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Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood by Hilary Solan |
The first night in my trip around the great Lake Erie was the kind in which it’s criminal to stay indoors. Not too hot, sun still high enough overhead and showing signs of another hour or so of light. And I was in the perfect spot for a long walk after hours spent in the car. Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood was one I couldn’t get enough of when I lived here briefly – it’s the type of place where the community’s collective elbow grease has preserved and revived it while bringing residents together. Single family homes sit next to eco-conscious boutiques; churches are neighbors with wine bars. I couldn’t have been more grateful for a place like this to stretch my legs before departing for the next stop of my trip.
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by Hilary Solan |
But first, there was dinner. Iron Chef and James Beard Award winner Michael Symon brought his restaurant Lola to the neighborhood in the mid-’90s, and around it grew the shops, gardens, and restored buildings that make the community so beautifully rough around the edges. Lola later moved downtown, and the restaurant was converted a few years ago to the more casual Lolita, a place where cured meat and soft cheeses dominate the menu. I couldn’t pass up the beloved goat cheese mac and cheese, and it was so good, I didn’t have room for dessert.
After the meal, I had lost track of time, snapping pictures and stopping for a quick coffee. I probably would have stayed all night had my memory card not reached capacity. Next stop: Oberlin.—Hilary Solan
