Ohio Wanderlust

V elvet Tango Room is in a nondescript hole-in-the wall located on the fringes of the Ohio City and Tremont neighborhoods of Cleveland. From the outside the facade of the Velvet Tango Room blends right into the dilapidated buildings that surround the venue. On Friday night, the street was quiet, the glow of downtown was behind us, but Columbus street was dark. Had we not been to the Velvet Tango Room before, the glow of the neon sign would have been the only thing to lead us to our destination. The Velvet Tango Room is not like other bars, there are numerous articles touting how exclusive and elusive entrance to the Velvet Tango Room can be. You see, there is no need to make reservations to sit in the front room; although the venue is a secret in and of itself, the secret backroom, which is accessible by key card entrance only, requires reservations in advance...sometimes weeks in advance. Some people have written that the backroom is for the socially elite -- despite the fact th...

Cilanto Thai & Sushi in Akron is a great dinner location for just about any occasion. I've been there on a date night or girls night and we've hosted a large group of friends there for a birthday party. One thing that is for certain is that on the weekend you absolutely must make a reservation. I visited with a group of friends on a Friday and the restaurant was packed, without a reservation we would have been waiting quite a while. Our server was incredibly pleasant and due to the new addition of servers carrying tablets instead of pads of paper as soon as we placed our drink order the order was already sent to the bar. This expedited level of order delivery was wonderful, especially for bar drinks. No longer does a server need to find a POS and wait around while other servers place their order. We started with some martinis:  The Cilantro-tini made with Ty Ku Liqueur, Absolut Citron Vodka, Lime Juice and Lemon Soda. This was the drink I ordered and I thought th...

Today Dave and I attended the 34th annual Holiday Tree Festival at the John S. Knight center in Akron. This event is held by the volunteers of Akron Children's Hospital and the proceeds benefit patient care programs, research and education. In 2014 the Holiday Tree Festival raised $300,000 and the event has raised over $4.7 million during its thirty-four year run. This year the Holiday Tree Festival runs from November 21 to November 29 and the hours are as follows: Monday - Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thanksgiving, 2 to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is parking located at the John S. Knight center which includes a sky bridge to take you over to the venue without needing to go back outside in this chilly weather we have going on right now. Admission to the Holiday Tree Festival is free, there are trees/prizes offered by raffle, some concessions, and of course if you'd like to purchase a tree, wreath, or any other holi...