Solon Library

We went to the Solon public library yesterday, too, and I got some books on CD's to listen to as we make the long drive home to Indiana and back for Thanksgiving this weekend. They also have a huge selection of music CD's. It's a nice new building, built in 1998.
















The library, rec center, and schools are all centrally located, near S.O.M. Center road and Portz Parkway. Here is the young adult section, which is where we picked up the books on CD. They also have a nice kids' section, but it was really full of little kids yesterday, and I didn't want somebody thinking I was a creepy guy taking photos of the kids.
















Here's an area within the adult fiction section. It was cool that they had the fireplace going. It inspired me to start a fire in our fireplace last night and cook hot dogs with the family.















The librarians are pretty nice, too. They still treat us kindly, even though we have the entire fourth season of Seinfeld on DVD lost somewhere in our house. Overdue charges are currently at $55 on that item. Hopefully it will turn up sometime. With six library cards in our family, it does give us a little flexibility in continuing to get items despite charges on one of the cards. If it gets out of hand, we may need to start inventing new names for our kids and getting additional cards ;) ha, ha, just kidding-- we would not do that.

Solon Rec Center

One of the things that we enjoy most about Solon is the rec center. Amazingly, it is $325 a year for our whole family. We're still pretty amazed at that. My wife and I go there six days a week to exercise, and are very happy with the facility. It's bigger and cleaner than a lot of the fitness clubs that we have belonged to in the past.















Our kids get some good use from the indoor and outdoor pool-- both areas are really great for kids, with zero-depth sections in both areas that make it a great outing even for our littlest one. We've done the rock wall a few times with the kids, too. You can climb four sides with four levels of difficulty. In the photo, you see on the second floor the treadmills and elliptical machines overlooking the rock wall.














The machines are not usually that crowded, but today I couldn't find an elliptical machine that was free so I ran (OK, I walked) around the second floor track that circles the basketball courts. You can see a few walkers / runners in this picture.

Smells of Solon

I once lived in a city where there was an International Flavors and Fragrances factory, and you could sometimes get the smell of artificial cherry in the air, or sometimes a rose scent. It was interesting, but not all that pleasant. In another city, we lived near paper mills, which was not at all pleasant.

When walking out of my office this week, I could smell the Stouffer's plant nearby, and knew that they were making meatloaf. It is kind of an interesting experience to smell meatloaf outside on a cold fall evening, and I actually thought it was quite pleasant. The food smells are not all that common, but I thought it was nice in comparison to some of the other "hometown" smells I've gotten to experience.

Jim's Open Kitchen

Went to Jim's Open Kitchen for breakfast this morning with the boys. It's located at 33779 Aurora Rd., just west of S.O.M. Center Road. We're trying to get some different Solon experiences, and my philosophy is that going to breakfast at a local diner is one of the best ways to get to know a city.
















It's a small diner with 50's decor, and it was quite crowded, but with quick, friendly service. I had corned beef hash with eggs, which I was not all that impressed with. The home fries were very good, though, and prices were quite reasonable.















There was not a lot of standing room, so as we walked out, someone hopped in our booth before the table was even cleared. Most of the people in the diner were seniors, and some had their own "Jim's Open Kitchen" mugs, so I'm guessing that they have a pretty steady group of loyal customers.

Solon Schools are Tops

When we moved into the area, we spent a fair amount of time comparing schools, and ended up believing that education for the kids was more important than the house in our decision-making process. We've liked both, but are really big fans of the Solon school district. The kids are challenged and love their teachers. It has been a real blessing for us, having moved from a place where it was a real difficulty getting a decent public education.

Solon has again in 2007 received very strong Performance Index Scores. They ranked second in the state to Wyoming school district, near Cincinnati (109.3). For the past five years, Solon and Wyoming have held the top scores in the state. Here's how Solon compared to other top Northeast Ohio school districts:

Solon 108.6
Chagrin 108.2
Hudson 107.0
Brecksville 106.9
Kenston 105.7
Bay Village 105.3
Westlake 105.1
Beachwood 105.0
Aurora 104.2

You can get more detailed school results at Great Schools

I found it interesting to see where the Solon H.S. seniors are going for college. Not sure where our kids would end up choosing to go, but I guess they have a few years to think about it. My wife and I are both Purdue grads, but not sure that it makes as much sense to think about out-of-state tuition for five kids.

I think what makes Solon schools so great are a very focused curriculum, with added focus on areas where the school wants to make strides. For instance, two of our children participated in an excellent creative writing camp put on by the schools over the summer. Another key is that there is a high degree of parental involvement, and there seems to be very few issues with classroom discipline.

Overall, we are extremely happy with the experience with the schools here in Solon.

Metroparks beauty in the Fall

One of our favorite things about Solon is the Cleveland Metroparks trails. Especially this time of year it can be very beautiful. With miles of paved trails, they are perfect for biking or walking with the family when you have one who is still in a stroller, like we do.

This picture was taken just south of Aurora road, and is not far from one of the two big sledding hills in Solon.

New fire station

The new fire station on SOM Center and Bainbridge Road is starting to look good. Construction seems to be moving along quickly. If you want the latest view of the construction, you can view the webcam.