toledo - for a young smart twenties guy (Bowling Green, Wooster: travel, college)

[surfohio]

ok - my pal just moved to toledo
and will be the thru april
he's in his early 20's but old enough to go to bars
he's smart - not a stupid ya-hoo
but open to exploring the city
and interesting stuff it has to offer
coffee shops, eclectic pubs, interesting quirky eating spots
just dont send him way out in the suburbs
or to some place with a bunch of steupid (phonetic spelling) yahoo's
'cause he unfortunatly has to go to school with a bunch of 'em
i know someplaces have to exist - but where?
i want him to enjoy toledo for what it has to offer
pass along your thoughts
(and keep your negativity to yourself)

[Art1979]

Ok, now I don't have a comprehensive list of places, but here's what my friends talk about when they come into town (I'm in my late twenties, so we're all in the same ballpark).

- Headliners - Music Venue
- Mutz - Pub
- The Distillery - Music Venue/Club
- Club Bijou - The Same
- Easy Street Cafe - Restaurant with several imports
- Maumee Bay Brewing Company - Microbrewery/Restaurant. It's one of those whether you really like it or you really don't.
- We walk through the Toledo Zoo from time to time too.
- There are some upper scale restaurants down by the dock's (i.e. The Navy Bistro) if you want to have dinner with people and not be eating a typical meal.
- While it tends to be a heavy meal, Tony Packo's Restaurant does hit the spot from time to time.
- I'm not much for baseball, but you could always catch at game at 5/3 field to see the Toledo Mudhens.

If you want to travel about 20 minutes south to Bowling Green (BG), there are some college bars near BGSU. They're near the intersection of Wooster and Main St. You'll find places like Uptown/Dowton, Sky Bar, Beckett's, etc. (north of Wooster and Main) where the younger twenty-somethings go. This is also where you'll find small, more ecclectic coffee shops like Grounds for Thought (south of Wooster and Main). I've never really searched Toledo for coffee shops and only have found chains like Beaner's and Starbuck's.

Also in BG there's a record store called Finder's, which has a pretty deep catalog of multiple genres of music. I would point you to Madhatter's, but they closed last month.

I did happen across a Toledo nightlife web page called Do Toledo. I'll let you read the rest of it.