The Bar Crawl

As the weeks start to dwindle our time in Parma is almost to an end. We decided to kick it in to overdrive this weekend and visit 7 bars in one night with some good friends. We met some great people and had plenty of laughs along the way.  I tried taking photos but it got hard after a couple stops. (Not pictured below is a bar called Quickkys) Quickkys did not have the most welcoming atmosphere but had the best beer game special I have ever seen.  $1.75 Bud or Bud Light 20 Oz drafts! 

The first stop State Rd Tavern almost to 480. This was a large bar with great drink specials during happy hour.Julie and Katey were happy.

Kap and I decided to have a gentlemen game of people while the classy bartender engaged us in the topic of anal bleaching. We learned that anal bleaching cost is based on what color you want. Wow the more you know,  Parma citizens can be very informative.

The state Rd Tavern takes the old chip rack to a new level.  As you can see this place had some of the best food I saw all evening. A perfect diet of hot fries and beer to keep the locals happy. 

The next stop was Rock City Taphouse. This bar was very large and had a separate area for concerts.  We sat on the regular side and enjoyed a bucket of rum. This bucket of bad decisions featured 5 shots of rum and some other terrible ingredients.  A complete hangover package for only $9.99!

Next up is the classiest bar we visited all night the Tradesman Tavern. This has to be the cleanest place on the bar crawl. They also had a DJ playing dance music but everyone knows a true Parma resident doesn't dance they just get piss drunk we decided to follow suit. 

Not great drink specials at the Tradesman but you do get to be surrounded by some local art.

Good Olde Daze was hands down the best bar we visited.  This place is a classic dive!

Our friend Carter made it out with us and the party really got started.  This blurry photo is an accurate representation to how I'm sure we were all feeling. 

Cater and I made friends with the bartender at Good Olde Daze. This lady was the best.  She talked to us the whole time about Nascar and drunk patrons. They also had Budweiser on tap served in ice cold glasses.  The bartender even wrapped one up and let us take it as a souvenir. Just great service and cheap drinks all around at this neighborhood gem!

From this point on the pictures slow down but the fun didn't.  The next stop brought us to Red Circle Bar.  This place is a bar and bowling alley.  We decided to have another competition. Luckily for 3 people to play with shoe rental it was only $18 total. If you zoom in on the scoreboard you can see what type of shenanigans we were dealing with.  Also this place has  $1 circle jerks. Circle jerks are a shot that resembles the Devils menstrual cycle but tastes quite pleasant. Not much alcohol in them but hey it's only a dollar! 

The last stop of the evening and appropriately enough it was called the Last Stop Inn. No interior pics but our friend Clough stopped in after work and bought us all a dump truck full of beer.  A perfect way to end the night with good friends. 

Week 3

Another week of surviving in Parma. Due to weddings and other such happenings we were not able to go out with the locals as much as we udually do.  I plan on remedying that this weekend with a State Rd bar crawl with a couple friends.  This week brought about a couple solid options if you feel like drinking copious amounts of liquor for cheap prices.  The first bar I decided on a whim is a place called Bleachers. This place had all the charm of your favorite mobile home watering hole.  (I don't mind, I actually really enjoy dive bars) It is marketed as a sports bar and does have Televisions that occasionally show sports,  along with pool tables and pop a shot aka the hillbilly NBA. 

Quaint location in a strip mall

Bartender was great here and talked us into some interesting choices. Tuesday is Mexican Madness and offers a whole assortment of good deals that you will pay for the next day.  Above is a $13 fishbowl "margarita". Really this was a giant glass full of Walmart booze. We got an original flavor but were told that the strawberry was better because they add vodka to it! Perfect for those that are looking for a cheap DUI. The service was great and everyone got a kick out of watching us try to drink this ridiculously large drink. 

I have been to this bar before in North Royalton and it continues to be my go to local dive. I mostly like the large bar and all day everyday wing special.  (No pic sorry I ate them) But the deal is buy 12 wings get 12 free.  A dozen wings are only $9.99 so you get 24 wings for $9.99!! Flavors can be questionable so choose something basic like hot and BBQ. I chose Weggie Special for one set of 12, I should have known.  The flavor tasted like a can of spaghettios that had been simmering in the chefs pants.  The buffalo ranch was way better and definitely worth having again.  For .24 cents a piece who cares take a risk and try something new. 

They also had 23oz Bud Diesel on tap for cheap so I was happy.  And for all those that are financially strapped  they offer 23oz Genesee cream ale for  around $2.

Week 2

Another week in Parma and lots of new locations visited.  See captions for particulars.

Skyline Chili. If you have never had the pleasure of eating this Cincinnati treat you need to get in your car and drive to Parma right now.  Why Parma and not Cincinnati? Because the Parma location is the last restaurant that has the original cafeteria style ordering format.  No waiting for waitresses just a friendly home town staff to welcome you.  Pictured is a 4 way (spaghetti, chili, mountain of cheese, beans) and a cheese coney dog. 

This bar is on ridge actually in N. Royalton. My brother was in town and we wanted a low key place for dinner and drinks.  (Notice the guy rollerblading in the parking lot) only in Parma!

The inside of the firehouse was dark and full of rowdy patrons. The drink prices were cheap and they had a happy hour with 1$ beer selections! The food at this place was good and ridiculously large portions. I ordered a signature sandwich called a Roman Chariot and this thing was a giant pizza dough wrap with three beef patties, and Italian deli meats.  This place was started by firefighters and they offer a military discount for our soldiers! 

This bar sums up Parma. Julie and I decided to try to go out and watch a Nascar race on Sunday.  We figured Parma being a blue collar town would be full of racing fans.  I was wrong all we found here were five guys who are hammered drunk at 2pm. I didn't mind it was kind of funny to see the locals in their natural environment. A 22oz Budweiser and a well vodka soda was only $5.75! Crazy cheap. They also offer $1 shots of something called a "Circle Jerk" I have no idea what that is, I was not brave enough to try it.  We only had one drink but plan on coming back for the State Rd bar crawl later this month. 

The Red Circle also offers on site bowling. 

On our Sunday quest to find Nascar we happened upon the Pit Stop on Ridge rd. I actually really liked this place.  It was completely empty but had the race on.  Apparently people in Parma don't watch Nascar they just get drunk on Sundays. The bartender was very friendly and personable.

The deals at this bar on Sunday were crazy good. $2 pints of GLBC Christmas Ale! Another awesome special was 10 wings for $3.99 with a two drink minimum. These wings were really good.  Crispy and saucy. BBQ garlic sauce was delicious and hit the mark. Definitely worth making a Sunday tradition for the wings,  Nascar,and drinks. 

Honey Hut Ice cream a local institution. This place is not your average ice cream place.  They actually make their ice cream with honey rather than refined sugar.  The result is a smooth treat that is probably healthier for you. I still love East Coast Custard but I can see why locals flock to this place to get their summer fix. 

First Weekend

The first weekend is over and we actually enjoyed ourselves!  Saturday was spent at a BBQ in nearby Brunswick then we decided to go to Fox and the Hound Sports Tavern to watch UFC 190 Rousey vs does it really matter?

I decided to take a cue from the locals and wear the closest thing to a UFC shirt I could find.  I figured it's a cut off and a liberal  woman is featured the locals should love it!

The bar is a perfect place to watch sports with plenty of seating and good service even though the place was packed. 

The inside was filled to capacity with a sea of glittering Ed Hardy, Tap Out, and other such garb. Boy was I glad I wore my intimidating Clinton cutoff! Parmanites? or Parmaneons?really do love MMA fighting.  Also there was a class of 1970 reunion going on which made for an interesting dichotomy of patrons to observe. Everyone was friendly though and the Budweiser was cheap.  We didn't eat but the food looked like standard fare and of large portions, which I believe may be a Parma tradition based on my bar visits so far. 

The fight lasted 34 seconds! And I might be in love and terrified of Rowdy Rousey!

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting a beautiful Metropark in Parma called West Creek Reservation Watershed. The park and facility is new and a real asset to the community! A great place to educate children about water resources and take a walk. 

The new welcome and research center

Exhibits displaying local fauna

Really cool 3D map of all the water that enters West Creek.

Night One Friday

After debating where we should go for some Friday night dinner we decided that perhaps a familiar bar would be a good bet.  This brought us to local tavern. Local Tavern is a chain with locations in Willoughby,Painesville, Mentor and one more somewhere. The parking lot had all the charm to be expected of a Parma bar including a car with a hood wide open.  We quickly realized we had overdressed for dinner. By overdressed I mean I wore a Polo style shirt. Apparently I did not get the memo that cut off tshirts and a pack of Marlboro cigarettes is the locally acceptable outfit and accessory. The bar itself had a large bar patio and the staff was friendly enough.  The one bartender forgot about us but luckily one of the other ladies were able to process our order efficiently enough.  And they had Budweiser what can go wrong? See pics and caps below

Menu at Local Tavern 

My questionable dinner choice of hand breaded fried boneless wings. To be fair the bartender did describe the size to be that of a "bowling ball of food". She was right about the portions here they are large.  I saw a order of animal style fries come out on a full size cookie sheet! However the doneness of my wings were in question as I'm sure that some were undercooked or raw.  I paid for it Saturday morning trust me.  Julie said her quesedilla was "ok". She never really has strong opinions.

After dinner we took my brother's advice and went to Tony Maloney's in Royalton. He was right this place is a solid pick. The bar was very crowded at 9 with the 40+ crowd.  I was too sick after dinner to eat or drink a lot but did notice they offer cocktails by the pitcher and have what looked to be some killer pizza. (Apparently owned by Antonio's Pizza) We also got a taste of local entertainment in the form of a Cleveland band called Almost Famous.  They were fun to watch and kept the older folk busy.  We left at 10PM but agreed we would be coming back for cocktails and pizza sometime this month. Check back later for a more detailed write up of Maloney's food and drink. 

A Month in Parma Ohio

Today marks day one of my exile to Parma Ohio. For the next thirty days I will be living in Parma until I am able to close on my new house (with my lovely girlfriend) in Geauga County. I was apprehensive about living in Parma for a month but decided to get out there and give the place a shot.  How bad can it be? Maybe it will be awesome? The next month I will travel to local establishments and give folks an honest look into the happening Parma/Royalton bar and restaurant scene.

A view approaching the Parma city limits traveling North on Ridge Rd. No welcome sign an ominous start to the month.