Coventry

Yesterday (Thursday, May 20th), we spent the afternoon and evening at one of Cleveland's hottest spots for young people, the area most refer to as simply "Coventry". This is the strip of Coventry between Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road which feautures all sorts of shops, restaurants, coffee joints, bars, clubs, a video store, a grocery store, a convience store, and countless other services. It is a hip, edgy neighborhood full of character where there is always something to do. For shoppers, Coventry offers stores like American Apparel, Clothing Brigade, The Above Boutique, Sunshine Too, Passport to Peru, and Heart & Sole Sneaker Boutique. Coventry has countless places to grab a bite to eat. From casual quick spots like Jimmy John's (subs), Guy's Pizza, Que Tal?, Tommy's (which is vegetarian!), the Inn on Coventry (for Breakfast), Dave's Cosmic Subs, and Chipotle, to slightly more formal restaurants like Pacific East (Japanese cuisine), Mint Cafe (delicious but inexpensive Thai food), Tree Country Bistro, BD's Mongolian Barbeque (pick your own food and watch it be prepared on the grill in front of you!), the Winking Lizard (celebrated for its cheap eats and wide variety of beers), and Hunan Coventry (Chinese cuisine), there is something for everyone. And for dessert, there is always Strickland's Frozen Custard. Looking for a delicious cup of coffee or a quick pastry? Relax in the cozy but sophisticated atmosphere at Phoenix Coffee. For anyone hoping for a movie night, you can pick up a video at VidStar, which has not only the most recent, popular films, but also countless oldies that you'd be hard-pressed to find in your regular Blockbuster. Collectible toys and candies can be found at the retro toy store Big Fun, and if you are looking for LPs, posters and paraphenalia, all are availible at Record Revolution. You can also find cheap cds, video games and movies at CD/Game exchange. There is Coventry Cats (with literally anything you could need for your cat), City Buddha, a collection of funky, Indonesian jewelry, decorations and more, and Mac's Backs, one of the Cleveland's best independent book stores, where you can periodically catch a poetry reading! Artists, (even mere aspiring ones) should check out Utrecht Art, an art supply store with all kinds of arts supplies and materials from well known brands. Late-nighters chould visit bars like Paninis, McNulty's, Bodega, Geppetto's Johnny Malloys, City & East (the hookah bar) and La Cave du Vin. Looking for a night of music? The Grog Shop features both local and well known bands of all sorts, from alternative music to rap, and concerts here are very inexpensive! The B-Side Lounge is a dance club/bar that can be a fun spot to sit and have a drink, dance the night away, or, on Thursdays, embarrass yourself at Karaoke Night! While most nights are only 21 and up after 9pm, teens can hang out here earlier in the eveneing, or on the several nights of the month designated 18 and up! These specific events can be found on the calendar on the official B-Side website. Other services include hair salons like the Laura Lee Salon, O'Grady's Dry Cleaners, Coventry Shoe & Leather, Huntington Bank, and a tattoo parlour! During the summer, Coventry hosts a variety of street festivals and farmers' markets; Stop by and witness street performers and arts and crafts vendors, and join the crowd as they dance their way down the street! Visit the Coventry Village website at http://www.coventryvillage.org/.
After an afternoon of shopping at our favorite stores, including American Apparel, City Buddha, Passport to Peru and Brigade, we grabbed a bite to eat at Pacific East, where each of us enjoyed various sushi rolls, ginger and seaweed salads, edamame and more! Next, we stopped by City & East, Coventry's well known hookah bar. After a few hours of music and laughter, the warm weather encouraged us to stroll up and down the streets of coventry, and we met several other friends at Phoenix Coffee, where we all grabbed different coffee drinks. Exhausted from our busy day, we decided to call it a night around midnight, but Covetry was still going strong, with people filling the streets and the bars, all having a good time. We will definitely be going back soon!