After pushing hard for the last five days straight my body (and mind) was in need of a break so I decided to take the day off and see some of what there is to see in Cleveland. After sleeping in a bit Mark, Patti, Will, and I went out for breakfast then drove down to Mark’s kayak rental outfit to drop off a boat. It was a beautiful Saturday and things were hopping at the rental outfit with almost all of the boats out on the water. From there we drove over to the West Side Market (reportedly one of the oldest indoor “farmers” markets in the country). Inside the unassuming brick building was a carnival like crowd of people winding through the isles between vendors display cases stuffed full of every meat, bread, or cheese you could imagine. It took me about a half hour of wandering to finally realize that with all the food for sale, vegetables and fruits were conspicuously absent. That’s when I noticed doors leading outside to another building which contained just that, in amazing and colorful abundance. Knowing that I have such limited space in my boat I had to fight to restrain myself and kept my purchases to a pound of fresh cherries, some beef sticks, and four apples. Some of each were gone before we even left the building.
West Side Market - so much food so little time
Next it was on toward the waterfront where Mark and Patti dropped me off to explore on my own. I stopped by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but decided (with not too much time to tour) I’d save that tour for another day. Instead I walked down to the oar freighter which is now docked in the harbor and is set up as a museum. Walking around the huge ship was quite interesting and gave me a glimpse into the lives of fresh water sailors that I’ve always been curious about.
View of Cleveland from the deck of an oar ship
From the harbor I wandered through downtown on my way to the buss terminal where I caught a ride back out to Mark and Patti’s house. There they had beef shiskabobs, asparagus, and perogies ready for dinner, all from our stop at the market earlier in the morning. It was a fantastic meal with great new friends.
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