Welcome to day two! I’m doing a different format for these recap posts than I did last year for DC—mostly to make my life easier but I think it’s also easier to read. Plus more room for photos.

Where We Went

Dave’s Market for groceries. We planned to make breakfast for three mornings, and we went to a small grocery store a few minutes from our Airbnb to get eggs, English muffins, yogurts, fruit, etc. I was surprised to see they had plastic bags at the self-checkouts; in Connecticut, the state has banned plastic bags and we have to use re-useable bags or buy paper bags at the store.

Greetings from Cleveland mural. Somewhere along in my research for our trip I found a blog that listed all of the cool murals around the city. One of them was a few blocks away from our Airbnb, so obviously we had to go.

Index Coffee & Books. Never underestimate my ability to find a bookstore in any place we go. This bookstore also serves coffee and has a few seating areas so you can sit and stay a while. Another cool thing: if you buy one book, it’s 50% off; buy two, they’re 60% off; and buy 3 or more, they’re 70%. And they’re all brand new books. I got two: Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul and All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

West Side Market. This place showed up a few times in my research, and lucky for us, it was a 10-minute walk from our Airbnb. There were so many different vendor stalls throughout the building; most were fresh-cut meat and baked goods, but there were also cheeses, olives, and pastries. There was a second building next door that was full of fresh produce. We didn’t get anything from the Market, but it’d be a great place to go if you lived there and wanted fresh foods for the week.

The Arcade. The Arcade opened in 1890 as the first indoor shopping center in America, and it’s the city’s first building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a handful of restaurants inside as well as some office space and part of a hotel; since we went on a Sunday closer to 5:00 p.m., nothing was open and it was pretty much empty inside. It was still a cool building to go into, though.

What We Ate + Drank

Breakfast: Goldie’s Donuts. This cute little donut shop was a five-minute walk from our Airbnb. I was worried since it was Sunday morning that it would be crowded, but by the time we got there after 9:00 a.m., there were only a few people in there and we were able to grab seats as well. Josh and I got four donuts to split; my favorite was the maple frosted one.

Lunch: West Side Market Cafe. This restaurant was inside the West Side Market, and I think we got one of the last few open tables. The cafe was super busy but the service was quick. Josh got a pierogi sandwich, and I got a grilled chicken sandwich; Josh still thinks a lot about that sandwich he got.

Forest City Brewery. We walked to Forest City after lunch to get some flights. The brewery wasn’t super busy on an early Sunday afternoon, and the girl behind the bar who waited on us was super nice. It was raining on and off that day, so we chose to sit inside; there was a big patio area outside where we would have sat if the weather was nicer. 

Dinner: Flannery’s Pub. Josh and I love an Irish pub, so when I found Flannery’s for dinner, we knew we had to go. We each got a beer and split some fried pickles; Josh got a buffalo chicken wrap and I got a turkey bacon avocado sandwich. It seemed like a lot of people in the restaurant had gone to the Guardians game beforehand; the stadium was a few blocks away and everyone had on Guards gear.

Other Notes

In between going to Forest City Brewery and driving to downtown Cleveland, we went back to the Airbnb, and I napped—no shame. Traveling, especially flying, takes a lot out of me, and it usually takes me a few nights to get used to sleeping in a new place. 

I’m still thinking about the donuts we had at Goldie’s. They’re made fresh every day, and you can totally tell. I wonder if they ship to Connecticut?