No, not the English Village in the County of West Midlands, but our very own Coventry Village in Cleveland, OH. Coventry is the Haight Ashbury of Cleveland, the Greenwich Village of
the Burbs. The still thriving Record Revolution is where I bought ALL my
records as a teen-ager. At least it was—and the imprint is still there.
Part of the fun.
I had to take my car in for service yesterday and I brought Fat Rabbit along since she is on summer vacation and in need of entertainment until she takes off for overnight camp next week. I thought we could leave the car and walk down to the nearby Coventry Road for breakfast and coffee.
Little did I know they would keep my car for over four hours, so we wound up doing a major tour of Coventry Village, which, as it turns out was no problem. Here was our itinerary, stop by stop:
1. The Inn on Coventry
Around since 1981 and probably with the very same waitresses, the Inn on Coventry is a breakfast/lunch staple. We had the Meatless Eggs Sausalito (veggie eggs benedict using artichoke hearts and mushrooms-yum) and their famous Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which are unbelievably good. Decent coffee, warm and quirky service and great food. Car still not ready so...
2. Big Fun
"A cornucopia of delights, a cathedral of counter-culture, a warehouse of nerdabilia and nostalgia."
We were looking for a diablo yoyo for my 15 year old, who has set juggling and yoyo tricks as one of his (many) summer goals. We struck out, but it is a great place for all sorts of bizarre toys. We did find a package of Star Trek Card Bubblegum Trading Cards. I bet that is some dried out bubble gum! Problem with the airconditioning in the car so....
3. Macs Backs-Books Bookstore
Around as long as I can remember, and conveniently adjacent to the ever popular Tommy's Restaurant (which we didn't get to this day) for browsing while waiting for a table. Reading is our shared favorite hobby, so, of course we stopped by Macs Backs to support-the-indie-bookstore where ever we go. Proprietor Suzanne DeGaetano was on hand to make some fabulous book recommendations for my daughter, and even managed to enroll her in a teen girls book club. Can't wait for first meeting this fall! Agh, rust on the carburetor...
4. Passport to Peru
Did anybody say Hippies? Passport to Peru sells incense, Indian dresses, Birkenstocks and Naot footwear. Been around since my childhood in the 70's. You get the idea. However, the clothing is really fabulous and well priced and we did find the perfect sun-dress for Fat Rabbit which she has been wearing all day. Recommendation to rotate the tires...
5. Phoenix Coffee
New location on corner of Hampshire and nice vibe. Good coffee, excellent pastries and free wifi. Coffee shop. But wait...leak in the car's air conditioning still not found, injecting dye...
6. Blush Boutique
Not really much of a clothes shopper, but a few weeks ago they had a sale rack of really cute and inexpensive retro dresses by Combat outside so we peeked in. Very cute and different fashions, Espe and Vfish, including some great shoes. If that is your thing it is worth knowing about...Is the car ready yet?
7. Attenson's Antique Store
Did I mention that it was 92 degrees outside and very humid. We did a quick peek into the (air-conditioned) Antique Store. Almost bought a "cool belt" (that was what the label said) and a cute demitasse for Fat Rabbit. Looked at some cut crystal tumblers for my non-existent crystal collection.
8. Picadilly Artisan Frozen Yogurt
My favorite frozen dessert place.
First of all, it is all organic and has vegan selections, so everyone in the family can indulge.
Second, the decor and design is fabulous, utilizing reclaimed materials from crates, the old Grog Shop Door as a counter top (another Coventry historical site), and large industrial whisks as light fixtures. Works from Cleveland Institute of Art (my son's college) are on the walls.
Third, it is delicious, with all the mix-ins, bells and whistles. And great music.
Wait, a missed call from 20 minutes ago that the car is ready! And we didn't even make it to Tommy's for dinner...
I had to take my car in for service yesterday and I brought Fat Rabbit along since she is on summer vacation and in need of entertainment until she takes off for overnight camp next week. I thought we could leave the car and walk down to the nearby Coventry Road for breakfast and coffee.
Little did I know they would keep my car for over four hours, so we wound up doing a major tour of Coventry Village, which, as it turns out was no problem. Here was our itinerary, stop by stop:
1. The Inn on Coventry
Around since 1981 and probably with the very same waitresses, the Inn on Coventry is a breakfast/lunch staple. We had the Meatless Eggs Sausalito (veggie eggs benedict using artichoke hearts and mushrooms-yum) and their famous Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which are unbelievably good. Decent coffee, warm and quirky service and great food. Car still not ready so...
2. Big Fun
"A cornucopia of delights, a cathedral of counter-culture, a warehouse of nerdabilia and nostalgia."
We were looking for a diablo yoyo for my 15 year old, who has set juggling and yoyo tricks as one of his (many) summer goals. We struck out, but it is a great place for all sorts of bizarre toys. We did find a package of Star Trek Card Bubblegum Trading Cards. I bet that is some dried out bubble gum! Problem with the airconditioning in the car so....
3. Macs Backs-Books Bookstore
Around as long as I can remember, and conveniently adjacent to the ever popular Tommy's Restaurant (which we didn't get to this day) for browsing while waiting for a table. Reading is our shared favorite hobby, so, of course we stopped by Macs Backs to support-the-indie-bookstore where ever we go. Proprietor Suzanne DeGaetano was on hand to make some fabulous book recommendations for my daughter, and even managed to enroll her in a teen girls book club. Can't wait for first meeting this fall! Agh, rust on the carburetor...
4. Passport to Peru
Did anybody say Hippies? Passport to Peru sells incense, Indian dresses, Birkenstocks and Naot footwear. Been around since my childhood in the 70's. You get the idea. However, the clothing is really fabulous and well priced and we did find the perfect sun-dress for Fat Rabbit which she has been wearing all day. Recommendation to rotate the tires...
5. Phoenix Coffee
New location on corner of Hampshire and nice vibe. Good coffee, excellent pastries and free wifi. Coffee shop. But wait...leak in the car's air conditioning still not found, injecting dye...
6. Blush Boutique
Not really much of a clothes shopper, but a few weeks ago they had a sale rack of really cute and inexpensive retro dresses by Combat outside so we peeked in. Very cute and different fashions, Espe and Vfish, including some great shoes. If that is your thing it is worth knowing about...Is the car ready yet?
7. Attenson's Antique Store
8. Picadilly Artisan Frozen Yogurt
My favorite frozen dessert place.
First of all, it is all organic and has vegan selections, so everyone in the family can indulge.
Second, the decor and design is fabulous, utilizing reclaimed materials from crates, the old Grog Shop Door as a counter top (another Coventry historical site), and large industrial whisks as light fixtures. Works from Cleveland Institute of Art (my son's college) are on the walls.
Third, it is delicious, with all the mix-ins, bells and whistles. And great music.
Wait, a missed call from 20 minutes ago that the car is ready! And we didn't even make it to Tommy's for dinner...
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