Showing posts with label Cleveland Ohio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleveland Ohio. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Electric Sex and More in Cleveland

Hey!  I"ve seen that house before!   Hmmmm...but where?  Any guesses?  If you guessed you saw it in a movie, you're right! This is THE house that Ralphie and Randy lived in. Yep, this is where part of the cult-classic holiday movie, A Christmas Story, was filmed.  

 The house sits on 11th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, of all places.  MJ and I stopped to take a few photos and then returned the next day so my daughter and grandson could see the major award aka "soft gleam of electric sex", standing ooo-la-la in the window.                                              
 
Ohhhhhhh, fuuuuuuuddge.....
It's the car the that had the flat tire that had to be fixed that got Ralphie in a soapy situation for saying "THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words. The F-dash-dash-dash word!"  "

Across the street there's a museum and.....
 a gift shop where you can buy your very own pink bunny suit, mugs, ornaments, hats, sweatshirts, lights, games and yes...even the leg lamp in four different sizes. 

The Christmas Story House has a great website that gives all the details of how, where, who, and what.  So if you're ever in Cleveland I triple dog dare ya to check it out.  

Now onto YOLO.

Not hungry enough to down a full dinner, MJ and I stopped at a new wine bar in Battery Park.  Called YOLO, for You Only Live Once, we found the place perfect for sipping and nibbling.  We had a cheese board with fig jam that was out of this world spread on a baguette slice and cheeses that ranged from pungent to creamy light. I do enjoy a good glass of wine, good bread, and good conversation...it  just doesn't get much better. 

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All quotes are from the movie, A Christmas Story, screenplay by Bob Clark
MJ photographed the car and the YOLO interior shot.



Monday, January 9, 2012

Rewinding to Cleveland

Through the miracle of amazing technology I'm rewinding the days, setting the time for December 2011 and voila! Here we are just after Christmas, spending two wonderful days in Cleveland. The little man visiting relatives in Youngstown, my daughter off with a college friend too seldom seen, and MJ and I roaming the city.

I love Cleveland with  its gritty, city dirt that whispers of past prosperous times while maintaining hope that a renaissance is just around the next metro block.  While Columbus may be the Ohio urban trend, give me Cleveland with fireworks lighting up the cityscape after an Indians games and the Dog Pound with painted, rabid fans.  I'll take the Westside Market...
  


Little Italy...

where one of my favorite vintage shops dresses up a historic church with joyful celebration.  It's Heartstings, a shop owned by the talented Wendy Swindell who displays here myriad of finds with flair and eccentric exuberance. 



 The magic of vintage and retro doll furnitue on a shelf at Heartstrings.  Photo taken by MJ


And the hard edges softened by the holiday lights...
Oh yeah, I'll take Cleveland any ole time. 

There's more to Cleveland, so stay tuned this week for more Cleveland love.  You just might be surprised!