CLEVELAND

Jodi had an audit in Western Pennsylvania and the audit was destined to conclude Friday afternoon – too late to comfortably fly back to the Northwest. Airfares were better through Cleveland, so we concocted a plan to meet there Friday night.

I did some research on what to do in Cleveland on a Friday night, but didn’t get much past the fact the nickname for the city is ‘The Mistake By the Lake’.

When I asked around work about fun activities in Cleveland, it seemed the words ‘fun’ and ‘Cleveland’ didn’t really belong in the same sentence. The Rock and Roll Hall of fame was there, but beyond that I was told that Cleveland had seen better days.

 So with very low expectations I drove 2 hours north to Cleveland and picked up Jodi from the Rental car return area near the airport.

She had found a great rate in the Hyatt downtown and what a Hotel it is. It was originally the Cleveland Arcade building, first opened in 1890. It’s beautiful.

The staff was preparing for a rehearsal dinner in the huge atrium and it looked like quite the affair (although we were later to learn from a staff member who cattily informed us the Bride had gone for the barebones dinner, with no enhancements).

Just across the street was an alley with dozens of restaurants and bars. It was upscale, but with history. My initial thought was if you blended pioneer square with Bellevue, you’d get something like this. It was great.

Our first stop was the ‘Society’ bar. Nice atmosphere, but the vibe wasn’t quite right. We decided on the ‘Greenhouse Bar’ for dinner, and decided to split one 5 course meal. It was gluttony. And wonderful. And we took left overs!

Artwork.  And how we felt

Staying in Cleveland was a treat. Between the hotel and the grouping of close in restaurants, we had fun. Sure, much of the city is old and industrial, but there was an unexpected vibrancy to it.