West 9th Street Phoenix Coffee

West 9th Phoenix, downtown, is a cozy place to have a business meeting or grab some coffee. They have gelato, baked goods, all manner of coffee/tea treats, and they're really into the local thing (which I appreciate.)

Coventry Peace Park

This is probably the best thing to do in Cleveland for free if you have kids. If the weather's good, go down to Coventry Village and enjoy this amazing community playground.

The Coventry P.E.A.C.E (People Enhancing a Child's Environment) Park is also one of my favorite places to go swing on some swings or run around in the grass. What can I say? I'm a big kid myself.

A big sign says the park closes at dusk or 9 pm, whichever comes first.

You can find the Coventry Peace Park next to the Coventry branch of the Cleveland Heights Library on the corner of Euclid Hts. and Coventry.

A Walk Across the Detroit Superior Bridge

As something to do for free that's also wonderful exercise, I'd highly recommend a bridge walk. Cleveland has an amazing number of beautiful bridges. I'm always surprised that more don't visit them. It's easy to get there from Tower City and the views were lovely.

photo credit: wikipedia.org.

The Detroit Superior bridge is very bike friendly (as is the Hope Memorial Bridge, which connects Lorain and Carnegie roads), and it has a bike lane.

Here was our lovely bridge walk:

We took the RTA train to Public Square.
We walked over the bridge, and took pictures. Once we crossed the bridge, we took a left turn on W. 25 and walked a little while more.
We stopped at Kan Zaman, a middle eastern restaurant on W. 25. (post to come)

After we finished eating, we took the rapid home. It was a lovely way to celebrate spring and see some great views of the city!

The Inn on Coventry - Beautiful Brunch

If you're in the Coventry area of Cleveland Heights early in the morning, the place to get breakfast is at the Inn on Coventry. Find it at 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd # 2, Cleveland, OH 44106. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday ; 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

As for parking (and parking for Coventry in general), you can pay out the nose for parking in the garage or on the meters, but your best bet is to park on Edgehill road, a five minute walk away. If you choose the meters, NEVER let them run out of money. Cleveland Heights police run a tight ship. They will grab you within two minutes of your meter running out. Seriously. (p.s: never ever speed in Cleveland Heights. This includes going 27 in a 25.)

This morning we walked over from Madeline's house to grab some brunch at the Inn on Coventry. Their walls were plastered with awards they've won from local newspapers. The food was good and fairly affordable; but the portion sizes were small. After my plate of french toast I was still a bit hungry.

 

It was delicious anyways. Madeline got toast with two eggs; the 'two eggs' looked more like one and a half.

 

The decor is quite cozy. The last time I was here was New Year's Day 2008; it was the perfect atmosphere for... well... let's call it recovery. 

We had a lovely little breakfast, for cheap.

Abandoned Building Near E. 59th and Euclid

Cleveland used to be a center of industry and manufacturing. When the jobs left, the buildings remained.

Most people will tell you that the abandoned factories are a blight and an eyesore, and many of them are coming down. Those of us who find urban decay to be beautiful, however, find a certain kind of charm in them.

My friend and I went down to E. 59th Street and Euclid to look at an abandoned building there. It was really quite lovely!

 

We were not able to go inside because the building was boarded up, but by sticking my camera inside holes in the board I got some decent interior shots.

I don't know anything about the building's history; a little research shows that it might be the old Ohio Knitting Mills building. If anyone has a clue, please let me know.

Lakefront State Park - 72nd St. Fishing Area

Most people come here just to sit in their cars with the windows up and munch out of a bag of Mcdonald's fries, but this place is really lovely, and to explore its beauty requires actually leaving your vehicle.

 

Come here at the right time and you will find: seagulls, old men gambling, a pretty sunset, people sitting in their cars smoking (maybe cigarettes, maybe not), the Cleveland Skyline, cute couples, and graffiti. 

It is one of the better places in Cleveland to photograph Lake Erie and the skyline. There is a bike path (the Harrison Dillard Bikeway) that goes through the cultural gardens; this lakefront park makes an excellent place to stop and have your picnic after making the trip.

  

How to find the Lakefront State Park - 72nd Street Fishing Area: