Tiny Sputniks: local

I'm a huge fan of thrift stores and antiques. I blame my dad for this hoarding of antiques gene. I've been kind of in a slump since being back because I haven't found a good antique or thrift stores. The one in my hometown is pretty picked through. I was very happy when I stumbled upon this place while I was reading Mandi's blog.

I was really excited when Morgan, my friend, said she was free because I was dying to check this place out. It's called The Bomb Shelter, and it's only a short ways away in Akron, Ohio. Living north of Cleveland Akron always seemed so far away, but it really isn't. The Bomb Shelter itself is really worth the drive. It is full of the most eclectic assortment of things I have ever seen in my entire life. You can find anything from vintage clothes, to record players, to stop lights, to kitchenware. They had old ovens and cars. It was such a cool place. I felt like I was on American Pickers. Morgan did say that if you didn't have a family that place would be the perfect place to go to buy pictures for your home to make it look like you do. There were so many old family portraits which was kind of cool in a way, but to furnish your home with them would be kind of creepy.

I went with the intention of buying items for my cocktail cart. I didn't find anything which is typical when you are actually looking for something you want. I did buy three albums (The Doors, The Mamas and the Papas, and America's Greatest Hits) and a really cool airmail stamp. I wanted to buy more things but I realized that I needed to be practical and while I'm living with my parents I will never have the space for any of it. At the end we were greeted by two dogs which I'm assuming belonged to the owners. I felt creepy trying to take pictures of the dogs, but what can I say I have a soft spot for them!

One of my good friends from Cincinnati came up to visit me this past weekend. She was one of the first friends I made at college (we were in the same learning community) and is the longest friend I've had from school. I was really excited for her to visit because I don't have a whole lot of friends here and it's hard to plan things with the friends I do have because we either work the same days or they have other commitments, so it was nice to have a break and be able to hang out with someone. (Sorry in advance for only having Instagram pictures!)

My goal for her visit was to have her experience "Cleveland." It was a short trip, but I think it's more fun to experience what is typical to that area than what you can go to at any other city (like chain restaurants). Our first stop was Melt Bar and Grill. If you ever visit Cleveland you have to go there. It's grilled cheese on steroids. It was a really long wait but worth it. Emily thought it was hilarious that they gave us Nick Cannon as our wait name, so I had to take a picture of it.

Afterwards, we got coffee at Dunkin Donuts (I know, not local, but if you live in California it'll be a new experience for you!). We went to Salvation Army to try to find an ugly Christmas sweater. Although we were unsuccessful at finding an ugly Christmas sweater we were successful in finding other ugly clothing items. Then I gave her a short tour of Mentor before we headed over to the mall. Even though I hate the mall I did find a couple cute shirts.

We headed back to my house to charge our phones and settle our stomachs a little more before heading to Great Lakes Brewery. Honestly, you do not have to eat the next two days after having half a Melt sandwich, but we were troopers and made the most of our GLB experience. It was my first time at GLB and so I was nervous about parking but Emily spotted the perfect place to parallel park without having to pay! It's a good thing I had practice parallel parking in Cincinnati because I parked my car like a champ.

I don't know if it was our luck or we just showed up at the wrong times but the wait for a table was also really long. So we passed the time drinking Christmas Ale (which you all must try if you are 21 and older) and chatting. We finally got a table and order some Edmund Fitzgeralds, which is also super delicious with its' chocolate-coffee taste! Emily ordered mussels, and I got artichoke dip. Both offered plenty of food or we might just have been full from lunch still! Finally, we finished our experience off with Christmas Ale ice cream! Yes, they have ice cream! It was so delicious!

Finally, since we were in the area I thought it would be fun to drive past the Christmas Story House. Yes, the actual house from the movie! Part of the film (all the house scenes) were filmed in Cleveland right in that very house. It was too late to see anything inside, but it was fun to just see the house. I actually have tickets to go on the tour, so keep an eye out for those pictures! It was almost surreal to see something from one of your favorite movies in person!