There was quite a bit of truth when Drew Carey in his hit television show stated that Cleveland Ohio was the greatest place to live. And when the Presidents, an alternative band, decided to make a song, which ultimately became the theme song for the Drew Carey show, 'Cleveland Rocks', the city was undeniably given it's due honor. Even without the star recognition, however, Cleveland will easily win your heart.
My personal experience with Cleveland is my long time love of the Cleveland Indians. I have gone to many games over the years in Cleveland, usually staying overnight and enjoying the city for a few days while I am there. I also lived in Bowling Green, which is not too far away for a period of about two years, so making the trip wasn't all that difficult.
Background Cleveland is nestled on the south shore of Lake Erie. Cleveland extends about 100 miles along the coast of Lake Erie and approximately 40 miles inland. The city itself was founded by General Moses Cleaveland in 1796. The name Cleaveland was changed to Cleveland in 1831 in order to fit the name of the city on the local newspaper. Cleveland is the 16th largest metro area and 30th largest city in the United States with 2.9 million residents in the metro area and 500,000 in the city itself.
Sister Cities Alexandria, Egypt Bangalore, India Brasov, Romania Bratislava, Slovak Republic Cleveland County, England Conarky, Guinea Gdansk, Poland Ibadan, Nigeria Klaipeda, Lithuania Ljubljana, Slovenia Segundo Montes, El Salvador Taipei City, Taiwan Volgograd, Russia
Recognition - Top 10 Travel and Visitor Hotspots - Travel and Leisure Magazine. - Top 10 city for business - Fortune Magazine - #2 for recreation - Places rated Almanac - 1 of 4 Most Livable communities - Partners for Livable Communities. - Top 10 Best Major cities to hike in - USA Today
Education In the Cleveland metro area there are nearly 150,000 students, attending one of the 21 colleges in the metro area. Cleveland's public school system has won countless national and international awards for education, standards, and performance throughout the years.
Famous People Cleveland has had numerous celebrities that call it home. Some of them include:
- Halle Berry (born August 15, 1968) – From Movies Bullworth, Monster's Ball, and Swordfish to name a few. - Drew Carey (born May 23, 1958) - Known for Drew Carey Show and Who's Line is it Anyway. - Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1955) - Very first black talk show host. -Don King Extremely powerful boxing promotor, having rights to most of the professional boxers. - Molly Shannon (born September 15, 1965) Most known for her appearances on SNL and in the movie Superstar. - Wes Craven, Famous for his horror movies, including Wishmaster, one of my favorites. - Steve Harvey, One of the Original Kings of Comedy
Entertainment While there is an extreme wealth of entertainment options in Cleveland, I am going to highlight only a few. These that I highlight are my own personal recommendations, however, there are many more great attractions to see in Cleveland beyond these.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
One Key Plaza Cleveland, Ohio 44114 (East Ninth Street at Lake Erie)
Museum Offices: (216) 781-ROCK
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily (open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays)
Admission: Adults: $20.00 Seniors (60+): $14.00 Children ages 9-12: $11.00 Children 8 & under: FREE
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is probably one of the most entertaining places to visit, whether you are a die hard fan of Rock or just an unfortunate individual that is dragged along. I personally am not a huge fan of the classics, but I found that the museum was just amazing. They have collections that include childhood report cards, original guitars, hand written lyrics, mouth pieces, and some of the strangest items you wouldn't expect to find. While the price is somewhat high for a family vacation, it is truly entertaining for all ages.
I would recommend visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on a full day. There's so much to see, that you will be there for a good portion of the day, so plan accordingly.
The last time I went to the Rock and Roll hall of fame, my dad was dead set on getting a picture of the Ted Nugent collection. The only problem was at that time they weren't allowing pictures to be taken. So his plan was to wait until there was no one around and snap a quick picture. Every time he got close, someone would see him with his camera and would tell him to put it away until the very last time, he just said, screw it, took the picture, they took the camera, and we got it back before we left. He got his picture, unfortunately it's extremely blurry thanks to the glare on the display case. -------------------- Great Lakes Science Center
601 Erieside Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Science Center Office: (216) 694-2000
9:30am - 5:30pm Daily
Admission: Note: Prices include exhibits/Omnimax theater, prices lower for just exhibits or just theater Adult $12.95 Senior (65 & over) $10.95 Youth (3 - 17) $8.95 Military Discount (Adult)$11.50 Military Discount (Youth 3-17)$8.75
The Science Center is broken up into two sections, exhibits, and the Omnimax Theater. The exhibits are broken into four areas:
Science Phenomena Floor - Here you get to see many different phenomenas, such as tornados. In here, a tornado is completely recreated, so that you can see it up close in personal.
Regional Technology Floor - Here you get the opportunity to see technology in action. You are even able to pilot a blimp in a controlled environment.
Environment Floor - Features exhibits such as Sick Earth, which was created to help raise awareness of the problems of the earth in a creative and fun way, including bandaids on the rainforest and get well cards from other planets. It is a very fun area to go for all ages.
Demonstrations and Features area - The Science Center uses this area to give live demonstrations, that are usually interactive in nature. All demonstrations are given to be entertaining and inform at the same time.
Omnimax theater - The omnimax theater is a massive theater, where screens go all around you, above, in front, to the right, to the left. It is intended to give you a 3D viewing that makes you feel as if you are part of the movie. The movies are constantly changing and regardless of the topic, they are a lot of fun for any age group and make you feel like you are part of the action. The theater is also well equipped to handle handicapped partons.
The Omnimax is pretty much the only reason that I go to the Science Center. I really enjoy watching the massive screen movies that totally encompass the entire room. They make the experience that much more. ---------------- Cleveland Playhouse
8500 Euclid Avenue Cleveland OH 44106
Contact: (800) 278-1274
Call for showtimes and hours of operation
Admission: $20-$40 Depends upon show. Call for pricing.
Featured Shows: Tuesdays with Morrie: Based on the popular story. Morrie is an old college professor who is about to die, but he doesn't know exactly when. One of his old students, Mitch, meets with Morrie every Tuesday for his "final" class, not knowing when the last Tuesday will be. This is a story about life and the lessons learned.
The Piano Lesson: A dispute between two siblings over a family heirloom, turns into a great story about family and our past.
Rounding Third: A great story about two little league coaches that have two completely different philosophies on the game. This comedy explores how these two interact as coaches, as men, and as parents.
Restoring the Sun: Two scientists try to find a way to solve the world's energy problems by throwing out everything that they know. A metaphor for how our current society operates.
Bad Dates: A Comedy about a single mother that jumps back into the dating scene after a long time away. The main character finds herself in trouble with the law when she gets involved unknowingly with the Romanian Mob.
While I don't generally recommend going to the Playhouse for anyone middle school age or younger, as the shows would be somewhat boring to younger children, it can be quite entertaining for those in high school and older. They offer a good variety of show types, in order to entertain all types of people. I recommend planning ahead and reserving tickets prior to showtime as they tend to sell out at times.
I had a lot of fun at Tuesdays with Morrie, however I really thought the book was excellent and the movie, of course. If you go, I definitely recommend that everyone see that. But if you're looking for something a little more humorous Bad Dates is my wife's favorite. ------------------ Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Boulevard Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Ticket center/information: 1-888-CMA-0033
Call for pricing and hours of operation.
Museum Collections Africa Ancient & Islamic Art of the Americas Asian Art Contemporary Art Decorative Arts & Sculpture Medieval & Armor Court Painting Photography Prints & Drawings Textiles
The Cleveland Museum of Art features sculptures, paintings, woodwork, tools, and all sorts of items from many different cultures from Africa, to Islam, to Asia. This is probably one of the more complete collections that I have seen, allowing you to get a great overall experience from a large variety of artists, styles, timelines, and cultures.
While I don't normally recommend this for younger children, I think that the learning experience and exposure to art is important and worthwhile for any age that is old enough to understand art. As a parent, I assume you know whether or not your children would be receptive to such exposure given their age and personality.
For those that are lovers of art, this is a great well rounded museum, however, you will most likely not be overly impressed by the works, as many are cultural pieces, not just those of famous artists. However, if you are into the history and development of art and peoples, then the exhibits will still be quite exciting.
This is another place that is a must see. Last time we went, I remember the room of Africa, my little brother wasn't paying attention and tripped over his shoelace that I kept telling him to tie, and almost went right into this statue of a lion taking down an antelope. I can only imagine how much that would have cost us. ---------------------- Cleveland Metro Parks Zoo
3900 Wildlife Way Cleveland, OH 44109
Contact: 216-661-6500
Hours of Operation: Daily: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Gate Opens 9:30 am
General Admission: Adults (12 & older) $6 Children (2-11) $4 Under 2 FREE
Parking: Free
The Cleveland Metro-Parks Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the country and home to a large variety of animals. They offer everything from a botanical garden, which allows you to interact with different species of butterflies and see a large variety of exotic plants. They also feature the world's large primate exhibit with 600 different species represented and approximately 3000 inhabitants. All of the standard animals are represented such as rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and many of the larger animals. They also have a large aquarium area, featuring thousands of different saltwater and freshwater creatures from crocodiles, to stingrays, to fish and turtles.
The park also has a train to take you from one side of the park to the other, just in case you or your children are too tired to make the trek back to the gates.
This is probably in my opinion one of the best parks outside of the California zoo that I went to this summer. It has a lot of animals, in their own natural recreated environments, and you can actually see active animals at any time of the day. My personal recommendation is to beat the crowds and going during the week, early in the morning. This way you will be able to see the entire park, without having to fight to get a good view at each exhibit.
You will want to check with park rules regarding what you can and can't bring into the park, as there are many items they don't allow for the safety of animals. One such item that I know of are 6 packs, because of the plastic that can get into the exhibits and get stuck on the animals and potentially harm them. So make sure to check with the park before going, so you don't run into problems at the gate. Also remember sun tan lotion, last time I went, I was burnt severely!
If you get the chance, check out the Spider Monkies and the Howler Monkies. The open enclosure allows you to be able to make noises at them and they'll respond. Everytime I go, I try to mimic the howler monkies and sometimes they will all get going and that's when it's time to leave.
Nightlife Club Mega
1800 Scranton Road Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 579-4900
Hours of Operation: Fridays - Latin Night 10:00 PM - 2:30 AM
Saturdays Z-107.9 FM LIVE Broadcast Hip Hop - R&B Music 10:00 PM - 2:30 AM
AGES: Women: 19 and up Men: 21 and up
Cover: $5 men, Free for ladies
Drinks: $3 wells, assorted liquors
Club Mega has a good variety of ages and people. It's a very friendly club for men and women. While there are generally more men than women, the lower age limit for women, allows quite a few more people into the club that normally wouldn't be allowed in, which helps out the male/female ratio substantially. The music played is generally the latest in Hip Hop and R&B, however, they do have a latin night as well. Alcohol is available. Remember to dress to impress.
I don't personally like latin night, which is when we went, but the club is pretty popular and a lot of fun. Even though I didn't care for the music, me and my wife still had a blast, unfortunately I am not that good at Salsa dancing yet. ------------------------- Rhythm Room
2140 S. Taylor Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 321-4073
Hours of Operation: 9PM-2:30AM Daily
Music: - Dance - DJ - Hip-hop/rap/funk - House/techno - Live music - Lounge - Reggae - Rock/pop
AGES 21 and UP
Cover: $5
Drinks: $3 wells, assorted liquors
Really cool club, featuring a lot of different styles of music to fit anyone's taste. This is generally younger crowd sort of club. The club is packed on the weekends wall to wall with 20 somethings looking for a late night hookup. The Dance floor is insane and crowded, but it's always a good time. Excellent place to meet and greet.
This club is a lot more my flavor with the top 20 rap and r&b that I crave. While I complained about drink prices all night, my wife and I had a great time, unfortunately we lost track of time and missed the last bus home, but that $25 taxi ride was great too.
Restaurants While there are a multitude of great restaurants in Cleveland, these are my favorites overall. Others that I recommend include: Mallorca, Metropolitan Cafe, Sans Souci, and the Waterstreet Grill.
Blake's Seafood Grill
17 River St Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Phone: (440) 893-9910
Hours of Operation: Dinner: Mon-Thurs 5:00pm-10:00pm Fri & Sat 5:00pm-11:00pm Sun 4:00pm-9:00pm Bar: daily 4:45pm
Cuisine: Seafood and Steak
Style of Dining: Upscale - Business attire, or moderate dress attire recommended.
Prices: Prices average around $17-$30 per plate.
Portions: Portion sizes are more than adequate, however, if you enjoy bringing home food, there's not a lot left by the time you are finished eating.
Menu Items: Caribbean Snapper, Grouper, Sea Scallops, Salmon, Swordfish, Halibut, Crab, Lobster. Features pretty much any seafood or steak that you would associate with a major seafood or steak restaurant.
The food here is extremely delicious and juicy. Presentation is nice, with most of the attention given to the flavor of the food itself. I personally recommend the Caribbean Snapper myself, however, I haven't tried much else besides that. The price for the snapper is about $20/ plate and comes with a dinner salad with your choice of homemade dressing.
The steaks here are aged to 28 days for extremely deep flavor. All steaks are cooked with wood-grilled vegetables and garlic flavored mashed potatoes.
I would recommend this resturant for anniversaries, weddings, dates, business but not so much for casual dining as it is a little too upscale for day to day dining. I would strongly suggest making advance reservations as there is often times a wait during standard dinner hours. ------------------- La Dolce Vita
12112 Mayfield Rd Cleveland, OH 44106
Phone: (216) 721-8155
Hours of Operation: Dinner: Mon-Thurs 5:30pm-11:00pm Fri & Sat 5:00pm-1:00am Sun 4:00pm-10:00pm
Cuisine: Italian
Style of Dining: Casual. While this is more of a casual environment, I would recommend dressing up somewhat as most that dine here do.
Prices: Prices average around $10-$15 per plate.
Portions: Portions sizes are excellent. There's plenty of food to eat while in the restaurant and plenty of food to take home to eat later.
Menu Items: While they serve some of the best specialty pizzas that I have ever eaten, they are most known for their pasta. Saffron Primavera and Clams Tarantino are a couple of my favorite menu items. I am also a huge fan of their calamari, which has a great spice and flavoring blend that is rarely matched. They offer a great variety of different styles of pastas with multiple types of sauces. If you are more into chicken, veal, and other meats, they also have quite a large selection of meaty meals, which not only smell great but taste absolutely delicious.
This is probably my favorite family style restaurant in Cleveland as the food is great, the prices are very good, and the portions are perfect. Not to mention the menu has enough variety for even the most picky of eaters, including young children.
Shopping The Avenue at Tower City Center
1100 Terminal Tower 50 Public Square Cleveland, OH 44113
Contact: (216) 621-6060
Mon - Sat 10am-8pm Sun Noon - 6pm
Feature Stores: Abercrombie and Fitch, Ann Taylor, American Greetings, Bath and Body Works, Charlotte Russe, Footlocker, FYE, Gap, Lane Bryant, Nine West, Payless, Rave, and White Barn Candle Company.
Unique Stores: The Land of Sordor, Italian Jewelry, Godiva Chocolatier, Desiger Perfumes, Christmas Corner, Bellastanza Interiors, and Brick City Airbrush and Design.
The Avenue is a fairly large upscale mall, featuring many of the national brand companies that we are familiar with along with smaller companies, that feature items that are fairly unique and hard to find. While I don't recommend this mall if you are looking to find Cleveland flare or things that you wouldn't normally be able to find in your own mall, it's a great mall to get anything you would normally desire from a mall.
The food court at this mall is quite substantial, featuring a pleathora of sitdown eating establishments as well as fast food, such as Arby's, Subway, Sbarro, and the likes.
Hotels As I have only stayed at one hotel in the Cleveland area, since I generally stay with my friends, I have decided to review that one hotel, which was just amazing. There are a great deal of hotels in the area, low end to high end, it is recommended that you look around. This one however, is a great choice, at a fairly decent nightly rate.
Services: 24-hour Front Desk Currency exchange Laundry service Gift shop Valet car parking 24-hour Room Service
Features: -Color TV with remote control -Selection of pay movies -Sony PlayStation -Internet access -Dual-line phone with dataport for computer use -Remote operation voicemail -Terry bathrobes and toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, shower gel) -Full-size ironing board with steam iron -Hairdryer -Clock radio -Daily newspaper delivery
Overall: I feel that this is one of the nicest hotels in the area. They have quite a few amenities, the service is excellent, and the rooms are spacious. I feel for the price, these are some of the best rooms around. Great hotel for business travellers, families, and visitors alike.
Travel Cleveland offers all of the general means of travel throughout the city, with a large number of city taxi's, a public bus system, and trollies in some areas. If you would like more information about the transportation system in the area, I would recommend going to the Greater Cleveland Transit Authoritie's website: http://www.gcrta.org/
Sports Cleveland Browns - While the Browns haven't exactly had the best season, sitting at only .200 as of the time of this review, the Browns have an extremely rich history and dedicated fan base, which is probably why all of their wins this season have come at home. Led by Jeff Garcia, the team will hopefully pull out of this slump and be able to make a complete turnaround for next season, with the help of players such as Suggs, Green, Northcutt, and Bryant. Time will only tell.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Probably the most exciting Cleveland team currently, the Cavaliers, led by star player Lebron James, once a rookie of the year. They are currently the leader in the Central Division and will definitely be a team to beat in the 2005 Playoffs. James, has been compared to the great Michael Jordan on many occasions, and has an opportunity to have an amazing season in which he could have a triple-double season. That would definitely be one amazing accomplishment. Other team players include Ilgauskas, and one of my favorite college players, "The Tractor" Traylor... This is definitely a team to watch, and James is definitely the player to watch in years to come.
Cleveland Indians - While the Indians, didn't have the best, nor the worst season ever last year, ending just below .500, the Indians, definitely showed that they are poised to have a great season, with some minor acquisitions. With hopes of picking up Pitcher Millwood from the Phillies, the Indians are making strides in the right direction. This could potentially be a playoff contender in years to come.
Safety While generally large cities are commonly associated with crime, I think that overall Cleveland has done an excellent job with it's enforcement of laws. While I still don't suggest walking around the streets alone at night, most major areas of the city, are well patrolled and safe enough that you should feel more than at ease, regardless of who you are.
Overall Overall Cleveland is a great place to bring your family. They offer everything from museums, to art galleries, zoos, play houses, shopping opportunities, and so much more. While there is a lot that I was unable to highlight in this review, I strongly recommend going to Cleveland and checking out many of the items that I did highlight.
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