Ohio Wanderlust

Last week we got a sneak peek of Stan Hywet's 2018 Deck the Hall. It's always a treat to visit Stan Hywet and extra special this year since we were married there in September 2017. The snow we received last Thursday added some holiday magic to the decorations around the hall and gardens although it was a bit chilly while we were walking around. If you visit, remember that you'll be walking through the grounds so you will need to wear good footwear and dress warm. Deck the Hall runs on Select Nights Only: November 23-25, 29-30, December 1-2, 6-9, 13-23, 26-30, 2018 Tickets vary in price depending on the day -- all of the rates can be found  here . This blog certainly doesn't capture everything that Deck the Hall has to offer and is merely meant to give a preview. We've attended Deck the Hall with out of town guests in past years and had a great time. The children's play area is turned into Gingerbread land for the event so between the lights and the pla

The Ohio City Galley opened up on October 26th. Nestled in the the historic Forest City Savings and Trust Building on the corner of West 25th and Detroit Ave in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, the Ohio City Galley acts as a restaurant incubator for four different concepts. The inside of the building is industrial with exposed brick, long communal tables with hanging exposed light bulbs over each table. The Galley is divided into two spaces, a bar area where bartenders make craft cocktails and the restaurant space which looks like an upscale, fast-casual food court. Free parking across the street from The Ohio City Galley makes for easy access to the building. The four restaurants housed within the space are: The Rice Shop, Tinman, Sauce the City, and Poca. All restaurants serve brunch, lunch, and dinner with different menu items for each. The large open space makes it easy to see each menu and make decisions from the menu boards. We went yesterday for brunch around noon

Dave's favorite thing to do when we visit a new city is to find out if they have a cat cafe, as a result we've visited them in Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Amsterdam. While we're looking forward to one opening in the Cleveland area, on our recent trip to Cincinnati, Dave wanted to find time to visit Kitty Brew Cat Café. If you've never been to a cat cafe, it's a great way to spend some time. There is always a division between the food/drinks and the cats, in this case, it was a viewing window from the cafe into the cat lounge. Kitty Brew Cat Café had a large cafe area with plenty of options, although I wanted to get one of the specialty drinks, Dave wanted to keep is simple so we ordered an iced macchiato and a cookie. After we ordered we went next door to the lounge and our order was delivered to us when it was ready. As international cat cafe visitors we were really happy with the hour we spent at Kitty Brew Cat Café, the staff was knowledgeable, the coffee was