Keith Blackwell
Latest Reviews
Peninsula Towpath
April 2024: Out and about with the family on a really nice and warm Spring day just exploring the great things that the Northeast Ohio and Cleveland area have to offer. The towpath is one thing that we want to bring our bikes onto soon.
PROS:
* Well kept and maintained grounds. Visitors seem to do their parts in helping to keep it clean and litter free.
* The paved towpath got a lot of traffic as many families were riding on it.
CONS:
* I am unable to think about any.
SUMMARY: We will return and explore more of this area. There us a coffee shop nearby that looks interesting.
PROS:
* Well kept and maintained grounds. Visitors seem to do their parts in helping to keep it clean and litter free.
* The paved towpath got a lot of traffic as many families were riding on it.
CONS:
* I am unable to think about any.
SUMMARY: We will return and explore more of this area. There us a coffee shop nearby that looks interesting.
Vortex VR Arcade
January 2023: Visiting the Falls with the family for the Lunar New Year, and decided to give this place a shot.
Located on the 3rd floor, this is sort of a hidden treasure that does not stand out to potential customers. The only way I found out about it was through the parking receipt, which offered a complimentary $10 coupon.
Pros:
* Fun, exciting space to entertain the family.
* It is like a Dave & Busters except with an all digital ticketing system. Customers load their cards with money at the counter and then play via tapping their cards at their desired game. The tickets won at the end of each round of play will automatically load onto the card.
* New VR gaming that looks awesome.
* The staff is super friendly and worked with us to get the prizes that the kids really wanted with their ticket amounts.
Cons:
* We wanted to do the VR games, but there were only 2 people working, which was not enough for the number of people that started pouring in on an afternoon. Ultimately, we passed on the opportunity due to the long wait time. In hindsight, we should have done the VR gaming when we first arrived because there were very few customers at that time.
* The digital ticketing system would accumulate and provide false positives. It took me a few times to figure out what was going on. For example, we played a game and won 40 tickets. We decided to play it again and won another 40 tickets. However, the display shows 80 tickets won. It got kinda confusing for the kids who thought that they won more tickets than they actually did. An improvement for the system would be to display the tickets won for the round along with a separate line for total tickets on the card.
Located on the 3rd floor, this is sort of a hidden treasure that does not stand out to potential customers. The only way I found out about it was through the parking receipt, which offered a complimentary $10 coupon.
Pros:
* Fun, exciting space to entertain the family.
* It is like a Dave & Busters except with an all digital ticketing system. Customers load their cards with money at the counter and then play via tapping their cards at their desired game. The tickets won at the end of each round of play will automatically load onto the card.
* New VR gaming that looks awesome.
* The staff is super friendly and worked with us to get the prizes that the kids really wanted with their ticket amounts.
Cons:
* We wanted to do the VR games, but there were only 2 people working, which was not enough for the number of people that started pouring in on an afternoon. Ultimately, we passed on the opportunity due to the long wait time. In hindsight, we should have done the VR gaming when we first arrived because there were very few customers at that time.
* The digital ticketing system would accumulate and provide false positives. It took me a few times to figure out what was going on. For example, we played a game and won 40 tickets. We decided to play it again and won another 40 tickets. However, the display shows 80 tickets won. It got kinda confusing for the kids who thought that they won more tickets than they actually did. An improvement for the system would be to display the tickets won for the round along with a separate line for total tickets on the card.
Big Creek Reservation
September 2022: Cleveland Metroparks was awarded the 2021 National Gold Medal award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management. I have not visited every single one yet, but have to agree so far.
Pros:
* Plenty of paved parking and newly renovated picnic areas.
* Quiet and serene park that feels fresh.
* Beautiful fall foliage if you're into Red Maple Trees. I got a few shots of the leaves starting to change color.
* In the mornings, you can easily spot the deer and wildlife out and about.
Cons:
* The hiking paths are not paved. It appears as if they used to have pebbles, but they have since been pounded in the dirt.
Conclusion: Beautiful park and a hidden gem. I will return.
Pros:
* Plenty of paved parking and newly renovated picnic areas.
* Quiet and serene park that feels fresh.
* Beautiful fall foliage if you're into Red Maple Trees. I got a few shots of the leaves starting to change color.
* In the mornings, you can easily spot the deer and wildlife out and about.
Cons:
* The hiking paths are not paved. It appears as if they used to have pebbles, but they have since been pounded in the dirt.
Conclusion: Beautiful park and a hidden gem. I will return.
Bylo Gyro
January 2022: Was looking for a quick bite to eat with the team and someone recommended this place. I ordered the regular gyro 🥙 with 2 pieces of baklava.
Pros:
* The food is delicious 😋. Everything was top notch as far as taste goes 👍🏽👍🏽.
* Prices were reasonable. I paid almost $9 USD for a gyro and 2 pieces of baklava.
Cons:
* Long wait time for takeout. I waited 15 minutes for my meal, but my colleagues waited 20-25 minutes for theirs and we all placed orders inside the restaurant at the same time. To their credit, this place gets crazily busy during lunch time.
* Very small restaurant. The restaurant + waiting area could not be more than 600 square feet.
* Limited parking area and small parking lot. I had to double park (park behind another vehicle) just to go in. Another person temporarily parked behind me.
Conclusion: The food was great and I will definitely return. I may consider calling ahead to order the next time to avoid the wait.
Pros:
* The food is delicious 😋. Everything was top notch as far as taste goes 👍🏽👍🏽.
* Prices were reasonable. I paid almost $9 USD for a gyro and 2 pieces of baklava.
Cons:
* Long wait time for takeout. I waited 15 minutes for my meal, but my colleagues waited 20-25 minutes for theirs and we all placed orders inside the restaurant at the same time. To their credit, this place gets crazily busy during lunch time.
* Very small restaurant. The restaurant + waiting area could not be more than 600 square feet.
* Limited parking area and small parking lot. I had to double park (park behind another vehicle) just to go in. Another person temporarily parked behind me.
Conclusion: The food was great and I will definitely return. I may consider calling ahead to order the next time to avoid the wait.