happy in cle » happyinCLE

boom boom boom

it was quite the holiday weekend. It was everything I could have imagined and more, filled with loved ones, laughter, sun and spirits. One of those long weekends when you think about what life would be like if your job consisted of relaxation, socializing and consuming large amounts of food and alcohol. Wait, that lifestyle is attainable. However, I believe one might call that retirement. Can I retire once I hit the big 3-0?

Naturally, I did not take as many photos as I should have, specifically shots of myself lounging in a kiddie pool floating around the waters of Put-in-Bay. I must recreate that scene ASAP.

Last week I mentioned it was a packed weekend of P’s (parties and Perry’s) via Twitter and Facebook. Please see my evidence below.

: Justin grills some ribs at BZone’s.

: W. 61 St. display.

: The Perry Monument.

: A little Katy Perry.

And this little clip was taken at plum’s bash — yet another P! The more I think about it, the more I realize how I have become more ridiculous with age. Here’s to never taking myself too seriously.

things you should do right now

After an enjoyable three-day weekend filled with friends and festivities, I have some items to add to your to-do list, if you have not checked them off already.

Market Garden Brewery & Distillery – The newest hot spot on W.25th is more than hot. It’s like surface of the sun hot. After food and beverage consumption this past weekend, I suggest you try the mussels, tacos and #1 wheat ale.

Pop Up party – This third installment was held on Friday at Battery Park Wine Bar featured the musical stylings of Graydar. This was my first Pop Up party and I really enjoy the concept. It’s like a pop up shop, but a one night shabang. A legal rave, if you will. Dancing is required.

Cleveland Museum of Art Solstice Party – Quickly becoming CLE’s party of the year, there is not much to say about this cosmopolitan affair because you really need to go and experience it for yourself. Strolling through the art galleries at 1:30am is reason enough to check this party out!

Edgewater Beach – Yes, many are frightened by our city’s only public beach (it does need some work), but it can be a beautiful place if you give it a chance. Plus, you cannot beat the people watching. Thongs, kite surfers and hookahs, oh my.

SPACES – It’s not an art gallery. It is a forum for artists to explore and experiment their craft. Not only one of the coolest venue’s around, they also host one of the coolest benefit’s every November. Attend the exhibitions, donate, volunteer and enjoy the creative genius!

ahi nama

after a very pleasant weekend of relaxation, rejuvenation and a little rampage, i have one more thing to add to my bucket list – SALSA. not the edible kind, but the cuban born dance form.

and since i already have taught myself other variations of dance including hip hop, crump and booty pops, i figured i should give ballroom a shot. but as far as i’m concerned, salsa seems to be on the more exciting and spicy side of ballroom dance. and i like spicy.

while listening to the rhythmic sounds at roseangel on saturday night, i really wanted to just pick a random mama sita and bust out some ~~latin~~ polish flavor on the dance floor. the temperature was roughly 900 degrees that night, which was most likely due to the amount of sexiness happening all around me. i really wanted to join in.

if you are interested in seeing some of the best CLE salsa dancers, i suggest you go to roseangel on any given saturday night. order a pitcher of sangria, get a table in the back, and enjoy the show. and if you would like to partake, let me know. who wants to be my salsa partner!?!

of course, i didn’t get any photos from the night, but you can view some here at TropicalCleveland (who hosts every saturday night dance party).

a CLE bridge project

i drive over the detroit-superior (also known as veterans memorial) bridge every day. the vast structure spans over the cuyahoga river and connects the eclectic ohio city neighborhood with our city’s core. it is my entrance to downtown CLE — like a foyer into my second home.

in our city’s past, this space has served as a streetcar line complete with tunnels, track and a historic subway station. all of this can be viewed by the public a few times a year thanks in part to private tours and the ridiculously cool ingenuity fest which has been held in the lower level of the bridge the past two years. if you didn’t get a chance to attend this past year, you missed an amazing man-made waterfall installation that i basically stared at for an hour (water + light = hypnotic beauty).

but wouldn’t it be grand if this lower level space could be used all year-round? imagine a repurposed pedestrian and bicycle route or industrial performance/music venue. the landscape and foundation is there, but in order to be fully functional for public use, additional funds and votes are needed. and that’s where you come in!

in order for this plan to become a reality, the National Trust for Historic Preservation grant is needed. we need as many votes as possible, so spread the word and vote at bridgevote.com! voting ends on june 30th, so get to it!

100 days in CLE

what happens when you combine beautiful artwork and the great city of CLE? you get a terrific blog called ’100 days in cleveland’.

my cousin rachel introduced me to her friend’s work a couple weeks ago, and since then i have seen it pop up on local blogs, twitter and facebook.

the concept is refreshing. the compositions are inspiring. and i am pretty much obsessed with this talented local artist and her love for all things CLE.

if you happen to enjoy some of her pieces so much that you must own one or five, you can purchase prints on etsy.

make sure you support our local talent. it’s something we all need to more often. it shows we care. and shouldn’t we all care about each other? insert group hug here.

the start to summa time

between patio prep, west 6th and cruising the waters of lake erie, my memorial day weekend was basically a repeat from last year. but the difference between last year and this year is a few new found realizations…

purchasing an electric power washer at a PSI of 1400 is not strong enough for your average concrete patio. if you want power, you need a gas powered behemoth with at least 2800 PSI.
when in a certain mindset (and/or intoxicated stage), clubs like Liquid/Suite Sixx/Ultra can be fun. but i would still prefer my d-sho, ohio city and tremont go-to’s.
boat maintenance and general upkeep is wicked annoying. it’s like having a a big wet baby. but the bathtub is 60 sextillion times larger (yes, i looked that statistic up).

i hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. here’s to the first week of june!

what day is it?

don’t you ever wonder how all of these unconventional, non-traditional days just ended up on our calendar? who exactly originated these colloquial expressions? why am i using words like colloquial?

this particular subject arose the other night while having dinner at happy dog. we obviously had dogs for dinner and it just so happened to be wednesday, so naturally i deemed the night ‘weiner wednesday’. do restaurants, bars or hot dog shops ever use this as a promotional tactic?

let’s explore the other days of the week, shall we?

monday – manic monday (thank you, bangles)

tuesday – taco tuesday (yum)

wednesday – hump day (need i explain?)

thursday – thirsty thursday (happy hour time)

friday – freaky friday (not sure people even use this)

saturday – super saturday (think retail/big sales)

sunday – sunday funday (an enjoyably intoxicating way to end the weekend)

what else can we come up with? currently i am thinking we need a ‘macaroni monday’ and a ‘falafel friday’…

word of the day – colloquial (duh)

CLE+ SUCKS sucks

dear mr. nemeth,

yes, CLE can suck. sometimes it can suck real bad. however, every city has potential to suck. it doesn’t matter if you live in new york, seattle, denver or miami — residents can always find reasons to complain and criticize local politics, weather, sports, and economics.

i could easily list 100 reasons why CLE does not suck and 100 reasons why it does suck, but i am not going to waste my time. and you should not waste your time ridiculing our fair city for a reason unbeknownst to us. while CLE+ SUCKS is quite amusing, why not spend your extracurricular time focusing on your career or getting involved in charity work?

you can bash us cleveland cheerleaders and “cupcakes” all you want. while many of us may be wearing rose-colored glasses, we know our city has much to accomplish. but we are a community of people who want to be part of the civic resurgence that is slowly but surely taking place. it will take us a while to get there, but we will get there. and unfortunately you will not be part of it.

say what you want. i am still happy in CLE.

love,
seanski

it was just like a movie

i was supposed to announce the winner of the $50 gift certificate to The Greenhouse Tavern on friday. whoops.

between thursday and sunday, i really wasn’t home much (don’t believe me, just check my foursquare status and/or plum’s blog). aside from all the activity that took place, something happened early sunday morning that has become a more common occurrence. and that something would be the “movie scene” experience.

after a long day of shopping with plum (and surviving the erie hurricane on the shoreway), nug and i attended the ArtCares benefit at the Battery Park power house. the event was wonderful, the people were incredible and the art was fantastic. this was also my first time seeing Lounge Kitty perform. if you have not seen this band before, you should.

lounge kitty singing to nug.

but this was not my “movie scene” experience. afterwards, we headed to tina’s nite club to shut the night down. just about everyone in the d-sho was in attendance, including councilman zone and his wife, michelle. but it was when tbone took the mic and the lionel richie track started to play. as soon as the lyrics started, people turned their heads and immediately began to get groovy.

as the song progressed, just about everyone was singing. about 80% of the crowd was on their feet dancing by “tam bo li de say de moi ya”. it was such a happy moment. one of those moments in your day, week or year when you realize how cool life can be. and i thank my friends, family and city for providing these moments to me on a regular basis (i know, sappy).

the "movie scene" at tina's.

does anyone else have these experiences? or am i just a whimsical, optimistic, insane person?

now let’s get to the winner. chosen by random.org with a total of 31 comments, number 8 (ironically, my fave digit) is the lucky duck.

congrats, Dean Bianchi!

word of the day – jello

let’s fly with dragonfly

there is rarely a time that i pass up a dinner invite. and thanks to janet (ms. jackson, if you’re nasty), i was able to attend the media preview at dragonfly last week.

she approves.

dragonfly you ask? yes, they have been open for over a year, but this week unveiled a more refined menu and reconfigured interior.

thanks in part to marlin kaplan and the usual suspects (jeff a. and adam w.), we are now treated too a new “asian-fusion” vibe. look out for additional seafood creations and other modern plates while the class-act cocktail list stays put.

yum...potstickers.

the interior has also been revamped a bit, specifically in the main dining room where the bar stools have been converted to standard height chairs and tables. visually, the room appears larger and feels more like an actual restaurant space while maintaining the lounge design aesthetic.

the main dining room.

make sure to check out the new dragonfly next time you are in the w.25th area!

word of the day – sushi