Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming: A Pit Stop in Cleveland on My Way East

Ok, going way back to early October where I left off before posting about Argentina. Following my time in South Bend, I took the scenic route back to Cleveland. I've driven 80/90 (the turnpike/toll road) between South Bend and Cleveland countless times, but until now, I had never taken the scenic route: corn fields for the first 2/3rds then small towns on Lake Erie from Toledo onwards. 

Cedar Point: No, I didn't stop; rollercoasters and a history of concussions are not a winning combination

Huron: Prettier than I expected, just don't get in the water (it is still Lake Erie afterall)

My first day in Cleveland, I stayed with my friends, the Kays. 

During the 6 years I lived in Cleveland, the Kays essentially became my adoptive parents, regularly hosting me for dinners and holidays. Chris is a retired electrical engineer who spent most of his career working in telecoms. Since retiring, he's spent much of his time renovating the basement and kitchen of their historic home in Lakewood, OH. Mary is a dental hygienist and typically walks to work when the weather is good. If I'm recalling correctly, they first met and started dating when Chris was a patient at the dental clinic where Mary worked at the time. They still live in the same historic house in Lakewood they bought soon after getting married, which is just down the street from where Chris grew up. Their son, Michael (who happened to be on vacation in Italy during my visit), was one of my best friends in college. Mary and Chris love having both their children close by (Micheal lives just down the street, and their daughter, Patricia, lives on the other side of Cleveland). Recently, they've enjoyed seeing their family grow as both Michael and Patricia have gotten married in the past 2 years. In their freetime, they love going for walks in Lakewood, spending time with family (both of their extended families still predominantly live on the west side of Cleveland), and going to Guardians games. 

While much of my first day in Cleveland was spent running errands (motorcycle maintenance related), I couldn't let it pass without stopping at my all time favorite sandwich shop, Express Deli. 

Express Deli featuring Juan Jose (who you'll meet when I stop in Nashville), Pierre (the owner), and cardboard Pierre. My old roommate, Keating (who you'll meet later this post), first discovered Express Deli while searching for a place to get lunch while working from home at our old place in Brook Park, OH. Less than 500 ft from our house and boasting fantastic reviews on Google, he decided to give Express Deli a try. It soon became our go-to for work-from-home lunches, with us often getting a sandwich there multiple times a week. Pierre and his wife, Maha, bought the sandwich shop in 1998, when Pierre decided he wanted to travel less after many years as engineer for GE. In 2015, their son, Micho, came back to join the family business. They've added their own flair to many classics - such as a Reuben featuring homemade dry rubbed kraut and garlic mayo. I'd argue their Reuben is the best in Cleveland (and Cleveland is a bigtime Reuben city), and they were recently voted the #14 sandwich shop in America on Yelp. While all their food is fantastic (I've tried most of the 21+ sandwiches on menu at this point), their hospitality is also unmatched. First time patrons get a free tasting tour of some of their flagship sandwiches and by the second or third time you go, you're considered a regular and known on a first name basis. I make a point of stopping at Express Deli every time I go back to Cleveland, and each time, Pierre makes a point of checking in on how my odyssey is progressing. In addition to the Reuben, some of my favorites are the Beirut Chicken, the Roast Beef, the Turkey & Pepperoni, and the Guinness Cheesecake (only available on select occasions). If you stop by, be sure to let Pierre know that Kevin sent you. 

My second night in Cleveland, I stayed with my old roommate, Keating, who has generously let me keep all the crap I didn't bring on my trip in his basement. 

Keating's originally from the middle of nowhere Illinois outside of Chicago (his grandfather is president of the local White Sox fan club), but moved to Cleveland for a job in the healthtech space after a brief professional basketball career in England (he's 6'7" in case you couldn't tell from this picture). I first met Keating on a camping trip with a bunch of randos from Facebook (shout out to the Outsiders, Together group) soon after he moved to Cleveland. Keating now works in project management for a global real estate tech company based in Cleveland and recently bought and renovated (full plumbing, electrical rewire, everything) the home where my crap is stored in West Park, OH. As often as he's able to get off work (which I've found is much more often than the average human being), he travels far and wide. Some of his recent trips include Japan, Peru, and climbing Mt. Shasta in California. He's currently working to plan a trek of the John Muir Trail later this year. As you may have guessed from the camera around his neck, he is also an aspiring photographer. Last year, a Jeep tour company in southern Utah expressed interest in buying some of his drone footage from a trip through southern Utah. 

After retooling my gear for fall in the Northeast at Keating's, I met my other old roommate, Chris, the next morning for breakfast at Fiona's in Willoughby, OH on the east side of Cleveland. Alas, I forgot to take a picture of Fiona's - or Willoughby for that matter - but picture a quirky coffeehouse on the corner of an old school main street in a classic American small town. They've also got great bagels and energy bars. From Fiona's I went with Chris to check out his and his fiance, Denisse's new house, just a couple of blocks away.

As you may have guessed from the graphics on the picture, I forgot to take photos again and instead stole it from Denisse's Facebook page. Chris is originally from the east side of Cleveland and moved back there after working in Pittsburgh for a couple years following college in southeast Ohio. Denisse grew up in Mexico and originally came to Cleveland as an au pair about 5 years ago. I like to claim I introduced Chris and Denisse, but with their outgoing personalities, I'm sure they would have ended up introducing themselves had I not been there the day they met at church 3-4 years ago. They soon discovered they both enjoyed dancing, coffee, and most importantly, each other's company, and the rest is history. Chris currently works as an account executive for a software company, while Denisse splits time between teaching, nannying, and working at a coffee shop. When they're not at their primary jobs, they enjoy working on a mobile coffee bus together, hosting gatherings at their new house, running, kayaking, and traveling. They dream of someday opening their own coffee shop. I'm diligently practicing my Spanish ahead of their wedding in Mexico City next fall. 

Following my tour of Chris & Denisse's new digs, I took the scenic route north east along Lake Erie and finally checked an Ohio Taco Bell off my list in Mentor, OH. 

Taco Bell Mentor, OH

Staff: Gotta be honest, it's been a long time since I stopped at this Taco Bell and I failed to  take notes on it at the time, but if I recall, the staff was friendly here. 

Atmosphere: A little understated and lacking color, but very chill vibes. 

Facilities: If I recall, this was one of the cleanest Taco Bell's I've been to.

Food: I got the 7 Layer Burrito and at the time, I felt like it was missing something/that they went way too light on the beef. I have since looked up the 7 Layer Burrito and discovered that it is in fact a vegetarian item. Not sure how you get to 7 layers without meat (I don't think Taco Bell has 7 non-meat ingredients stocked) and I still maintain that this burrito was lacking something without beef, but I won't hold this particular Taco Bell responsible for that menu design flaw. 

Post Taco Bell, I made one final stop in Ohio at Chris's suggestion: Fairport Harbor, a scenic small town on Lake Erie near the Mentor Headlands State Park, one of the best beaches in the Cleveland area. I found Fairport Harbor to be scenic as advertised and the weather was nice, so I opted to take a dip in Lake Erie (was hoping I was far enough east to avoid the worst of the pollution and farm run off, but still admittedly a risk) before commencing the long drive up to Buffalo. 

Fairport Harbor is indeed home to a small harbor

Slowly (but not steadily) chipping away at this backlog - my new year's resolution is to do a better job staying up-to-date on this blog. 

Kevbot