Cleveland, OH: Last Day

One of the spots my wonderful hosts got me excited for was the West Side Market. The Market opened to shoppers on November 2, 1912, and is Cleveland’s oldest continuously operating municipally owned market. It was built to replace the Pearl Street Market, located on the opposite corner since 1840, and was one of three public markets in Cleveland (the other two were Broadway Market and Central Market). All three served Cleveland’s growing immigrant population in the early 20th century and only the West Side Market remains. The parking there is an event in itself, but once inside there is everything you could want. The best part for this fat kid was the free samples everyone hands out. I picked up produce, pasta, and meats, and only spent $30! Once all was put away in my camper and I cooked some lunch, it was really starting to look like I actually live in the Drag Queen. Feeling like home & I love it.

My time in Cleveland is drawing to an end so I decided that I needed to get some Honey Hut as a souvenir. The line was significantly longer this time around, but it is so so worth it. They give you a brown bag to bring the ice cream home, but they call it Karry Kool.. this entertained me. The drive back to the house is mainly through residential areas and on one street I saw a deer. This deer was just chilling in someone’s front yard, no worries to be had. It reminded me of a conversation Kelly and I had one night when she told me that deer will occasionally stroll down the middle of the street. And I got to witness it!

 

My last day with Dave and Kelly started off with a group trip to Edgewater Dog Park. Three humans, three pups, and lots of beach to wander. Beasts are off leash, Davinci and Neville run around sniffing who knows what, and Frank heads for the water. Dave throws Frank’s toy and he is after it, treading water, taking the waves, he gets it and is ready for more. Neville is not much of a water dog- the only time he has been swimming was when he was a puppy and my niece and I took him in my mom's pool. He swam, but only because he had to, not to enjoy. Imagine my surprise when he went into the water after Frank! Not all the way in, of course, but his feet were wet. He retreated when the waves started coming, but hey, progress! There are rocks and sticks mixed in with the sand on this beach and full bodied dead fish, too. Cute. Davinci goes and hangs with his family and I throw a stick for Neville. He eventually settles down in the sand and chews on his favorite snack, getting up every now and then to dig it a little hole. A small dog and her owner walk down the beach and Neville takes off! I keep telling him he needs to work on his approach because he comes on pretty strong; he still doesn't get it. Thankfully, this dog takes it in stride and the two of them chase each other around for a few minutes. After a while the pups are good and tired, Frank is exhausted, and we walk up the beach. On the drive out there is a beautiful view of the city with the beach in the foreground.

Photo Credit: Kelly

Photo Credit: Kelly

Photo credit: Kelly

Photo credit: Kelly

Neville and I drove downtown- well, I drove and he laid in the back seat- and walked around. We walked through Playhouse Square and up 6th Avenue. There were a whole bunch of teenagers lined up around the block for something. According to the guy working in the store CLE, it was for a local band. Good for that band! The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is downtown; it is a 125' column topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, commemorating the American Civil War. The base is surrounded by a Memorial Room and four bronze groupings depicting, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry. The interior of this old Monument was built in 1894 and was recently rehabilitated. Colossal Cupcakes was the sign that caught my eye next, walking around in this heat and all. The interior is decorated in different pink hues and the bakery serves cupcakes, vanilla ice cream, and cake shakes. I was curious about a cake shake so the girl cut me off a piece of the maple bacon something cupcake to try and whipped the rest of it with some ice cream for a shake. Pretty good.

 

Back at the house I wasn’t able to open one of the windows in my camper, I just couldn’t figure it out. I showed it to Dave and he saw the confusion I was talking about. He fiddled with it for all of 4 seconds and figured out all you have to do is push up. It is ridiculously simple. Window 3, Dave 1, Rebecca 0. My last night here, I relaxed with Neville, enjoying my newly opened window, and heard a dad yelling at his kid across the street. They have no clue I am in the Drag Queen and can hear them. This could be fun! But no, it was short lived and pretty uneventful. On my walk with the dog that night, I noticed that the houses have a lot of variety and character on most streets, but the houses on a few streets weren’t too different from each other. It reminded me of the theme song from Weeds.

Wifi again won't let me post the YouTube video, so you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/u4KfJztaJ5I

I am so grateful to have met Dave 10 years ago and thankful that he and Kelly opened their driveway and their home up to me. I had such a good time reconnecting and exploring with them and the pups. There were many laughs, new sites, delicious food, and a rising level of excitement about the future. Can’t wait to come back for a visit and return the favor to you guys. Best of luck to you when you head out on your own adventure!