I  may be visiting Toledo in March (rendezvous with my folks) and plan on staying downtown. I want to do some local Toledo-esque things and prefer to patronize locally owned places or places that are part of the local scene and local urban culture....

 

1. I'm very interested in live music for night time fun, so am wondering if there are any live music venues downtown and in nearby neighborhoods. I tend to like singer-songwriter performers...more of the folk or folk-rock side, and alternative/indy rock, and bluegrass?  I think the Vistula area was mentioned for this...any particular places:

 

2. I'm interested in any local coffehouses or coffee shops that are either downtown or in the city, for some latte or cappucino?

 

3. A good place to get postcards &/or notecards?

 

4. A good, old-time downtown bar or tavern that is patronized by the locals?

 

5. Polish stuff. I know LaGrange Avenue used to be the "Polish Corridor", and am wondering if there are any good food places..groceries, bakeries or restaurants...in that area or elsewhere in Toledo...I did go to one on Lagrange but was wondering about others...

 

7. Other ethnic foods. I think there was a Hungarian area in town at one time, so would like some recommendations on neighborhoods, restaurants, and groceries or bakeries, same as the Poes.  Not just Tony Packos..other places...

 

5. Finally, German Stuff!!!  The reason I am going!    I am going to an event (maybe) with my folks at the German music society, possibly at Oak Shade Grove (?) in Oregon (??) but was wondering if there are any other German places, as in a good German restaurant or deli. 

 

A related question, and this is just a historical one, is where the old German neighborhood was located? Esp. if there are any old Catholic or Protestant churches associated with this historic German community.  I want to do a bit of hertiage tourism and take my folks on a windshield tour of what was the old German neighborhood...assuming there was one like there was in Cols, Dayton, and Cincy.

 

 

I can't help you with Toledo (CDawg, westerninterloper, or Noozer can probably help) but I will say that a side trip to Grand Rapids, Ohio may be worth it for an out-of-the-way-yet-on-the-way trip.