZweRAj8

The rest of the menu was just delicious as well. I may have to even come back before I leave to try one of the other items. I'm still sitting here enjoying cup after cup of coffee and I know that when I leave, I'm leaving with some their homemade granola. I'm not sure what else I'll have to take with me....

I ended up leaving the restaurant and just walking around the area as I started noticing other little shops. I began talking to one of the shopkeepers and saw a different aspect of the neighborhood. Turns out, its one of those rehab projects where a bunch of people come in and start taking over a "bad" neighborhood in order to change it around. Its about a 3 year old project turns out and there are some great little stores and cute places. The houses are great looking and there were some beautiful old churches. I have a few picts of one of the Lutheran churchs that I'll post later as they're on my camera. I LOVED the area and there were some other cute little restaurants in the area.... although, I think I'd have to come back to Luckys again.

If you're into the downtown scene, there are some great places that way as well. About 10-15 years ago, Cleveland did a revitalization along the river. They took tons of old warehouses and converted them into bars - because thats the smart thing to do when you have a river running through. Now the area is called The Flats and there are tons of trendy bars along either side of the river. They have had problems with people getting drunk, leaving a bar, seeing anothe bar across the river and deciding they can just swim across -- a lot of them usually don't make it. Genius - alcohol and a body of water. Hmmm. Right down the street a few blocks is another area called the Warehouse District that has a ton of upscale, trendy restaurants. BluePointe Grill is one of my favorites.

Here's a quick story from the past. I used to have a friend, we actually met on a flight from Chicago to Cleveland that was really rough and I wound up with nail marks in my hand from this woman I didn't even know. We ended up becoming friends and we hung out whenever I'd come to Cleveland. I lost track of her a few years back as she got really busy with a Homeland Security job. She was actually a prison warden for the supermax prison in Youngstown. I even get to tour the prison once -- creepy.... There were 4 different cell block wings and a surgery wing and all this stuff I got to go into. There was also this medium security "dorm" kind of building outside the supermax prison. She took me in there as well and I actually got to meet all these prisoners. The medium security place was basically open with these bunk beds and a caferia and a common area. My friend had started a program with these medium sec prisoners where they trained seeing eye dogs and so the dogs lived in the prison with them. I have to admit, those guys were pretty nice. Ok - not that I was looking for a boyfriend there or anything, I'm just saying, I think some of them, it was just "misfortune" that put them there. The one guy I remember was a guy who had been a freshman in college in Cleveland. He went down to The Flats with some friends over a Christmas break and he ended up getting drunk. There was a guy who started a fight with the freshman guy - long story short, the drunk freshman hit the other guy and killed him. When I met him in the medium security prison, he had been there for about 5 years and he was serving, I believe 30 years. He was honestly the nicest, most quiet guy, very polite. I guess sometimes you make mistakes in your youth that you end up ruining your life in payment.

Today I was going to hit a running trail by my hotel but got pretty preoccupied with this dumb old cross reference list I've been working on - it goes on forever and I feel like tearing my hair out. I actually hit the exercise room last night and was horrified. The exercise room was not even half the size of a hotel room and the ceiling was even lower than a normal room. I can be a little clausterphobic depending on the circumstances - if I'm stressed or really hot, its multiplied. Put me on a plane in mid summer and then get us out on the runway and put us on a delay and I've honestly had points where I had to close my eyes and talk myself out of running and tearing the door off. So, last night, put me in the tiny work out room and then add 4 guys who ended up drifting in while I was on the treadmill and I started a little panic attack so I ended up walking instead of running because I just couldn't breathe. So, I figured that I would run outside weather permitting. Sadly, it turned out to be about 25 degrees today and all I had was short with me. I went back to the exercise room in the a.m. and thank goodness there wasn't anyone there! Yea. I'll have to try the Parkway thats supposed to be really popular to run next time I'm in town.

Well, tomorrow I'm off for a crazy day in Younstown, Salem and other various small Ohio towns. Friday brings Pittsburgh and then a rush to get back to Cleveland for an evening flight. I think I'm making up for my non work today with tons on Thursday and Friday.