Having previously stopped in Elkhart, IN on the way to Cleveland, I wasn’t exactly needing a reason to go there again. But with excitement rising for my pending trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this August, and the promise of lower sales tax in the great state of Indiana, it was only natural to make a stop-off at the Hoosier Harley store.
Elkhart, my friends, does not disappoint (insert rolled eyes here). Aside from being ignored entirely by every employee in the Harley shop, the marquee sign includes a lovely Bible quote along with the store hours. Next to the shop is Lucky’s donuts. that also serves Thai food. The biker dudes, bible verses, coconut curry / donut smell wafting from Lucky’s, all combined with a full half mile of fast food restaurants and a Wal-Mart made for what I consider to be the ultimate Midwestern small town experience. And now that I’ve described it for you, you don’t need to go there.
It’s been awhile since I’ve travel blogged. You know, I mean, for REAL travel blogged.
Cleveland rocks!! At the Lava Lounge in Tremont
I guess that’s probably because it’s been awhile since I travelled. A menacing schedule and many, many recent life changes have added up to a rather dry spell in the world explorations. However a number of mini-trips have shaped up this summer and so I’m once again stretching my traveling legs starting off with a weekend in Cleveland. This simple little road trip kind of blew me away and Cleveland proved itself as a new and surprising place that actually does, as they say, rock**
Or, I should say, Lakewood rocks.
Here’s the thing…. while I did make it into the city limits of Cleveland, it wasn’t the focus of the trip. On this approximately 36-hour vacay, Julie (my lady friend) and I stayed with friends in the charming suburb of Lakewood. Typically, charming and suburb are not two words that would ever share a sentence together, however Lakewood is a delightful walking town that purports big trees, chirping birds, unique old homes, and surprisingly the largest gay population per capita in the tri-state area.
Cleveland was all about friends, and food, and wine, and good conversation. It was a chance to escape from the chaos of life and the NATO summit in Chicago to slow down a little bit. Expecting something akin to Indianapolis, I found Cleveland to be a more progressive, unique, and hip experience than I ever could have anticipated (in other words, not at all like Indianapolis). Add to that good, honest, and honestly hip people and there’s not much else to report. I will, however, say that if ever in Cleveland, I have two off-the-beaten-path recommendations:
Sangria at Properity Social Club
Be sure to make a stop in Tremont at either Prosperity Social Club or Lava Lounge. Better yet, visit both. Within a block from one another, these two establishments are locally owned and make for a great evening when packaged together. Steamed mussels and sangria at Prosperity were followed by a beautiful waldorf salad, mac and cheese, and a substantial wine list at Lava Lounge. Let it be known that Greg, our server, was hip, chillaxed, but simultaneously attentive and suave.
Good job, Greg. And good job, Cleveland.
** Apparently, Instagram, my new favorite iphone app, also rocks. I do believe that iphone photos come out infinitely hipper and better this way, as evidenced here.
An ominous sky hung over the Ohio turnpike on the return trip from Cleveland to Chicago. I was fairly hyper-caffenated already, but this being one of my last opportunities for a Starbucks before the Ohio state line made the stop imperative. I should add that I’d much rather pee in Ohio than in Indiana; the famed swing state is notorious, in my experience, for roadside rest cleanliness. No disappointment here, and since I was already 3 cups of coffee down from breakfast with friends I opted for the over-priced, but super delicious Iced Soy Chai. There were three lovely Midwestern Grannies running the floor – which made me rather giggle inside – and when I asked one of them what town I was in her reply was a confident “Well, you’re near Clyde, Ohio.” Well done, desolate rest stop at not-on-the-map-but-near-Clyde. Well done.
Elkhart, IN proved to be an ideal rest stop en route to my first stay in Cleveland. In an effort to escape the NATO summit, it took two full hours in an un-air-conditioned sedan to get past the Chicago Skyway that overlooks scenic Hammond, IN. As such, Elkhart was as far as I could make it before needing a toilet and a refreshing specialty coffee beverage. Aside from asking if I wanted whipped cream on my grande coffee frappuccino (silly, the plain coffee ones don’t ever get whip), legendary service with a smile with a side of fries and stuffed crust pizza to boot from the neighboring Burger King and Pizza Hut (I kid, I kid).
At 9pm, halfway into a last-minute drive to New Glarus, WI for a beer pilgrimage, I had a mighty hankerin’ for a one-pump peppermint iced coffee. Throw in a sandwich, a clean place to pee, and friendly baristas, and I’d call the Beloit Starbucks stop a total success.
I first met Ann when I was living in Ravenswood and we connected over our mutual love for worms. Ann is the Market Manager for the stellar Glenwood Sunday Market, and all-around advocate for all things organic, local, and sustainable. As such, she’s also an avid bike commuter.
There's nothing Ann can't carry on her bike, even canning supplies for her annual tomato processing fest!
Where do you live? Rogers Park (a neighborhood on the North side of Chicago, IL)
How long is your commute? When I began commuting by bike, I was working at a bakery in Lincoln Park, biking 13 miles round-trip daily. My commute now that I work in the 49th Ward Alderman’s office is a wimpy 1 mile round-trip!
What kind of bike do you ride? A powder blue Raleigh hybrid affectionately called Baby Blue, or the Blue Bombshell
Do you wear work clothes on your bike, or wear bike clothes and change at work? When my commute was longer, I’d peel off my sweaty riding clothes and change into something more customer-appropriate after a quick stop in the walk-in freezer to cool down. On the road, the hard core cyclists were always swishing past me in aerodynamic outfits, so I thought that’s what bike commuting should look like. Visiting Amsterdam with it’s incredible bike-centric cultural opened my eyes to a world of commuting sans Spandex. One woman even said that a bike commute is the perfect venue for those gorgeous killer heels, because you don’t have to walk in them! Now I hop on my bike in work clothes and a bandanna to wipe my brow.
How do you carry your stuff? Paniers? Messenger bag? Milk Crate? I installed a rear rack with two collapsible metal baskets. It’s heavy, but I haven’t come across a load I couldn’t carry on my bike. This includes the delivery of two giant canning pots to a friend across the ‘hood, and (gentle) transport of my office compost worms- bin bungeed on the back, hand-carrying the container of worms while biking one handed.
Fair-weather rider? No way! I don’t really have an excuse, now that my commute is so short. I say that I bike in all weather because I’m lazy- it would take way longer to walk than to ride! Plus, now I’ve outfitted myself in a stylin’ Dutch cycling poncho, so I’m ready for anything!
Scariest moment on the bike: Off-leash, bike aggressive dogs. Yikes!
Tips for new riders: Get a bike you love or get a good tune-up of your current bike, find a carrying system that works for you so you’re not limited by what fits in your backpack, and start riding! Don’t give up, it gets easier.
Why you ride: It’s faster than walking, cheaper than CTA, good for me and the planet. And I can rock my Glenwood Sunday Market bumper sticker 🙂
If you are a bike commuter and would like to be featured in this series, please send an email to lauren@artintercepts.org for consideration. Thanks!
The idea of Starbucks (at least when I was an employee there) was always to come, stay, let it be your “third place” to hang out and relax. This is completely contrary to what much of America now understands Starbucks to be: just another drive-through fast food joint with really expensive, tasty coffee. Such is the case with stores like this one in Lebanon, IN, and so many others like it that have giant Siren’s thrusting above the interstate next to the golden arches and the BP signs.
This is not necessarily a criticism, simply a response to what “America” seems to want… which is to have their cake and eat it to. At 7:30pm, I found this Starbucks to be somewhat sub-par… they were completely out of sandwiches and salads, and the barista put whip on a no-whip hot chocolate that (by my palate) was obviously made with reheated milk.
“Long day?” I asked.
“You don’t even know…. I’ve made like 100 hot chocolates today.”
What I didn’t tell this Barista was that in my day I’d make 100 hot chocolates an hour…
In any case, the staff was pleasant, they fixed my drink – unbegrudgingly and apologetically – when I noticed it was made incorrectly, and the bathrooms were nice and clean. Plus, if a Siren in the sky gets a truck driver off of bad gas station coffee every once in awhile, then I guess the bending of the business model a bit is totally worth it.
Elkhart, my friends, does not disappoint (insert rolled eyes here). Aside from being ignored entirely by every employee in the Harley shop, the marquee sign includes a lovely Bible quote along with the store hours. Next to the shop is Lucky’s donuts. that also serves Thai food. The biker dudes, bible verses, coconut curry / donut smell wafting from Lucky’s, all combined with a full half mile of fast food restaurants and a Wal-Mart made for what I consider to be the ultimate Midwestern small town experience. And now that I’ve described it for you, you don’t need to go there.
Lauren Warnecke 
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