Akron2Akron 3: Historical Cultural Distric

On Saturday a bunch of us braved the blustery weather to take part in the third Akron2Akron walking tour - this one was in the section of Downtown they are calling the Historical Cultural District. Much of it consists of buildings Tony Troppe's company has saved and restored. The tour was led by Pete and Ellen Nischt who live downtown in the building that houses 3 Point. Compared to the other tours(North Hill, Fireston Park) I was wondering if I would find this one as interesting - I already spend time downtown eating, drinking, attending events, concerts and just doing my own photo walks. It turned out that we still went to places I didn't know about and I picked up a few good bits of trivia too.

50 Shades of Grey

Here are some more shots from the roll of Kentmere 400 I just developed. I remember going for this walk in Mount Peace Cemetery - I think I had some kind of plan to do a Halloween post with these images but I got too busy. I still think some of them are cool though, really good light. I enjoy walks in this cemetery, as the name suggests it is very peaceful.

Big Bend, Big Black and White

I developed this roll of Kentmere 400 today and after scanning it I was surprised to see I hadn't developed any film since October. I guess professional work is getting in the way of my hobby photography. I'm fine with that though...

It looks like I started this roll sometime in the middle autumn but these shots are from a hike I took last week at Big Bend. I decided I wanted to see what was on the rest of the roll and I wasn't even going to take my digital camera with me until this business was finished. Anyways - the Fall stuff later in the week - enjoy some monochrome snow.

Brick and Barrel

On Saturday I had to drive up to Dodd Camera in Cleveland to pick up a piece of photo gear. After driving all the way up there I didn't feel like coming right back home so I stopped at the new brewery "Brick and Barrel". They are located in an old building on Columbus Road in the Flats. They only had three beers on tap at the moment - talking to the bartender(the father of the owner/brewer) turned up that they kept selling out before they could fill the taps - good problem to have. Hopefully things keep going this well for them and they can get another fermenter installed to keep up with demand. It was a cool little spot, cozy feel, the brewery operation exposed in the back. The beers they did have on draft were solid offerings - they clearly know how to make beer. There is no food but there are three nearby restaurants that deliver. They also plan to make wine in the near future.

Half Cleveland

Last night 'Half Cleveland' played at The Civic Theatre - or "The Club @ The Civic". Which meant that chairs were set up on the stage of the beautiful theatre. It was Clone Records night and vintage vinyl and new releases were available for sale. The Bizarros opened the show and played the Akron punk rock they have been known for since the late 70s(photos of them will be added tomorrow). Half Cleveland for those "not in the know" consist of Harvey Gold and Chris Butler originally of legendary Akron band Tin Huey. Chris Butler(also the man behind 'The Waitresses') has recently released a great solo record and they played some of those songs along with Tin Huey classics, new Half Cleveland songs and some great covers(including The Move's 'I Can Hear The Grass Grow'). But I'd be lying if I didn't admit my favorite part of the night was the encore featuring a cover of The Clash's 'Safe European Home'. I could hardly hold still enough to control my camera.
As far as I'm concerned I would have been happy if they didn't put out any seats(standing room only!) but maybe the crowd(that mostly had a few decades on me) would disagree. Either way it was an awesome show.

Thirsty Dog "Tasting"

My Dad purchased a "Beer Tasting, Tour, and Dinner" at the Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. while at a fundraiser for Greenleaf. What a great time it turned out to be - although not exactly what I expected. In my mind I was thinking of a beer dinner much like a wine pairing dinner. Instead it was more of an open bar party with a table of food. We could sample whatever we wanted or get a full pint/snifter. I tried a few Thirsty Dog beers I had never had before. After a few hours brewery employee, Joe, did his best to take us on a guided tour.

Akron2Akron: North Hill

Yesterday I participated in the second Akron2Akron neighborhood walking tour - this time we were in North Hill. The tour started at Urban Vision, which is in a beautiful old church, and learned a little bit about their mission. We toured the facilities and stopped in the room housing Neighbors Apparel - who employ and train refugees living in North Hill in making apparel. The group was large and the stops small - so we split into three groups before we hit the streets. My group first walked to Morris's International Market - a store specializing in African groceries. We sampled drinks and snacks and learned about the unique items they sell.