Marietta, OH I am in love with you . . .
As I arrived in Marietta, I stopped at the beautiful structure of the Levee House. The building was erected ca. 1826 and has served as a saloon, hotel, etc. and now serves after its renovation in 1983 as a Cafe.I ordered some pie and the pie was horrible. It must have been frozen and then served to me.
But forget the pie . . . As I sat there I observed the owner Harley Noland who treated his employees like dirt. He corrected them in a way which became embarrassing to those who observed the scenario. I find it humorous that according to a site the Levee House is in the top ten list of restaurants in Ohio. (Was the judge was drunk?? )Although this is a beautiful building I still get cold chills when I think of our visit here (by the way Mr. Owner. . . when you have time take care of the weeds outside of the building, instead of yelling at your employees)
The owner of the Cafe is also the owner of the local Trolley Tours. The tour is actually very interesting ($7.50 +tax for adults) and the city presents herself in her best colors. It was our "luck" that the owner of the Cafe was our tour guide. Although very knowledgeable, the whole presentation was very arrogant . . . In other words, "Don't ask me any questions" and . . . "I am the local homeboy history hero and only I and my opnion(s) are important!"
I suggest to avoid the Cafe, but more important yet . . . avoid the owner!
Here is our rating of the restaurant: (maximum rating in each category ●●●●●)
Food quality and value: ● (money vs. food)
Location: ●●●●
Service: ●●
Atmosphere: ●●●●
Our Rating: ●●3/4
The Lafayette(A Grand Riverboat Era Hotel)
I stayed at the Lafayette Hotel which offered great service and all the employees made you feel welcome. What a relief to having arrived at a place where you were welcome after our experience at the Levee House.
The room was nice and and as always I met great people in the lobby.
Here is our rating of the hotel: (maximum rating in each category ●●●●●)
Room and value: ●●●● (money verses value)
Location: ●●●●
Service: ●●●●●
Atmosphere: ●●●●
Our Rating: ●●●● 1/4
Schafer Leather Store (140 Front Street)
As I stepped out of the Hotel and took a stroll down Main Street, I was invited by the many stores Marietta has to offer. You will find that once you enter any store, smiling, content and happy employees will greet you. Most of them will tell you the story of past floods and stories of old. I don't;t have the time to mention all the stores but the is one store that is truly unique: Schafer Leather Store" (No they do not have a website). This store has a wonderful selection of leather products at very reasonable prices. I purchased a leather riding jacket for around $145.00. Many of us know that the price equals the quality of the leather, but I have been around the block and I will tell you that this quality is tremendous . . . this store is a MUST VISIT!
The Marietta Brewing Company (167 Front Street)
I stopped at The Marietta Brewing Company for dinner. The menu offers everything from a New York Steak to a Beer Battered Fish Sandwich. The service is extremely nice and the atmosphere is contemporary. I had the fortune that the owner was going around to each table, so I had the opportunity to chat with him a little while.
The rebirth of local brewing became reality when the first beer was tapped here in 1997
How the choices of others influence our Life
As I was arriving in the lobby of the hotel I noticed an old friend: Gene from the Barnes and Carson Circus. (You can read all about him, when you read about the Lowe Hotel.
Anyway, as I was sitting in the beautiful lobby I noticed two women. As I found out later it was a mother and daughter who were visiting Marietta. I started talking and our conversations must have lasted for over two hours. The older lady told me a very interesting story. She told me that as she was young she had a fiance. The fiance was called to war to Korea. As he was in the war, she got to know another young man and . . . they got married. She never met her past fiance again.
After years and years, she received a call from a lady who told her on the phone that her ex-fiance had died . . . and she asked the lady why she would call her. The lady's answer was that she had been his wife and she wanted to tell her that he had always carried a picture of her in his billfold . . .
She also told her that he had become an alcoholic. As she was telling the story it again became clear to me how much the choice(s) of other people influence our lives . . . rather then our own choices. Our life is truly guided by the goodness of others or by the corrupt nature of others.
As she finished her story, she asked me:"Do you believe that he became an alcoholic because of me? (that she had married someone else) I did not answer the question, but I noticed how much she withheld her feeling from any further conversation and I could tell that she was ready not to talk about this episode of her life anymore.
They both said "Good Night" and left to go to their rooms.
I spent two days in Marietta and I enjoyed every minute of it There are lots of historic buildings to see, lots of stories to hear, much great food to eat and most of all great people to meet.
Thank you Marietta!
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on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at Tuesday, July 19, 2005.
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