We had two destinations in mind for our final day in Cleveland,
the Cleveland Museum of Art and Lola
Bistro, and we were very excited to visit both.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is free, which is pretty amazing for a big city. Chicago and Milwaukee could learn something! Of course, it being free, we also wondered if the collection would be smallish or limited. Not so. We were very impressed by the Museum. It contains a very wide variety of art, including some amazing tapestries, a large collection of armor, a special exhibit of Central and South American Art, and quite a collection of modern art too. We also chose to see the Faces of Impressionism exhibit (which did cost us $10.00), which was well worth the cost. The exhibit, like the entire Museum, was very professionally presented and very clearly laid out.
The Museum was not at all crowded, which was a change from places like the Art Institute in Chicago. Not that it was empty by any means, but for a Sunday, we were very pleased that we did not have to shove through crowds and get grumpy in the process. After our tour about, we had a calm lunch in their outdoor sculpture garden, which was very enjoyable (the food and the setting). What a luxury the Cleveland locals have--a free art museum that they can visit anytime for the cost of getting there.
Now to the whole reason behind our trip: Lola Bistro. On the same show that we saw Brandt Evans from Kosta's, we also saw Michael Symon, the charismatic chef and co-owner of Lola Bistro. We were most impressed with his creativity (lobster pierogies!) and his sense of humor. He has a real verve on the screen (can you have an on-screen verve? Well, you get the idea). So, we thought, why not head to Lola for some food, and make a long weekend out of it. Thus the trip to Cleveland was born.
True, this idea seems a bit nuts to most people: "Why are you going to Cleveland?"; "You know we have restaurants around here"; "Cleveland?" But, we had a hunch it was worth a try, and we were not disappointed.
Now, onto Lola Bistro!