Omar and I took a much deserved, long overdue weekend away. We tried to design a trip somewhere we could drive to on a weekend that had interesting things to do and see. With our shared love of music, we thought Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be the perfect location.
Right about now you are probably saying the same thing as my friends and co-workers said when I told them I was going to Cleveland, they replied “on purpose”?
Cleveland is a sadly overlooked travel destination with much to offer. The city, although as any other major metropolis, is shrouded in urban decay and poverty. However, peel back the layers and you will find eclectic restaurants, multiple breweries and a huge variety of attractions, such as the science center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I am going to do the Cleveland reviews in multiple blogs as it will just get too lengthy in one.
Although this is not Jomar’s Brews, Chews and SNOOZE, I will also review our hotel, just as an extra service to our many followers.
We arrived in Cleveland a bit early to check into our hotel so we decided to start our journey at the West Side Market area and Great Lakes Brewing Company. The West Side Market is basically two sections, the first with vendor after vendor selling fresh grown produce. The vendors all have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but one odd looking fruit kept jumping out at us. It looked like a sea urchin, pink and spiny. We inquired of this interesting fruit and were told it was a Rambutan (see picture). This is a tropical fruit, from the Malay-Indonesian region. Related to the Lychee, once peeled, it has a sweet white flesh and pit similar to a small plum. It was ok, but as it was rather small, frankly a lot of work for little pay out. Interesting though, that was for sure.
We wandered to the next part of the open market, which is vendor after vendor with prepared foods, ready to eat foods, baked goods, meats, cheeses, spices, literally anything you could imagine. It is a chef’s paradise with unusual ingredients and multi-cultural influences. We were just disappointed we didn’t bring a cooler for a stop on the way home. Check out the meat counter!!
We will move on to the next stop on our journey on the next entry.
