Representing Ward 1

Writing seems to take up a lot of my time. I can't complain, though. I'm happy writing about my experiences and sharing those experiences with other people. I am so happy that I am giving you, the reader, a second dosage of writing today on this glorious Sunday morning.

Yesterday, I was out and about in my neighborhood when I heard loud music. The music seemed to be coming from Kerruish Park nearby. I realized that yesterday was the celebration of Cleveland's Ward 1 District. I was already out running some tasks for myself so I decided that I would steal some pictures and enjoy the festivities. When I arrived around 4:00 p.m., I did not know what to expect. The festival for Ward 1 for the past couple of years has been either lackluster or non-existent. With the continued revitalization of the community, I knew that this year's festival would be different.

On a nice and sunny afternoon, there were a lot of people out to enjoy the festivities. I have not seen that many cars at Kerruish Park since the festival occurred three years ago. To me, this was a good sign and a good show of support for the community that has been through its ups and downs. Some might say it is a reversal of fortune for my community. I would say it is because of good advertising through word of mouth and posting throughout the community. This festival is also the result of hard work on the end of our councilwoman, Nina Turner, and volunteers who want to bring the community together.

To the festivities. Well, as I entered the park, I saw the carnival section of the park where the kids gathered just having a good time. There were trampoline devices that the kids were jumping on, one with Dora the Explorer and the other one with Spiderman. As I walked deeper into the park, I got to see upclose and personal the new and improved swimming pool area and the renovated basketball courts. If you want to bring attention to my neighborhood, this two items are essential to keeping the youth's interest in the park. Take it from me- a basketball court to school people on and a swimming pool to cool you off. These are ideal for the neighborhood.

I saw a lot of people who had their own little businesses down at Kerruish, selling T-shirts, books, and other items of interest. I knew that this is not the reason I was down there. The reason I was down there was twofold. I was down there to see who in the neighborhood would show up for me to hang down with and to see what kind of food the vendors would be selling. I will start with my food experience in the park. I went to several vendors who was selling food. To me, if you do not have good food, the rest of the festivities will not matter since food accompanies the festivities and your overall enjoyment level. For myself, I bought a perch sandwich and pizza. I am a generous guy so I bought my brother a steak hoagie and my sister a loaded polish boy when I went back to the house. As for drinks, I had a Sprite with my pizza and after dropping the food off at the house (I live only five minutes from Kerruish), I stopped back and ordered a daiquiri (non-alcoholic) to enjoy. I sat under the tents that has become a tradition for everyone acquainted with Kerruish with some of my friends. This was the perfect way to relax and take in the whole scene of events: hanging with my buddies after a long absence due to college and other responsibilities and sipping on a Blue Hawaiian. Oh yeah!

After finishing off that daiquiri, the only thing left was to enjoy the festivities... and what better way to do this then to seek out some high school friends. I saw one of my friends hanging by a tent close to the main stage for the local performers. I greeted her with a smile, a hug, and some pizza. She was happy to see me and as soon as we really started to get reacquainted with each other, I see two more of my friends from high school. Call this a mini-reunion, shall we! We all learned of where our paths have taken us over the past year and it was rather interesting, to say the least. I wonder if this is what is going to be like in the next five years. Only time will tell. We enjoy the entertainment which included old-school music and some of the hottest new talent in Ward 1. The entertainment was on fire! Eventually, we all had other priorities that we needed to take care of and we parted ways. After the last act of the day, I left Kerruish with a wonderful feeling and a load of new experiences at the park I am proud to call my own.

Writing this felt good. I only have 17 days until I have to leave Cleveland and return to OWU. I think you know that time is of the beholder and I only have so much to experience. Going to Kerruish was good for me and the community. I want to post so much, oh well. Writing this, however, makes me whole.

Representing Cleveland's Ward 1 district,

Hasani Wheat

Class of '10

The Melting Pot

I finally went to The Melting Pot on Friday. I didn't stand outside and wish I had the money; I just willed myself to go in and try some more food. This is my favorite restaurant (besides The Cheesecake Factory) so why be afraid to spend some money on food you like. I went inside and I loved it. Let me show you how they do things at The Melting Pot.

When you first arrive at The Melting Pot, you are escorted to your seat, just like in any other restaurant. Unlike other restaurants, there is a sudden ambience that accompanies the feeling of being in a restaurant. As you can see to the right is a picture of the light that is at every table. The light is dim but strong enough to illuminate the eating area. For some reason, the light also brings a sense of passion and experience to every table. I can not explain the feeling but you know that the day is about to be flipped inside out.

Ironically, I was escorted to the area where the wines were hanging. I had no intention of drinking any but just the sight of it was very romantic. This is definitely a restaurant where you can feel the aroma in the air- literally and figuratively. Just a point of information, The Melting Pot has one of the most extensive selections of wine there is in any restaurant I have been in. There are over one hundred selections of red wine and over one hundred selections of white wine from all kinds of spectrums. There are tons of dry wines to accompany dry foods that are served and there are more fruity, explorative wines to choose from. I mean it is hard to not stare at the glass window that adorn these wine bottles. Would you resist?

On to the main portion of why I am writing about this in my blog today. The Melting Pot has various options and styles of food. I was first treated to an appetizer which in The Melting Pot terms means cheese fondue. For those of you who do not know what fondue is, it is cheese or chocolate melted into a pot and is used as a dip for other food items such as bread or vegetables. My cheese fondue was a combination of various cheeses melted into the pot and the food items that were dipped into this amalgamation was granny apples (the sour apples), pumpernickel and wheat bread, celery, carrots, and cauliflower. The flavor of the cheese was spiced up since I added some diced peppers. The appetizer was okay, although I probably should have settled without the spice. I will probably the pure cheddar cheese fondue over this one however.

The next dish was a salad, a Chef's featured salad. I am not the biggest salad eater, even though I do need a little balance in my food selection at times. Honestly, I wasn't particularly fond of the salad. If there was a drawback in the food selection, I would say the salads leave a little more to be desired. The flavor of this particular salad was not bad but I am not a big egg or tomato eater. I finished most of it and save room for the entree.

I wanted to try something different today. Usually I get seafood or sirloin tips. On Friday, I got The French Quarter as my entree- cajun food. I had Andouille sausage, chicken breast, tenderloins, and shrimp, all flavored with cajun spices. Once again, I think I should have done without the spices especially on the chicken breast as they seemed to overpower me. The How-To-Do on cooking these meats: simply place the meats on the fondue forks provided and put it in the cooking style which for me was Bouillabaisse (I think this is how you spell it, if not, I apologize). I liked the food but I did not pace myself like I usually do when I am at The Melting Pot. I had one too many Shirley Temples before the actual entree was presented and my body did not sit well with the Shirley Temples (sweet), the Chicken Breast (spicy), and the Granny apples (sour). Personally, I think I killed the experience by attempting to mix and match these styles. I have to be more cautious next time. By the time I paid the bill two hours after I arrived, I felt relatively nauseated (that didn't take long). Bad experient for me at The Melting Pot. I vow to not mix and match that stuff again.

Overall, it was a good experience again at The Melting Pot. Bad ending, but good experience. After I left The Melting Pot, I had some time to wander around Legacy Village. I went to Ben & Jerry's to alleviate my nausea with a huge waffle cone overteeming with Phish Food. I felt better after eating all that sweet ice cream to balance out the spicy mixes of food. I went home a short time after that. Maybe I will go back to The Melting Pot before I go and try some of that awesome chocolate fondue, which is that they REALLY specialize in. That chocolate is so good especially with pineapples and strawberries and marshmallows, oh my!

That is about it for my recent experience at The Melting Pot. I hope that my experience entices and not repels anymore from attending and experiencing themselves. I still feel comfortable eating there and it is still one of my favorite. I encourage you to explore and to not be afraid of the exotic even if it takes a toll on you.

Being bold and trying new things,
Hasani Wheat

Class of '10

Being at Legacy Village

I like to be out shopping. I know that sounds rather girly but I like good food, clothes, and places to shop. I think everyone deserves to pamper themselves once in a while; being at Parker allows me to experience life to its fullest. This week, I went inside Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, Ohio. I think Legacy Village is somewhat of a Shangri La, a utopia inside out of civilization. I took advantage of this fact.

After work, I walked over to Legacy Village, hoping to see if anything new has occurred while I was gone. On one side of the Village, the parking lot was empty, devoid of any sign of life. Once I got to the middle of the Village, the place became alive with the abundance of many people- most still dressed in work clothes. To be honest, Legacy Village is among the places where it is in the upper echelon of spending. If you don't have a job where you can easily spend a lot amount of money, don't think about going because you will most likely be enticed to spend something at one of these diverse stores. I don't believe it is worth it unless you have the money and the means.

Anyway, I went into a couple of clothing stores and unlike Ticknor's or Brooks Brothers, I don't feel the need to spend partly since I have already bought numerous ties, dress shirts and pants, and other dress clothes. Regular casual items did not catch my eye so I kept it moving. I passed up a lot of women's clothiers and jewelry shops on my way towards the restaurants. One of the biggest reasons that Legacy Village is a hit for me is that the restaurants are exquisite and extraordinary. By the way, in that second picture partially hidden by the Legacy Village symbol on the gate is the amazing Cheesefactory Factory, where the regular entrees are huge and exotic and the cheesecakes are some of the best in the world. No kidding, either!

My favorite restaurant is not of the form of Cheesecake Factory, an Irish Claddaugh, Mexican restaurants such as Chipotle or Stir Crazy, or a Italian restaurant with wonderful bruschetta. No, I am talking about The Melting Pot, the fondue restaurant. This is a place where eighty-eight dollars for a four or five course meal goes a long way. I am talking about a filling appetizer such as fruit and vegetables dipped in cheese, a salad to keep you salivating for more, an entree that is practically cooked by you with cajun or classic cooking styles with include but are not limited to lobster, crab, shrimp, beef sirloin tips, chicken, duck, lamb, and filet mignon. To top it all off, what about my dessert! Let me see, what about dark and light chocolate, marshmallows, and strawberries dipped in a finely melted chocolate fondue. True story, I went into The Melting Pot and tipped this guy thirty bucks for a $132 entree for three. I know...I am crazy. The food was awesome!!! Let me stop before I have someone persuade me to go right now.

Let me show you some of the views I took showcasing the Village:

These pictures- being on the upper deck in Joseph-Beth Booksellers. I was mainly on the upper deck because I was avoiding the people who were transformed by Harry Potter mania. A good view to see the ongoing of the day and a place to relax if you have sore, aching feet.

After admiring The Melting Pot while somehow restraining myself from entering, I took the picture with the Bar Louie symbol on the building. A beautiful day established the setting of this picture and no, America, I didn't have a drink on that day!

The day was somewhat humid so I thought that I would take a care of this flowing monument to caress my mind. This worked wonders.

Finally, I was in Giant Eagle since I needed batteries for this camera. I stopped and stood near the edge of the Village and took this picture just because of the angle. This picture seems pretty tranquil since it is away from the main hustle and bustle of life at Legacy Village.

This picture you can infer anything you want about it. This is my random picture of this blog. I will use it to help me end this blog. No, I do not worship Buddha- this picture just brings peace of mind to my being and being at Legacy Village helped me relax and just be. I like being at peace with myself- my job is fabolous and I have been blessed in every possible way. As a me-to-you moment, I will like to thank you my readers for listening and checking in on me to read my blog. Right now, I am just thankful for everything in my life and relishing it in my excursion at Legacy Village. I will leave you with this.

Just chilling,

Hasani Wheat

Class of '10

I'm back... with pictures!!!

Let's rejoice in the simple fact that I now have another camera and that I can be as real with you all as humanly possible. I am so relieved that I have this camera in my possession. I promise that I am going to treat it like it is a firstborn. Now I am going to tell you the topic of my first blog with pictures in a couple months- travel.

I always say that I am a traveler but I have not been out of the United States. Well, I can tell you that within the next year, I will acquire a passport and leave this country to experience another country. For now, I will have to settle with the familiar environment of Cleveland and what it and its suburbs have to offer, not that I mind. I know that I can not be ignorant of other countries so the only way to truly experience another country is to totally immerse yourself into the culture of that country.

Anyway, I travel to work every morning without the hint to snap a couple of pictures. The skyline in the morning in Cleveland is beautiful. In the evening when I finish my job day, I am inspired to travel and take photos of random things that may have some kind of symbolism either to myself or the surrounding area. This week, I took pictures in the Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and Shaker Heights areas. For Shaker Heights:

I wanted to be rather simplistic in an area that is well rather simplistic. I took this photo a couple of minutes after 8:00 p.m. when the activity in Shaker Heights started to die down. The road is bare and the picture looks tranquil. This is a city at rest waiting for the next big event to happen. I think the picture is pretty straightforward. The symbolism may or may not be more powerful to those who live there so the interpretation may be a bit different according to their daily standards. I like the picture, though.

For Cleveland Heights:

Here is a picture of the Cedar-Lee movie theater. I believe it is the only one in Cleveland Heights and it seems to attract a lot of people especially since downtown Cleveland Heights is like Cleveland in the way that everyone walks to their destination, no matter how far they work or live. Check out Cleveland Heights at 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. where the town becomes lively. I enjoy being in that area around this time. The Cedar-Lee movie theater is popular because it is different from most movie theaters. The movies that are shown there are often independent or specially released films. In most places, only the brand named movies with the brand named stars are shown. At Cedar-Lee, there are films that do not have brand named stars or if they do, the film is not a brand named one in which most of the movie goers have never seen or heard of. Nevertheless, the movie go great with a exquisite dinner; in Cleveland Heights, there are many, many restaurants that have different cuisines such as Mongolian, Thai, Chinese, and of course, your All-American hamburger and hot dogs places. Cleveland Heights is extravagantly diverse and I just took a picture of just one area. I have not had time to travel to other areas like that of Coventry, Severance, or Fairmount to take pictures of the scenery. Believe me, the scenery is totally different for each place despite the fact that they all reside under Cleveland Heights.

In Downtown Cleveland,

I decided that on Fridays, I would treat myself to a day by myself for several hours. Just some quality me time for the soul. Usually, I wind up in the Beachwood area or the downtown area. Downtown, I split my time in Tower City and the Entertainment that consist of the House of Blues and other venues that welcome all forms of entertainment. Briefly, I stop to take pictures of the guitars that were painted by local artists. The five guitars shown at the top of this blog indicate different styles that eventually culminate into the source of rock and roll. One guitar has a lady's head on it, representating the immersion of oriental cultures. Another guitar, the one at the very bottom, represents more like hard rock with the broken pieces of the guitar. Once again, the painting of these guitars can be left up to interpretation but I thought that the display of these guitars and their representation to fulfilling rock and roll was pretty cool. I also learned a lot of history by looking at a description of what the painting means to the artist. Now I want to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before I leave Cleveland in a month.

In University Circle area near Case Western Reserve University,

Let me backtrack to an area I visited before heading towards downtown Cleveland. In University Circle, there are areas that are not easily covered on foot or car. These areas are only accessible by taking the Red Line train, which happens to go to Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport. By ridinig the train through University Circle en route to downtown Cleveland, I saw an amazing amount of graffiti on abandoned building and passageways. In the third picture, this graffiti is very intricate; most of the graffiti represents some kind of message. In the one I captured, it says "Prayer."- something everyone needs to do and have in their lives. I don't do graffiti but sometimes, you have to look at the graffiti and say "Wow." I'm serious... I do not feel graffiti is bad; it is a simple form of expression done to express a person's state of mind. Most graffiti I have seen is not in plain view but in areas where most people would not be able to access upon an everyday encounter. I know some people are thinking "Oh, graffiti is flat out wrong and should be banned!" That is simply their opinion which I have no control over. Ya dig?

On Tarkington in Cleveland,

My home. Well, I took a picture of the new sign of Kerruish Park- the fourth picture. To me, this is a powerful picture because of what the park is doing to revitalize the youth of my neighborhood. In all my years of staying on Tarkington, I have never seen a monument stating that this is Kerruish Park. The economy in my area seems to be on the upswing. Despite a shooting that happened in my area which I'm sure most of Cleveland is on alert now because of it, I am thrilled to be living in an area on the upswing. I just want to give a shout out to my Ward 1 councilwoman, Ms. Nina Turner for utilizing your power to bring my neighborhood back from the dead and to stand up in the face of adversity. I can say I am proud to be a citizen from Ward 1 in Cleveland.

Well, there you have it. This confirms that I am back and that I am here to stay on as a Ohio Wesleyan Blogger. I hope you enjoy my commentary and my new found pictures. I have a month until I am back on campus but until then, I will be bringing a slew of pictures from a bunch of different places in Cleveland and beyond.



Take care,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10