these are a few of my favorite things.

Raindrops on roses and pastries on plates.
Fresh smelling books and organic healthy food.
Tiffany blue packages tied up with bows, these are a few of my favorite things. 

OK OK I'll stop. I am sure half of you rolled your eyes at my version of the Sound of Music. Julie Andrews' angelic voice was the soundtrack to my childhood, so you'll have to forgive me.

If we can get serious for a second, I could tell you that you can find all of my favorite things in one beautiful shopping center, ETON on Chagrin.

Between the brand new Tiffany & Co. store and the Anthropologie, there is plenty of window shopping to be done. Of course, I could also spend an entire afternoon at Barnes and Nobles. Especially when they have chess sets outside the store. If you are a Harry Potter fanatic, you might enjoy the almost life size chess set on the ground. I don't even know how to play chess, but I would like to learn just so I could try it out

For the grocery shopping haters out there: TRADER JOE'S WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Never again will you dread going to the grocery store. I can (almost) guarantee it.

The food is unlike anything you'll find at a typical grocery store. Some of my favorite buys at Trader Joe's are the Coconut Chips, Sea Salt Butterscotch Chocolate Covered Caramels (I know right?), organic creamer, Healthy 8 Chopped Veggies and Kerrygold Irish butter. I have a personal rule that there must be something new in my basket every time I visit. Easiest challenge ever.

Finally, the pastries. The Stone Oven has a great little cafe at ETON. After a morning of shopping, I have no problem sitting outside and enjoying a scrambled egg and feta panini.

Now I hope you can see why I wrote a song about this place. 

my library list.

If you haven't been, here are my top five favorite reasons why you should visit the Cleveland Public Library Main Branch. 

1. Eastman Reading Garden: a nice little downtown spot to read a book on break. I went here a lot during my lunches at work. There is a giant birds nest sculpture worth checking out too.

2. Chess Collection: even if you aren't a chess player, this collection is fun to see. There are sets from all around the world, a few from ancient times.  

3. Miniature Book Collection: the world's smallest printed book is here! 

4. Architecture: from the high ceilings, to the mosaic tiled Louis Stokes wing, simply walking through the library is entertaining. 

5. Tech Center: you could spend hours with the 3D printer, macs and pc's available for public use. 

The downtown library is an awesome resource for Clevelanders and a great stop for visitors. Take advantage of this free and beautiful building. Somehow I think I might even enjoy studying here.

 Didn't think I would even use "enjoy" and "studying" in the same sentence...

tour guide barbie takes on cleveland.

This past Saturday I revived the Tour Guide Barbie within me. (She made her first appearance while studying abroad. My friend, Katie, deemed me with this title due to my enthusiasm when it came to sightseeing.)

I digress. This past weekend was Tour Guide Barbie's time to shine. I brought my boyfriend, Chris, to the brand new Cleveland Convention Center. The grand opening was June 15th, so I felt obligated to attend. The convention center is located right near the Browns Stadium and contains over one million square feet. ONE MILLION. The event brought a number of health related companies in the area to showcase their services on the main floor.

 The underground level was the fun part. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame set up a stage with performers, while local businesses had tables with little giveaways. The Indians, Cavs, and Browns all brought former players for autographs and games to play for prizes. Chris and I played Plinko. I won a sweet Indians tote. He won a keychain. hah.



 


Library Reading Garden

After the convention center, we walked across the street to the Cleveland Public Library. If you haven't been down to the library yet, it's my number one suggestion. I'll probably have to do a post just on the library sometime. It's one huge free museum. There is an exhibit of the world's largest chess set and the world's smallest print book.  Maybe you think that sounds lame. If so, I feel sorry that you do not get as excited about microscopic print as I do. The newer building has a cool tech center on the ground level. Chris really liked the 3D printers and is determined to go back and print a mini Colosseum.











Conveniently located across the street from the library is the Hyatt at the Arcade. A few years ago, I attended a New Years Eve wedding that held the reception right in the center of the Arcade. You will be able to understand how gorgeous of a reception that was with one walk through this iconic building.


Relaxing at The Chocolate Bar.
We were tired and hot and hungry because Tour Guide Barbie is a fast little walker. So we stopped for drinks and an appetizer at The Chocolate Bar across from East 4th. I've been to The Chocolate Bar once before with a few of my friends. I highly recommend it. Relatively inexpensive prices and a lot of fun food to try. And for the women of the world, Mondays are buy a martini, get a free manicure from 7-10. Guess where Tour Guide Barbie will be next Monday...

in the beginning.

Maple Walnut and Salted Carmel Macaroons are the cappuccino's best friend

It is only fair that my first post is dedicated to the place where it all began. I first noticed Luna Bakery & Cafe on my way back from downtown. As I rounded the corner from Cedar to Fairmount, I noticed this cute little bakery tucked into the line of shops. When I got back to school, I started a little list (I told you I love lists...you will see) in my phone. This list started as coffee shops to try. As I mentioned in my About Me page, I am on the HUNT for a perfect cappuccino.
While the cappuccino here is a bit frothy for my liking, it was still delicious. And I suppose it does fall under the American definition of a cappuccino. However, I have a feeling the latte may closer to what I am looking for. Stay tuned as my search continues......

Luna has the charm of a French bakery or pastry shop and the menu is perfect. Homemade soups, crusty fresh bread, and a variety of sweet or savory crepes. So far I have tried one of each, a Fresh Mozarella, Turkey, Basil Pesto and Tomato Buckwheat Crepe and the Crepe Au Natural with Cinnamon Sugar and Maple Syrup. The pastries are delicious as determined by my sampling of the Almond Croissant and Whole Grain Croissant. As you may have guessed, Luna has turned out to be a popular spot for me to return to. It's the perfect place to catch up with a friend or spend the afternoon reading. I plan to do a few more pieces on Luna in the coming weeks, but for now I'll leave you to drool over the delicious Curry Tomato Carrot Soup with a dollop of Lemon Crème Fraîche

So maybe leaving your mouth watering wasn't fair. Here is the website so you can get yourself a crepe...or two.