Well, as it turned out, with all the short stops along the route, (US Hwy 52 to OH Hwy 7 along the Ohio River), I misjudged the time it would take to get to Marietta Ohio. That meant that by the time we arrived in town, it was getting too late to do much shopping. Worse than that, I would have received several demerits if Laurie didn't get to shop in her favorite store in Marietta.
We had stopped in Marietta once or twice before when David II, Amy and the grandsons lived in the Cleveland area. She loves kitchen related retailers and she had discovered The Cook's Shop at 180 Front Street. Would the store be open when we arrived? It had been several years since we visited Marietta so would the store still offer the variety of items that it had previously?
It turned out well for me...and for Laurie! The shop was still open and it still carried a huge variety of serious kitchen related items plus a plethora of gadgets related to food preparation, serving and dining.
Laurie scored with 6 different items in her shopping bag...and I avoided censure or worse. Plus the folks running the store have a 'house dog', and they were friendly and helpful. Since it was a Saturday, the timing had been critical as although we had another full day planned in Marietta, most stores, including The Cook's Shop, would be closed. Did you notice those floors? They are original to this building which was constructed in the late 1800s.
The Cook's Shop is located at 180 Front Street in Marietta Ohio. Phone: 740-538-6003. Website: www.TheCooksShop.com. Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCooksShop.
The structure at the right of this photo is historically known as the Marietta Register Building. Former home of the Marietta Register Newspaper, (1862 - 1906), it was completed in 1888. The right side of the structure (175 Front Street) is now home to Marietta Makery - Functional Art and Design. A very nice apartment upstairs can be leased for $1,145 per month. The left portion of the building is home to Print With Me...Print Kiosk at Jeremiah's Coffee Shop and there is an apartment above that retail establishment as well...
That red brick building at the left dates back to roughly the same period...the late 1880s. That symbol above the door is for Moose Lodge #1823 and that building at 173 Front Street has been 'wedded' with or incorporated into a much newer structure at its left, the Marietta Moose Family Center at 169/171 Front Street. In the late 1890s, 173 Front Street was home to a retailer, W.A. Sniffen, Hatter and Gents Furnished Goods. During some later period, it was occupied by the Salvation Army.
It was very near this point at the foot of Front Street in Marietta, where the French hero of the American Revolutionary War, the Marquess de Lafayette, landed in May of 1825, during his triumphal one and a half year tour of the United States. The bridge over the Ohio River is called the Williamstown Bridge, connecting Marietta with Williamstown West Virginia.
Speaking of the Marquess de Lafayette, this is the Lafayette Hotel, the oldest hotel in Marietta Ohio. An earlier hotel, The Bellevue Hotel, was built here in 1892. Four stories tall, it had 55 steam heated rooms, a call bell system in every room and it advertised both hot and cold baths...all for between $2.00 and $3.00 per night.
Unfortunately, the old hotel as shown above was destroyed by a fire in the spring of 1916. The Lafayette Hotel was built on the same site and it opened in 1918...with an expansion completed in 1936. For those of us of a certain age, guests at the hotel have included Pat Paulson and Charles Kuralt. The hotel is considered to be one of the most haunted in Ohio. The "Paranormal Quest" team visited, explored the possibilities, and filmed a TV show at the Lafayette Hotel back in 2019.
To learn more about staying at the Lafayette Hotel, just go to https://lafayettehotel.com/.
After shopping and wandering around downtown Marietta, it was time for dinner. We decided on Boathouse BBQ for a couple of reasons. It was a very casual venue, it is a popular local joint/dive and it's situated right on the Ohio River.
The bar at Boathouse BBQ was busy. Loved the solid slab bar top!
Almost no one was dining in the enclosed dining room. It was just too nice outside even for yours truly. I normally don't like eating outdoors...bugs, wind, sunshine on my bald head, etc.
Yes, patio dining on the river! None of these tables were available when we arrived but since the section we were seated in had collapsible windows, our view was comparable to the second photo shown above. No wind and almost no bugs...combined with early evening light on the Ohio River.
Here's another look upriver in the direction of downtown Marietta and the Williamstown Bridge. Very calming indeed...
We also had some river traffic going by...and I love boats almost as much as I do automobiles and airplanes! Nice night for a cruise! I do like the old time look when it comes to yachts and cabin cruisers. The sleek new style streamlined boats that some folks love just don't look relaxing to us.
Laurie ordered a Vodka and Tonic with Tito's Vodka...more reasonable than usual at $7.00. They she chose BBQ Pork Ribs with one side...she chose cottage cheese. ($14.49) As I calculated, she couldn't finish her ribs so I had a nice portion of ribs to back up my fried fish. The ribs were pretty decent too!
The menu is more expansive than you might think and it offers a few items that one doesn't normally see in a casual setting in the middle of the USA. To learn more about Boathouse BBQ and to view their menu, go to https://boathousemarietta.com/#.
As the sun started setting this large grouping of river barges appeared upriver coming from under the bridge. As it moved toward us, we chatted with a friendly and attractive young couple. He was a professional dog trainer and she was studying to be a veterinarian. Later we noted that most young couples barely notice 'older' folks but that these young professional couple were the exception.
The towboat/pusher moving all those barges downriver was the M/V Ms. Nicole. She has been around for quite a while. The twin screw push boat was built in 1975 by Modern Marine Power Inc. in Houma Louisiana. She has had several names during her time on the rivers, including the "Ricky James", "Capt. John H. Palmer", "R.L. Shipley", "Clay Griffin", "Henry Soudelier" and "Mike Kennelly". Apparently she was renamed the "Ms. Nicole" after she was purchased yet again...
That's about it for now. Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Kitchen shops are one of the few stores that I like browsing in. Looks like a great place to eat overlooking the river.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of the floor (I guess they are real wood) must be amazing otherwise they wouldn't have lasted until these days. You two are always on the road and don't cook much, why does Laurie need so much kitchen stuff? Why do all the ships have a name but not all the autos?
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots of the river, and the town! It's hard to believe that much of our commerce used to rely upon rivers for transport...back before interstates and semi trucks! A bit before my time.
ReplyDelete