Rather than stick to the same old dinner-movie-argument routine typical of anniversaries-past, we decided to skip town for the night, and I think it was exactly what we needed. Chris and I, despite (obviously) loving each other dearly, have a bad habit of getting into arguments over the stupidest things on days that should otherwise be happy (read: anniversaries, and only anniversaries). I think it's the pressure/expectation of doing something SUPER SPECIAL. So, creating some very literal distance from that pressure and having a bunch of new and exciting things at our fingertips was a great way to take the pressure off and just enjoy each others company.
So, off to Cleveland we went! After snagging a great deal on a hotel from Hotwire -- my first experience with the site -- and confirming with a friend that she could feed Zeph, we each packed a bag and crossed our fingers that the car would keep running (it did, what a champ). Here's a play-by-play of where we went and what we did, in case you're ever in the area:
Sweet Lorain
West Side Market
Pittsburgh has the Strip, Seattle has Pike Place, Cleveland has West Side Market. We just did a quick walk-through since it was towards the end of the day and the vendors were shutting down, but if we had the time and a cooler, we would absolutely do some grocery-themed damage here.
Market Garden Brewery
Double Tree Downtown
We got a good deal on Hotwire, which is how we ended up here. An excellent location if you're planning to visit the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame (we didn't on this trip) as it's right across the street -- you can see the HOF and Lake Eerie from many of the hotel room windows. I appreciated it's proximity to a Starbucks (in the building) the morning after drinking a few too many mai tai's (see below).
SoHo
Porko Lounge & Tiki Room
Cleveland Museum of Art
BonBon Pastry & Cafe
I visited BonBon on my last trip to the city, and I was excited to go back and try the pastries. Everything I've tried off the breakfast menu is delicious and Chris said his sandwich was amazing. SO amazing that neither of us had any room left to try a pastry.
My second favorite vintage store, Flower Child boasts an incredible selection of vintage home decor and men's and women's clothing.
So yeah, our weekend was basically food and vintage shopping, can it get any better? I love that Cleveland is just a short drive away, a nice change of scenery to what we see day to day.
So yeah, our weekend was basically food and vintage shopping, can it get any better? I love that Cleveland is just a short drive away, a nice change of scenery to what we see day to day.