March 13, 2007
Spring Break in Cleveland: Day 1, Part A
While my students vacation in Cancun and Florida, I went the opposite direction for spring break this year. Erica and I took Cristen up on her kind offer to show us why Cleveland totally rocks. The trip officially started out last Friday after I got off work when Erica and I took to the road. While we had a fantastic (and surprisingly short, it seemed) drive, I didn't take any pictures. And we all know the blog entry doesn't start until there are pictures.
First things first, on Saturday morning, we went shopping at all the stores we don't have in Lafayette: H&M, Urban Outfitters, Steve Madden, etc. The shopping center was one of those planned areas that is trying so hard to bring back multiple use spaces and the town square effect. It had apartments over the stores and a little area in the center where you could play a big game of chess, sit by a fire, or buy a hotdog from a stand.
After a full morning, we needed a hearty meal, so Cristen took us to one of the many Irish pubs in and around Cleveland, Sullivan's.
I liked it immediately. It felt warm and inviting. There was a big party of people just standing around their table drinking and talking. There were books. And of course, delicious food.
After lunch, Cristen took us to her favorite vintage clothing store, Flower Child.
It was easy to see why she liked it. It's full of fascinating items from days gone by. We felt like kids in grandma's attic exploring everything, trying on hats, and pulling off clothes from the racks. I've discovered that if I take my camera places, I have no need to actually purchase anything. I feel the same sense of satisfaction just taking its picture. It's a new phase I'm going to call photographic consumption. It's much healthier for my wallet. Here are just some of the things we found.
Seriously, the hats were the best, and Flower Child had just so many of them.
But we also found some nostalgic items, like these toys from the 80s.
And some toys that I didn't even know existed, like a Mork doll.
Or a Brooke Shields doll. Honestly, I didn't realize she was that popular.
But I guess her popularity spanned all sorts of audiences because she also just happened to be on the cover of an old Playboy that was also sold at the store.
Some items, like this gold deer thermometer, we never could figure out why anyone wanted it in the first place.
The rest of the day will be in the next entry because this is already way too much fun for one entry. I like to spread them out.