Not so way out West

Just a couple more ideas here for other places to go and things to do in case you should find yourself in need of them. I’m well aware that the true die-hard Nationals fan thinks nothing of heading straight to the arena early in the morning and only crawling out sometime after 11 p.m. on each and every day, but in case you or anyone in your party actually has some free time or would like to see something of your surroundings — or would like another food shopping option — I’m going to tell you about Ohio City and Tremont.

Ohio City isn’t a city, it’s a neighborhood on the near West Side, just the other side of the notoriously crooked Cuyahoga River. It’s fun, it’s funky, and it’s the home of a true old-style city gem: the West Side Market. If you’re planning on getting some food to keep around the hotel room or have a kitchen to cook in, you can find some wonderful stuff to buy here, much of it local. Don’t take my word for it, watch the video on their Web site and let Iron Chef Michael Symon tell you himself.

This site has hosted a market since 1840, and the current Market building has stood here since 1912, its clock tower a beloved neighborhood landmark. It just doesn’t get more classic Cleveland than this: more than 120 vendors selling meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, breads, cheeses, pastries, candies, spices, sauces, and just about anything else you can think of that’s edible. You’ll even find a few special stands where you can pick up something wonderful to eat or drink right out of your hands — check out the little Korean prepared-food booth in one corner, the fast-food counter in another, the crêpe stand (ah! Heaven! Crêpes made hot while you wait and filled with a variety of wonderful things!) or the coffee seller. There’s also a little market with European imports in the same building, and a market café with a delightful menu. Of course, the rules of the market abide here: Come early for the best selection, and come late for the best bargains, when vendors would rather sell it to you fresh for less than pack it back up and try to sell it another day (especially on Saturdays). It’s warm, it’s ethnic, it’s real. And it’s ridiculously easy to get to (and back from) from downtown, even by bus: You can get there on a #25 from the corner of Ontario and Superior avenues, a #35 on Prospect Avenue, or a #79 A or B or #20 A from Public Square. Just ride it across the bridge to West 25th Street and disembark at the West Side Market. The same buses run back frequently in the other direction.

If you have time, though, before you board that bus back across the bridge, get on the #807 Tremont Community Circulator bus (which will bring you right back where you started from if you ride it long enough) and take a look at Tremont. This is a neighborhood becoming well known for harboring a large number of funky art galleries and restaurants, as well as being the home of A Christmas Story House. Another piece of film history is here too: look for St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral at 733 Starkweather Avenue, a magnificent onion-domed example of classic church architecture that appeared in The Deer Hunter. It’s just one of many historic churches in the area.

If you do go here, and end up having lunch somewhere in the neighborhood before you come back downtown, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

For those who decide to do serious food shopping at the West Side Market, this advice: To find those other things you may need that you may not see at the Market, it’s but a five-minute walk from the Market down Carroll Avenue to a branch of Dave’s Supermarket, where you should be able to buy them. Then walk back up to Wast 25th and hop a bus back across the bridge to downtown: just about anything you board on the Market side of the street will get you there.

It may seem like a long way to go to get food, but the trip is actually pretty quick, the buses run frequently and it’s a great way to get a true feel for the Nationals host city.

EXTRA NOTE TO THOSE FLYING INTO TOWN: If you’re not here by Friday, you’ll lose your last chance to patronize the Starbucks, Burger King and Sbarro at our airport. They’re closing as of that day. Yeah, I know your heart’s broken. Never fear, they’ll be replaced by other vendors selling roughly the same things they did.