I'll be visiting Cleveland from Thursday to Sunday this week, and I was hoping to run a couple of my ideas for what to do by you guys.  I'd also appreciate any other suggestions for places to go, things to see, neighborhoods to explore, etc.

 

I get in on the bus around Thursday at noon. I'm staying at the Westin downtown, so I was thinking I would explore downtown on foot, and then take the Red Line to Ohio City, and then walk around and explore that neighborhood.  I know about the West Side Market, but what other streets should I try to see? Any areas to avoid?  I'm getting dinner with my sister and her friend that night (friend is a native, my sister is living there while interning in Cleveland this summer), and I think she mentioned going to somewhere on E 4th.

 

Friday I am thinking about taking the Health Line BRT out to University Circle.  I want to explore the area, maybe walk around Case Western, and then go to the art museum. I'm planning on taking a couple hours there, and I've heard that the cafe is good, so I was thinking about getting lunch and eating it in the glass canopy atrium.  I stumbled upon the Western Reserve museum on Trip Advisor, and now I'm considering going to that while I'm in the neighborhood.  Is it worth it? I love the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati history museums, as I feel like they both give visitors a better understanding of the city.  Is the Western Reserve in that same vein? I'm not a huge car guy, and it looks like that is a large part of the collection...

 

I would also really love to get out to Shaker Square and see some of the more vibrant neighborhoods out that direction.  Any advice for commercial districts to see, neighborhoods to explore, etc? I love neighborhoods with large older homes. I've gotten the impression that Shaker Heights is kind of like Cincinnati's Hyde Park, so I feel like I would enjoy walking around there.  How would I get to these areas from University Circle? I know I can take the train from Shaker Square back to downtown, and that's probably what I'd like to do.  I'll be eating downtown again that night.

 

My parents are coming to meet me on Friday night, so Saturday will be more up to what they want to do.  I know my mom wants to go to the WSM on Saturday morning, and I think we will probably go to the Rock and Roll HOF Saturday afternoon.  We have a reservation at some place in Little Italy Saturday night, and I think we will head over early to check out the neighborhood.  My dad comes from an Italian family in Pittsburgh, and I know he's particularly excited about visiting Cleveland's Little Italy.  Any recommendations for a good bakery, particularly one that has good canoli?

 

Sunday we are going to the Indians game and then will be heading out to go back to Cincy.  My sister has been staying with her friend in Chagrin Falls this summer, and I think she wants to show us around there at some point this weekend too.  Maybe either Sunday morning before the game or Saturday afternoon. 

Presti's and Corbo's for bakery in L.I.

 

It sounds like you have your trip pretty well mapped out. I think Shaker is way too big to walk around but I'm not as familiar with it as others here. It might be good to bike around but walking seems like it would take forever if you want to actually see any of it. Shaker SQUARE you can walk around, but the Heights itself would be a lot to traverse on foot.

 

I do recommend Provence at the art museum for your lunch, good choice. I can't advise about most of the rest of your questions but hope you have a wonderful trip!

Beyond what you listed.....

 

Edgewater Park (the beach/park to the west of downtown)

 

Coventry (Cleveland Heights, near Little Italy)

 

Gordon Square Arts District (west of downtown, beyond OC)

 

 

Lake View Cemetery is another cool place to check out, it's right up the hill from Little Italy.

I'm glad to hear you're coming up for a visit on the North Coast, edale[/member]. You seem to have a good itinerary already.

 

Ohio City:

Sounds like you're going to the WSM on Saturday, which is good, because they won't be open when you head to Ohio City on Thursday. There are quite a few bars, breweries, restaurants, and other various shops on West 25th Street, and there are a few places further down on Lorain Ave (I'm a big fan of Platform Brewing Co.). We're still awaiting a Lorain Ave. streetscape makeover, so the walk from W. 25th down Lorain won't be super pleasant, but it's doable. Check out renting a Zagster bike as that would allow you to get around Ohio City easily, as well as get to Gordon Square and Tremont. Gordon Square is also just up the bluff from Edgewater Park. Those would be the other two areas worth exploring. It's $3/hour to rent the bikes and you can access them through their mobile app.

 

University Circle:

The Art Museum is a great idea and also make sure to check out the Uptown development at the corner of Euclid Ave and Mayfield Rd. rockandroller[/member] is correct with his suggestions of Corbo's or Presti's in Little Italy (but Corbo's has the superior canolis). I haven't been to the Western Reserve Historical Society in years, so hopefully someone else can you some guidance on that.

 

Shaker Square:

In addition to rockandroller[/member]'s suggestions, I'd recommend a quick trip down Larchmere, just a few blocks north of Shaker Square.

 

Edit:

 

Lake View Cemetery is another cool place to check out, it's right up the hill from Little Italy.

 

Yes, definitely. You can visit the Garfield Monument, which has an awesome observation deck with great views of the city. Lots of other famous burial sites there, such as John D. Rockefeller, but even more so, it's one of the more beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen. It's also quite close to Coventry Village in Cleveland Hts.

Seconded on Coventry (along with Cedar Fairmount), Tremont, and Gordon Square.  Also, if you have time, check out Lakewood (Detroit Avenue).

I'm going to second TPH2 in that Corbo's has superior canoli to Presti's. They don't put the filling in until you order them so they're fresh. Get the ones lined with chocolate! Presti's is more of a coffee shop these days.

Presti's and Corbo's for bakery in L.I.

 

It sounds like you have your trip pretty well mapped out. I think Shaker is way too big to walk around but I'm not as familiar with it as others here. It might be good to bike around but walking seems like it would take forever if you want to actually see any of it. Shaker SQUARE you can walk around, but the Heights itself would be a lot to traverse on foot.

 

I do recommend Provence at the art museum for your lunch, good choice. I can't advise about most of the rest of your questions but hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

Rockandroller is right, if you want to see Shaker Heights, best to pick out a few areas to check out because the suburb is 6 square miles.  Since you'll already be riding the Rapid and HL, you should have a $5 all day pass (great bargain).  Of course Rapid stops are all over Shaker and put you within 1/3 or quarter mile of anything you'd want to see... From Shaker Square, after checking out Larchmere, I might suggest walking east on Larchmere to Coventry then north a block or so to North Park where there's a nice park area with benches and a 5-6 year-old rebuilt bridge over Doan creek which leads into Lower Shaker Lake.  This is a highly scenic and active areas with families, bikers and joggers. You could also take the Green Line Rapid over to South Park and walk north to the equally scenic Nature Center where there is a self-guided tour on the extensive boardwalk over the swamp areas.  Then you can stroll eastward along S. Park to the Shaker Historical society, in a restored mansion overlooking Horseshoe Lake across the street, where there's a nice exhibit of the North Union Shakers who settled the area in the early 1800s.  The staff there is very attentive and friendly... Meanwhile, as you're walking, you can take in the beautiful mansions and natural areas along the Lake -- again, this is a stroller, biker, jogger haven.  When you're done at the museum, you can walk a block south to either the Eaton or Lee Road Green Line Rapid stops for the quick ride back downtown...

 

... there's a lot more Shaker than these areas, of course, but these are probably best in terms of matching things-to-do with sightseeing.

There's no reason why you can't try the canolis at Presti's and Corbo's.  Be your own judge and then walk them off on your way up the hill to Coventry ;) 

Wow- thanks for all the feedback and advice! I feel like I'm not gonna have time to see and do everything I wanted to do :-/

 

Couple of questions.

 

1) Is there an easy way to get to Shaker Square from University Circle? Red Line, Health Line, frequent bus?  I figure once i get to SS I could walk up to Larchmere and explore that area and then take the train back into Downtown.

 

2) I have heard a lot about Coventry here on UO...I think that is what I was thinking of when I said Shaker Heights in my original post.  Would I be able to walk there from the art museum? Maybe through Little Italy? I don't have a good sense of scale of these neighborhoods, or their relation to each other.  Also, is Coventry/Cleveland Hts served by the Health Line?

 

3) I thought about Edgewater beach or Lakewood, but they seem to be out of the way from the other things I'll be doing.  Could I reach Edgewater from Ohio City? If I can rent a bike (great idea), perhaps I could bike from OC to Edgewater and back before taking the Red Line back to downtown on Thursday afternoon.

Conventional wisdom about Ohio City says to stay north of Lorain Avenue, although to be honest, I wouldn't be worried about walking anywhere in OC during the daytime.  There's a large housing project at the north end of W. 25th, but you'd have to make a long walk up a pretty ratty part of the street to get there, so I don't think you'd stumble into it accidentally.

 

Interesting little corners of Ohio City away from the market district and W. 25th are the intersection of Bridge Ave. and Fulton Rd. (where there's a beautiful library, French café, and a couple restaurants) and W. 29th St. between Clinton and Detroit Avenues, where there are a number of little retailers, a coffee shop, a tea house, and a small gallery associated with the art museum that primarily shows photography.  My favorite streets for residential architecture are W. 28th, W. 29th, Bridge, and Jay Avenue.  Also, I wasn't sure from your post if you realize that E. 4th is downtown, and a good walk from OC (forgive me if you do- I just thought I'd point it out.)

 

I personally prefer taking the Rapid between Downtown and University Circle because it's a lot faster and less crowded than the HealthLine, so unless you're just taking the HL for the novelty of BRT, it might be something to consider.  To get to Shaker Square from University Circle, you can either take the Red Line and transfer to the Blue or Green Line at E. 55th, E. 34th, or Tower City, or just take the number 48 bus that directly links the two.  You can also get to Gordon Square easily from Downtown or OC by taking the Red Line to W. 65th, or taking the number 26 bus.

 

I definitely third the suggestion to check out Larchmere.  I feel like the Western Reserve Historical Society isn't that great for getting city history- it's more about social history (they have a big collection of clothing and quilts, for example.)  The entire basement level is an auto collection, although they've sold a lot of stuff off in the last couple years and I haven't been there in a while.  In UC, the art museum, natural history museum, botanical garden, and MOCA are all much better bets IMO.

 

Wow- thanks for all the feedback and advice! I feel like I'm not gonna have time to see and do everything I wanted to do :-/

 

Couple of questions.

 

1) Is there an easy way to get to Shaker Square from University Circle? Red Line, Health Line, frequent bus?  I figure once i get to SS I could walk up to Larchmere and explore that area and then take the train back into Downtown.

 

2) I have heard a lot about Coventry here on UO...I think that is what I was thinking of when I said Shaker Heights in my original post.  Would I be able to walk there from the art museum? Maybe through Little Italy? I don't have a good sense of scale of these neighborhoods, or their relation to each other.  Also, is Coventry/Cleveland Hts served by the Health Line?

 

3) I thought about Edgewater beach or Lakewood, but they seem to be out of the way from the other things I'll be doing.  Could I reach Edgewater from Ohio City? If I can rent a bike (great idea), perhaps I could bike from OC to Edgewater and back before taking the Red Line back to downtown on Thursday afternoon.

 

Edit to answer a couple questions-

 

1.) see my comment about the Rapid/48 bus above

 

2.)  Walking to Coventry from the art museum is a pretty straight shot up Ford/Mayfield roads, through Little Italy.  I'd say it's probably a good 45 minutes if you walk the whole way.

 

3.)  The West Boulevard rapid station on the Red Line is fairly close to Edgewater Park.  If you biked from OC, I'd bike up W. 25th or Fulton Rd. to Franklin Boulevard, west along Franklin to W. 65th and then north to the tunnel that leads down to the beach.  At the top of the park, you can bike south along West Boulevard to the Rapid station and catch the Red Line back to either OC or Downtown

^ 1) If only. There has been a lot of talk on UO about ways to connect the Blue Line from Shaker Square to University Circle. Alas, as it stands, there's really no great connection between the two. You could look into the 48 Bus (http://www.riderta.com/routes/48-48a)

 

2) It's a long walk up hill from Little Italy/University Circle to Coventry. It's doable if you don't mind a walk. The 9 bus can take you from UC/LI to Coventry though (http://www.riderta.com/routes/9).

 

3) Getting to Edgewater by bike from Ohio City is pretty easy. You can access the park via a tunnel at the north end of West 65th Street in Gordon Square/Detroit Shoreway. Maybe a 10 minute bike ride from the West Side Market area?

I'd advise checking out the flats. You could add West side when you are visting ohio city and when you are downtown do the east side. Take the waterfront line? Its a classic Cleveland experience to watch the massive freighters go by mere feet away.

A suggestion on food on west side would be to at least check out Crop across from wsm. In univ heights, i really like piccadilly ice cream as its freshly made in front of you with liquid nitrogen.  If you like architecture, check out the western reserve university Lewis building designed by Gehry.

Edale- if you want the best experience of Gordon square area- I would walk over to west 6th- rent a bike share bike  using the zagster app.  Bike down and check out the new flats east bank( not much to do other than check progress- maybe a grab a brew at port side). Come up either st. Clair or the next street and bike across d/s bridge and ur home free to Gordon square- about 2 miles away. Can stop at rising star and get a coffee at 29th or just keep going. Happy dog at 58th n Detroit. Access to beach/park at 65th or 76th. Train wreck and other flicks playing at Capitol. Hair is playing at Near West and you can also get a great dinner at Toast, Luxe or Graffiti. dessert would be at sweet Moses. Come back in a year and there will be additional amenities. You can drop ur bike back off either downtown or in Ohio city to walk home or uber.

 

Edale- if you want the best experience of Gordon square area- I would walk over to west 6th- rent a bike share bike  using the zagster app.  Bike down and check out the new flats east bank( not much to do other than check progress- maybe a grab a brew at port side). Come up either st. Clair or the next street and bike across d/s bridge and ur home free to Gordon square- about 2 miles away. Can stop at rising star and get a coffee at 29th or just keep going. Happy dog at 58th n Detroit. Access to beach/park at 65th or 76th. Train wreck and other flicks playing at Capitol. Hair is playing at Near West and you can also get a great dinner at Toast, Luxe or Graffiti. dessert would be at sweet Moses. Come back in a year and there will be additional amenities. You can drop ur bike back off either downtown or in Ohio city to walk home or uber.

 

 

^ this

 

made me think of this

Unless you are making a point to take the Red Line on that stretch, the walk between Downtown to Ohio City is great an interesting, whether you take one of the high level bridges (both have good, wide sidewalks now on one side), or if you walk through the flats.  Here's a photo thread from a few years ago documenting the walk down Columbus Road from downtown to Market Sq: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=26297.0

 

You could also walk south through the new Scranton Flats park (along the eastern edge of Scranton Road in the flats), cut west on the brand new trail that goes over the road and railroad tracks and come out at Columbus.  You might go to Ohio City through the flats and then walk back over the Lorain Carnegie bridge, for example.

 

I'll second the #48 Bus between University Circle and Shaker Square. Just check the schedule on your phone to time it.  However, you can also walk most of it if you plan to check out Coventry Village. If you get an early enough start on Friday, and you like walking, you can do the Art museum, take a bus up to Coventry Village (http://www.riderta.com/sites/default/files/schedule-pdfs/9.pdf), and from there, walk to Shaker Square/Larchmere, via Coventry Road. That walk is 2 miles, and takes you through some of the grandeur of the Heights (Cleveland Shaker), as opposed to the more modest charm of Coventry Village (apartments and smaller frame houses).

Edale- if you want the best experience of Gordon square area- I would walk over to west 6th- rent a bike share bike  using the zagster app.  Bike down and check out the new flats east bank( not much to do other than check progress- maybe a grab a brew at port side). Come up either st. Clair or the next street and bike across d/s bridge and ur home free to Gordon square- about 2 miles away. Can stop at rising star and get a coffee at 29th or just keep going. Happy dog at 58th n Detroit. Access to beach/park at 65th or 76th. Train wreck and other flicks playing at Capitol. Hair is playing at Near West and you can also get a great dinner at Toast, Luxe or Graffiti. dessert would be at sweet Moses. Come back in a year and there will be additional amenities. You can drop ur bike back off either downtown or in Ohio city to walk home or uber.

 

 

^ this

 

made me think of this

 

Just answering a question that was posed ;) dont knock it unless u try it

Does this sound doable for Friday?

 

Red Line to Cedar-University. Walk through Case and past the Wade Lagoon to the CMA. Visit CMA and have lunch. Walk over to Mayfield Ave. through Little Italy and head to Lakeview Cemetery to see the Garfield Monument, then continue on Mayfield to Coventry Village.  Walk down Coventry Rd to Shaker Blvd to check out Larchmere (Coventry Road Green Line station area?), and then down to Shaker Square where I catch the Green Line back downtown.  I love to walk as long as there's cool stuff to look at.  Definitely my favorite way to take in a city!

The walk btwn Coventry and Larchmere will take a while. There are nice old mansions and mini mansions along the way though.

It's doable, but a lot of walking. The topography is a lot easier than what you are used to I suppose

 

Here's a suggestion you could consider tocut it down a bit . From Coventry, walk just a but east on Mayfield to Superior  or Lee and get on the #40.  That will take you south on Lee Rd, through the Cedar-Lee District if you wanted to check that out and on to Shaker Blvd, where you can hook back up with the Green Line into Shaker Square

edale, I can't really add anything except to suggest checking RTA's website/construction updates for service interruptions. Construction is causing GCRTA to replace some sections of rail service with buses every weekend this summer except for Aug. 15 ( the reason why All Aboard Ohio picked that day for its guided rail tour!). Some of these interruptions are larger than others.

 

Also, let me suggest the Edgewater section of Cleveland. It's like Shaker Heights but with a lake view of downtown. And the lake is one of the most distinguishing things about Cleveland. The new ClevelandStateLine BRT on Clifton is a great way to get there (except on weekends -- with only hourly service on Saturdays and no Sunday service). Scroll through my pictures I take mostly during my half-hour walks down different streets through the Gold Coast-Edgewater neighborhood....

 

Does this sound doable for Friday?

 

Red Line to Cedar-University. Walk through Case and past the Wade Lagoon to the CMA. Visit CMA and have lunch. Walk over to Mayfield Ave. through Little Italy and head to Lakeview Cemetery to see the Garfield Monument, then continue on Mayfield to Coventry Village.  Walk down Coventry Rd to Shaker Blvd to check out Larchmere (Coventry Road Green Line station area?), and then down to Shaker Square where I catch the Green Line back downtown.  I love to walk as long as there's cool stuff to look at.  Definitely my favorite way to take in a city!

 

Just fwiw, the block or so of Larchmere between Coventry and Moreland is all stately houses.  The neat retail district is west of Moreland. 

 

If I were walking down Coventry, I'd turn right onto Larchmere (i.e., a block before Shaker Blvd.) and walk along one one side of the street till about E. 121 or 122, then cross and walk back along the other side of the street back to Moreland, where I'd turn right and head south to Shaker Square (and the Rapid.)

Your itinerary sounds great to me.  I would try to get an early start so you can see at least some of the museum before you eat there just to stay on schedule. You're probably looking at 5+ total miles of walking now, which isn't really remarkable for folks accustomed to it, but if you have any doubts, you can always decide to take the bus from Euclid/Mayfield up to the gate of Lakeview Cemetery (which is past Little Italy), given that you'll be going back to Little Italy later in your trip. [Little Italy is awesome, but it's tiny, so you'll be able to soak it in if you spend 10 minutes walking off the cannoli with the fam.]  This will cut down some steps, including an uphill trek.

 

I also want to echo TPH2's suggestion when you are at University Circle of walking down Euclid, east of Mayfield, which is the "Uptown" area, and includes some nifty architecture and a stop for local ice cream if you need to refuel.  One fun Cleveland oddity in that area is Hessler Road, a small, quaint residential street just northeast of the Euclid/Mayfield intersection- some if it paved in wooden blocks.

 

Also regarding refueling: La Cave du Vin at the top of the Coventry Village shopping strip (NW corner of Coventry and Euclid Hts Blvd) has a great beer selection if you need to cool down.  There's also a nice, old (by Cleveland standards) neighborhood bar on Larchmere.

 

Final note: in the walk from Coventry Village to Shaker Square, Coventry Road is perfectly pleasant, but a bit of a thoroughfare. If you want to get just slightly off the beaten path without adding much distance, you can turn right on Edgehill, and then left on Mornington Lane, an old carriage alleyway that served the mansions in the neighborhood (and still serves several garages). You can then cut back over to Coventry at Berkshire or Derbyshire.  Just gives a chance to see a little more of that neighborhood (mostly giant houses from 1890-1930).

 

Have fun!

I myself wouldn't walk from the art museum to L.I. I mean, the art museum itself has a fair amount of walking, and I would say it's a good 25 minutes to walk to LI from there. But I'm battling a hamstring issue and walking anywhere right now is a pain. YMMV.

^ I've done it plenty of times, it's less than a mile walk and usually takes 10-15 minutes. Depends person to person I suppose.

It's a very normal walk for people in moderate-good walking health.

Also Edale, if at Shaker Square and you dont have time to really explore Shaker Heights, just walk on Shaker Blvd going East a bit.  You will get to see the Moreland Courts on the North side of the street right off the Square, and then you will get a taste of the Shaker homes which start along Shaker Blvd right after (the South side of Shaker Blvd. after where Coventry crosses is a nice stretch.  As the rapid goes down the middle you can walk as far as you have time and then just catch the train to come back to Cleveland. 

I sent you a PM. 

   

Thank you for all the suggestions everyone- I really appreciate it! I'll be sure to report on where I end up going and I'll try to take a good amount of photos along the way.  I'm not too worried about the walking distance (or topography), but it's great to know that there are ways to lighten the trip if I should want to do so.  I walked 10+ miles a day while visiting Paris and Rouen earlier this summer, and walked from Dupont to Chevy Chase last time I was in DC, ambling through neighborhoods, and popping into appealing stores and cafes for breaks.  I'm really looking forward to exploring Cleveland, a city that I've never really spent any time in as an adult. 

 

I know that a couple of you said that the Western Reserve museum isn't good for city history, but is there another place that is? Something like the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh (http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org)? I am really interested in Cleveland's history, from settlement, industrialization, waves of immigrants, sports, etc.  I was at the Rock Hall briefly in my only other visit to Cle as as kid, and I didn't find it overly interesting.  I think one or both of my parents could be persuaded to go to a local history museum over the Rock Hall if a good option exists.

 

*Also, I informed my dad that I'm doing some recon for him regarding canolis, and he became pretty excited.  He said something along the lines of perhaps needing to make another trip up before my sister's internship is over...

...and walked from Dupont to Chevy Chase last time I was in DC, ambling through neighborhoods, and popping into appealing stores and cafes for breaks. 

 

That's impressive, considering it's all up hill!

 

I know that a couple of you said that the Western Reserve museum isn't good for city history, but is there another place that is? Something like the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh (http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org)? I am really interested in Cleveland's history, from settlement, industrialization, waves of immigrants, sports, etc.  I was at the Rock Hall briefly in my only other visit to Cle as as kid, and I didn't find it overly interesting.  I think one or both of my parents could be persuaded to go to a local history museum over the Rock Hall if a good option exists.

 

Nope, we don't. It's really unfortunate too and it's something that has always bothered me, especially after I started travelling to other cities and would visit their local history museums.

 

I know that a couple of you said that the Western Reserve museum isn't good for city history, but is there another place that is? Something like the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh (http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org)? I am really interested in Cleveland's history, from settlement, industrialization, waves of immigrants, sports, etc.  I was at the Rock Hall briefly in my only other visit to Cle as as kid, and I didn't find it overly interesting.  I think one or both of my parents could be persuaded to go to a local history museum over the Rock Hall if a good option exists.

 

There's a small Cleveland Police museum at the Justice Center downtown.  I've never been, so I can't speak to the quality, but I do know that it's there.

 

Depending on your time and inclination, you might want to consider the free Take a Hike tours given by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance.  They're approximately one-hour walking tours in different sections of Downtown, and they cover a lot of Cleveland history and architecture.  The guides are also really knowledgeable and interesting to chat with.  You'll be in town for the Civic Center, Warehouse District, and Flats tours:

 

http://www.clevelandgatewaydistrict.com/history/heritage-tourism/

Remember there's Uber to you can use for those stretches in your itinerary that are a bit far apart and don't have direct transit connections. Not sure if you've ever used that service.

I thought there was some decent history on Cleveland at the Western Reserve Historical Society. Of course, that was 20-30 years ago! Some of the historical societies in the older suburbs and some Cleveland neighborhoods have nice museums/displays, including Shaker Heights, Little Italy, Lakewood, etc.

 

You can also learn about history at some of the local industries and banks like Great Lakes Brewing Co., Money Museum at the Federal Reserve, or even by taking one of the Lolley The Trolley tours. A trip to the Garfield Monument is also worthwhile for history, architecture and a great view of the city.

yeah thats a bummer about no city museum. i am sure that will happen at some point. speaking of the police museum, it looks like the fire museum will not be open until fall unfortunately:

 

http://wrfmc.com/Fire_Museum/Home.html

 

 

since you mention an interest in local history, my suggestion is if you go to the west bank flats you could visit the aquarium, harbor inn bar (clevelands oldest) and shooters (because it has a great deck and you can look over the new east bank flats project aka cleveland's version of 'the banks'). I dk if you can walk over to the wendy park area from the flats anymore, it was a bit tricky, i will leave that to others to say, but its worth trekking there somehow, someway. its probably better to have a bike and ride over there (and maybe plan some edgewater park time to swim). however, its all well worth the effort as you will have awesome views, its a fun area walk around and best of all you get to see the old deco cg station close-up and ponder what to do with it as we all have for years. anyway, all this would make for a nice summer day and would give you a sense of cleveland great lakes maritime history.

 

BTW check out the Cleveland History Center

http://www.wrhs.org/plan-your-visit/history-center/

Can we get a report?  Or should we send out a search party?

Can we get a report?  Or should we send out a search party?

 

Sorry, I have been meaning to write up a report of my visit, but this week has been fairly crazy at work! I'm trying to figure out how to post photos with my post, so I'll update if I can.

 

Thursday: I got in to the Greyhound (def don't recommend) station around 1:45 and headed out toward the Westin.  I thought the area around the Greyhound station was a little deserted and sketchy...definitely felt like the periphery of downtown.  I had lunch at a nice newish looking place in the base of an office tower and checked in to the hotel.  I had an awesome view of the Terminal Tower and BP Tower from my 20th floor room, though I was kind of hoping to be able to see the lake.  Anyway, I took off walking around downtown, past the mall and the awesome statue/fountain in front of Key Tower.  I walked down E 4th and around the surrounding blocks a bit, and I was surprised to not really notice many people out and about, despite being a nice day.  More on this later.

 

Anyways, I went in to Tower City and checked out the mall and got a smoothie from some place in the food court while I checked UO to see the suggestions for how to get to Ohio City.  Since it was so nice out, and I had been sitting on a bus all morning, I decided to walk it.  I went by the Sherwin Williams campus, and down into the Flats.  The part of the Flats where I was had not been renovated or seen new investment, but I kind of loved the industrial/abandoned vibe down along the river.  I walked over to this nice little park with a cabin (none of the locals I told this to had any clue what I was talking about...), also saw the monument to the Irish potato famine.  I could see the nicer, newer part of the Flats from that park, but decided it was out of my way to check out, since I was headed the opposite direction.  *This whole time my phone battery was at about 2%. I was slightly concerned about getting lost without a working phone, which caused me to be a little more conservative than I would have otherwise been.  I continued down Columbus and was halfway across the bridge when the gates went down and the siren started blaring.  Needless to say, I got pretty freaked out and took off running, not knowing if it was a drawbridge or what.  I got to the other side of the bridge, and about 2 minutes later the entire road surface rose up to accommodate the Goodtime ship passing underneath.  That was a pretty awesome site to see.  After that, I made my way up the hill, past the new construction homes on the little hill.  I liked that there was infill being built, but given the views, interesting topography, and proximity to the Red Line station, I think that site should support more dense development. 

 

At the top of the hill, I made my way towards the iconic West Side Market tower.  What a beautiful building, and what an awesome community landmark! I loved how the tower was so visible, acting almost like a light house for the neighborhood.  The corner of W 25th and Lorain was impressive, but the corner closest to the Rapid was lacking.  Seems like a great spot for some big infill.  I crossed the plaza (which I found appropriate, even given it's corner location) and went to the coffee shop to charge my phone for a bit.  After that, I walked down 25th, and then down through the various residential streets, and down to the secondary business district down by Fulton.  I found Ohio City charming and energetic.  The houses were really cute, and there was great energy all throughout the area.  There were a couple of points on my walk around that I felt maybe I was on the fringe of a not so great neighborhood, but I never came close to running into trouble.  Being from Cincinnati, I am used to abrupt neighborhood changes, so that didn't really phase me much.  I also noticed a pretty strong latin presence in Ohio City, which I enjoyed.  I heard multiple conversations in spanish, and a couple of houses had salsa/Caribbean music playing--it gave the area an international flair. 

 

Took the Red Line back from Ohio City.  No problems with the train, and I really loved that you can just hop on a train and be in the middle of downtown in a few minutes.  The whole experience felt kind of big city to me, which was cool.  I also again enjoyed the view of the abandoned peninsula across from the flats.  With the graffiti and bridges and everything, it felt gritty and urban.  Downtown was much busier and vibrant when I got back, seeing as it was rush hour.  I walked through the Warehouse District on the way back to the hotel, and I thought it was great.  The sea of surface parking cutting off Public Square from the WHD, however, is criminal.  These lots need to be infill priority sites 1, 2, and 3.  Their presence totally disconnects the two districts.  It will be quite a site to see when these lots get built upon.  I took Lakefront back towards St. Clair, and loved how blue the lake looked.  There were cars and people bustling about, and the city looked incredible.  After cleaning up a bit, I met my sister and her friend for dinner at Greenhouse Tavern, where we had a great meal and drinks.  Got to sit outside, and I loved the people watching on E. 4th. 

 

Sun was setting on the walk back to the hotel, so I decided to keep going down to the lake, where I got to catch the tail end of the sun going down into Lake Erie.  It was gorgeous and a great way to end a busy day.

 

Friday to come in a separate post.

 

... I walked over to this nice little park with a cabin (none of the locals I told this to had any clue what I was talking about...)...

 

 

Thanks for the detailed update. Sounds like you got to cover a lot of ground on your first day. The cabin you mentioned is a replica of the cabin that was built by Lorenzo Carter--Cleveland's first permanent white settler. The park is called Settlers Landing Park as that is the area on which Moses Cleaveland and his surveying party first made landfall. It also is where the Ohio and Erie Canal emptied into the Cuyahoga River.

^^Great write-up! Sounds like you had a nice walk around. You definitely nailed the same development gaps we all gripe about (WHS district parking lots; the strip mall by the Ohio City rapid stop; low-ish density near transit).  I look forward to hearing about Friday (University Circle?).

Loving this so far!

excellent reporting here - you set a high bar for that - i'm always curious about what people do on brief visits and their impressions - thanks!

edale's reporting was honest and unbiased and I agree with him on all points... Hopefully he'll return next summer after the RNC to see all the improvements in place by then, esp at Public Square.

Apologies for the delay in posting pt. 2, but here's the trip report from Friday:

 

I got a little later start than I was hoping to, but I left the hotel around 11 and headed out to Tower City to catch the Red Line to University Circle.  I had a really nice conversation with a local man named Eugene both while waiting for the train, as well as on it until he got off a stop or two before me.  He remarked that it was more humid than normal, which caused me to laugh because it felt downright pleasant out compared to the thick, muggy air I had left in Cincy just a day before.  I enjoyed the ride on the rapid, and found it clean, quick, and convenient.  I knew that the Red Line used industrial corridors, and than station locations are less than ideal in some places, but I was surprised to see just how vast the industrial rail corridor was between downtown and UC.  It was strange to not be able to see the neighborhoods we were passing through, and some of the stations looked very small and litely used.  I enjoyed seeing all the RTA trains at the E 55th street station, though.  It was cool to see all of the different models of trains.  As the train approached UC, I knew I was entering a significant area, because I could see the high rise towers of the hospitals, and hotel/apartment buildings.  The station was great, and you could tell it had recently been renovated. 

 

I headed out of the Red Line station, and decided to walk through the Case Campus on my way to the lagoon and art museum.  I liked the look of the new building wrapping up construction on the left side of MLK- a new CWRU building? I think I walked through the main quad of Case, and I found it to be really pretty and more traditionally collegiate than I was expecting.  I reached Euclid and saw Severence Hall- a beautiful, prominent building.  I thought about heading up Euclid a bit, but decided to instead go walk around the lagoon to the art museum.  Other than the goose poop, the lagoon was great and it made for a really nice approach to the art museum. University Circle made a really good first impression.

 

The art museum was quite simply world class.  It's the best museum in Ohio (imo), and could hold its own against nearly any US or European museum.  I loved how the old building was more of an anthropology museum, with mummies, suits of armor, religious relics, and other pieces that showcased the intersection of history and art.  The new building was equally impressive, and it was astounding to see a Monet water lily panel, having just seen the biggest collection of them at the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris in June.  There was also an impressive collection of Picasso's, including a piece from the blue period that I found really captivating.  In the interest of time, I wasn't able to fully check out the collection of Native American or Asian arts, nor the visiting exhibition.  I grabbed some lunch at the cafe, and ate in the sun-drenched, canopied atrium which was relaxing and enjoyable.  After leaving the art museum, I headed out to find Mayfield Road to make my way to Little Italy.  I decided to walk down a really beautiful street which housed a Ghery building, as well as some great classic buildings that I think were also part of Case Western's campus? I didn't realize the campus was so expansive, or that is crossed Euclid and intermingled with the various cultural institutions in the neighborhood.  That's pretty cool. I saw the street with the wooden pavers, but chose to walk down Euclid for a bit instead.  I checked out the new Uptown development and the MOCA building.  It's...interesting, and certainly a cool, contemporary part of the city.  I liked all of the buildings individually, and the MOCA building is certainly striking, though part of me thinks the rather bland (and prominent) apartment buildings behind it kind of sap some of the cool factor from it.  Again, I think as the plantings mature, and other development takes shape, the whole vibe of the area will change for the better.

 

I turned on Mayfield and walked under the bridge, where I saw the new Red Line station under construction.  It looked great, and it reminded me of some of the El stops I've seen in Lincoln Park.  I continued on Mayfield through Little Italy, which I found charming, authentic, and active.  The smells were fantastic, and there was Italian music playing outside a few of the places I walked by which combined to create a fantastic ambiance.  I should have stopped in to Corbo's, but I had just gotten a cup cake at the art museum, so I decided to keep on without stopping in.  Definitely on the to do list for next time!  I didn't venture off Mayfield, and I regret not checking out Murray Hill Road, which I later found out is the secondary business street in LI.  Anyways, I continued up the Mayfield Hill, and I really appreciated the topographical change that this hill provided.  In fact, I was really pleasantly surprised by the hills I encountered in Cleveland.  I hate cities that are relentlessly flat (ahem cbus), and I was relieved to find that is not the case at all in Cleveland.

 

When I got to the top of the hill, I turned in to Lakeview Cemetery and went to find the Garfield Monument.  I loved the look of the cemetery, and it really reminded me of Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery, with all the old industrialists who built the city buried there, the elaborate grave monuments, trees and park-like setting, etc.  The Garfield Monument was spectacular on the inside, and the view from the top was amazing.  I snapped a few pics, and the city looks almost silhouetted because of the haze and sun of the afternoon.  I think the exterior of the monument could use a good cleaning and restoration, but I'm just splitting hairs.  I tried to see if I could recognize any other names on my way back out to Mayfield, and the only one I could was Burke, which I recognized because of the lakefront airport.

 

After leaving the cemetery, I continued up to Coventry Rd, where I turned right and checked out the business district.  Got some fro-yo at Picadilly, and then meandered down the street, checking out the stores and restaurants as I continued to the residential portion of the area.  I really enjoyed the Coventry district, and I found the mix of businesses diverse and eclectic, though I wish the theater was still used as a theater rather than the church that looked like it had moved in.  I continued down Coventry, and walked down some of the neighborhood streets per the UO recommendation, and the houses were amazing, the trees were huge, and the whole area was very pleasant.  I walked down Coventry until I hit Larchmere, where I turned right and walked down to the business district.  The tree canopy on the residential section of Larchmere was incredible! The trees provided abundant shade, and created an amazing atmosphere.  I liked the Larchmere business district OK, but I found Coventry more cohesive and lively. 

 

From Larchmere, I turned down Moreland where I finally hit Shaker Square.  The multi-family buildings in this neighborhood were so beautiful, and the density was impressive.  Moreland Courts looked like something you would see in Boston or DC.  I loved the Square itself, and was surprised and delighted to see a grocery store and movie theater, as well as a diverse collection of restaurants.  The quadrants of the square were a little more spread out than I expected...I think I was expecting the square to be a little 'tighter', and less like the 4 mini squares than it seemed to be, but I loved the area a lot.  I caught the rapid from the station in SS, and enjoyed a quick and easy ride back to Tower City.

 

Once back downtown, I walked back to the hotel and showered and rested for a bit, before again meeting up with my sister.  We uber'd out to Tremont, where we got drinks at the Treehouse Tavern (very cool), and ate some pretty good sushi at Paralax.  All told, I did over 12 miles of walking on Friday, but I really enjoyed my whole day.  The collection of neighborhoods from Coventry to SS are really a treasure.  They felt established and cosmopolitan, and the train access to downtown just makes the area so livable, from the looks of it.

 

Much shorter Sat/Sunday report to come.  Sorry for the length and long-windedness of this post!

^Terrific write-up again. The mystery building project you passed on MLK is the new Cleveland School of the Arts (magnet public school). The CWRU campus is sprawly, in part because of the school's history: the first quad you walked through is the old Case Int. of Technology. The part north of Euclid is the old Western Reserve University.  And the bland high rises you saw behind MOCA were built in the 1980s, so we're just happy they're better screened from Euclid now by good stuff :)

 

Very impressive clocking all that mileage on your feet. It's definitely a great way to see a city!

Of course, there had to be an unnecessary Columbus diss in there...

 

I hate cities that are relentlessly flat (ahem cbus)...

 

...but I'll let it slide as it's a nice write-up.

^ At least it's a fair criticism of Columbus

Edale, I'm impressed with your walking ability! I walk 30 minutes every day (and sometimes posts pictures from my neighborhood strolls on Facebook -- you can look them up as I leave them public). And I walked 6 miles in the recent Cleveland Challenge scavenger hunt (placed 53rd out 200), yet had sore ankles from it. So I'm impressed!

 

Great write up! You might enjoy our rail tour next week: Go to http://allaboardohio.org

Excellent write up, I am enjoying seeing Cleveland through the eyes of a visitor. Your comments seam right on target. One bit of information to add, at the cemetery, there is a large obelisk (I think that is what you call it.) which marks the grave of John D. Rockefeller. The ashes of Elliott Ness were spread onto one of the ponds and there is a commemorative plaque.

actually that hill rise is about all there is for cleveland, so its not all far off from columbus in that sense. however, what really sets it apart geographically are the valleys surrounding the area. i would recommend a nice long bike ride around some of the emerald necklace parkland on the next visit!

^I agree that Cleveland is mostly flat, but the rise from the City into The Heights is hardly the only change in topography.  First off, that rise up to the plateau spans pretty much the entire eastern border of the City and all of Euclid.  There are actually a few rises coming out of East Cleveland and Euclid into Cleveland Heights and South Euclid.  There also are, as I think you eluded to, multiple valleys, the largest of course being the industrial valley which divides the City into east and west sides.  Multiple ravines/creeks/etc are scattered about and then things get very up and down as you head towards the Chagrin River and beyond to the east.  The west side does seem to be a little more flat than the east.

There was the hill up from the Flats to Ohio City, the aforementioned Mayfield Hill, and I think I remember some of the Coventry district abutting a fairly steep hill, though I could be mistaken. I was in Chagrin Falls on Saturday, and the drive there was very hilly in parts.