Both neighborhoods are located to the west of downtown Cleveland, just across the Cuyahoga River. In recent years both have experienced a revival with suburbanites moving back into the city and buying and restoring many of the beautiful old homes. They have also become centers for fine dining and art galleries.
The cornerstone of Ohio City is the famous West Side Market. It is a European style market building which was built in 1912. Since 1973 it has been on the National Register of Historic Places. The large number of vendors sell meats, produce, bakery and other products. More than one million visitors come to the market each year, including many tourists. The market has been featured on the Travel Channel and the Food Network. Even Alejandro, who is used to large market buildings in Mexico City, was quite impressed.
We could not resist sampling some of the market's goodies. The offerings reflect the ethnic diversity of Cleveland, and Alejandro had his first taste of baklava and cannoli. We also bought some home-made fudge!
Next door to Ohio City is the neighborhood of Tremont. It is noted for its large number of historic churches, which again reflect the diverse ethnic backgrounds of Cleveland's residents. The most famous and distinctive of these churches is St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Built in 1913, it is considered one of the finest examples of Russian church architecture in the United States. It was also featured in the 1978 film "The Deer Hunter". The interior is lavishly decorated with icons, but unfortunately we were unable to go inside.
We spent all afternoon exploring the two neighborhoods. At 6 PM we met friends at an Ohio City restaurant... Le Petite Triangle. We had an excellent supper of French crepes with Katie (who used to teach French at my school), her French-born husband Olivier, their two children Nina and Christian, and Katie's mom. It was a wonderful ending to a great day.
I love the West Side Market! I'm glad Alejandro enjoyed it too. There's a stand there that sells cooked bratwursts, and they've spoiled me forever. I live in Wisconsin--the land of the brat!--but none I've had here have ever tasted as good as a West Side Market brat.
ReplyDeleteI've never had any of the brats from the West Side Market. I'll have to keep that in mind. But I fear that if I were to shop there on a regular basis, I would gain a lot of weight!
DeleteNote: West Side Market brats taste best when eaten in your car in the parking lot before heading for home. :-)
DeleteThat assumes that one is able to get back to the parking lot before devouring them! :-)
DeleteWow! That market looks fantastic. Seriously, the City of Cleveland should hire you as their chief promotions director. I always knew that there were things of interest in Cleveland, but after reading your blog posts about it, I realize I really had no idea.
ReplyDeleteSaludos y abrazos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we wish we had a market half as nice.
P.S. Both your blog and Babs' blog have suddenly started the whole "prove you're not a robot" thing. Did blogger just start doing this on its own? Or were you swamped with spam?
DeleteThere are a lot of things which I think Clevelanders take for granted. Most visitors to the city are surprised by how much Cleveland has to offer.
DeleteAs for the "comment thingy", I just checked the settings, and it is still "off". Let me know if it continues.
Saludos y abrazos,
Bill