Best cafe/walking areas in Ottawa Hills? (Toledo, Perrysburg: rental, houses)

[diaphon2]

My wife and I are moving to Toledo in a few weeks, and we're looking to rent a house in Ottawa Hills (as it sounds a nice area and is close to UT). From reading these forums, though, it sounds like there are some areas near Ottawa Hills that may not be so great; could anyone give more details of which parts of Ottawa Hills are nice and which are to be avoided?

We'd love to live on a quiet street with small, quaint houses in walking distance of a park and cafés. How close can we come in Ottawa Hills, and where can we find good rental listings?

Thanks for any help!

[lasvegasfanforever]

are you moving to toledo are you nuts you are going to have a wake up call.if you want a cafe you be better off living in los angeles or some place warmer good luck living here you will need it.

[vroomster]

Don't listen to lasvegasfan.

All of Ottawa Hills is nice, but then it's only a few square miles in size. Most of it very nice compared to much of Toledo and that's partly why it is its own village... an upscale enclave only a couple miles from the 'hood.

The areas near the village that you want to be 'aware of' but not necessarily fearful of traversing are probably anything south of Dorr Street and east of Byrne. It doesn't really start to get 'hood' til you go east of Parkside and that's at least a couple miles away. OH itself is pretty 'insulated'.

You won't find streetside cafes in abundance like in LA or Paris. And Ottawa Hills doesn't even have much of a business district - aside from a handful of shops and a gas station around Central & Talmadge.

Westgate (at Central & Secor) has a Chipotle, Barry Bagels, Starbucks and Fresh Market. Farther down Central, there's a local coffee shop. Farther up Secor is Marie's Scrambler (formerly known as Cafe Marie). There's also a coffee shop on Secor across from UT.

The Hike-Bike trail runs through the village right by the UT campus, and Wildwood Metropark is across the street from OH's Hasty Hills neighborhood.

[lastonestanding]

Agree Lasvegasfan is alittle to the extreme, your not going to have a wake up call at all... In my opinion there are no parts of Ottawa Hills that needs to be avoided, but again that is my opinion. Ottawa Hills is a very affluent village/suburb that is primarily quiet and safe. However I do agree with vroomster, there aren't too many areas in Ohio especially in metro Toledo that are comparable to San Francisco, LA, Boston, or Chicago when it comes to streets filled with cafe's, parks, and restaurants, but we do have Levis Commons, although it is in Perrysburg and that is no where near Ottawa Hills, but you might find Westfield Shoppingtown a nice fit for you. Its not far from Ottawa Hills at all. I would come for a visit first and see if Ottawa Hills interest you. Also keep in mind the further east you go into town, the more your in areas that should be avoided.

[fishnfool]

Ottawa hills is almost completely residential. You won't find too many small quaint homes either....it's affluent and mostly larger homes. Toledo, and it's surrounding (or in OH's case...enclosed) towns are simply not walking friendly. Be prepared to drive wherever you want to go unless you really enjoy riding your bike. The bike trail is very nice.

[diaphon2]

Thanks for all of the very helpful replies! Knowing the boundaries of the neighborhood helps a lot. In fact, we don't need lots of street cafés -- just one cosy spot where we can get a coffee. It sounds like there are a few options, so that's great. And the bike trail sounds PERFECT, we're both avid cyclists and I'll really look forward to that.