Cleveland OH Archives - There Goes Connie

Looking Back at my 2018 Travels and Recommendations

01/07/2019 By: CCPearsoncomment

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t just looked back at my calendar and all of the photos I took. During 2018, I visited 23 destinations, finished construction/decisions/moving involved with our new house and hosted the 11th Annual Cousins Camp. You might think I’d be ready to stay home for awhile, and yes. I truly do savor days for writing, thinking and “just being.” But, those of you who know me best, know that I always LOVE planning. So, happily my calendar is filling up with more amazing places to explore in 2019.

A few of the trips I made in 2018 were purely for fun, but 100% have or will end up as blog posts or articles in other publications. And, 100% of the places I visited can be wholeheartedly recommended for you. The vast majority were in my heartland, a.k.a. The Deep South, but I also got on a few airplanes along the way.

I began the year with Steve on Captiva Island, near Fort Myers, FL, and we ended our travel year seeing New York City at Christmas time. In between, there were fabulous restaurants, hotels, museums, attractions of all kinds and stunning displays of nature. Here are some highlights, pretty much in order as I saw them through the year. Maybe one or more of them will capture your attention and draw you in for a closer look. Please stick with me as we explore more hidden, and not-so-hidden, gems in 2019.

Shellhunting with the shorebirds on tranquil Captiva Island, near Fort Myers, FL in January of 2018.

The iconic tree in Rockefeller Center, New York City, December 2018.

February is a wonderful time to visit the Alabama Gulf Coast. There are many activities and advantage for snowbirds, and of course, the seafood is always fresh and delicious.

A search for the many painted mules in Jasper, AL is a fun pursuit. While there, the shopping and dining options are plentiful.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Museum is an important destination. While in town, try some of the great restaurants — Highlands Bar and Grill, Galley and Garden, Chez Fonfon, etc. — and take the elevator to the top of the Vulcan.

It was so much fun to share a “Gone with the Girls” tour with my daughter and granddaughter. Clay and Henry Counties and their towns of Jonesboro, Locust Grove and McDonough (just a few miles south of Atlanta) are full of great eateries. shops and attractions, among them is the Road to Tara Museum.

Oxford, Mississippi is home to the University of Mississippi, 4 restaurants owned by John Currence and Rowan Oak, home of novelist William Faulkner. What a great town!

In addition to famous recording studios, boutique hotels, the University of North Alabama and good Southern eats, be sure to visit the store and workshop of Natalie Chanin and get a close look at her fabulous textile artistry.

The historic and beautiful Dunhill is a great place to stay in downtown Charlotte. The rooms are comfortable, the location is great, and The Asbury, adjoining restaurant, has award-winning chefs.

Biltmore House and Gardens is a MUST when visiting Asheville, N.C. Also, consider one of the delightful B & Bs in the area.

While visiting the Old 96 District of South Carolina, I highly recommend staying at The Inn on the Square in Greenwood, S.C.

Historic Brattonsville is an informative attraction in the Olde English District of South Carolina, between Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC.

Canton OH is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and SO MUCH MORE!!

Downtown Cleveland is filled with sports venues, hotels and restaurants. A little further out are attractions for history, art and music lovers, and don’t forget the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Columbia, TN has a great historic downtown, the James K. Polk Home and the Blythewood Inn Bed and Breakfast. Be sure to plan a stop when you’re in the Nashville area.

Gadsden, AL has Noccalula Falls within its city limits, plus a wonderful Main Street with shops, restaurants and a very active cultural center.

Corinth, Mississippi is the site of important Civil War history. Here is a poignant fountain outside the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center.

The Palm Court, ornate restaurant inside the Plaza Hotel in New York City, is where one of America’s most famous Afternoon Tea parties takes place.

Go. See. Eat. Experience. There’s a great, big, fascinating world out there.

(Just scroll back through my blog posts to read about these places in greater detail).

When Travel Writers Have Dinner Together: Lockkeepers in Cleveland, OH

11/19/2018 By: CCPearsoncomment

One of the bonuses of my job as a travel writer is going on press trips with fellow travel writers. We “get” each other. We’re a curious group, with a shared desire to have our heads filled with intriguing new information, to taste something delicious prepared in ways we’ve never had before, to ask a boatload of questions and to take photos galore. We often have the opportunity to eat in the finest restaurants in town, and we’re very generous about sharing bites and giving opinions about who ordered best. We usually get to sample several of the house specialties in terms of appetizers and desserts, and we each order our own entrees — almost always offering our tablemates a sample. After all, the restaurants want us to try their signature items and then spread the word to our readers about ones we particularly enjoyed. It’s most definitely a win-win proposition. The owners get feedback and publicity, and we get a fabulous meal. What’s not to love?

A recent dinner near Cleveland stands out in my mind. My fellow diners and I had spent a couple of days together and developed a great camaraderie, even though we were all from vastly different parts of the country. The last thing on our trip agenda was to be an outdoor performance of the Cleveland Symphony, but on the way we headed to Lockkeepers for dinner.

First of all, the location was unique — along the banks of the Cuyahoga River in a stunning architectural building surrounded by trees. Lush. Elegant.

And it was visually pleasing inside as well. To add to the extraordinary nature of the occasion, we had the whole upstairs Sommelier Room to ourselves which overlooked the main dining room through glass partitions.

Our uniformed servers were eager to answer our questions about the items on the menu and were happy to point out their favorite choices in every category.

We sampled fresh salads and appetizers, served artistically.

Calamari rings.

The entrees came in abundant portions. If only I’d had a way to take my leftovers home! Lasagna with layers of pasta made inhouse. The biggest scallops I’ve ever seen. A salmon filet surrounded by veggies. A pork chop that made all of us gasp at its size and thickness. Each dish was exceptional.

Lasagna.

Pasta dish for our vegetarian colleague.

Tomahawk pork chop.

Salmon.

Just when we thought we had used all possible superlatives, out came the desserts! A cannoli, tiramisu, housemade gelatos, and the pastry chef’s specialty — A Campfire Brownie. Listen to this description: “Salted Valrona Fudge Brownie, Pecan Blondie, Caramel, Graham Cracker Crust, Housemade Marshmallow.” Yes, we EACH had a bit of all of these. My goodness, what a smashing finale!

Cannoli.

3 flavors of gelato.

Campfire brownie.

Maintaining a healthy weight is quite a challenge for a travel writer, but it can be done. As I mentioned earlier, with many of these dishes, we each just took a small sample. Also, between meals, we are in constant motion. The calories in vs. calories out ratio manages to balance itself fairly well.

You can read my review of Lockkeepers in TheYums.com here. Have I convinced you to make Lockkeepers part of your itinerary when you visit Cleveland? Be aware that the menu changes seasonally. If you go in the fall or spring, you are likely to find many other great dishes.

And, even more so, have I made you start thinking about becoming a travel writer? Feel free to ask me questions. I love talking about it.

5 People Who Went Above and Beyond

09/07/2018 By: CCPearson2 Comments

One of my favorite aspects of being a travel writer is getting to meet new, fascinating and passionate people. Typically, they are the owners of restaurants, B & Bs or historians and tour guides at attractions of all kinds. On my most recent trip to Canton and Cleveland, Ohio, however, the travel/tourism staff members themselves were the ones who impressed me with their professionalism, their work ethic, their knowledge and their courtesy. You might think, “Well, that’s just part of their job.” And, in some ways, you’d be right. But, five people I met in Ohio definitely went “above and beyond” their formal job description. In my opinion, they “went the second mile,” and I was the grateful beneficiary.

In Canton, I encountered Tonja Marshall, the Executive Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Visit Canton. She supervised the necessary details of my trip and devised an itinerary that made sure I saw as much as possible in the time I was in her city. But, here is where she “went beyond.” One attraction on the itinerary was a visit to the Gervasi Vineyard. I wrote about it here on Monday’s blog. It turned out to be a wonderful few hours, and I’m very glad I went. But, I was nervous about it. I don’t apologize or regret my decision to abstain from drinking alcohol, but I didn’t want to cause embarrassment or awkwardness for Visit Canton, for Gervasi Vineyard or for my fellow travel writers in the process. I had communicated with Tonja before I arrived that I was looking forward to seeing the vineyard but that I didn’t drink alcohol, but I had no idea how that scenario would play out. When we got to the wine-tasting event, we were seated in an amazing room with a stunning chandelier made out of wine bottles. Understandably, this place was ALL IN in terms of wine. Imagine me fidgeting and perspiring a bit by now. But, no, as the various wines were served to my fellow travel writers, I was never even offered a glass. My water glass was kept full, but no wine appeared at my place setting. What a huge relief! Tonja had discreetly and carefully handled the situation for me. I didn’t have to say or do anything. She made the experience easy, relaxing and extremely enjoyable. Thank you, Tonja.

Later that same afternoon, our group traveled to Cleveland where we were joined by four more travel writers. That is where I met the staff of Destination Cleveland/TheCLE/ThisisCLE/ThisisCleveland or whatever name you want to give them. 🙂

Kristen Jantonio, Communications Specialist, was indeed a “special communicator” before I set foot in her town. My emails received her prompt attention, and she patiently answered all my questions. (That’s saying a lot when your nickname is “The Queen of Questions.”) I mostly think of Kristen as the person responsible for an exquisite night of dinner at LockKeepers and a concert by the Cleveland Symphony at Blossom Music Center. She saw my elation at having such a wonderful experience. She joined us on other tours and helped me set up my very first Uber appointment, too, but I see her face when I think of that music. Thank you, Kristen.

Nick Urig, Communications Manager, led an informative walking tour of downtown Cleveland, showed us the ropes for ordering dinner at The Greenhouse Tavern and took us to breakfast at the West Side Market Cafe. That is where Nick REALLY came through for me personally. I saw pierogis on the menu (not for breakfast, of course, but yet it was on the menu). And I had never tried a pierogi. Not only did Nick goodnaturedly explain the making of and various types of pierogis, he ordered some for our table, and I got to taste my very first one. It was great! I’m ready for another one! And, as a side note, Nick is tall, attractive and exceedingly polite. I felt safe in that big city when he was with us. That’s huge when you’re a prissy Baby Boomer from Alabama traveling without your husband. Know what I mean? Thank you, Nick.

Stephanie Sheeley, Communications Coordinator, is a fun-loving young woman with a mass of shiny black curls and what I would call “statement fingernails.” Last week they were long and yellow. I found her to be very self-confident. That trait came through one morning when she walked out the door of her house, only later to discover that the zipper on her dress was broken. Her exposed skin in the back didn’t slow her down one bit. She carried on as if nothing was wrong. She also gave me some helpful hints about the hair of my own Ethiopian granddaughter. In other words, she related to me as a person, not just as part of her job, and I liked that a lot. Thank you, Stephanie.

Emily Lauer, Senior Director of PR/Communications, was the one I got to spend the most one-on-one time with. The two of us attended the Indians/Orioles baseball game on a warm Friday night at Progressive Field. That girl knows her Indians!!! She taught me about the HotDog Relay — when the mustard, ketchup and onions race from 3rd base to 1st base. She knew the names and a good bit of the history of each player. She pointed out the guy way up in the stands behind the outfield who played the drum to encourage every Indian batter — and has been doing that same thing for FORTY YEARS!!! She sang along with me to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Hang on, Sloopy.” She let me talk about my family and show her pictures of my new house, and I heard some about her life and career path. She walked for blocks and blocks with a cast shoring up her sprained ankle and then chauffeured me back safely to my hotel after the Indians pulled out the win. I hope I wasn’t too boring of a companion, but mostly I know Emily went out of her way to be nice and to be sure I had a great time — which I truly did. Thank you, Emily.

I wish I had gotten pictures of all these special people. I do have pictures of them in my mental images of Canton and Cleveland.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked a lot about doing the unexpected things, about going beyond what is required, about being exceptionally generous and kind. “Love your enemies.” “Pray for those who persecute you.” “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.” And the admonition that applies today: “And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.” (all verses found in Matthew 5)

I’m so glad I got to visit a part of the country I’d never seen before, but mostly I am glad I got to meet these people who made a deep impression and represented their organizations so very well.

VisitCanton

This is Cleveland

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