Run #43: Old Brooklyn

Run #43: Old Brooklyn - Part 3

This was the third section run of the Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

The boundary for this run included Memphis Ave (north) to Woburn Ave (south) and from W. 66th (west) to Pearl Road (east).

Notable locations included:

Opal On Pearl: New-ish wine and local craft beer spot was once home to Drink, a popular neighborhood watering hole. The new spot is owned Tony Mellon, a veteran in the local food and drink industry. He and his wife moved to the neighborhood from Tremont nearly 15 years ago. Nice bonus: the shop sources its cheese from the Old Brooklyn Cheese Company.

Mr. E's Inn: Classic neighborhood bar with an extensive burger menu and, interestingly, an ice cream parlor-type menu, too.

Sixth City Cycles: Hip bicycle shop that specializes on modernizing vintage bikes. The store also sells an extensive array of tropical indoor plants. The building - the old Atlas Furniture Building - is also home to the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation which totally renovated the building several years ago.

Cake Royale: This super popular family-owned business traces is roots to the 1980s when chef Michel Kahwagi (a native of Lebanon) met his wife in Texas then moved to Cleveland and eventually opened the store at a smaller storefront on Pearl Rd. They eventually outgrew this space and moved to the current spot at 4276 Pearl. (They also occupied at stand at the West Side Market for over 15 years but left earlier this year). The family are longtime residents of Old Brooklyn as well.

Henritze Park: This small City park on Henrize Ave opened in 2000 but it's well used by the neighborhood kids.

Busch Funeral & Crematory Services: This network of funeral homes got its start in Old Brooklyn in 1905. It's a fourth-generation family business now with 7 regional locations.

Gyro Guys: Popular Pearl Road gyro and sandwich spot owned by two brothers and celebrating 10 years in business.

Pearl Road Tavern & Eatery: Google: "pub fare, draft beer & pool offered in time-tested, wood-paneled digs with a wraparound bar". They also have a small but nice outdoor patio.

Mary's Mystical Psychic Shop: Offering psychic readings in "love, business, health, family, aura cleansing, chakra imaging, and self meditation". Self-described as "gifted" since age 8, Mary does house calls and parties, too.

Vino Veritas Cellars Winery & Indoor Wine Bar: This 2.3 acre neighborhood winery is a cool and definately unexpected find. Formerly the site of an urban farm (and a school before that), owner Anthony Nunes Insana (a former restaurant owner in Little Italy) purchased it and turned it into Cleveland's first fully functional federally bonded winery. In addition to the grounds and patio, it also features a 3,000 square foot greenhouse/tasting room/private event space.

The Sausage Shoppe: This former award-winning meat shop opened in 1938 by brother-in-laws from Germany and moved the building at 4501 Memphis Ave in 1962. It operated for more than 80 years in total and closed in March 2018 when longtime owners and Old Brooklyn residents, Norm and Carol Heinle, retired.

Pan-Icarian Brotherhood of America - Cleveland Chapter: According to the national website: "According to Icarian-American lore, a group of immigrants from Icaria formed a mutual aid in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 26, 1903, which was later chartered in 1905 as the Icarian Brotherhood of America. By the early 1930s six additional clubs in New York and Ohio were organized, forming the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood of America. There are currently over (2,000) paying members in (28) Chapters and it is believed that the Brotherhood is the oldest Hellenic organization in the Western Hemisphere." Cleveland will host the national convention on Labor Day weekend in 2021.

Murphy's Law Irish Pub: This bar served as the inspiration for the fictional Warsaw Tavern in the massively popular 90s sitcom, The Drew Carey Show. Several exterior shots were used during filming. It was originally known as the Memphis Plaza Lounge and later became Murphy's Law. The Warsaw Tavern marquee remained outside the bar until Universal Studios eventually had it removed.

Flowerama: Cleveland area chain offering a wide variety of flowers and floral arrangements. Their expansive, open-air display in the warm weather months is a pleasant visual at the busy intersection of Fulton & Memphis.

Dina's Pizza & Pub: Arguably one of Cleveland's great neighborhood bars and located in a retrofitted gas station, this female-owned business is known for its award-winning wings. Their pizza is also very good and very popular. Folks flock to Dina's.

Cleveland Local Eatery (CLE): From one satisfied Yelp reviewer: "My go-to order is the chicken gyro which you can get on a pita or as a salad. Their fresh cut fries are also to die for! Oh, and did I mention you get complimentary brownies after your meal? CLE is the perfect addition to Old Brooklyn and definitely worth a visit."

Distance This Run: 10.0 miles

Distance So Far: 235 miles

Strava Recording