Skeleton City is No Mistake

Lakeview Cemetery is Just Alright With Me.

Lakeview Cemetery, located on the east side, is a wonder as well as an often-overlooked jewel in Our Lady Cleveland’s crown. It is situated between Mayfield Road and Euclid Avenue. You can enter it from either side.

The cemetery boasts 285 acres of abundant beauty. The park itself was created to give Clevelanders an outdoor space to enjoy, and boy does it ever. Go anytime and experience the living calendar that this place is. If you’re looking to see just how pretty Cleveland can be, go to the cemetery and behold a shining example.

These days, one out of every ten trees are ahead of the rest in color. In a month or so, it will be the reverse. I recommend going both times rather than taking my word for it.

If graves are not specifically your thing, fret not! Among the stones are three beautiful structures that are not to be missed.

Wade Chapel, a small structure built to honor Jeptha Wade, who among other things founded Lakeview Cemetery, is lined with Tiffany stained glass.

The James A. Garfield Monument is here housing the man himself, as well as a set of stairs leading you to one of the prettiest views of Cleveland available.

There’s also a pretty neat dam.

In addition to all of this, there are endless statues, angel-type figures, and structures built to honor the dead.

Look, I’m not going to do your lifework for you. Just go and check it out. It is a place built for Clevelanders like you and me to enjoy. What are you waiting for?

It’s a dreaded sunny day, so I’ll meet you at the cemetery gates.

The West Side Market

The West Side market is my favorite place to shop. When I have time and money at my disposal, the most cathartic thing I could do for myself is to go to The West Side Market, or simply “the Market” and shop. Of course, it’s totally possible and reasonable to run in grab a few things and run out in a relatively short amount of time, but I see the true potential of the meals to be made and shared only when I am lallygagging.

You can find the Market at the corners or Lorain and West 25th just over the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. It’s open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday until about four or five pm. There’s signage saying otherwise, but I recommend getting there as early as you can due to a lot of stalls closing before four.

The market is broken down into two major areas. Those areas can be classified as the produce area and the everything else area.

I typically enter through the produce area. Normally, I race past all of the “Hey lady do you need some (blank)” and head straight into the “everything else area”.

The everything else area:

In this area all of your heart’s desires (excepting produce!) can be fulfilled. Need some obscure cut of meat? How about pierogies? An uncountable variety of salts and herbs? Butter cut into large bricks? Eggs? Chocolate? Cheese?

I think you get where I’m going with this. Pretty much any food-related item you could want is available here. Not only is it available, it comes at a reasonable price and with the chance of interacting with someone who might just remember your face next time. Perhaps, they’ll even know all sorts of handy information about where your food came from. Novel idea, eh?

The produce area:

This area is “L” shaped and consists of mostly the same sorts of things over and over. In time you will learn who has the best prices for various items, but you’ll learn something even cooler. You’ll begin to understand what is in season and when to buy certain things. You’ll know by sight and smell and touch how to identify tomatoes that are worth eating. You’ll know when strawberries are in season, because the market will be fragrant with their aroma. Not all of the produce available in the market is local, but some really worthwhile bits are. Seek them out. Make it your quest.

It’s likely when you’re in the market (especially if you have two X chromosomes) that you will be shouted after, propositioned with fruit, and generally heckled. Worry not! It happens to us all and is often part of the Market experience. I make it a rule to buy from people who don’t make me feel harassed.

Don’t miss out on a true Cleveland experience. Pick up some tasty morsel of something, I recommend Maha’s falafel sandwich, an apple fritter, or a crepe. Find yourself a spot to sit in the alley between the two buildings. Enjoy. Repeat.

Check out the West Side Market’s page for more information about vendors, history, and hours.

If you’re headed that way, could you pick me up some…

You might scoff at it,

but I have to give credit when credit is due. Today, I would like to recognize the university that has gladly accepted me and my invisible money. Yeah, call me a dweeb, but I’d like to point out the greatness of Cleveland State University.

She ain’t a beauty, but hey, she’s alright.

Cleveland State University, home of the Vikings, spans a large portion of the Downtown area of Cleveland. It’s not the most difficult school to get into, nor the most prestigious university in the area. For a lot of Bachelor-seeking students, CSU is the path through which our ambitions must travel.

It does not boast a Frank Gehry building, but the various views of Cleveland remind me that I live in not only a city, but a beautiful one.

Oh hail the Green and White;

For our great colors we shall fight!

To battle, Vikings all;

We’ll sound the Viking Trumpet Call!

We always will defend

The Pride of Cleveland faithfully;

For Cleveland State we’ll fight on to victory!

That’s Cleveland as F@#k.

The Beachland.

No city would be complete without a collection of excellent music venues. This week it’s all about The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern located on Waterloo in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland.

The Ballroom entrance:

The Tavern which shares the same building, but has its own stage and bar:

The Beachland houses local, obscure, big-name, and throwback acts. The show listing is always surprisingly eclectic and typically very fairly priced. Personally, my experiences have always sounded and looked amazing.

Check out the upcoming show list at The Beachland page!

While you’re on the site be sure to check out the totally groovy history of the place.

Extra special bonus! If you are in the neighborhood, in between shows, or sick of hearing the opener, you can take up a field trip to This Way Out, the vintage clothing and record store housed in the basement of the building.

It’s pretty easy to find. Upon entering the building turn left and look for this sign:

Below, you’ll find a plethora of throwback clothing, shoes, books, cards, bags, jewelry, and other vintage this and that.

The parts that are not to be missed, the reasons you ought to visit when you have some real time, are the records. The record collection is alphabetized, categorized, and sleeved for your perusing pleasure cruising. I have found beautiful copies of excellent records for less than fifteen smackers. I mean, we’re talking some Blonde on Blonde action for eight dollars.

So yeah, check out the Beachland and all it has to offer. At some point there will be a show there worthy of your personal attention, and when there is, you should go, but go early and check out all the Waterloo area of Collinwood has to offer.

(Note: I know that I didn’t mention the other great places on Waterloo, but you can pretty much bet on all of them having their own special brand of cool. Either take a leap and visit them too, or wait around like a lazy bones until I do a posting on them. Your choice.)

Loop!

It would be impossible to discuss all of the aspects that make our fair city wonderful without giving a nod (or a high five) to the endlessly unique local businesses that grace our community with their vision. Each Tuesday I will be featuring a Cleveland business that brings happiness to my world.

This week the award goes to my neighborhood coffee shop!

Loop is located on the corner of Fairfield and West 11th streets in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland.

Upon arriving, you’ll likely be welcomed warmly and with many options for how to best caffeinate your day. The shop roasts in house, providing the surrounding area with an almost constant aroma of beans a’ roastin’. The Espresso is sublime. The Mocha is divine. The Just Plain Ole Joe is just plain stunning.

A day that goes by without a cup of Loop coffee and a conversation with one of their Dream Team Baristas is inherently less wonderful.

Meet the love of my life in beverage form:

She sure is pretty, isn’t she? She’s got sisters!

As if the coffee and delightful employees were not enough, the shop triples as an art gallery and a record store.

I’m sure you don’t need anymore convincing. Leave the confines of your chain coffee shop. You will not be disappointed, unless of course you like stale, over-roasted, over-priced, and under-loved coffee.

Come to Loop and buy yourself something nice.