[part of the Tuesday for Travel blog series – reviews, recommendations, and stories based on our travels and excursions]

When Chris and I went to Cleveland, we were away from home for less than 48 hours.  With 13 hours roundtrip in the car, we were really on the move trying to take in all the sights!  One of the places I REALLY wanted to see was Playhouse Square.  We drove by earlier in the day and saw this huge chandelier hanging in the center of the action, so we planned to go back later that evening in order to see everything all lit up.

Fast forward a few hours later and we were scouring the streets for just one tiny parking space that wasn’t charging $20 for valet parking. You see, we’re kind of Do-It-Yourself-ers 🙂 and spending unnecessary money sort of makes us ill.  We finally came across a peddler selling tickets on the street corner, and were a little confused because we knew for a fact that there were no sports teams playing in the area that night.  We asked what tickets he had for sale, and of course we were in Cleveland for the one night of the year when they were hosting the Alternative Press Music Awards and the award show was held adjacent to the area we really wanted to visit.  So, no Playhouse Square during the night hours with the chandelier lit. 🙁  Oh well! We made due and went ahead to have the best Italian dinner either of us had ever eaten and came back the next day.  The best part? We were able to park at a normal parking meter for a just few quarters. 🙂

Playhouse Square is flanked with these amazing ornate archways.

I’m not biased or anything, but I am IN LOVE the color scheme here. 🙂  GO HOKIES!

We passed through the North Union Farmers Market and spotted some amazing looking fruit and vegetables, and tried some awesome cheeses and pierogis.  Delicious!

The Playhouse Square name is adorned everywhere!

And at last, the centerpiece.

Such a neat place!

I love to hear from you! Comment below.

– Nikki