This weekend was the much-loved Havana Party thrown each year by our friends, M & K, in The Old West End.

Guests were dressed to the nines!

M & K’s attic is one of my favorite ever! Complete with a full bar, DJ booth, pool table, and even a cute little bathroom! Party revelers enjoyed Cuban cocktails and cigars upstairs…

… and an amazing spread of Latin h’ordeurves on the first floor.

The music was, of course, all Cuban. Spicy, spicy!

And no Havana-themed party would be complete without a few revolutionaries in attendance! Looking forward to the same time next year…

Thanks to A. Dow for some of the fantastic photos above.

My favorite weekend of the year is The Old West End Festival weekend! And to kick it off, our neighborhood hosts the King Wamba Parade. The best way to describe the parade is “eclectic!” I absolutely loved this old car.

For every antique beauty there were equally amazing art cars. I love the tiki wonder pictured above–a creation by OWE resident, Melanie Harris.

Parade watchers were serenaded by The Toledo Glassmen…

… and entertained by the dancing girls (and guys) of JJ Express!

This year’s King Wamba is Michael Szuberla of Toledo Grows and Queen Sancha is Rachel Richardson, activist extraordinaire.

I was most pleased by the visiting Detroit Party Marching Band.

And a party they were!

Great parade, great food, fun parties, golf carts!, and an all around great weekend. I will post video from the entire weekend shortly.

The Toledo Museum of Art hosted a wonderful party in the Peristyle for the Kentucky Derby last week.

There were several local restaurants donating bites to eat and serving up their own versions of the hot brown while mint julips flowed from every crevice–thanks in part to Woodford Reserve Bourbon.

Both women and men were in their Derby Best.

And the hats were breathtaking!

When it was time for the race, a sea of bonnets rushed into the Peristyle.

It was an exciting race. Congrats to “Animal Kingdom!”

As the party began to end many Derby revellers were found on the front steps of our beautiful museum. It was a grand to-do… and one I hope happens again next year.

Toledo Museum of Art | 2445 Monroe Street | (419) 255-8000

I’m a big fan of  Glass City Cafe. I’m also a fan of Old West End Records providing some really great music during their “OWE’ver Easy with Jason Quick & Ben Langlois” brunches! Delicious food + fantastic live music + running into all of our Old West End friends = best brunch ever. In closing, my cheeseburger was perfect.

Glass City Cafe | 1107 Jackson Street | Uptown Toledo | (419) 241-4519

A few weeks ago, on a wonderfully sunny day we took a walk through the Old West End for a visit to the Toledo Museum of Art. I was so happy to get a break from crappy weather that we’ve had and it was nice to see neighbors out and about. We walked through a mix of snow and freshly shoveled sidewalks. At the Museum D. and I enjoyed some great art, including the “Egypt Experience” show which is up for a limited time. While touring the other galleries we caught an impromptu performance by one of the docents on a piano. Later we walked across the street to the Glass Pavilion. Living in the Old West End certainly has some perks but you can enjoy them too. Go visit YOUR museum. It’s free!

Toledo Museum of Art | 2445 Monroe Street | (419) 255-8000