There is a new coffee shop/bar that opened up in Walnut Hills and Sedona asked if I would check it out with her for lunch. Was happy to spend time with my daughter and try a new locally owned restaurant. Walnut Hills is coming back to life with many new black owned businesses opening as well as new apartment buildings going up in this neighborhood. Its exciting to watch its transformation.
The pull down movie theatre screen housed the coffee menu. I wondered if another screen with cocktails would be displayed if I went back at night. May have to check that out one eve.
We went right at noon and it was bustling with remote workers.
Across from where we sat was an adorable alcove painted blue. I want that spot one day.
Unique coaster and great coffees! Probably why I’m still awake able to crank out a few blogs.
Loved having lunch with Baby B. We both ordered egg sammies off their limited menu and were not disappointed! Would highly recommend trying this place out.
As we left, this area was open and I was admiring the coloration and decor!
I am wanting more personal design touches in my home and am working on a mural in Zoe’s old bedroom. Goal is to have it completed before I have house guests in April. I’ve always wanted to just doodle on the walls freeform and have been inspired lately with the space to myself. I also think my 2024 bingo intention card is helping me to stay on track with what I’m hoping to accomplish. Will see how it all goes. Afterall its only February 🙂
When it comes to anything- new businesses, transforming neighborhoods, changing yourself or your home- this applies.
We arrived back to LA Thursday mid day. We both had to work late to catch up from our amazing days off. We were exhausted as you can imagine and crashed hard.
Friday, although a bit drained, we decided to at least get out and see a few things. From the balcony of Zoe’s Koreatown apartment building, you can see the Hollywood sign and the observatory up in the mountains. I suggested we go there. Although touristy, something I wanted to see.
True LA view. Reminds me of the song….Randy Newman – I Love L.A.
We were hoping to catch the sunset so we left right at 5 to beat the rush.
The Observatory was packed. Buses were coming in dropping off visitors.
It offered an excellent view of the city.
Smog of course blurring the view.
We went inside but didn’t stay to read or learn anything.
Some great architecture and views.
I read recently on Instagram, my only news source, that the Hubble Telescope was aimed into the darkness for 4 months and they were confused by what it was looking at. And once the photos were received it was another galaxy that defies our known facts of physics. Look it up.
A beautiful building.
Tourists were lined up to get their photos taken with the wings and the Hollywood sign in the hills above. My Angel Baby A.
Then me with my new hat and borrowing Zoe’s tie dye shirt.
We started walking down one of the sandy trails but I didn’t have it in me.
I stopped and looked at the Hollywood sign and Zoe and I decided tomorrow morning we would wake up and hike to it.
As we walked back to our parking spot, we saw the trails coming up from the parking lots below which was free. Thought it was nice that they had this option at both entrances.
Sun was leaving us, but we knew the view with the smog wasn’t going to be much to admire so we decided to stop for dinner at the colorful joint we passed on the way in.
Spitz was the name.
Tupac made it to our table.
It was an interesting Mediterranean styled ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ type place. Was perfect. Even a little bit of lettuce to convince us that we were eating healthy.
Always love trying new quaint places. They were so busy with take out. That’s an entirely additional business.
Zoe had been wanting to check out a cidery near her house. Since it was still early we decided we could swing by there on our way home.
A terribly blurry selfie with delicious cider.
This was as big as it was. Super dark and moody inside with very friendly bartenders.
I noticed this on the way out the door and made me wonder what it was all about. Guess I will ask next time I’m there.
I quickly learned that Michigan is known for its cherries. We were famished after the dune hike so we stopped at the next closest town, Glen Arbor, for a bite to eat.
I loved the gardens outside of this restaurant.
A large facility with several different buildings enticing families with all their space. I also noticed up here as we stopped that there is an active healthy older community present. I could see myself fitting in here. Enduring the winters I am sure is challenging, but the summers are beautiful.
Enjoying the blooms, knowing fall is on our heels.
Great landscaping. It felt so naturally inviting.
The menu was hilarious. Basically everything has cherries in it somehow. They were very funny about advertising that “no, you could not get your order without cherries”.
Their cherry wheat beer was the best I’d ever had. I was hoping they would’ve sold it in cans at their store, but no such luck. Guess I’ll have to go back.
This sums it all up.
I also tried their cherry cider. The beer was better.
I really don’t ever eat cherries, but I tried one of the chocolate covered cherries that Trisha bought and it was a treat of booming flavors! I purchased a cherry summer sausage that Tim suggested and it didn’t last one night with George, was eaten in one sitting. Guess it was delicious. Cherries are also supposed to be excellent for your health. Win-win.
The cherry pit made for pit spitting contests was entertaining and sort of gross with all the leftover pits on the ground making their mark.
We stopped at Workshop Brewery before hitting the campsite and calling it a night.
Campsite was at a state park in a perfect location. It had a trail that led to a bridge over the highway which took you to a beach. I crossed over the following morning to sit and watched the ducks go by.
Say yes to Michigan 🙂
I always think of this book /quote when I hear the word cherry. Time capsule.
It seems like this is now officially old news, but I want so badly to get back into my blog habit, I am going to talk about it anyways. There is so much to be said about this new business that George launched literally one month ago today. July was a whirlwind!
I have never seen anyone open up a new business from scratch. Nobody in my family has ever taken the risk. Seeing Curious Buzz come to life was an experience that even without me being a direct part of it, nearly sent me over the edge.
Getting permits, licenses, permissions, equipment, signage, staff, publicity, product on the shelves, social media up with name and branding, finalizing the interior, setting the menu and administering the cable, security, insurances, accounts and systems to track sales- was literally done in less than two months. George did not sleep for 48 hours prior to the opening. Watching this passion driven adrenaline awoke me to a human’s capacity and ability to dream and bring those dreams to life.
The outdoor area seats over a hundred and is the most beautiful environment for friends to gather. It is right off a mural painted alley way that attracts tourists and locals every day.
George scrambled to come up with his branding. And I love it! I had these tee shirts made for him (overnight rush job) to wear for the Grand Opening. The name came from him always being “Curious George” and “Buzz” having a twist of meanings. Being one of the owners of Hive and Barrel Meadery, honey bees are still a thing in his life.
The owner of this building spent the last 3 years renovating it. This historic building has such character, she really put her heart and soul into the decor and design.
George’s business represents him perfectly from his collectibles to his love of cooking and support of women owned businesses. He actually was the co- creator of the documentary film called “Raising Mrs. President.”
He has a small store in the front. Lining the shelves with items you cannot find in small towns. 90% of which are women owned brands. One focus is on mocktails and non alcoholic wines. It has been such a great experience for me to try them. He is also starting to serve them in official cocktail glassware which adds to the appeal and makes you feel perfectly chill sitting there enjoying a alcohol free drink. Beats a soda or an ice- tea any day!
Girl power!
There’s also an outdoor bar and covered seating area which is great. He is hosting family game night and trivia on Wednesdays.
I mean what a great place to have a party with friends! I’m planning on trying to get some of my Cincinnati friends to road trip down and hang with me, while supporting George’s business. Just need to pick date and pray for the weather to hold out. Maybe in the fall? October 14?
Another view of the outdoor area looking into the alleyway.
In the front of the store is the Cheeky Museum. Created by the owner, a contemporary museum that is helping the community come together.
Her mission is so interesting and she has been on such a journey to create this space. Not only to empower women but to abolish loneliness by creating activities based on the desires of the museum visitors.
Interesting clip boards filled with potential fun to be organized in this space.
I really shouldn’t speak too much about her museum, because I would hate to misrepresent the end purpose. I only know a little bit, but what I do hear and see is so cool! She is also opening up an Airbnb on the second floor which will be called “Night at the Museum”. It’s still under construction but hoping it opens this fall. It will be a three bedroom with a view overlooking the train that is still operational and literally comes down their small town Main Street.
George and I the day before the opening.
The day of the Grand Opening, my good friend Allen came down to help out in the kitchen.
Zoe and Sedona also drove down through a thunderstorm to help and show support.
George did this. Figured out what to purchase, how to display everything and help this side of the historic building come back to life.
Zoe showing off Charlie’s Curious Lemonade, a recipe George’s daughter helped make. It was the top seller.
Curious Buzz is specializing in charcuterie boards for events and/or just for groups that come. But if you want a single sampler, he has that too.
This photo I snapped reminded me of something straight out of a Wes Anderson film.
We had Chelsea make custom cookies for the opening in the colors featured in the museum. They were a huge hit! #chelsea’scookiecanvas
There was an official ribbon cutting for the new business opening.
I made sure to keep a slice for George’s records. He is a collector of memorable items. (and pamphlets:))
It was a nice start to getting the community out and creating awareness of this new space.
After the closing we were all exhausted, George could barely stand. We ended up drinking and dancing and literally had the best night that I’ve had in a very long time. Letting lose, everyone happy, celebrating this fantastic new start! Cheers to friends, family, love and support and dreams coming true.
The sunsets in La Grange are gorgeous. A memory of a perfect evening- this the end of that day with promises of many more to come.
As I started driving back home, I realized I was going through Columbus so I texted Todd to see if he would want to join me for lunch. Thought a pit stop to stretch my legs would not be a bad idea. He suggested we meet at the East Market.
Todd told me this part of the city has been ‘up and coming’ for about 20 years now. Reminds me of where I live. I just keep waiting for the growth and development to finally reach us.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I pulled up.
It’s an old trolly barn that they renovated and now house a variety of eateries.
It was tough making a food choice. I opted for Greek and I think Todd ended up with some New Orleans style sammie.
Nice how these places are popping up and offering a venue to meet up, family friendly with plenty of seating options. Sabrina and I met up at one called The Eatery in Madisonville recently for lunch. Large picnic tables, free wifi, great meeting place for work or pleasure.
Nothing like a real pig head to spoil your appetite.
We sat outside on the deck, soaking in our fair share of sunshine, looking out at this brewery.
The brick structure was so cool. I talked Todd into going in for just one beer.
Taps.
Todd, always a pleasure to visit. Been friends since 16. Will be friends for life.
Live plants really help set the mood and are so on-trend these days, plus excellent help to air quality.
Glass garage doors are a must for summertime.
Wasn’t really understanding the mural with mystical creatures and hops.
Amazing how breweries have taken off and are family friendly.
As I drove away I noticed this painted and perfectly framed black power fist on the fence.
This captured the vibe of the neighborhood.
It says ” There is something about setting eyes on the people who hold you up instead of simply imagining them”
On the weekend, Sedona and I made plans to check out a new coffee shop in Madisonville. This part of the city is trying to upgrade and what better way to do it than by building modern apartment housing for younger people and putting in an awesome coffee shop in the neighborhood.
We discovered there are several buildings along the block housing different parts of the Cheesecakery business. It was Sedona’s birthday that weekend, so we of course checked out the bakery.
This was an adorable place with tons of clever cheesecake cupcakes and sweets!
We purchased 4 different flavors to try and buckeyes to eat while we waited for our coffee.
I made Sedona pose- Life is Sweet – she’s about to turn 24!
The coffee shop started to pick up. We ordered a coffee tasting line up. Sort of like flights of beer, but with coffee varieties. I loved the idea! You place your order here, then go next door to sit down.
This shows it doesn’t take much to start something new. By the time we left many tables were filled.
The decor seemed to have an eclectic theme, which may be appropriate for the area.
Our coffee flights. Mine hot, hers cold. I tried lavender coffee when I was in Columbus,Indiana celebrating my twin’s 21 birthday. I remember thinking it was such a strange thing- now the flavors are common. Pistachio is one of my favorites, with lavender a close second.
It was late afternoon and after hiking for 1.5 hours I was wanting food! On the drive to the park, we passed the historic part of Burlington, Kentucky. Kevin googled and found this historic restaurant which was in a building dating back to 1822. No I didn’t google to confirm, just going off my memory of what Kevin told me.
Love the brick sidewalk out front.
Truly looks like you are going into a colonial home.
When you enter is is truly cozy.
We decided to sit at the bar high top since the dining areas looked occupied by larger groups.
Definitely sporting some boubon displays throughout as proud Kentuckians do.
Memorabilia merch.
Dining upstairs with antique decor, feels like you fell back in time.
Downstairs equally as formal. Was great food and service. Recommend if you are looking for a new experience.
If you haven’t been here and love donuts and beer, this is a must see. We got there early, but by the time we left there was a line out the door! An adorably Key West themed decorated donut spot that also had local beers on tap.
Need I say more?
Perfect neon sign capturing the spunk and attitude of this charming spot.
Breakfast of champions. The chocolate covered one was a cannoli flavor and was not too sweet and perfectly captured.
My muse.
Seeing more and more signs about protecting kids instead of guns.
Locals and tourists alike flock here for donuts.
Another cute spot in Edgewater is the lakeside beach. We headed over and watched the kids play with the seagulls while adults worked out nearby. There were two beach workout classes going on at the same time, one was yoga and the other a boot camp. Very interesting to see them on the beach together. You would think it would have encouraged me but instead I just sat in our double wide fold out chair and soaked in the view.
Lake Erie is huge.
Selfie capturing the more ambitious adults in the background doing healthier things that eating donuts and drinking beer.
While serving up Hive & Barrel at the Maysville Uncorked Wine Festival, one couple thought it would be an excellent idea to pair our meads with a small restaurant in Augusta named Beehive. Since mead is made from honey, it was a pretty cute suggested match.
Heading out Sunday, we decided to take a 20 minute detour along the Ohio River and check out the restaurant for lunch. I was told sometimes you need to make reservations, so I booked a table for 11:15 since we were both starving. Literally 15 minutes after they opened.
Google maps took us directly to the restaurant which was across the street from the town mural featuring their ferry which I later participated in.
Another beautiful day. With another river view.
The decor was so well thought out and themed.
A fantastic local pace with history and regulars.
We sat at our balcony table and watched the barges pass by.
We started with a deviled egg appetizer that was fried in a parmesan crust with bits of bacon on it. Never had anything like it before! I could’ve eaten all 4!!
My bourbon french toast was to die for. I usually don’t show food shots in my blog, as food is not my joy, but today it was!
Bee themes throughout.
Such detail. I love a well designed place.
As we were eating George Clooney’s parents walked in to wish someone a happy birthday. All the customers were excited and getting their photos taken with them. We did not. It was so funny as the Clooney couple was walking out, they looked over at my George and said “Hi George”. So causal and cool. My man, so humble and kind.
We ended up giving the bartender some mead to play with and after we walked around the block, the bartender waved us back in to try his concoctions. His cocktails were amazing! All the staff were raving about the meads and I would love it if they ended up buying some and highlighting it at their establishment. So fun seeing and sampling this bartender’s quick creativity.
Cute tourism welcome center.
As we walked around, there really wasn’t too much to Augusta. Old historic homes and a few antique shops which held off -hours.
I wanted to check out this garden, but then we realized it was someone’s back yard 🙂
Many of the homes along the river sported historic dates.
Nice little walkway as we headed back.
I decided to take the car ferry which went back and forth across the river taking cars from Ohio to Kentucky and vise versa. I needed to go back to Cincinnati and was currently on the Kentucky side.
When I drove onto the ferry I was the only car on board. A young man came up and asked for the $5.00 fee, but I found out they didn’t take cards, only cash, which I had none. I panicked and called George who I was hoping hadn’t taken off yet. Thankfully he went down and paid the man when the ferry returned. Such a gentleman, always taking care of me.
I drove home with this small bouquet of wildflowers in my cup holder. A beautiful reminder of the weekend.
Wanted to feature one of my favorite local restaurants I enjoyed in Summerville. It is literally right down the street from where I am staying.
Captured this when walking there. What a great frame into a peaceful place.
I can only assume this used to literally be used as an ice house back in the day. It is right next to a functioning railroad that blasts through the town about 4 times a day at remarkably higher speeds than what I’ve witnessed in Ohio.
Around back it has a well lit outdoor seating area which is always packed. They have a little playground for kids too.
Cute welcoming sign surrounded by all the awards this place has won.
Exposed brick walls fill the interior.
I ordered a specialty cocktail ,a caramel white russian, in tribute to my mom and the Russian war currently under way.
I am lucky I am just a single person eating. I can always find a place/seat and they love me because I am in and out fast. I went back a second time and the gal that waited on me recognized me and even asked me something which I mentioned to her prior. Everyone working there is super friendly and seemed to know most of the locals coming in. Highly recommend.
Tonya Takes Thailand 