Around E. 4th

On July 17, I went downtown with Becky and Spencer. We like to eat Mexican food and drink margaritas so Becky suggested we go to Barrio. I always wanted to try Barrio, so I added it to my bucket list... I've added a lot of stuff to my bucket list that I didn't think about doing until I was doing it. We went to the downtown Barrio on Prospect, and if you ever come to Cleveland you HAVE to go here. I probably say that a lot, but their tacos are delicious and their margaritas are phenomenal! We went during happy hour, so margaritas were half off! I ended up going the following Wednesday with Kelly when we went to the observatory because it was that good.

Barrio is very close to E. 4th street and there is a lot to do down there. We stopped by Cleveland Clothing Co. where I had to resist the urge to buy Cleveland gear for Russia. It is a good place to go if you are looking for Cleveland gear or souvenirs. Then we went to Rocket Fizz, which was funny because Kelly had mentioned to me the day before that she went there. There were so many different pops of all kinds of flavors. I was tempted to try the pumpkin pie one but I didn't. Next time! Then we grabbed cupcakes from Colossal Cupcakes.

Before going back to their house to watch The Mist we stopped by the new Heinen's Grocery Store downtown. It's a regular operating grocery store, but you can go wine and beer tasting or grab lunch. Going to look at the ceiling and art work alone is worth it!

All photos are from my Instagram page because I didn't bring my dslr camera!

Warner and Swasey Observatory

Yesterday Kelly and I went to the Warner and Swasey Observatory. Clearly abandoned today, this observatory was once part of Case Western University and here it was discovered that the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy! I think abandoned places are so fascinating and to think this was once a working facility is amazing to me! I've been wanting to go here for a while. You can get inside this building, and we walked into the front entrance, but we were too afraid to go further because we didn't know who might be lurking inside. We decided we were going to take some strong guys with us next time because I really want to explore the it!

The observatory isn't in a great neighborhood but I read of people going to see it and not having any problems. We had the same experience until the very end when a guy drove by really slowly then turned around right by us. We decided that it was our cue to go because we weren't sure what he was up to.

We finished the night at Barrio for some tacos and Coquette Patisserie for macarons! Honestly, all three places I HIGHLY recommend if you live or decide to visit Cleveland!

Fourth of July

I usually don't do much for Fourth of July because I'm usually scheduled to work. I don't mind working sometimes because I don't have many friends up here, so I like to let the ones who have plans enjoy them. I'm also super old so I don't do much with my family. I don't even want to talk about work because is was partially terrible, but we did get to wear red, white, and blue so that was fun. 

I worked from 12-8:20ish and when I got home my neighbors were over with my parents. Mandi, who I grew up with, invited me to go to watch the fireworks with her and three of her kids. I said I would go because I wanted to celebrate the holiday a little bit, and we haven't done much together since we've grown up. I actually wanted to add "watch the fireworks" to my list, but I honestly did not even think I'd go because I haven't celebrated it in years. I was kind of excited she invited me along! We ended up going to the same place Mandi, me, and our siblings went to growing up so it brought back memories. 

I only have camera photos from that day, and the last one I stole the group one from Mandi. Despite, a horrible hour at work it ended up being a great holiday!

Judy's Jungle

When I first started coming up with a Cleveland Bucket List I mentioned it to my friend, Kasey, at work. I asked her if she had any ideas of what I could see. She mentioned Judy's Jungle, and I immediately added it. It's one of those off road attractions, but it's literally right up the street from my parents' house. At first I didn't know what she was talking about, but then after thinking I realized we used to watch fireworks at the factory right next door, and I always remember that giant praying mantis.

On Sunday I came into work and Kasey suggested we go see it since we both got off around the same time. Apparently, this lady has been collecting statues that she just has out for people to look at. It's pretty neat. I think my favorite thing about it is that it's a pretty big secret. Even some of my favorite area bloggers haven't been here and I can't find anything about it online. So, I guess this will be my blogging claim to fame. :)

A Visit to Cincinnati

The last weekend in June I adventured down to Cincinnati to see one of my best friends, Haley! After living there for 5 years when I went to school I try to make it down once a year, especially since I found out Haley was pregnant. I'm not around small children that often so it amazes me how big Cora gets every time I go down. I didn't think I would be able to make it down this year because I'll be moving to Russia in just a month and a half, but Haley wrote the weekend down on her calendar, so I couldn't back out! :)

Friday, June 26, 2015 
On Friday we just spent most of the day around her apartment. Every time I go to Cincinnati I HAVE to get Indian food because it is the best! We also made a trip to Target and watched Jurassic Park. Look how cute Cora is! She's a little model.

Saturday, June 27, 2015
Our Saturday was pretty jam packed! We went to Panera for breakfast then went to Ault park to walk around and take pictures. It looked like it was going to rain, but luckily it held out. We typically hang out at parks even when I was living there! We go hard, clearly.

After we left Ault Park we went back to Haley's apartment to try to get Cora to nap for a little bit. That didn't work, so we headed to her parents' house where we hung out a bit before walking to the Greek festival. We didn't spend a whole lot of time there but we did smash on delicious Greek food. It was so cute seeing Cora watch the dancers. Then afterwards we walked back to Haley's parents' house where we ate more Greek desserts.

I ended up leaving really early Sunday morning because I had to work later in the afternoon. I wish I could have spent more time down there because it felt rushed, but it was still nice to get away for a day or two and see a good friend!