GREENACRES

Shopping with my Mom - No one will ever know my style like she does.

Unexpected visit with friends - I love getting a random call from friends saying they will be in my neighborhood.

Dinner with friends - I am so blessed to have great friends.

New to the Cincinnati dining scene is the Dishcrawl.  This is like a progressive dinner but you get multiple dinners and desserts.  Who doesn’t love that idea?! And even though walking long distances doesn’t tire me out (just the wheelchair batteries); another plus to the evening is that all the restaurants are within 4 blocks of one another.

Sidewaysstories and I joined in on the first downtown Dishcrawl.  You sign up not knowing which restaurants you will go to until you get there.  The particular “crawl” we went on was labeled the Best of Downtown.  I would beg to differ on the title, but we did visit three restaurants that were all different and all great. 

We started at Fusian.  If you haven’t been there I would describe it as the love child of Chipotle and a sushi bar.  Good sushi but made to order quickly.  Seaweed or soy wraps, choice of your meat (fish, chicken or steak) and all the veggies you desire.  A nice starter, however, I would not call it “the best” of Cincinnati.

From there we moved to Jimmy G’s.  This restaurant has been opened for a few years, but sadly, I had never made it there.  The food we sampled was amazing. However, I found the “Mad Men” mid-century modern décor to be out of place in the location.  But I would gladly brave the neon for some more of the duck fat fries and chocolate mousse. 

Our final destination was the Blue Wisp.  As we walked up Elm Street to Seventh, rain began to fall.  It was dark and the lights were illuminating the street.  It almost felt like we were in the Cincinnati of the 1950s as we walked passed Shilito Lofts. The club/restaurant did not disappoint.  There was not only good food but also amazing music.  We were treated to an entire meal: spinach dip and pita wedges; cod with a cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus; and bread pudding.  The food and history of the club made this a great ending to the night. 

Kids that make you laugh- I was able to spend a few hours with my nephews yesterday.  They always make me laugh.  Especially when one is doing Gangnam Style and the other is singing “I like to move it, move it” in a Panera. I’m sure everyone else hated us. 

Wedding dress shopping- This is a good thing because it wasn’t for me!  Haha.  Watching my cousin put on the dress of her dreams was amazing. 

Honest conversations with my grandma- There is nothing like your grandmother telling you to “find your man”.  I asked her if I lost him somewhere.  She then continued the talk by telling me I should have married the guy I liked in high school.  Conveniently, he is now married with two kids. It was the most hilarious 10 minutes of my Saturday. 

As a downtown dweller I felt a sort of draw to go out and watch the runners in the Flying Pig marathon.  Getting up at 6:30am on a Sunday was no easy feat, but knowing that a friend was running definitely helped.  So I schlepped down to 7th Street and began watching.  It was a surreal moment.  As I saw more and more runners I could not help but think about the Boston Marathon.  Those injured and killed in the bombing were merely doing what I was doing; showing love and support.  I couldn’t help but tear up a little.  To say I was inspired by all those individuals running is an understatement.  It was amazing to watch and I am so excited that I got to cheer some of them on.