My family has no tradition of shopping for retail items on Black Friday but we do like to help the local economy - by drinking beer. I'm not sure how many years ago we started heading up to Cleveland - but I remember my Florida cousins wanting to see the West Side Market and get a Christmas Ale at the source(Great Lakes). This year my cousins weren't in town and the nieces and nephews didn't come ....so the trip turned into an impromptu brewery tour. 
We started by checking out the Downtown Cleveland Heinen's which is in the historic Cleveland Trust Company Building. It is an absolutely beautiful space.
"Wine Browsing"
"Beer Browsing"
"Beer Sampling"
We then walked through town checking out a few small shops and some of the other grand lobbies of the old bank buildings. And it just wouldn't be right to not stop in the Cleveland Arcade(the oldest indoor shopping mall in the country - 1890) for a photo or two.
We also checked out the new Public Square and Jack Casino - but it was a grey day and I hate casinos so I didn't snap any photos....
After lunch and a drink at Merwin's Warf, the Cleveland Metro Parks run restaurant along the Cuyahoga River at Irishtown Bend, we walked over to Brick and Barrel Brewery for a beer.
Todd and Kari
Mom and Dad
A tip from the bartender led us to the super-cool Forest City Brewery up the road a piece.
We stopped in Platform Brewery for a beer and then headed over to Nano Brew to finish the evening.
I realized that between buying my iphone and instagram I pull out my dSLR less and less. I think it is probably partly being so busy with actual photography work lately too. A few years ago this post would have went up on Saturday morning - now I'm posting it days later - after getting my "real work" done. I do want to be careful though not to let my commercial work completely over-shadow my personal, creative projects.
"Checking the Phones"
A Festivus Ale by Market Garden
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