Yesterday we shared pizza with our good friend, J. It was pretty great and D. has kindly written the below post for us:

“We love pizza–who doesn’t? You may be surprised to know that up until last night we had yet to try J&G’s pizza. It’s been recommended several times by friends but we just don’t find ourselves in Sylvania often enough. Last night we made an exception, picked up our friend J., and made the short trek to J&G’s for some hot slices. I emphasize the word slices because J&G’s cuts up their pies into small pieces… very small pieces.

The great thing about small pieces is you can try a bunch of different pies without committing to too much pizza. The down-side to small pieces is you can easily lose count and eat way too much pizza.

We’re looking forward to our next visit! The menu offers way more than pizza (like gyros), and the atmosphere is exceptional. Who needs Pizza Hut or Papa John’s when we have locally owned gems like this?”

Not us!

J & G Pizza Palace | 5692 Main St | Sylvania | (419) 882-6061

D. and I pulled the bikes out Friday afternoon and rode downtown. The city was full of activity, including a MudHens game.

We closed the night with a couple manhattans… at Manhattan’s.

Saturday was the second Artomatic 419! weekend for ‘09, so we spent our day with several hundred fellow Toledoans enjoying local visual and performing arts.

Artomatic has been a complete success… so do come out next Saturday for the final day (May 2nd).

Post-Artomatic activities included dinner at the Oliver House, more bike riding, and cocktails with friends on the back patio of Wesley’s.

D. started his Sunday with a visit to the Toledo Bicycle Co-op!

They have a gazillion bikes ready for you to claim and ride away with.

Next up…

The Ice Cream Social!

Thanks to everyone who came out, supported a great local business, and enjoyed some ice cream! I had a really great time celebrating the 1st birthday of this little Toledo blog with all of you.

… and this entirely pleasant dog! An extra special thanks to Marcia and co. at Lickity Split!

A few hours later had us enjoying R.’s birthday BBQ in the Old West End. A popular dish was the red hot sausages, but they frightened me a little so I declined.

All said and done, it was a great Toledo weekend–we have so many more to come!

Manhattan’s | 1516 Adams St | (419) 243-6675

Artomatic 419! | 201 Morris St | 419-254-ARTS (2787)

Wesley’s | 1201 Adams St | (419) 255-3333

Toledo Bicycle CO-OP | 2272 Collingwood (St. Mark’s Episcopalian Church) | (419) 386-6090

Lickity Split | 2021 Glendale Ave | (419) 382-3285

This Saturday was the opening weekend for Artomatic 419! so we spent a good deal of the day at the building looking at the work, listening to performances, and catching up with friends.

This year’s Artomatic 419! location is in the old “Blade Printing Co.” building. This huge space is filled with photography, painting, sculpture and ceramics, along with art cars, performance art, sketch books and installations.

Works are hung salon-style on the walls (many of which were constructed by volunteers in previous weeks). At the end of the day aprox. 1,500 visitors walked through the doors–fantastic turnout! Don’t miss the next Two (2) Saturdays of FREE art and entertainment.

We took a break later in the day for a bite to eat at The Oliver House, next door. The restaurant was quite busy so we ended up sharing our table with E., and his friends P. + B.–which was nice because the conversation was great, as was the food. I ordered an absolutely delicious white pizza and these curious little fried balls of sauerkraut which were great to share with the table.

The night was capped off with cocktails at Wesley’s on the back patio. Happened into a reader that emailed EnjoyingToledo.com last year, while she was still living in New York. And now she lives down the street in the Old West End. Small world!

In closing… Artomatic is great, the white pizza delish, and new friends wonderful.

Artomatic 419! | Two Saturdays remaining: April 25th and May 2nd

The Oliver House | 27 Broadway | (419) 241 – 1253

We had lunch at Gus’s Yum Yum today and D. kindly wrote this post for us:

“You may have driven by Gus’s YUM YUM many times and never considered stopping by. Or you may be one of those sorts that avoids this part of town all together.

If you’re either of these kinds of people, do yourself a favor and have a meal at Gus’s. We’ve been going for years, and while the atmosphere has changed with owners, the food remains fantastic and complete affordable.

The experience is uniquely YUM YUM’s, and the drive to and from is always an adventure.

Just make sure you bring cash (no credit cards) and your appetite!”

Gus’s Yum Yum | 2419 N Summit St | (419) 726-4171

Saturday was the last scheduled day to hang work for Artomatic 419! We spent the afternoon with I-don’t-know-how-many fellow local artists, putting finishing touches on our respective works.

This Saturday the event opens to the public, FREE of charge. It will be the first Saturday of Three (3)–April 18th, 25th, and May 2nd–full of arts and entertainment. Check the online schedule for the poetry, music and dance happenings!

This year Artomatic is downtown, next door to the Oliver House (Maumee Bay Brewing Co.), so you can have dinner and a drink and make a day of it!

Visit Artomatic 419!’s online home here.

You’re invited to the first birthday party for EnjoyingToledo.com—and it’s not a birthday without ice cream so fittingly we are having it at Lickity Split, which happens to be the very first post on Enjoying Toledo. Serendipity!

Event details:
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
2pm -to- 4pm
at Lickity Split
2021 Glendale Avenue
off the Anthony Wayne Trail

I hope you can attend, have some ice cream, and support one of Toledo’s great local businesses in the company of other Toledoans enjoying our city.

To download a PDF of the invite, click here.