Day trip to Fairlawn

Sometimes it's just good to change the scenery a bit.  We all get used to 'our' shopping places and it's nice to make a change without leaving the city.

This is where Fairlawn comes in. From the Eastside or the Westside it is easily accessible  and well worth the drive.  (I sound like a Sedlak's commercial)

The first place I like to visit is The Westpoint Market.  There is a wonderful cafeteria type restaurant inside the store with delicious lunch selections.  At least six fresh soups everyday, that are accompanied by rolls from the oven *replenished often*.  Sandwiches, salads, sides, potato chips in small cello bags with a WPM sticker ( it all in the details for me) make this one of my favorite luncheon spots. Be sure and take a container of the chicken noodle soup home to freeze.....for the next time you get a cold, it's the best.

There are wonderful things to see that are not in main stream grocery stores.  Specialty items from other countries, the meats and fish are the best and don't even get me started on those little cakes in the bakery.  They have a nice selection of Williamsburg placemats and aprons, cookbooks, candles and pretty much everything you want but don't need.  The wine store, in the front, is well stocked and has splits of many good champagnes (often hard to find).

The prepared foods are excellent, the single serving meatloaves are a favorite of my husband, but I am a chicken potpie lady!  They can be purchased frozen and I usually bring two home for that 'emergency' evening when you need dinner but have no time to shop or cook.  The oven does the work.

Westpoint  Market is reason enough to visit Fairlawn, but if your in the area, TRY and stop in Home Goods, just down the street.  It's the only Home Goods in the area (the rest are combined with TJ Maxx or Marshalls)

All in all, this is a lovely day and not far from home, where you can find things that are not available in the stores in Cleveland.  Have a gracious and elegant day.....they're the best. (Suggestion:  bring a cooler so you can bring home frozen items, without worry).

Bye, bye for now.

The Silver Grille

This past Sunday, the Horseshoe Casino celebrated Higbee's popular Silver Grille restaurant by hosting a Brunch.  The first Brunch sold out in less that a day, last month.  I put our name on a waiting list and happily they scheduled another date.  We were in!

If you grew up in Cleveland, then you probably remember trips downtown to Higbee's, with your mother and the, ever popular, lunch for children at the beloved Silver Grille.  The children's lunches arrived in little metal ovens and then were later replaced by cardboard ovens.  Always,  the pot pie.....mmmm.  It was the highlight of the day.

The restaurant has been restored and is now owned by the Casino.  The brunch buffet was provided by the Ritz Carlton. There were round tables of eight, so you sat where you wanted.  We met two lovely couples who were there to reminisce, as we were.

The chairs, the fountain (minus the gold fish of the past) and the ladies lounge tugged my heart strings, as I remembered the days of getting dressed up and taking the rapid downtown to shop and eat, leaving with the delicious taste of the ten cent Frosty in my mouth, as we headed home.

The ladies lounge, with it's back to back vanities, the upholstered chairs for resting (minus the ashtrays) took me back to the days, when it was a treat to spend the day downtown.  As I sat at a vanity, reapplying my lipstick, I heard another lady say ' this is really nice, you can put your purse here and 'touch up', while sitting". Yes, it was nice.

I loved seeing the elevators and the restaurant, but I have to say I was quiet on the way home, remembering and wondering where it all went.  Oh, and they gave us each a little cardboard oven as a memento. I'm still looking at it and remembering.

Grace and Elegance from days gone by..... it was the best.


Bye Bye for now.

Memorial Day at The U.S.S. Cod

Greetings, and happy summer.  It's been a long time coming for us, here in Cleveland.  I hope everyone celebrated, not only the beginning of summer and the beautiful weather, but our Military service people and their families.

There is a wonderful part of history here in Cleveland that is a perfect place to celebrate our service men and women, anytime this summer.  The Cod is a permanently moored submarine from WWII that is open to the public every day, through September.  There are about 80 volunteers, ranging from retired submariners to people who just care about this wonderful part of history that we have here.  They all contribute something to keep this museum open.

There are guided tours by wonderful docents who each bring their own stories and knowledge to the experience, or you can go through the submarine on your own.  It is a marvel that men were living in this small boat, under the water, for long periods of time.  The galley (kitchen) and eating areas are stories in themselves. Ladies, trust me, the methods for serving and preparing the food are inspiring.

This is certainly of interest to men, but  women see things differently and you'll wonder at how brave these men were.  This tour is worth the trip downtown and I promise it will give you something to think about on the way home.  We are fortunate to have The Cod in Cleveland and the men and women who give of their time to maintain it.

(If you are claustrophobic, there are picnic tables where you can sit and enjoy the lake breeze, while the rest of your group tours the boat).   Perhaps, bring a delicious picnic lunch to make it a more gracious and elegant outing.

Living gracefully and elegantly is the best!

Home Library

I love to read and collect  books on beauty, style and entertaining.  I read somewhere that most women buy cookbooks for the parties they will never have.  Somehow, that rang true and made me laugh. I don't have too many cookbooks, but I do have a small home library of beauty, style and decorating books.

 I love advice books on the above topics.  I always garner a bit of information from each book and put it to use. Often, when I'm feeling a bit dowdy or I think I don't have anything to wear, I reach for a book on one of these topics, to refresh me.

I usually try and borrow the books I am interested in from the library first (our tax dollars at work) and then, if I feel it will be a good 'reference' book, I purchase the book.  Vintage books by Zsa Zsa Gabor and Arlene Dahl (married to Fernando Lamas, mother of Lorenzo Lamas) are some of my favorites.  The advice given in the 60's was so different from today's thinking, yet the those women were actually very wise.

More recent books I've enjoyed are, Beauty at Home, by Aerin Lauder, the granddaughter of the beloved Estee Lauder.  This is a beautiful coffee table book with stories from Aerin's youth, growing up Lauder. I wish!

I also enjoyed Bunny Williams' Scrapbook for Living.  She has so many wonderful and practical suggestions for a comfortable and gracious home.  Again, a coffee table book.  Both these books are available at the Cuyahoga Public Libraries, so check them out (literally) and if you love them, then own them.

But, be careful if you read Colin Cowie Chic: How Life Should Be Lived, or you'll be arranging your silverware drawer with all the spoons facing in one direction. Good grief!

Sometimes, just leafing through one of these books can spark an idea for a new look, or a  color  palate for a dinner party.  It's always good to have books for elegant and gracious living.....it's the best.

Hats for The Derby and Otherwise

I have always been a hat lady.  I wear them in the Winter to keep warm and look chic.  I wear them in the Summer to keep the sun off my face and look chic.

We lived in the South for a number of years, so hats were necessary for sun protection.  I have a little collection and enjoy wearing them, especially my straw hats for sunny days. Watch how a man looks at a woman in a hat (who is wearing it well).  They seem to look a bit longer, perhaps, remembering the days when their mothers and grandmothers always wore hats AND gloves.

There is a wonderful hat store, or as they were called millinery shop in Rocky River.  Studio St. Marie is owned by the lovely and talented Lee St. Marie.  She has a very special gift for making wonderful hats.  Lee also remakes  hats by adding or taking away decorations. Her talents extend to stretching, tightening and restoring hats.  In her delightful store,  she carries a selection of ready made hats, fascinators and hair ornaments.  She can fashion the hat of your dreams with whatever colors and decorations you desire.  The wonderful thing about Lee is how easy she is to work with.....her ideas and taste usually win me over.  Either way, you will leave with a wonderful hat, as well as a delightful experience.

Each time I visit her, I remember the days of sitting in the Millinery Department at Higbees, while my mother tried on hat after hat.....with only one thing on my mind... lunch at the Silver Grille.  Lee has a collection of vintage hat boxes upstairs, in her shop, that will take you back in time and  miss the days when ladies wore hats to match every outfit.

If you live on the east side, believe me, this shop is worth a visit. Come for lunch at a local restaurant and have some fun trying on hats at Studio St. Marie.

Bye bye for now.  Living graciously and elegantly is the best.