Travel – Eat On Edgecliff

New York City

Travel

5/9-11, 2025

Sophie and I went on a weekend New York City Trip. We had a 2:50PM flight from CLE and got into LaGuardia around 4:30.

We took the free bus from LaGuardia to Queens subway station and then took the subway to Manhattan. The subway was super quick but the bus from the airport took forever due to Friday rush hour traffic. We quickly checked into our hotel and dashed out the door…

…as we had 7:00PM tix for show on Broadway about six blocks from our hotel and we made it by the skin of our teeth with about 10 minutes to spare. Exhale. The show was great in every way: original – based on a crazy true story, great music and singing. Dead Outlaw. We also won them via the lottery so they were only $35 apiece with no fees – and the seats were great.

Pumped after seeing a great show… and famished as we hadn’t eaten in a long time we walked around looking for a place to eat. We walked past Joe Allen and I remember reading about it and we were able to get a table right away. It was a perfect place where we had Manhattans, I had a cheeseburger et frites and Sophie had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach which won the prize.

We got to talking to our super nice waiter and turns out he grew up in Willowick. Small world indeed.

Apres dinner we strolled for awhile. We stopped at Magnolia bakery and got a vanilla cupcake and banana pudding. The cupcake was just meh but the banana pudding was a winner… good stuff.

…and ended the night in Times Square oggling at all the people and lights.

They have a show at midnight where all the billboards display a video installation. A different artist every night. Not too exciting this night but was pretty cool.

After a great nights sleep we hit the pavement bright and early. First stop was a Russ and Daughters outpost that was just a few blocks down. Sophie got a sesame bagel with cream cheese, sauerkraut and red onions. Good stuff.

We walked the High Line that was not crowded at all early in the morning. It’s such a unique thing and I was happy to be there when all the trees, plants and flowers were blooming. Amazing gardens at every turn.

The day started out chilly but quickly was warming up into a beautiful late spring day.

We jumped on the subway after walking through Chelsea Market, the Starbucks Roastery in Meatpacking district and took the subway to Brooklyn.

Our goal was to go to the vintage flea market that was under the Brooklyn Bridge. Lots of vendors with different stuff and lots of people. Sophie bought some sunglasses (I think that is the only thing any of us bought all weekend that wasn’t food or drinks) and then walked along the river with great views of the bridge and Manhattan.

We found our way up to the Brooklyn Bridge and joined the crowds heading across.

There are not too many things as beautiful as the Brooklyn Bridge… especially on a beautiful May day with bright blue skies.

We walked downtown after the bridge. We checked out a couple of cemeteries looking for Alexander Hamilton and Eliza but pretty sure that section was closed off.

We stopped at Les Printemps, a new department that just opened up downtown about a month ago. I had to take a picture of the bathroom as it was as beautiful as the whole store.

This was the cosmetics tunnel – so cool.

This was the red room in Printemps that was covered in amazing mosaics. The building was an old bank building that they restored.

We headed up toward ground zero checking out the 911 memorial area…

We were hungry at this point so hopped over to China town and walked around looking for a good place. We put our name in at Joe Shanghai and got a table after about 20 minutes. We had an excellent meal of soup dumplings, fried dumplings, scallion pancakes and Heineken. mmmmmmmm.

We walked through Bryant Park, went into the NY Public Library and then went to our hotel for a quick siesta.

Feeling refreshed we jumped on the subway and headed uptown to walk through Central Park.

It was a perfect late afternoon and no better place to be.

The sheep meadow filled with lots of people.

After spending a few hours in the park we headed back downtown to Greenwich Village. Washington Square was hopping.

We had drinks sitting outside at a great little Italian bar called Bar Pisellino in the West Village. Perfect spot.

We then stopped at another spot in the neighborhood and had pizza… and had espresso martinis.

We then stumbled upon a greek natural wine bar that we had to stop in too.

On our way back after an excellent evening.

Next days bagels were at Black Seed Bagels – not as good as previous morning’s but still pretty darn good.

We walked to Grand Central and explored the beautiful building.

We walked up 5th Avenue. It was still pretty early so none of the stores were open. The Louis Vuitton store was impressively decked out as a Louis trunk.

We walked through Central Park again because it was so nice out and made our way to the Met. A John Singer Sargent exhibition was our primary goal. It was interesting.

We also visited the fashion exhibition which was about black male fashion. It was very well done and interesting to look at.

We visited a few of the galleries… wish we had more time. It for sure is the most amazing museum. So big with amazing amazing stuff everywhere.

We found our way up to the rooftop patio which offered an amazing view…

Sophia wanted to stop at this swedish candy store that was on the upper west side.

We walked back to our hotel through the park again. Enjoying the beautiful weather.

We grabbed our luggage from the hotel and made it to LaGuardia in no time. Of course our flight was delayed…. but we made it home after another great trip.

Las Vegas, April 2025

Travel

4/1/2025-4/6/2025

Sophie picked Courtney and I up at work in the afternoon and drove us to the airport where, after a pre flight beer, we had a long flight to Vegas getting there at 10:00PM where Thomas picked us up and drove us to their house.

The next day we drove Grace to work, borrowed her car and went out to breakfast downtown at a place called Winnie and Ethel’s diner that sounded interesting. It was a good choice. I had these evil deep fried french toast above and Courtney had a full southern breakfast with grits and biscuits with sausage gravy. Good stuff.

After breakfast we drove a few blocks to this little coffee spot to buy some coffee as it is what they served at the breakfast spot and it was delicious. We did a bit of shopping and then drove back toward the strip to meet Grace for lunch.

After walking around the strip for just a bit we met Grace at the Aria for some Din Thai Fung. Can’t not go there. Can’t not get the cucumber salad.

We had a delicious meal getting all our favorites. The Xiao Long Bao are still my favorite though.

After our long leisurely lunch we drove back to Grace and TJ’s house. They moved into their new house just a few weeks ago. Their house is super nice – especially their back yard with great patios, pool and hot tub.

The next day Grace dropped us off at the car rental and we drove to Zion National Park for the day. It was an easy 2 1/2 hour drive through beautiful scenery in Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

We got to Zion around lunch time. We were staying at the NP lodge for the night so we dropped off our car and put on our hiking books and hit the trails.

We started at the grottoes and did the west rim trail up to scout overlook. It was a very difficult hike. Up. Up. Up. But we stuck in there and made it.

The trail ended at the start of Angels Landing which we will do in some other lifetime. It looks super scary.

One of the many switchbacks going up – and back down.

It took us about 3 1/2 hours and we were very happy to make it back for a post hike beer.

We stayed at the lodge in the middle of the park in this cute little cabin.

The next morning after breakfast in the lodge we did the Sand Bench Trail that several people reccomended.

We overdressed as it was chilly in the morning but it quickly warmed up as the sun came out.

This trail was so different than the previous one going through many different terrains. So amazing.

We drove back to Vegas in the afternoon meeting Grace and Thomas who just finished work. We dropped the rental car off and went to get some ice cream at a custard place we like that was in a local casino by their house. We went out to dinner at a local bar w TJs Mom that night.

Our last day we spent the whole day lounging in the sun by the pool while Thomas smoked some chickens.

We watched NCAA playoffs from the hot tub and had a nice dinner. We headed off to the airport around 8:00 to catch the red eye back to CLE which was uneventful – but sucked as it always does. Another nice trip to Vegas – can’t wait until our next one when baby Ealy will be here.

Chicago

Travel

March 7-9, 2025

Courtney, Jack, Haley and I went on a weekend trip to CHI. We left CLE at 1:30PM on FRI 3/7 and got to Chicago about 5 1/2 hours later driving through rain and snow. We hit the pavement and the River Walk, happy that the weather was finally clearing, for a nice evening stroll looking for a place to eat.

We put our name in at a place called Ema that looked promising in the River North neighborhood and then went to a nearby pub for a drink or two while waiting. After about an hour we had a really nice dinner at Ema of Mediterranean small plates (and lots of wine).

We stayed downtown at a Hilton Hampton Inn -the skinny stone art deco building above – on East Wacker just off Michigan Avenue. It was a great location.

The building was originally the HQ for the Chicago Motor Club – a precursor of AAA. The lobby had this great original mural from 1920’s showing the nations highways and national parks at that time.

On Saturday Jack and Haley met some friends for breakfast. Courtney and I had breakfast at the hotel and then went for a walk enjoying the blue skies and big city views.

We met Jack and Haley after breakfast back at the hotel and headed north and explored the great architecture and history. It was a beautiful afternoon and soaked in the sun and blue skies.

We originally were supposed to go to a concert on Saturday night – the reason for the trip – but unfortunately the band cancelled all their March shows. Above…on our way to dinner on Saturday… we met Andrew, William, JP, Soupy and Meg for drinks at Kerryman for drinks and then Lou Molnati’s for pizza. It was fun to see everyone and glad we were all able to hang out.

On Sunday we went for another walk until 11:00, checked out and headed to Evanston to visit with Courtney’s uncle and aunt. We took the long way along Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan Drive going past Northwestern and Courtney’s grandparent’s old house in Evanston. Uncle Alan just returned home the previous day from being in the hospital and rehab for a long time so he was very happy to have visitors. We were all there as well as a couple of their old friends, and also Nicholas and Laurie. George and Maddie met us there as well. After visiting for an hour we said our goodbyes and went to lunch at Homer’s with George and Maddie for a throw back lunch of cheeseburgers and milkshakes. Good stuff. We hit the road after that for an uneventful drive back to Cleveland.

Tampa / Anna Maria Island, FLA

Travel

12/30/2024-1/5/2025

Courtney and I ditched cold Cleveland for a trip to Anna Maria Island in FLA. Our 6:00AM flight to Tampa was uneventful and we were in Tampa and on the road by 9:30AM – not bad.

After a leisurely brunch at the local First Watch we drove to The Henry B. Plant Museum which was part of the old Tampa Bay Hotel built in 1891 and closed after the depression. It’s now part of The University of Tampa. The old hotel was super cool – huge – and interesting to see how rich folks vacationed back in the gilded age. We spent an hour in the museum, other parts of the old hotel and walking around the grounds and then hit the road for Anna Maria Island – about an hour south.

We were so fortunate that John & Alissa invited us to share their house for the week. John’s Mom, Stephanie was also there. They had been there for a week already and her SO and Andrew and William had to leave hence the extra bedroom. So thankful.

The house was beautiful in every way – especially the pool and hot tub that we used a lot.

Anna Maria Island is a great place – beautiful beaches, not very big and not crowded. click on picture for an article that was just in cleveland.com today about AMI.

Our days were spent relaxing on the beach enjoying the FLA sunshine.

We celebrated New Years Eve – although we were all in bed before 10:00PM.

Sunset before dinner. We went out to dinner once and lunch twice – both at local places. We never left the Island once we were there.

The tide was low one morning and explored some interesting tide pools.

We left AMI on Saturday morning and said goodbye to everyone. We stayed an extra day in Tampa area. We stopped at the Florida Botanical Gardens and walked around. We liked this six foot tall bay plant.

We rented ebikes for the afternoon and biked along a nice trail along the coast – stopping for lunch somewhere along the line. It was the first time on ebikes – could get used to it for sure.

We explored Honeymoon Island on Sunday morning as we had an hour to kill before our flight home.

Shenandoah National Park and Roanoke, VA

Travel

Wednesday, 4/17/24

Courtney and I hit the road around 6:00AM heading to Shenandoah National Park. We arrived after an uneventful six and half hour drive and headed up the mountains on Skyline Drive. The park is centered on Skyline Drive that winds through the mountains for 105 miles and connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway on the south end. We stopped for a picnic lunch that we brought with us at Elkwallow picnic area. We kept heading up the mountains and stopped at several of the numerous outlooks built into the road to admire the scenery. We hiked the Limberlost trail which was super easy and then headed to the Skyland area where we were staying for the night. We arrived at 3:00PM and were able to check in to our little cabin. After unpacking and sitting on the porch for a bit we hiked the Stony Man trail which was just around the corner. The hike was not that long – just about two miles – but was an uphill trail to the look out of stony man mountain. A great view. Headed back to our cabin, had a drink or two and then walked up to the lodge where we had a surprisingly good dinner. We each had salads and Courtney had a bison pasta bolognese and I had a bowl of Brunswick stew. Blackberry ice cream pie topped with meringue for dessert won the prize though.

These beautiful stone walls line much of the drive in the mountains.

A national parks marker on one of our hikes

view from stony man – still early spring at the top of the mountains.

hanging out on the patio of our little cabin

A+ blackberry ice cream pie topped with meringue and blackberry sauce

Thursday, 4/18/24

We packed out things up in the morning and went up to the lodge again for breakfast. We split an order of blackberry french toast which was very good. We hit the park again on a beautiful spring morning. We first hiked Dark Hollow Falls trail which was a beautiful trail going down into the valley following a small stream and ending in a nice set of waterfalls. We were worried the hike back up would be rough but we made it no problem. We then hiked the Bearfence Mountain trail which was just the opposite – hiking up up up to a rocky overlook. This was about the only time we saw other people on any of our hikes. It was blessedly almost empty on this off season week day. We continued driving through the park and arrived at Blue Mountain Brewery around 1:00. The brewery was a great place with amazing scenery and it was suddenly 80 degrees and sunny once we were down from the mountains. We had some good beers and a good lunch and then headed back on the road to Roanoke. It took us about two hours to drive to Emily and Dan’s house. Once Dan was done working we headed out to downtown Roanoke and had cocktails and apps at the Liberty Trust – a cool swanky hotel converted from an old bank. We then walked a few blocks to Sidecar – a belgian restaurant where we had an excellent dinner.

Heading down down down the dark hollow falls trail.

khachapuri appetizer at The Vault. Gooey, eggy cheese inside bread – delicious.

Friday, 4/19/24

We had a leisurely morning breakfasting at Emily and Dan’s and then drove to Carvins Cove for a hike in the woods along the reservoir. It was a cloudy day and started raining a bit but it was a great hike. We stopped at Parkway Brewing Company on the way back for a quick beer, stopped at a coffee and wine shop and then back home and relaxed for the rest of the day. We headed back downtown to get our registration materials for tomorrow’s race and attend a concert that was part of the weekend activities. Emily packed an excellent picnic and it was fun to hang out and listen to some live music.

Saturday, 4/20/24

Saturday was race day so we were up early and off to Roanoke around 7:00AM. Courtney, Emily and I walked the 10K and Dan ran the 1/2 marathon. The race is billed as one of the toughest in the country as it goes up several mountains. Thankfully the 10K went up only one mountain – that was enough. It was a fun race with many spectators and also stops for jello shots and mimosas. We hung out for a while after the race having a few beers, walked around Roanoke a bit and stopped at a bakery for some coffee and treats. We went back to Em and Dan’s for the afternoon, went to a nice pizza near them for dinner and hung out and watched a movie.

At about mile 3 on top of the mountain… it was a long way up but we made it.

Sunday, 4/21/24

We hit the road after a quick breakfast with Dan and Emily and and an easy drive back to CLE.

Las Vegas, March/April 2024

Travel

WED 3/27/2024: I went on a solo trip to Las Vegas to visit Grace and Thomas and attend their engagement party. My early morning Frontier direct flight was zero hassle and better yet I started a book as soon as we took off and I finished it as soon as we touched down… perfect. (BTW I read “This Other Eden” by Paul Harding which was **excellent**. Five star PJH review)

I took a cab to Grace’s office, dropped my bags off with her and went on a walk waiting for her to finish work.

It was a beautiful day in Vegas – warm and sunny skies.

I met Grace at the Venetian where we had a great birthday lunch at Estiatorio Milos.

We both ordered the prix fixe lunch – I had oysters and salmon and Grace had greek spreads and a whole sea bream – all very good.

We spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the sunshine at Grace’s pool and cooked dinner at their place.

THU 3/28/24: I dropped off Thomas at work in the morning so I could use the car and then drove to Death Valley National Park in California. It was a two hour scenic drive through the desert.

I stopped first at Zabriskie point which had a short walk up to a beautiful view. I then headed to the Visitor Center at Furnace Creek to buy an annual National Park Pass (hopeful to visit multiple national parks in the next 12 months) and to change into shorts as it was now in the 80s.

I then went to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and walked among the dunes for about an hour.

Pictures of course don’t do justice for any of the views – but the dunes were beautiful, large with strange looking plants and driftwood everywhere.

I drove a short distance down the road to the Mosaic Canyon. Here is the start of the trail into the canyon.

It was a beautiful hike with several slot canyons and amazing scenery everywhere.

You can see the scale with the person in front of me.

My last stop was Dante’s View at the top of a crazy drive. You can see the salt flats that run down the middle of the whole park. I wish I had more time to spend exploring – but overall the Park was much more than what I was expecting – very large with mountains, valleys, beautiful rock formations and beautiful views everywhere. I think it would be ideal to spend one night in the park as the sunset and sunrise would be amazing. Next time.

I arrived at Grace’s just as TJ and Grace got home from work. We took an Uber downtown, had Pizza at Evel’s Pizza and then went to Corduroy for a night of Boozy Bingo.

Didn’t have much luck at Bingo but had a fun night.

FRI 3/29/24 Grace and Thomas were both off today so they slept in and we hung out in the AM watching NCAA basketball. We ventured out mid afternoon back downtown to Nevada Brew Works where we hung outside drinking beer and eating pizza.

We checked out Stray Pirate – a new tiki bar that just opened up around the corner and had some fancy drinks. We then headed back to their neighborhood gaming parlor where I was introduced to Keno and watched more NCAA basketball.

SAT 3/30/24 Today was the engagement party at Thomas’s Dad’s house – a 15 minute drive from Grace and Thomas’.

The party was super fun and it was great to meat all of Thomas parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The food was over the top. Check out the huge chunk of gruyere for the raclette. Delicious. There was Mediterranean – kebabs, tabouleh, baba, humus, rice and then also soul food – fried chicken and macaroni and cheese and much moor. Everything was outstanding – but the macaroni and cheese was for sure my favorite.

Thomas, Grace’s friend Brittany and Grace.

Thomas brother, step mother and brother’s girl friend.

Everyone was so nice and so excited about Grace and TJ’s upcoming wedding.

SUN 3/30/24 – I guess I didn’t take any pictures – Easter – Everyone slept in after a long fun day. Thomas and Claudia came over for a super casual brunch and we went out to dinner to a nearby food hall place that just opened up.

MON 4/1/24 I dropped Grace off at work and hit the road by 9:00AM. I went to River of Fire state park which is an easy drive an hour north of Vegas.

I have been to Valley of Fire a few years ago but I don’t think we went on any hikes. I went on two really great ones this time.

The first hike was the Fire Wave Trail that hooked up to the Rainbow Canyon for a nice loop.

The canyon trail was beautiful as well – with several slot canyons and beautiful scenery everywhere.

After a great morning and afternoon I headed back to the strip to wait for Grace to finish working.

I walked through the Bellagio gardens that were all decked out for spring.

I met Grace at Beer Park in Paris. We enjoyed the sunny afternoon on the patio with a view.

Watched the whole LSU v Iowa women’s game. Lots of Iowa fans.

We went to China Town after to a little ramen noodle place called Ramen Sora that was A M A Z I N G. I think the bowl of ramen I had was the best food all week – and we had lots of good food.

TUE 4/2/24 I dropped Grace off again at work and went to Lake Mead National Recreation Area – just 30 minutes west of the city.

I drove around for a few hours and stopped at several areas to walk around – nothing to strenuous.

I had to be back in Vegas by 1:00 as we had a lunch reservation at Din Thai Fung.

Of course had to get the cucumber salad. A nice copycat recipe I made a few times here.

I spent the rest of the afternoon pool side at the hotel Grace works at on a nice hot afternoon.

John was in town for a meeting so we met him for a late dinner at BrewDog with another great outdoor patio. Grace drove me to the airport after dinner so I could catch my midnight red eye back to CLE. Flight home was on time with no problems – other than being a red eye which is no fun at all. Another great trip to Vegas with Grace and Thomas.

Chicago, March 2024

Travel

Friday, March 1, 2024

We went on a quick weekend trip to Chicago to go to a concert, celebrate my birthday and to visit with friends and family. Courtney and I picked up Jack at his place at 12:30 and hit the road for an easy car ride to CHI arriving around 5:00PM CST. We stayed at Soupy’s place in the south loop which is wonderful – even a free place to park. We visited with Soupy for a bit before he left to go to the Loyola BB game with friends. We then hit the pavement and walked for about an hour and a half down to Michigan Ave, then walked along the river walk and then cut back across the loop back to the south loop. We had an excellent dinner at Sofi on Printer’s Row and then stopped for a glass of wine at Printers Row Wine Shop and then walked black and quickly fell asleep.

It was a beautiful night to be walking downtown.

Enjoying a nightcap at a cool little wine bar on Printers Row

Saturday, March 2, 2024

I walked across the train tracks on Saturday morning to get some bagels and fixings for breakfast from a Whole Foods. It was already fixing to be a beautiful day.

After breakfast we did a walking architecture tour that I put together – focusing on 10 buildings mostly in the loop.

Going into the Harold Washington Library – 1991.

The top floor of the library has a beautiful indoor winter garden.

Exterior detail of the Marquette building – 1895.

The lobby of the Marquette building. Each of the brass elevators has a bust of someone who played a part in Marquette’s history.

Admiring the spectacular Tiffany mosaics, tile-work and marble in the Marquette building.

The Rookery – 1888.

The amazing lobby of the Rookery – Frank Lloyd Wright – 1905.

We walked back along the park, stopped for lunch on the way and took a rest for an hour or so before heading out again.

We drove out to the Chicago Botanical Gardens to meet George, Weston and Maddie.

It was a beautiful day to walk around the dormant gardens – knowing that Spring was right around the corner.

It was a beautiful afternoon and Iook forward to going back when everything is in bloom.

After saying goodbye to George and the kids we drove down to Lincoln Park and met Andrew at Pequod’s on our everlasting quest for the best pizza. We’ve never been there before and it is on top of many best of lists for CHI pizza – but we found it just mehhhh. It was great to see Andrew though.

We drove just a few miles to the concert venue, parked, and walked to have a quick beer at Off Color Brewery and then headed to the show.

The show was at The Salt Shed – the iconic Morton Salt warehouse that we have driven by dozens of times. It was converted into a concert venue about a year ago and it is fantastic. Everything is new, the sound is great and it is pretty small. Courtney and I bought seats with this great view and Jack had floor tix.

Show was great. Greensky Bluegrass is so great to see live. This is the second time we have see them and I can’t wait to see them again. Such vibes.

Show lasted until about midnight – we got out with zero probs and were back at Soupy’s in less than 15 minutes.

We woke up early the next day and met Soupy at Walker Brothers in Wilmette for breakfast. We all ordered 49 flapjacks. Duh. Can’t resist perfection. We headed out after breakfast happy with our quick weekend trip.

New York City, February 2023

Travel

Saturday, February 18th, 2023

Jack and I went on a sort of last minute long weekend trip to NYC – left CLE bright and early at 0600 and flew to Newark, NJ.

We had no problems with our flight and arrived at Newark just on time. We took the NJ Transit train right to Penn Station from the airport. We checked out the beautiful new train station at Penn Station and then had a nice breakfast at a nearby diner – mapping out our day.

We walked over to Hudson Yards – just a few blocks away and admired the new architecture and the ill fated Vessel that is now closed because too many people have been jumping off it to their deaths!

It was a beautiful, blue skied sunny morning. Perfect for exploring Manhattan.

The High Line starts right at Hudson Yards and we walked down looking forward to coming back some time in Spring or Summer when everything is blooming.

The High Line is amazing in all the development it has spurred. It is interesting to see the very old and the very new along the path. One can argue the costs and benefits of gentrification but not sure how you can’t think this a good thing.

We stopped at the Little Island towards the end of the High Line that opened up a few years ago that is literally a park build on a pier. Super cool.

Nice views of downtown from the top of the park.

We walked through Chelsea Market, walked through some of the meatpacking district and made our way to the Whitney Museum.

I somehow finagled my way to get free tickets to the Whitney on their website fiddling around.

It was a beautiful museum – all American art with lots of cool stuff,

There was an Edward Hopper exhibit going on that was super impressive. He was a very prolific artist dabbling in everything and very talented.

After a couple of hours in the museum we continued to walk south through Greenwich Village and Soho and stopped at a nice spot for tacos, guacamole and beer.

We kept walking south and stopped to admire the impressive 1 World Trade Center.

The Oculus – the World Trade Center train station. Makes you feel like you’re in Star Wars.

Walked further downtown through Wall Street…

…and eventually made it to the Brooklyn Bridge – along with the rest of the world – it was super crowded. We walked across, caught an Uber on the other side and went to our hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a well needed rest.

We took the subway back to Manhattan in the evening heading uptown to the Guggenheim.

The Alex Katz exhibit is the reason why I wanted to go to NYC. This was the last weekend that it was hear so super happy that we made it happen. Courtney is also a big Katz fan and was upset that she couldn’t get off work to come with us.

The exhibit was amazing – taking over the whole Guggenheim. His wife Ada was his muse for many years and this is the famous multiple Ada’s in a black dress,

Such an amazing place – and so so so happy we were able to make it happen.

We decided to head back to Brooklyn after the museum. Jack had been researching the best Brooklyn pizza joints so we did a small tour. First stop was Best Pizza – very Brooklyn sitting outside on folding chairs and drinking cans of Budweiser. Pizza was excellent.

Next stop was Rosa’s – more of a fresh mozarella vibe – but good none the less.

Last stop was L’Industrie where we had two more excellent slices as well as a nice bottle of natural wine. All places were excellent – there’s dozens more too. Best was my favorite.

Sunday, February 19th, 2023

After a good night’s sleep we hit the road – first stop Black Seed Bagels a few blocks down from our hotel where I go a sesame seed bagel, scallion cream cheese and bacon.

We walked across the Williamsburg Bridge this time to get over to Manhattan. It was much more pleasant as we were about the only ones on it.

While not as historic or picturesque as the Brooklyn Bridge it is still a cool bridge with nice views.

We wandered around the Lower East Side, then walked up to the East Village – walked through Tompkins Square Parked then jumped on the subway to midtown.

We went on a walking tour of Grand Central Station and the area directly around there.

Grand Central Station is beautiful and it was interesting to hear the history that surrounds it. The tour was good but could have been about 30 minutes shorter.

It was lunch time so we decided to head down to China Town to explore down there and find somewhere to eat.

China Town was bustling. Always amazed how big it is.

Food options were endless – we checked out lots of different places.

We ended up at a place that I don’t remember what the name was – but was almost like a food court with lots of diffent options. We had these really good dumplings as well as several other plates of things. We were about the only non-Asians there so it was a good choice.

Had to try out the gelato in Little Italy

Went back to Brooklyn for a rest… couldn’t say no to milk bar. Cereal milk soft serve is a must.

We decided to stay in Brooklyn for the evening and went to a bunch of different bars around Williamsburg. First stop was Other Half brewery where we had a couple of good beers.

Next stop was <what was it called???> a nice little place where I had a fancy cocktail, Jack had a glass of natural wine and we had a plate of bruschetta.

Went to another place and had some oysters and drinks.

Went to this other bar that only had aperitifs… super wacky bartender was interesting to watch and gave us lots of tastes.

Ended up at a jazz club that we unsuccessfully tried to get in early for a manhattan night cap in a nice setting. Unfortunately just missed the band. Fun night

Monday, February 20th, 2023

Got up, packed up our stuff and went to a breakfast place a few streets down in Williamsburg that unfortunately was closed. So we took the subway to Manhattan – grabbed some bagels and coffee and walked around mid-town.

A little hungover after all those manhattans.

Walked through central park admiring the new tall skinny skyscrapers where the 0.01% live.

After a nice walk through Central Park we spent the rest of the morning and mid-afternoon at the Met.

I thought I have been there before… but after wandering around I realized I haven’t because it is the most amazing place ever. Amazing stuff around every corner like this famous portrait of Gertrude Stein by Picasso.

They don’t have just famous works by artists… they have multiple ROOMS of stuff by the artist.

We were there for 3 hours and barely made a dent.

Back on the lovely subway… (I love all subways)…

Empire State Building. We eventually made our way back to Penn Station where we took the train to Newark to catch our flight home. Of course when we got to the airport our flight was delayed 2 hours… but Newark actually has a really nice airport and we were tired so just found someplace to put our feet up, had another beer or two and we survived. Great trip.

Florida, 2020

Travel

We had to reschedule our cancelled spring break trip from April, 2020 to a different date so we randomly picked the week of October 17th, 2020. We’re glad we did as we had perfect weather and everybody was able to come enjoy the beach.

Courtney, Jack, Sophia and I left CLE on Fri 10/16/20 around 7:30AM and drove all day to just south of Nashville. We stayed at a brand new Hampton Inn and Suites a bit south of Franklin, TN. Had BBQ for dinner at a place called Moe’s that was delicious. Headed out next morning and made it to Grayton Beach around 2:30PM with no troubles. The door lock wasn’t working… but we were early so went down to the beach and were able to get in around 3:00PM. Claire, Corey and Grace flew in to Destin, rented a car and arrived around 5:00ish. We stayed at the same house we stayed in 2 years ago and it was perfect for the week… beach around the corner and a deck and screened in porch facing the sunset that was beautiful every night. Our days were pretty much the same very day: early bike ride with a stop for coffee, late breakfast, hit the beach around 10ish, come up for lunch, back to beach and then up for sunset cocktails and dinner. As it is COVID times we only wet out to dinner once to the Red Bar and went to Seaside once for appetizers and drinks. Other than that we stayed on the beach.