I love the smell of Krylon in the morning. Tagging is my favorite kind of public art: raw, off the…read morecuff, available to anyone with an idea and a can of spray paint. I don't condone writing on private property, but dang it if I don't love to see it. I am probably in the minority with this one. It might be because of where I spent several of my formative years (in gang territory, surrounded by graffiti). So when I visited Wheeling, I made sure to stop and see Mt. Wood Overlook, because it's a little spot in this small West Virginia city that's covered with tags and writing. This place is a hidden gem, especially if you like quirky public art. The space itself looks like it's the cement foundation of a former building, and taggers have just taken over and written all over it. There are drawings and messages (happy birthday wishes, dates of first kisses, angry statements to exes) scrawled over every inch of this place. From the parking lot, you enter on the top floor, then you can take two flights of stairs down into what looks like a castle full of graffiti. It's seedy and creepy, but it's so cool to see what's going on in the minds and hearts of people who stopped by and left a message. There are some trails near the overlook, and just from the look of them, I would not recommend going down them. The trails are littered with spray paint cans and liquor bottles, and I read that this is also a popular spot for drug use, so who the heck knows what you might come across. Mt. Wood Overlook would make an excellent spot for a photo shoot. It's also located across the street from a cemetery! It's an awesome place to feel life breathing off the walls from fresh art, with the background of death looming in the periphery. Whatta place! You gotta visit if you're in the area.

It was a cool artistic place yet at the same time it was very sketchy. Any time you see graffiti…read morethat's what usually gives people first impressions. But this had graffiti all over, that you can step in it and not worry about paint being on your shoes. They have a small parking lot with maybe a few spaces - but there was one scary-looking dude just sitting and chilling in his car looking at everyone -like he was getting ready to snap. But I let it go. I did not go to the lower levels, as I just stayed at the top. The top is where you get a great view of the city of Wheeling. It's very interesting that the city is separated by a mountain. Bring your cameras, folks!

The annual Toughman/Woman contest is once again upon us. By all accounts, it is a seize-the-moment…read moreevent. Come the 14 & 15th of February a select group of young sluggers after 2 nights of Rock Em Sock Em action will be awarded a jacket that denotes, they were crowned this year's 44th single elimination tournament Champion. Writing from past experiences these flying fists are family fan-friendly and will hear the first bell ring on Valentine's evening Competitors who trained to compete inside the 4 ropes did not need a lot of equipment just a set of mitts and maybe a homemade heavy bag. This is reviewed from a long lens I was a cornerman in 1980 at the first tough man later a fan inspector with West Virginia State Atelic Commission.

Hi, my name's Wes. Wes Banco…read more Fit-for-purpose arena in Wheeling that is bigger and newer than I remember it being about 15 years ago when I first came here. They did a good job manufacturing it and I like it a lot, despite having only been here twice and they were more than a decade apart. And the Wheeling Nailers play here. Bob Marley would be proud of the Wheeling Wailers. Oh wait. Well if you want to get nailed, maybe ask the Nailers. So this is an excellent sports team in a small city that deserves a sports team. They get plenty of support from the locals, and if you want to show local pride, come and check out a game and see grassroots sport in America. And it's pretty cheap too.

The Greater Wheeling Trail is also known as the Ohio River Trail. Along with the with the…read moreWheeling Creek Trail, it's part of the Wheeling Heritage Trail System. The Brooke Pioneer Trail connects at its northern end. Using the combination of trails, my husband Rick and I did a 32 mile round trip between Wellsburg and Wheeling. Although the address shown is the parking lot at the southern end of the trail, we connected from the Brooke Pioneer Trail and made our way south. Picking up from where we connected, we continued our way south along the Ohio River. Like the Brooke Pioneer Trail, this path is sandwiched between WV #2 and the river. We continued to enjoy the great river views as we pedaled along. Approaching the north end of Wheeling, we saw a lock and dam. From this point south, the trail became much more urban-like, however it was very well marked and maintained. At this point, Wheeling is very long an narrow because of the topography. We curved a little to the west, temporarily losing the urban feel of the trail as we were in the narrows between the cliffs and the river. Curving again to the south we regained the city atmosphere and had a great view of Wheeling Island. We noticed the tail wasn't as well-marked south of I-70/US-250,but it was still easy to follow. We eventually made our way to the southern terminus & parking lot at 48th Street. We retraced our path north to and we picked up the Wheeling Creek Trail. This trail was built on an old Baltimore & Ohio line and whereas the Ohio River Trail had a city feel to it, the Wheeling Creek Trail was in a park-like setting. The trail didn't parallel the creek in some places--indeed it was adjacent to the interstate in places, but it was still a pleasant, meandering ride towards the eastern edge of the city. The scenic high point was the tunnel near Rock Point Road. After reaching the east end of the trail, we turn around and headed back to Wellsburg. We did every inch of the 32 mile combined trail systems. These trails were an easy ride, paved all the way, and made for a pleaseant day cycling.

Wheeling is poppin' off with the food halls all around town. Centre Market is probably the biggest…read moremarket in the area, but it ain't even the only one. Do West Virginians love their food halls? Maybe so. Centre Market has the famous Coleman's Fish Market, plus a second location of Tito's Sloppy Doggs (called Tito's in the Market House), a cheese shop and Michael's Beef House, home of the original roast beef sandwich. There's a building that's not physically connected but still part of Centre Market, and it houses a coffee shop, a hand-pie bakery, an ice cream shop and an art gallery. This part of Centre Market also has comfy couches and games to play, so if you're looking for an area to hang out and stay a while, this part of Centre Market is your spot. I love a good food hall, and Centre Market is a good place to visit if you're looking to find something to eat but don't know what you want. There's something for everyone here, and it's all local, which is great.

Awww, man, there is so much potential here and I can tell Wheeling is really working hard to…read morerevitalize downtown. On a Thursday afternoon the market area was mostly empty and desolate, but the vendors who were operating were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Makes me sad that Wheeling used to be THE city in which to see and be seen. We bought a few sweets and sausages from local vendors and I am sure I could have spent WAY more money here. The building reminds me of the marketplace in Charleston SC on a much smaller scale. I hope these vendors can make it and I wish them a major boost of life and vitality. Everything about Wheeling: the number of Victorian homes, the historic businesses, and the centre market have so much offer, if only a little love continues to go into downtown.