QUICK, you've got three hours to spend in Cleveland on a Sunday - what do you do?!
Cleveland has been high on my 'to visit' list for some time and when I had the chance to make a quick stop last weekend, I jumped at the chance! As usual, my number one priority is to do all things handmade and artsy if I can. Luckily, Salty Not Sweet was open on Sunday and it was even better in person than all of their quirky pictures on the internet make it out to be. I became the proud owner of another always relate-able Jon-Michael Frank print and J found himself a tshirt complete with an old timey looking map of Cleveland across the front.
After that we were hungry and on the hunt for a menu that I would eat off of. Thankfully we stumbled upon ABC the Tavern in the Ohio City area of Cleveland. As divey as can be - a basic bar menu, "mini bowling" as one Google review describes it, and a ladies bathroom with no mirror above the sink. I was right at home! My burger and french fries were amazing and with full tummies we headed out to explore a little more.
Per the recommendation of the bartender, the West Side Market is where we ended up next. Although there were some prepared food places (one of which I got Cannoli's from, duh) majority of the market was a place to get food grocery-store-style. If only we were staying in an AirBNB nearby...we would have walked away with fresh meat, butternut squash ravioli, spices and many varieties of cheese. Putting this on the re-visit list for next time!
With no other definite plans, we walked to and through an area called Tremont. The area seemed to be a little more spread out with a neighborhood feel. You'd walk by a block of bars/restaurants and galleries, then a block of houses, then back to a block of the former. We made one single drink stop at The South Side - I had the Bonnie & Clyde as my beverage. If I had my way, I would have went in to each and every one of the establishments and businesses but with it being Sunday, many of them were closed. We were, however, able to pop in to Tidal Cool, which I had no idea had an actual storefront. I've seen Andrea at lots of craft shows but didn't know there was a permanent location for her handmade goods - she's an amazing sewist!
Before heading back to the car and ultimately back to Columbus, we were able to play tourist even harder taking pictures with one of the iconic Cleveland signs around the city. This one was located in Tremont and offered a neat outlook point with views of industrial areas, a bit of the city skyline, a pedestrian trail, and a very small waterway that we watched a large freighter navigate through.
If you have any recommendations of things to do/see in Cleveland for next time (especially of the artsy-craftsy kind) please drop me a line at hello@craftinistagirl.com!