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This place was steeped in mystery before I ever set foot inside. It's perched in a part of town that was unfamiliar to me as a child. My family is actually from nearby Tremont, but that was a long time ago. They didn't see fit to show us Tremont, Duck Island, and Ohio City during my childhood.
Unbeknownst to me, it was an interesting part of town that was in the early throws of gentrification in those days. This mysterious speakeasy was just beyond the comfortable environs of the Flats and Downtown--the places I had come to know well in the 80s and early 90s as a suburban youth from faraway Akron visiting Mayor Mike White's new Cleveland.
Flash forward to the late 90s--I was now outgrowing my world. College does funny things. Even if I didn't go away for school, my territory seemed to broaden with every new friend, each new experience. One day I took a trip to Cleveland to stay with one of my new college friends. He grew up in the very area that my family chose to avoid, despite their rich history and deep roots in the neighborhood.
I went by way of 90 to West 41st. It was dark and not much was seeable as I drove down Fulton and onto Munroe. I could make out the old Craftsman homes and a modest graveyard. The occasion that night was a house party at his mom's house. Neighbors trickled in from Munroe to join the college friends for a night of vinyl and cheap beer. After a some sleep, we ventured out the next day in the car.
Ohio City unfolded in front of me on a morning ride through the Market District. A beautiful, sunny weekend morning. People were everywhere. Can you stop for a moment and image my surprise. For all of those childhood trips to Cleveland, I was just moments away. I had even crossed 25th at Detroit numerous times.
My friend, the native Ohio Citian, played tour guide and showed us all of the connections from the familiar West bank of the Flats to Ohio City, Tremont, and Duck Island. It was a day of up-and-down trips. (I recreated this journey many times after moving there). The ride finished with a lightning charge over the Columbus Street Bridge, up the hill, and over Abbey Avenue.
When we came to the top, my friend from Ohio City pointed out the most nondescript place I've ever seen and told me that all the "high rollers" in town go there for cocktails. We were college freshman and sophomores then, anyone with a car payment was probably a high roller. But I had to know more. Why is this place not downtown in a nice building? A little perplexing for my understanding in those days.
I thought I should run this one by my mom, given her ties to the area. She wasn't crazy about my adventure. It was still too far outside of what was considered the moderate risk zone. But she was excited to tell me about how her cousin's husband frequented the Velvet Tango Room all the time. This intrigued me because we thought of him as "Mr. Cleveland." He wrote a neat little book about his adventures in the city that I would read a year later.
So, I sat with a heavy heart for many years because I thought the Velvet Tango Room was too exclusive and too expensive for me to set foot inside. I spent my post college/post war years frequenting every bar within a stone's throw of that mysterious white building. Anyone who lives in the area has to pass by the Velvet Tango Room a million times every year. Duck Island, where it sits, is like a mini thoroughfare connecting Tremont, Ohio City, the Flats, Downtown, and point South, a modest white gatehouse at this great American intersection.
I think I got off track. Anyhow, you should not wait like I did to go to this landmark.
Are the drinks expensive? Yeah, it's the Velvet Tango Room, cheapskate. Pony up.
Is this a place for pretentious people. NO! This is where random folks will strike up the best conversation you've had in a while. Why is that? This place requires patience. Friendly people have it. Takes about a half hour for them to serve your handcrafted drink order, unless you call the order in ahead of time. Don't bother with that, though. Just walk in and strike up conversation.
Well worth the wait.
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