Just signed up for an 11am on Sunday the 3rd! Won’t say no to a free fitting
1 Like
Back from Cleveland, and I’d say it was a success overall. Thanks everyone for the recommendations.
Our food choices were a little suspect, a lot based on the kids and with most things being closed on Monday:
Pioneer (Nice spot and good menu, but things were weirdly fried when they shouldn’t have been. We probably should have stuck with their meats.)
Barrio (Good happy hour deals, but too many choices with the tacos. Probably requires multiple visits to figure out what’s best)
Edda Coffee Roasters (needed a lunch place to pick up some food and bring back to the hotel, and this wasn’t bad, actually. But holy hell, there must have been 50+ people lingering on the wifi there, not a seat to be had anywhere. Don’t know how they put up with that)
Had Mitchell’s Ice Cream twice and it delivered. The 2nd time was unplanned, but we wandered into Heinen’s in the old Cleveland Trust building and got ice cream in the rotunda. Pretty cool. Not an architecture person, but the city has lots of cool old buildings. We walked the Arcade too, and that is cool but so weird. Feels like it should be full of people and stores but it was like a library.
For museums we did Great Lakes Science Center, which was decent, then the Children’s Museum, which was excellent. The last day we tried the Natural History Museum, but didn’t realize until after we already committed to parking that most of the exhibits were closed. Eventually made it to the Botanic Garden, and actually that was pretty great. Their glasshouse areas were some of the better that I’ve seen. Also that whole Case Western part of town is pretty impressive.
Odd highlight of the trip: The drive there and back between Toldeo and just east of Sandusky. We counted 26 bald eagle sightings, and probably 1 golden eagle. We even saw 2 flying over the highway in Toledo.
What the hell? Is this a well-known thing about that part of Ohio? We are constantly looking for eagles along Lake Michigan and rarely see them outside of maybe Traverse City. We are considering making a day trip down during spring break to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to see more.
4 Likes
The only right answers in the debate are Mitchell’s or Graeters. Proper ice cream.
Edit: I’d even say a UDF milkshake is an acceptable answer. Wish they were in NEO.
3 Likes
There used to be a UDF in Lakewood I would ride my bike by when I lived there and get a shake. Loved having it there, but its just a generic convenient store now.
3 Likes
In that particular part of Ohio, yes it is. It’s the most active bald eagle area in the state, and probably the Midwest. I work right on the water in the Sandusky/catawba island/marblehead/port Clinton areas, and I see them every day. Hell, I’ve almost hit one with my truck twice now, and I’ve seen them fighting and doing all kinds of other cool stuff. I could probably direct you to 20 different nests you can easily see from the road. If you do end up deciding to come down for some bird watching, let me know and I’ll direct you to some spots where you’ll definitely see a bunch of them
ETA: large bald eagle landed on the 5th green of a local course while my buddy and I were about to tee off on 1. Thing just swooped in and sat there. Problem is, it’s way down hill to that green and your second shot can be mostly blind, and a group was getting ready to hit toward it. We tried to shout and stop them/get it to leave, but nobody heard us. Luckily, they weren’t good enough to hit the green
7 Likes
I would absolutely put Dietsch Brothers here in Findlay up against either of those
2 Likes
Don’t sleep on Honey Hut for ice cream. Way less interesting flavors than Mitchells, but it still delivers.
2 Likes
Honey Hut definitely deserves to be in the conversation. I personally think it’s better than Mitchells bar a few key flavors Mitchells has (Key Lime is outrageously good).
1 Like
Mitchell’s is great. Any love for East Coast Custard?
2 Likes
Maybe the two of us can meet up with @pvonluehrte sometime in the next couple of months for a practice round!
9 Likes
I mean honey hut is delicious but it isn’t in the same conversation as Graeters and Mitchells
5 Likes
Honey Hut is a big nostalgia thing in my wife’s family. She and her closest friends all grew up walking distance to the original spot in Old Brooklyn. The original spot feels like going to get ice cream did as a kid. My favorite ice cream in Cleveland is Mitchell’s Lemon white chocolate and sugar cookie (insanely good.) But Honey Hut hits different. In short, ice cream fucking rules.
1 Like
When we moved to Parma Heights I loved East Coast at first, but it’s kind of worn off. Just not as good as the other spots we’re discussing.
The Sandusky in me can’t not bring up Tofts. Great local place. Do not under any circumstances think you need more than a small cup of ice cream unless it is for a family of 4+.
5 Likes
How dare you try to spread the gospel of Tofts outside of Sandusky? Part of the amazing appeal of Tofts is the true IYKYK nature of being there.
I miss it.
2 Likes
Cannot let this ice cream chatter go on without bringing up Young’s Jersey Dairy 
5 Likes
Graeter’s chip wheelies were served in lieu of wedding cake at our reception, just so everyone knows where my allegiance stands.
4 Likes
They put almost full size oreos in their oreo ice cream. Unmatched.
I will die on the hill that UDF is better than graeters. Also 1/2 price.
I think if graeters had cherry chip all year I would change sides. But they don’t. They have black cherry chip all year which is not the same.
3 Likes