Yesterday (2/5/11) we took a trip up to Cleveland, OH to visit the Children’s Museum, go to lunch, and to go to Constantino’s Market (local downtown grocery). The Children’s Museum and Constantino’s were both Groupon’s that we purchased that were about to expire.

We arrived at the Children’s Museum a little after they opened and were surprised to see the parking lot full. We assumed since the weather was in the low 30’s today (warm for a Cleveland winter), it brought everyone out of their shell. I had never visited the museum before since I didn’t have a reason to until now. Our son is 22 months old and the perfect age for the Children’s Museum. We spent a great deal of time in the sand room, which my wife tells me is new. She took our son there a couple of months ago, and apparently the sand room wasn’t there at the time. Later we wondered through the village going through the grocery store, etc. before heading downstairs to play at the water table. This is where I can honestly say I became a kid again.

The water table was fantastic, and coming from an engineering background, it was designed for young engineers of the future. I quickly found myself playing with the lock and dam setup, setting up diversions to meander the water through channels, and connecting pipes to make the water flow different directions. I loved it! My son has also always been a water boy. He wasn’t quite as impressed with the technical details of my play. He was more interested in gathering all of the little crabs and watching them float around. I was happy to oblige, and always enjoy sharing in those special moments, even if he is to young to remember.

By noon we were ready to leave and grab some lunch. I really wanted to take my family to Slyman’s Deli as I hadn’t been there for probably at least 12 years. However, we were extremely dissappointed to see they weren’t open on the weekend. Who doesn’t open for business on at least Saturday? I can deal with the fact that they aren’t open late during weekdays (they close by 2:00 pm), but what are normal working people to do? The only time I have to go is on the weekends. From a business standpoint, they really must be missing out on a great deal of business. It’s the type of place I picture being featured on the Food Network and thereafter never being able to get in the door again because of the crowds. Of well, their loss. So we figured we’d just pick up something to eat in the Warehouse District near Constantino’s.

Luckily we remembered the WaterStreet Grill (now closed) across the street. We were quickly sat at a large booth by the door by a really friendly waiter. We choose to sit at booths lately, as long as the table can move and fit my wife’s pregnant belly, because our son loves to sit without the constraints of a high chair. Plus we can then work on teaching him proper table manners. We order a macaroni and cheese (homemade) for my son (his favorite), my wife had a gyro melt, and I had a cod sandwich. The food quickly arrived and was FANTASTIC! Besides tasting well, and having a large amount of food on our plates, a restaurant finally figured it out…they served my fish sandwich with a larger than normal amount of tarter sauce. It was so nice to not have to ask for more as it seems every other restaurant wants to short the customer on tarter sauce. I was ecstatic! Who knew something so much as tarter sauce could make or break a meal? On top of our food, we were joking around with the waiter, who by the way may have been the owner from what we could tell, about my wife wanting a mimosa, but obviously could not. However, our waiter was so good, he went and found a bottle on non-alcoholic grape juice and mixed it with orange juice. It’s a clever little trick my wife learned a long time ago. She was extremely happy! Besides the food being great, the waiter was one of the best we’ve had in a long time too. He told us all about his seven kids and quickly related with us on many levels. He was extremely helpful with extra napkins, etc. as our son was covered in cheese by the time he finished his lunch, and so were my pants and shirt. But here was one of the really great things that we never expected. As we were leaving, they have a giant toy chest by the door and allow kids to pick something to take home. Our son was so appreciative and carried his car and horse on a stick (yes they allowed him two gifts) all day with him. It’s little things like the toys and service that will definitely keep us coming back for more because it was more than a meal, it created a great memory of one of our last days together as a 3 person family, since our new baby is due any day now.

5/9/12- Water Street Grill now closed; updated post.