I'll be visiting Cleveland for a couple of days this week while my mother has surgery.  Since there will obviously be a lot of downtime, what are some residential neighborhoods I should check out/photograph.  I've already been downtown and photographed thorougly.  Also bringing my bike.

Check out Little Italy... a real neat neighborhood.  If its nice out you can Bike the Euclid Corridor (there are bike lanes) from downtown to University Circle.  Stay on Euclid then turn right onto Mayfield Rd (past University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic).  Mayfield takes you right into Little Italy.  Also, if you are downtown you should cross the Lorain-Carnegie bridge going west and see Ohio City.  You can photograph the historic westside market and St. Ignatius High School. 

 

I like to Bike the towpath trail.  or the Rocky River reservaion about 15 minutes west of downtown.  It goes from basically the Lake along the river 13.1 miles to Berea.  If you there and back, you are looking at around 27 miles.

I think a couple of people might try to bike this Friday for "critical mass" in Lakewood. 

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16181.0.html

Best of luck with you mother's surgery. let me know if you need any assistance while you are here in Cleveland-I will try and help!

West of downtown, I second Ohio City and would add Tremont, Detroit-Shoreway, and Edgewater.

if you are going to be at either the Clinic or UH, I'd recommend driving around South Park Blvd and the Shaker Lakes area of Shaker Heights. While you're at it, check out Shaker Square. These areas are both very close to the medical centers. Also, check out Coventry (between Euclid Hts Blvd and Mayfield), Cedar-Fairmount and Cedar-Lee in Cleveland Heights. These are all close the the hospitals. The housing stock in these areas are also very impressive.

A little more off the beaten path but parts of Slavic Village and St. Clair/Superior are interesting too.

I've suggeted a bike ride through the steel mills in the past, and I'll do it again.  Not many places like it around anymore, so check it out if you have the chance.

As others have said on the east side; Little Italy (near the clinic), University Circle (cultural institutions), and Shaker Square.

 

On the west side; Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit-Shoreway, and Edgewater. You can bike down Euclid through downtown to the west side but you can also take your bike on the rapid near the clinic to downtown (tower city), then transfer to the red line to Ohio City. From there you can bike to the other west side hoods mentioned.

 

You may also be able to exit at Tower City and bike over the Veterans Memorial Bridge to Ohio City but I'm not sure if bikes are allowed in Tower City. Someone else can clarify.

 

You may also be able to exit at Tower City and bike over the Veterans Memorial Bridge to Ohio City but I'm not sure if bikes are allowed in Tower City. Someone else can clarify.

 

You can bring a bike through Tower City (I do it all the time), but I think officially if you bring your bike in on the Rapid you are supposed to take the elevator to the Prospect Ave doors (floor M3) and use those.  However, I see people take their bikes all over so I don't think it is really enforced.

A little more off the beaten path but parts of Slavic Village and St. Clair/Superior are interesting too.

If you do go this far off the beaten path, be a little careful. I don't know much about Slavic Village, but if you wander to far east on St. Clair or Superior (i.e. beyond about E55th) the neighborhood goes downhill a bit. Not to say don't go, just use common sense and be careful. Superior especially has some pretty older buildings that have seen better days, but still show an interesting style architecturally. St. Clair tends to be more industrial, though I find it interesting that way back when, they used to build factories and warehouses that are pretty in their own way and are so solidly built that even after many years of obvious neglect they're not too much worse for wear.

 

Personnally, I've always found Rockefeller park interesting and highly overlooked, also pretty convenient if you're already going to be near University Circle.

 

Best of luck with your mother's Surgery.

if you are going to be at either the Clinic or UH, I'd recommend driving around South Park Blvd and the Shaker Lakes area of Shaker Heights. While you're at it, check out Shaker Square. These areas are both very close to the medical centers. Also, check out Coventry (between Euclid Hts Blvd and Mayfield), Cedar-Fairmount and Cedar-Lee in Cleveland Heights. These are all close the the hospitals. The housing stock in these areas are also very impressive.

 

I second these.  Also Rockefeller Park would be great to explore (the cultural gardens and some of East Blvd.), take the bike trail to the lake and check out Bratenahl while your at it.  Then there is the bike trail along the lake that will take you into downtown. 

I'll give you a bike tour if you want.  I'm heading out on Friday, I believe.