Cincinnati in the Spring

This year I really didn't have any exciting Spring Break plans, but still wanted to go somewhere for a day trip. I decided that Cincinnati would be a great place because it's close and they have an IKEA. A friend from law school and I decided to go on Wednesday. We left Indy about 9:30 in the morning and made the two hour trip to IKEA. It was the first time going there. Well, for me it was the first time shopping. I remember as a kid being dropped of at the huge ball pit that the one in White Marsh had, but I never shopped there.

We started by walking through the showroom. It's amazing what they can do with some really small living spaces. I liked at how efficient the whole process was. Walk through, pick out want you want and then pick it up at the end. Overall, it was a successful trip.

I needed a decent chair to sit in that was comfortable, especially for when I entertain people at my apartment. I also wanted a desk so I could sit and do homework. Right now I use my dining table and that gets cluttered with school stuff so I'm not able to dine there. These two fit the bill! I put the desk together myself. It also was a task to fit the chair into my friend's car. We managed though. The plack table in the background is also from IKEA---for $7.99 that was the deal of the day.

I have a dresser for clothes from IKEA, but it isn't large enough to handle all of my clothes storage needs. I wanted to get some sort of organizer to go beside it. This was probably my favorite purchase of the whole trip. It's really neat and useful.

I also got some really inexpensive plates and glasses for the kitchen. I also needed some more storage capabilities for my DVD collection so I could get them out of my closet. They had these neat things for five dollars.

Also in the same hallway is my Ravens Super Bowl poster that I got. All I have to say about the recent personnel decisions is that Flacco better be worth the close to $170,000 that he will receive a day during the football season.

The trip to IKEA was a success---all of that for under $200. After shopping, we headed to Tom +Chee. It's a grlled cheese and soup restaurant. Amazing! I had a grilled cheese with Bacon and BBQ chips. Delicious! The crunchy with the soft cheese. Great combination. My friend had one with Salt and Vinegar chips, with ham and other meats.

The guy working at the cash register was so impressed that we came all the way from Indy to try the restaurant, he gave us samples of all four of the soups they had to dip our sandwiches in. They have regular tomato soup, creamy basil tomato (my favorite), bleu cheese chili and corned beef soup (2nd favorite). They really complemented the sandwhiches well.

Then we had dessert. They had a decent selection of grilled cheese donuts. I had Strawberry Lemonade (Strawberries, Lemon Marscarpone and Mozzerella) and my friend had S'mores (Shaved Chocolate, Marshmallow Marscarpone and Graham Cracker). They were great as well. The glazed donut was warm---crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. The cheese and toppings made for a great combination. This was a great find and definitely worth a trip to Tom +Chee.

After lunch we walked over to the Underground Railroad Museum. It was a neat museum that did a really good job at showing the risks slaves took to be free. It's really a testament as to the value of freedom and what a person will do to reach that. A dark day in US History, but glad their were individuals willing to risk their lives to help the oppressed.

Then we walked around town and then we headed back to Indy. It was  a successful day trip. This city is worth your time if you are in the neighborhood.