Ephemera

The guilt! The guilt! There is a reason this blog is not called "Cleveland Daily Photo." For some reason of late, I've been little inspired. But I thought I'd post this find today. Not exactly a picture of my city, but instead a little piece of its history.

Higbee's was one of Cleveland's big department stores, back in the day before the consolidation of department store ownership you see today. Here you can see some pictures of the Higbee's Building in downtown Cleveland. The store and its holiday windows featured prominently in the movie A Christmas Story. Another fun fact about Cleveland department stores -- Higbee's main competition was a store called Halle Brothers. Undecided about what to name her daughter, Halle Berry's mother was inspired by a shopping bag she was carrying home.

I found this receipt tucked inside the cover of a book I purchased this week at a used bookstore. I love finding ephemera like this!

Lake Erie and the William G. Mather

Lake Erie and the William G. Mather
Originally uploaded by Affiknitty.

This picture is a couple of months old, but with the unseasonably cold weather we've been having, it is probably a fairly accurate representation of the Lake. You can get more information about the Steamship William G. Mather here.

Schoolhouse

I am a sucker for architectural details, and I have always loved the doorway of this school.

Also Not My House

Teal and Cream
Originally uploaded by Affiknitty.

This is a very old photo that I took of a house in my neighborhood. I love the teal door on the cream house. These colors even inspired one of my knitting projects!

I thought it appropriate to post a snowy picture, as after a week or so of lovely spring weather, today we have snow flurries.

Not My House

This is not, in fact, my house. But I wish it were. I have this fascination with Craftsman-style homes, in particular the Craftsman bungalow. There is something so appealing to me about the thoughtful combination of form and function embodied in a Craftsman home.

In my town, Shaker Heights, there are basically no bungalows at all, but the neighboring town, Cleveland Heights, has many. This one I think is especially attractive; the eaves are lovely.

Doubtless the First of Many

...pictures of our favorite coffee shop, Phoenix Coffee. My personal favorite of their coffees is the Red Cape Blend. And they have the best grilled cheese sandwich ever. Yum.

Cheap Parking

And yet another picture from Larchmere... One of the great things about Cleveland is cheap parking. Even for Cleveland, this is dirt cheap. An hour and a half for a dime. What a steal!

Strangely Appealing

Here's another shot from my Larchmere shopping trip. For some ineffable reason, I find this sign very appealing. My husband has frequented this barber shop ... the proprietor is a thirty-ish woman. Barber shops have always seemed to me to be the exclusive province of the masculine, so this amuses me. She gives a good haircut, I must say.

Shopping Trip

Yesterday I had a little time alone and some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket. So I went to the Larchmere Boulevard shopping area. The area is home to a number of antique (and antique-cum-junk) stores, a lovely used bookshop, a yarn shop, restaurants, and other interesting places. I didn't go in this boutique, but I was struck by the window display.

This Should Be a St. Patrick's Day Post...

... but instead you get a neon sign. Indeed, we drink espresso here in Cleveland and we even know how to spell it. This sign is at the Yours Truly restaurant on Shaker Square, and is one of those places with kids' menus and crayons. Also, an awesome patty melt.

Winter's Last Gasp?

Two days ago, it was over 70 degrees Fahrenheit here. This morning, we woke up to snow. Ah, the joys of living alongside a big lake.

Free

Next to City Hall downtown is our city's most unusual piece of public art. It's a giant rubber stamp marked "FREE." Designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, the sculpture was a gift to the city from the Standard Oil Company of Ohio, which has since been taken over by British Petroleum. Click the link for more pictures and a brief history of the controversy surrounding this piece.

Icy

This tree on a street in my neighborhood had the misfortune of growing near a water leak. On the street in front of the tree was a huge puddle and the tree was sprayed each time a car passed by. The result -- a very thick coating of ice.

Spring seems to have arrived in Cleveland this weekend, though. It's about 50 degrees Fahrenheit here today, so I'll bet this tree has shed its winter garb.

Fire in Snow

Fire is a popular restaurant in Shaker Square, which is near my home. I've never eaten here, as (1) I have children and (2) it appears not to have crayons at the table. (I'm only partially kidding.) Anyhow, I liked the warm name and the chilly weather in the picture, as well as the little architectural detail above the window.

Shaker Square is one of those partially successful attempts at (quasi-) urban renewal. A number of businesses have moved in and then out again, but it seems to be on a bit of an uptick.

Who Knew...

... PVC pipe could look so good? As you can see from the smaller picture below, this is a closeup of an organ made out of PVC pipe. We saw it at one of our regular weekend haunts, the Great Lakes Science Center. With two small boys and living in a place with rather cold, nasty winter weather, it's become the antidote to cabin fever.

Horseshoe Lake

My husband took this picture of Horseshoe Lake in Shaker Heights. We had a new dusting of snow this weekend, so everything looks clean again.

You have to start somewhere.

My attic window.

One early morning, unable to sleep, I was browsing the internets and happened upon Paris Daily Photo. This lead me to daily photo blogs for Mumbai, London, New York, Indianapolis, Silver Spring (a former hometown of mine), and many others. But I was shocked to find no Cleveland photo blog. Being in the middle of preparing for the Bar examination, I realized that I needed to wait to embark on this endeavor. But the exam is over, and here we go.

A little about me ... I am the mother of two young boys. I live on the East Side of Cleveland. I am emphatically NOT a photographer. The best I can say is that I like to take pictures. And I love my city. I decided that this might best be a group endeavor, so I recruited a friend to participate, who will introduce herself. I'd like to post everyday, but I can make no promises.