Category Archives: Cleveland

There is something about autumn that’s always had the power to make me inexplicably happy. It’s always been my favorite season, even as a kid. From elementary school until college, my peers couldn’t wait until summer’s lazy days. Not me though. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer as much as the next kid, but it doesn’t compare to fall. When I was younger the first signs of fall were present in my new school supplies–I still love the smell of pencil shavings–and the dry corn stalks that always floated into our yard from the field across from my childhood home. Fall meant Halloween candy, apple cider, my birthday, Homecoming week, caramel apples and costumes. Summer was always fleeting but fall signaled something new. Maybe it was the new bite in the air or the sunburnt-colored leaves.

Whatever it is about fall that makes me feel all warm and nostalgic, I haven’t outgrown it. I still keep apple cider in my fridge from September until Christmas. I still eat enough Halloween candy to make my dentist cringe. And I still feel a bit homesick whenever I see a stray cornstalk. Today I was feeling particularly fall-like, so I grabbed my camera and explored a small piece of the vast grounds of Edgewater Park. After worrying about bills, deadlines and my growing to-do list, it was the perfect reminder of how wonderful this time of year can be.

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I’ve been such a bad blogger recently, but I guess that’s what happens when you have a full-time job. (Nope, it has yet to get old.) After two weeks at work and a dreadful weekend of unpacking, I’m finally settled once again in Northeast Ohio. And now that I’ve stopped frantically worrying about signing up for health insurance and getting my Sunday Times subscription forwarded, I’ve had a chance to take in my new surroundings.

The view from my new home. That's Lake Erie way in the back.

1. Lakewood: home of the grab ‘n’ go. You know those tiny delis/ grocery stores you see? They’re usually low brick buildings in drab neighborhoods. They tend to have a lot of light-up signs in their windows advertising Miller Lite, hot corned beef sandwiches and lottery tickets all in one place! (They’re also the places that always seem to make the 11 o’clock news.) Lakewood has a million of them. Who would have thought a place with crazy high property taxes and pretentious-sounding schools would have a 7-11 knockoff at every corner? I have yet to venture into one, but it would make for an excellent blog entry.

2. Dogs, dogs everywhere and not a head to scratch.  It’s strange that I’ve never mentioned my obsession with all creatures furry and four-legged on my blog, but anyone who knows me knows I’ve wanted a dog since I was a kid. Some people ooh and ahh when they see a baby on the street. I go bananas whenever I pass an English bulldog…or a French bulldog…or a golden retriever…(you get the picture.) Lakewood has not helped my obsession. Everywhere I turn I see dogs of all shapes and sizes just taunting me with their wet noses and softy bellies. I plan to have one before Halloween — just in time for Lakewood’s Spooky Pooch Parade — so until then I’ll just have to live vicariously through my neighbors.

3. The mother, the myth, the library. I’ve got a thing for libraries and by thing, I mean I once tried to get a library card at the Library of Congress. I’ve heard about the Cleveland Public Library, but I didn’t experience it until recently. I actually drove by it last weekend and very easily could have caused a major traffic problem if I hadn’t pulled my eyes away in time. Last Friday I once again came in full view of the library (this time on foot.) If you’re ever in Cleveland my dear readers, for the love of god go to the library. I don’t care if you don’t like to read. I don’t even care if you can’t read. You need to experience this.

My new favorite place in Cleveland--home of many books I have yet to read.

I’ve seen a lot of great libraries from New York to D.C. but to have a library this huge in my backyard is a big treat for a bibliophile like me. When I saw wooden tables with little lamps mounted to them, I swear a tear came to my eye. I thought those little lamps only existed in movies.

4. “You had me at Guinness and champagne.” Sunday, after two days of moving and unpacking, I took a break to get dinner with my ever so patient friend Whitney. (She didn’t even complain when I kept putting off dinner to “hang one more picture” or “unpack one more box.”) We wanted to go to Melt, but neither of us wanted to wait an hour. I was starving from unpacking, and Whitney was starving because I kept postponing our departure. So instead we headed to Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar. I heard about its awesome brunch menu, but its dinner and drink menus are just as great. The place knows a thing or to about beverages, from wine to beer to cocktails. When I opened the menu and saw several drinks made with my favorite beer, Guinness, I knew I was in the right place. I had a Black Velvet cocktail made with Guinness and my other favorite beverage, Champagne. Now that was a drink. You wouldn’t think Guinness and Champagne would work well, but the bubbles and tartness of the Champagne blended perfectly with the creamy consistency of the Guinness. It went down very easily, and for $5 a pop, I may become a regular.

I’m sure I’m forgetting a hundred other things I wanted to mention in this post but the good thing about having a full-time job is, I’m not going anywhere. Hello Cleveland.