100 days in cleveland

i'm trying to draw a picture of something i like about cleveland every day for 100 days.

prints available at juliaincleveland.etsy.com
juliaskuo@gmail.com
Day 34/100 A Cookie and a Cupcake I’ve tried Georgetown Cupcakes in DC and Magnolia Bakery in NY but I think these cupcakes might just be better. The first time P.S. bought them for dessert was amazing because 5 of us devoured a dozen cupcakes in less than 15 minutes, just after a heavy meal. I think E.G. might have had 3 or 4 herself, which is why we’re friends. We had a Taiwanese visitor at that meal who seemed to have nothing but disdain for our culture (he kept scoffing at our stories about getting drunk and stupid college pranks) and I think our final act of gluttony (shoving cupcakes in our mouths as fast as we could) helped to complete his picture of greedy, irresponsible Americans. As a Taiwanese American, I guess I have noticed that Americans are pretty good at shoving large amounts of food in their mouth… I do it all the time.

Day 34/100

A Cookie and a Cupcake

I’ve tried Georgetown Cupcakes in DC and Magnolia Bakery in NY but I think these cupcakes might just be better. The first time P.S. bought them for dessert was amazing because 5 of us devoured a dozen cupcakes in less than 15 minutes, just after a heavy meal. I think E.G. might have had 3 or 4 herself, which is why we’re friends. We had a Taiwanese visitor at that meal who seemed to have nothing but disdain for our culture (he kept scoffing at our stories about getting drunk and stupid college pranks) and I think our final act of gluttony (shoving cupcakes in our mouths as fast as we could) helped to complete his picture of greedy, irresponsible Americans. As a Taiwanese American, I guess I have noticed that Americans are pretty good at shoving large amounts of food in their mouth… I do it all the time.

Day 33/100 Capitol Theatre When I first moved to Cleveland, I heard bits and pieces about how great Gordon Square Arts District used to be - especially from my American Greetings colleagues who remember being in the AG creative studios down the street on w.78th. In the 4 years since I’ve been here, the area really has been revitalized: Capitol Theatre reopened in 2009, and great little shops have been popping up around the intersection (Sweet Moses, XYZ Tavern, Luxe Kitchen and Lounge, and El Rincon).  I need to take a minute to plug the movie I just saw at Capitol Theatre. Bill Cunningham is THE man behind the NYTimes “On the Street” section I used to clip every Sunday - he has been chronicling NYC street fashion for decades. I’ve always loved reading his column, the Face Hunter and the Sartorialist (see this body of paintings I did), but this film has given me a much greater appreciation for the work that goes into creating these collections. See it for yourself!http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork/

Day 33/100

Capitol Theatre

When I first moved to Cleveland, I heard bits and pieces about how great Gordon Square Arts District used to be - especially from my American Greetings colleagues who remember being in the AG creative studios down the street on w.78th. In the 4 years since I’ve been here, the area really has been revitalized: Capitol Theatre reopened in 2009, and great little shops have been popping up around the intersection (Sweet Moses, XYZ Tavern, Luxe Kitchen and Lounge, and El Rincon). 

I need to take a minute to plug the movie I just saw at Capitol Theatre. Bill Cunningham is THE man behind the NYTimes “On the Street” section I used to clip every Sunday - he has been chronicling NYC street fashion for decades. I’ve always loved reading his column, the Face Hunter and the Sartorialist (see this body of paintings I did), but this film has given me a much greater appreciation for the work that goes into creating these collections.

See it for yourself!
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork/

Day 32/100 Those Kids in That Puddle Every day around 4pm we start to hear yelling and screaming from the parking lot behind our apartment. There’s a group of elementary school kids ranging in color, size, and energy levels who play - really play - outside. They charge around with huge sticks and fallen branches, have territorial disputes, and splash each other in the enormous muddy sink hole that fills our lot whenever it rains. (By the way, that kid is splashing the other kid, not kicking him in the butt.) S.M. says she once saw a bunch of them with 2 adults putting on a standup-routine / talent show! I want to play with them! Instead I always turn back to my laptop… lucky kids.

Day 32/100

Those Kids in That Puddle

Every day around 4pm we start to hear yelling and screaming from the parking lot behind our apartment. There’s a group of elementary school kids ranging in color, size, and energy levels who play - really play - outside. They charge around with huge sticks and fallen branches, have territorial disputes, and splash each other in the enormous muddy sink hole that fills our lot whenever it rains. (By the way, that kid is splashing the other kid, not kicking him in the butt.) S.M. says she once saw a bunch of them with 2 adults putting on a standup-routine / talent show! I want to play with them! Instead I always turn back to my laptop… lucky kids.

Day 31/100 Wonton Gourmet This is one of my two favorite Chinese restaurants in Cleveland! It’s casual and cafe style - you can get anything from a simple congee and donuts breakfast to a gluttonous dinner with so many dishes that the waitress laughs at you. (Yay, J.P.) Our favorite dishes are the jade tofu with fish, the hot and spicy fish, eggplant and minced pork, and thousand year egg congee. Helpful hint no.1: it’s not open on Tuesdays! It took me a while to learn that one. Helpful hint no.2: if you’re new to real Chinese restaurants, you’ve got to eat family style here.

Day 31/100

Wonton Gourmet

This is one of my two favorite Chinese restaurants in Cleveland! It’s casual and cafe style - you can get anything from a simple congee and donuts breakfast to a gluttonous dinner with so many dishes that the waitress laughs at you. (Yay, J.P.) Our favorite dishes are the jade tofu with fish, the hot and spicy fish, eggplant and minced pork, and thousand year egg congee. Helpful hint no.1: it’s not open on Tuesdays! It took me a while to learn that one. Helpful hint no.2: if you’re new to real Chinese restaurants, you’ve got to eat family style here.

Day 30/100 Asian Festival This is the second year Cleveland has hosted an Asian Festival. It looked like it had tripled in size from the year before with tons of new booths, talks, and performances. Apparently there were more than 30,000 attendees. (Is that really possible?) I came late on Sunday afternoon and caught the end of the hip hop / breakdancing and some aspiring Jabbawockeez! It’s so nice to see the Asian community represented in Cleveland - it reminds me of my days in AAA and LNYF at WashU =) I also tried all of these dishes thanks to some super generous friends! Everything was delicious. I want more!

Day 30/100

Asian Festival

This is the second year Cleveland has hosted an Asian Festival. It looked like it had tripled in size from the year before with tons of new booths, talks, and performances. Apparently there were more than 30,000 attendees. (Is that really possible?) I came late on Sunday afternoon and caught the end of the hip hop / breakdancing and some aspiring Jabbawockeez! It’s so nice to see the Asian community represented in Cleveland - it reminds me of my days in AAA and LNYF at WashU =) I also tried all of these dishes thanks to some super generous friends! Everything was delicious. I want more!

Day 29/100 Little Italy I felt very lucky to get a seat for this drawing in front of Presti’s on such a warm and sunny afternoon. The drawing session got even better when 3 Italian men sat down next to us. They were very authoritative: “We need this seat for our friend. You’re going to have to move over.”One of the men kept throwing money on the table and ordering his younger friend, Carmen, to get him a drink or some butterscotch pecan ice cream. He also kept telling Carmen to help the third, older friend - somehow also named Carmen - to get comfortably seated and served. Older Carmen was hard to understand, but he seemed to appreciate thumbing through my sketchbook. Younger Carmen wasn’t allowed to get a word in because his friend would yell at him to stop interrupting. All three men asked one after another if I went to CIA (as if they hadn’t heard the others ask). I wonder what it would be like to grow up in this tight knit Little Italy community: they kept watching people walk past and saying “Look, there’s _______!” and “Oh, that’s _______’s son!”

Day 29/100

Little Italy

I felt very lucky to get a seat for this drawing in front of Presti’s on such a warm and sunny afternoon. The drawing session got even better when 3 Italian men sat down next to us. They were very authoritative: “We need this seat for our friend. You’re going to have to move over.”
One of the men kept throwing money on the table and ordering his younger friend, Carmen, to get him a drink or some butterscotch pecan ice cream. He also kept telling Carmen to help the third, older friend - somehow also named Carmen - to get comfortably seated and served. Older Carmen was hard to understand, but he seemed to appreciate thumbing through my sketchbook. Younger Carmen wasn’t allowed to get a word in because his friend would yell at him to stop interrupting. All three men asked one after another if I went to CIA (as if they hadn’t heard the others ask). I wonder what it would be like to grow up in this tight knit Little Italy community: they kept watching people walk past and saying “Look, there’s _______!” and “Oh, that’s _______’s son!”

Day 28/100 Voinovich Park This peaceful, clean park is just tucked behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Science Center. Voinovich Park gives you a taste of what Cleveland’s lakefront property could have looked like with more planning. It’s a short esplanade (my friend Wikipedia told me that a boardwalk that isn’t made out of wood = an esplanade) flanked by nice big patches of grass - a perfect spot to read and draw on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thanks to L.K. for introducing it to me! I’m glad it’s not cluttered by restaurants or shops. This is where S.F. and J.F. were engaged!

Day 28/100

Voinovich Park

This peaceful, clean park is just tucked behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Science Center. Voinovich Park gives you a taste of what Cleveland’s lakefront property could have looked like with more planning. It’s a short esplanade (my friend Wikipedia told me that a boardwalk that isn’t made out of wood = an esplanade) flanked by nice big patches of grass - a perfect spot to read and draw on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thanks to L.K. for introducing it to me! I’m glad it’s not cluttered by restaurants or shops.

This is where S.F. and J.F. were engaged!

Day 27/100 The Cedar Lee Theater The best thing about this theater is the old-timey movie intro that looks like it hasn’t been changed since the 60s. The Cedar Lee shows foreign and independent flicks as well as midnight screenings of your favorite cult movie. This is the first place I saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show (with E.G.!) Movies are $5 on Mondays and beer/wine is half priced on Wednesdays! You should go here.

Day 27/100

The Cedar Lee Theater

The best thing about this theater is the old-timey movie intro that looks like it hasn’t been changed since the 60s. The Cedar Lee shows foreign and independent flicks as well as midnight screenings of your favorite cult movie. This is the first place I saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show (with E.G.!) Movies are $5 on Mondays and beer/wine is half priced on Wednesdays! You should go here.

Day 26/100 The RTA When I first came to Cleveland, the RTA was boasting that it was the best public transportation system in North America. It made me a little skeptical of whatever system was being used to judge this award, but I was still happy to see some Cleveland recognition. The RTA consists of 4 lines: Red, Green, Blue, and the new Healthline that runs along Euclid. The Green line runs right through Shaker Square and connects to the Red line downtown in Tower City, which will take you straight to the airport. It may not be the most extensive subway system, but I think it’s great that Cleveland has something like this.

Day 26/100

The RTA

When I first came to Cleveland, the RTA was boasting that it was the best public transportation system in North America. It made me a little skeptical of whatever system was being used to judge this award, but I was still happy to see some Cleveland recognition. The RTA consists of 4 lines: Red, Green, Blue, and the new Healthline that runs along Euclid. The Green line runs right through Shaker Square and connects to the Red line downtown in Tower City, which will take you straight to the airport. It may not be the most extensive subway system, but I think it’s great that Cleveland has something like this.

Day 25/100 Captain Tony’s Pizza and Pasta Emporium Captain Tony’s is a chain, but this particular branch is special! The first time I was in there I was talking to the Korean owner about how much I missed Korean bbq ever since moving to Cleveland.. so he invited me over to his house. I didn’t take him up on it, but I thought that was nice. Later I found out he’d started making kimchi pizzas off the menu by request - the kimchi is homemade by his wife! They’re delicious. You can ask for kimchi variations of whatever he makes.. kimchi pizza, kimchi stromboli, kimchi calzone?

Day 25/100

Captain Tony’s Pizza and Pasta Emporium

Captain Tony’s is a chain, but this particular branch is special! The first time I was in there I was talking to the Korean owner about how much I missed Korean bbq ever since moving to Cleveland.. so he invited me over to his house. I didn’t take him up on it, but I thought that was nice. Later I found out he’d started making kimchi pizzas off the menu by request - the kimchi is homemade by his wife! They’re delicious. You can ask for kimchi variations of whatever he makes.. kimchi pizza, kimchi stromboli, kimchi calzone?