Shoreway Cinema

Great news for those on Cleveland's West Side; ground was recently broken on the new Capitol Theater in the Detroit-Shoreway Neighborhood (DSN). It will feature largely independent films and serve beer (and I ain't talkin' about no paper cup, I'm talkin bout an actual glass of beer). Now, instead of the 30 minute drive to Cedar Lee, we'll have a 5 minute jaunt, or a 15 minute bike ride!

In actuality, the theater has been standing at the West 65th and Detroit intersection since 1921, but has been vacant for the past 20 some odd years. Here is the typically over-glamorized artist rendition of how the site will look in April of 2009:
The rehabilitation is the latest in a string of projects that is giving significant traction to the argument that DSN is the new Tremont (or Coventry, or Ohio City...). With the Battery Park development energizing the area, a number of businesses have opened, most notably Phoenix Coffee, Luxe and Stone Mad, the latter two being beautiful restaurants.

Stone Mad

Stone Mad was particularly spectacular, with miles of mahogany and intricate stone masonry throughout...plus the indoor bocce court of course. The bar area is almost entirely reminiscent of a European pub, with the exceptions being the lack of mismatched furniture, the odd, sometimes centuries old drinking related knick-knacks and advertising, and the glassware. The dining room in back follows a more New York Italian cafe theme, to great effect. Outside, tons upon tons of stone make up the patio, seats, tables and large central fireplace that draws visitors like moths. Snag a spot here on a chilly night and you could auction it to the highest bidder on your exit.

The long awaited opening was not announced, per se, but rather passed along via word of mouth. Katie and I made it in about a week and a half later and the place was packed to the rafters with yuppies young and old, starry eyed neighborhood locals, Tribe game returnees and various curiosity seekers (of which we labeled ourselves).

I can't vouch for the food (yet), but it's on the short list of "places to eat as soon as humanly possible". I can say that if the menu is half as impressive as the place itself, a glowing review is surely soon to follow.

A Shift in the Winds?

Now this is refreshing; an oil magnate is preparing to build the biggest wind farm in the world. Even better, it's in Texas. T. Boone Pickens, Jr. (perhaps the greatest "oil man" name in the history of the world) has purchased 600 wind turbines from General Electric and plans to install them on tracts of land throughout the Lone Star State.


Wouldn't you love to see a row of those beauties cutting a swath through Bush's ranch in Crawford? But I digress...

This is only the first part of his grand scheme; one that will eventually see 1800 more turbines installed, generating 4,000 (!) megawatts of power; clean, renewable, efficient, self-reliant power. This is enough to generate electricity for over 1.3 million homes.

Though downplayed thus far in the media, I see this as a tremendous sea change in the thinking of the American 'energy elite'. They recognize the problems, costs and risks associated with the old ways and are innovating and thinking about new and emerging technologies.

It makes one wonder about the leadership (and cognitive) capabilities of our own State's leaders, who recently came to an agreement which allowed American Electric Power to construct a "clean coal" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) plant in Meigs County. Oh, and also to charge Ohio taxpayers $24 million in start-up costs. I don't know about you, but I for one am appalled at the prospect of investing my own money in an outdated, outmoded and environmentally dangerous energy supply, when such great strides are being taken in...Texas of all places!?!

Brewery Tour On Tap

The Time Has Come...

After many high level discussions, thousands of hours of research, consultations, and untold sleepless afternoons, the blueprint or shall I say, brewprint, is ready for public consumption...
As it stands, the plan is a framework, with details, such as transportation, dates, etc. yet to be finalized. The idea however, is simple:

1. Gather large group of friends and family
2. Rent vehicle
3. Travel around midwest and visit breweries
4. Have good time

So, if you're interested in the below listed potentiality, let me know!

Itinerary

Day 1: The Departure
Gather in Cleveland at Great Lakes Brewing Co. to begin mission. Enjoy lunch and fabulous beer(s) - I humbly suggest the Blackout Stout and the Commodore Perry IPA. Board luxurious accommodations (perhaps slightly exaggerated) and head west, towards Michigan. Specifically, Ann Arbor, Michigan (AKA: the belly of the beast). Trust me, I know what I'm doing... Enjoy dinner and a tour of the Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Brewery.

Celebrate, socialize, at some point check into a hotel, and sleep.

Day Two: Go West(er)!
Arise at a reasonable hour, board our transportation vessel and rocket towards Kalamazoo! Visit the one, the only, Bell's Brewing Co.

Enjoy their inventory of fantastic beers with lunch in the Eccentric Cafe. Journey out to the Beer Garden to take in the sheer marvelousness of the day. Re-board bus, van, RV or clown car.

On to Muncie! The home of Three Floyd's Brewing, one of the most highly respected and buzzed about (and on I suppose) breweries in the US.

Their Dark Lord Day (it's not as menacing or satanic as it sounds) brings people from all over the country to buy one of the most limited beers in the country. Plus, their beer is no longer available in Ohio, and it's been too long since I've enjoyed an Alpha King (pictured above; again, not as menacing as it looks).

At this point, we will have visited two of the greatest breweries in the United States in one day, and we will be...let's say... ready to let loose a bit.

What better location to let loose than only 3o minutes up the interstate in Chicago!

Hit the spots around the Windy City during the evening, then wake up refreshed (or at the very least just wake up) ready for....

Day Three: Gooses and Cubbies and Foodies, Oh My!
A terrible name for what promises to be a much better day. I figure that if we hit it right, we could tour and lunch at Goose Island Brewery

then head over to Wrigley and catch a Cubs game at the magnificent Wrigley Field! (Screw the White Sox, in my opinion, unless they're playing the Tribe.)

Day Four: The Journey Home
With our whirlwind weekend drawing to a close, we'll hit the road back to the CLE with visions of HopSlam dancing in our heads. I've debated the possibility of turning this into a five day event with two days in Chicago, but five days is a REALLY long weekend, and quite frankly I'm not sure we'd all make it. But I am up for the challenge...

Jordan turns 28... and probably has a drink or twelve.

In celebration of Jordan's 28th birthday, I've decided to offer this commemorative post. It was cheaper than a gift. But, if I were to give him a gift, it would be a plastic bottle of the finest scotch I could find from the gas station.
Jordan enjoys wearing paper hats, or whatever is laying around on the floor. This photo was taken after I informed the two monkeys pictured above that I would be visiting their bungalow in LA. You can see the letter I sent (it was a simpler time) above Mr. Wolff's pointing finger.