Cleveland, America's Rock'n Roller Coast

Cleveland Rocks! When I tell people I am from Cleveland, the usual response is: "Congratulations on being from the armpit of America," or "Didn't a river catch on fire there." While a river did catch on fire in Cleveland (in the ‘60s), the city has undergone an amazing revitalization. Missing this gem of a city would be a major an unfortunate mistake. The flats and warehouse districts offer an outstanding choice of restaurants and bars. The new football and baseball stadiums have revitalized the diehard Cleveland sports fans. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Science Museums have added to the already unique Midwestern culture. This beautiful city on Lake Erie offers an abundance of activities, from sunbathing on Edge Water beach to walleye fishing on the lake to watching Phantom of the Opera at the Playhouse. On top of that, only a short drive away from the city you will find not only one, but two of the greatest amusement parks in the country, Cedar Point and Geauga Lake.

Most importantly, with Cleveland's central Midwestern location, it is an easy weekend trip for the surrounding states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. So pack up your bags and come join the party and help Cleveland remain the countries rockin' roller coast.

Quick Tips:

Come in the summer. As with many northern Midwestern cities, the winter is cold and cloudy and there is not much to do. The summer, on the other hand, offers warm weather and great fun on the land or the water. If possible, try to schedule your trip at the same time as one of the summer events downtown. Events like the Taste of Cleveland, the Cleveland Air Show, or the Cleveland Champ Car race offer a lot of good fun and excitement.

Lake Erie, as one of the Great Lakes, is a unique natural resource that is one of the highlights of the city. If you are not from a city with a large body of water next to it, make sure that you spend one of your days on or near the lake to enjoy its beauty and fun.

When looking for a place to stay, choose a place downtown. You get anywhere easily with a 5-minute taxi ride if you stay down in the middle of the city.

Best Way To Get Around:

There are two good ways to get around.

1. Cleveland has an above-ground train system called the Rapid. It runs from the airport through the western suburbs to downtown, then again from the eastern suburbs to downtown. A newer line has been put in to go from downtown to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Flats. At only .50 per ride, this is the easiest and cheapest way to get around.

2. If you are staying downtown, taxis are the next best thing. You can get almost anywhere downtown with a 5-minute taxi ride.

If it is a nice day, walking is also a good choice. You will find that the major sites downtown are no more than a 20-minute walk away from each other.

The best place to stay in the city is right downtown, and the best hotel to stay in downtown is the elegant Renaissance Cleveland. Located on the corner of Public Square, this well-established feature of the city offers not only the best location, but the best amenities in the city. It has a large atrium with a great restaurant and an elegant bar for earlier drinks or after-hour cocktails. The rooms are well furnished and exactly what you would expect from a Renaissance. The views from the hotel are also excellent. If you request a room on the north side, you will have a spectacular view of the square and the adjacent BP building (the tallest building in Cleveland). In the distance you will be able to see the lake and, if you lucky, part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The hotel is connected to the shopping center of the city (Tower City). In the basement of Tower City, you will also find a Rapid terminal, which provides a very quick and easy way to get to and from the airport and around the city. The hotel is also an easy 5-minute cab ride or a 20-minute walk from almost anything you would want to see in the city, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, The Cleveland Browns Stadium, Jacob's Field, Gund Arena, The Playhouse, The Flats, and the Warehouse District.

The concierge will be more than willing to help you get a cab, as well as give you the schedules and directions to all major, and even some of the minor, events in the city.

The rooms are a little pricey at $190/night and up, but if you have the money and you really want to experience the city, this is a great place to do it.

There can't be a decent travel review of Cleveland without talking about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so here it is.

The Rock Hall is located on the shores of Lake Erie, right next to the new Brown's stadium, the Science Museum, and Burke Lake Front Airport right in the center of the city. It easily accessible by the Rapid or a taxi from downtown, or if you want to enjoy the air of the lake on a nice day, it is only a 20-minute walk from Tower City.

The building itself was designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei, who also designed The National Gallery of Art's East Building, as well as the expansion to the Louvre in Paris, France. The building's main structure is that of a glass pyramid. Around the back you will find and additional cylindrical section extending over the lake. The design adds to the daring and wild rock-and-roll lifestyle it has inside.

Inside you will find a rock lover's paradise. The museum has both permanent and exhibition displays. For the exhibition displays, check the website (www.rockhall.com). The permanent displays are everything rock. They include things like costumes people have worn on stage, think Kiss, to broken and intact instruments. It has every type of rock paraphernalia you could imagine, and it chronicles the history of rock for its earliest day until now. You will also find many stories about how certain types of music was created and how certain performers created them. My personal favorite was seeing the crumpled up pieces of paper where an artist had written the original lyrics to songs like Metallica's "Enter Sandman." Just this little item gives you an inside look at the personality, writing style, and emotions that went into writing the song. Often during the summer, they have free concerts out in front of the museum highlighting local or national up and coming bands.

Overall, if you are into music, this is a great stop on your tour of Cleveland. The only advice is to pad your wallet. The gift shop that the museum empties into has many expensive items that a music lover might have a hard time avoiding. This combined with the $20 admission fee can make for a pricey experience.

The Great Lakes Science Center is great day of fun and amusement for both children and adults. At only $9 for adults and $7 for children, it is also reasonably priced.

The Great Lakes Science Center is located right on the shores of Lake Erie, between the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Brown's Stadium. This is not your normal science museum, where you would just walk by exhibits and read a few facts. The Science Center contains over 400 interactive exhibits, including such mind-bending displays as Touch the Indoor Tornado, Investigate the Sick Earth, and The Electric Theater Show. There are also much smaller exhibits where you can learn about the effects of magnets or see how the rotation of the Earth affects the things around us. Getting a hands-on experience is a great way to encourage your and your children's imagines, and it is a great way to learn about science and the world around us. This is not an all-day activity, but is an excellent and fun way to spend an afternoon with the family. I have been to the Science Center three or four times, and every time they have something new or something I missed the last time.

The Science Center also contains The Cleveland Clinic OMNIMAX Theater. The theater is a six-story tall dome that delivers an unbelievable audio and visual experience. Whether it takes you on a gliding tour of the Grand Canyon or you explore the human body, the theater inspires a feeling of weightless and flight. It connects with all your senses and really takes you to the place it is showing. It only costs a few more dollars for a ticket, and if you have the time, it is absolutely worth it.

The Science Center has its own parking and restaurant and is very easy to get to. Take East 9th to the lake and turn left. If you are doing the Rock Hall on the same day, you can easily park here and just walk over.

Clevelanders are fanatical about their sports teams. They can consume the whole city. Cleveland has a major sport for every season, so no matter what time of year you go, catching a game is always something fun to do. Below are a list of the major sports in the city and some advice on the best way to enjoy them.

Browns: We'll start with football just because it is my favorite sport and probably most Clevelander's favorite sport, with baseball being a very close second. The Browns themselves have been around since the beginning of the NFL so there is a long history for this team, with its darkest days occurring in the mid-90s, when then owner, Art Model, moved them team to Baltimore. Today, however, the team is back. With a brand-new stadium that sits right on the shores of Lake Erie, the team and the city are ready to go. If you are lucky enough to score some tickets to a game, make sure you know where in the stadium you are sitting. Anyone who knows football knows about the Cleveland Dawg Pound, and I have heard stories of unsuspecting people getting seats in the Dawg Pound and not being ready for it. Needless to say, it can get a little crazy. The other advice is that with the stadium on the lake, the winds off the water can pick up quickly and really cool the place down no matter what time of the year it is, so dress warmly.

Indians: In the summer, baseball is a way of life in Cleveland. When you think of the Cleveland Indians, forget about the Major League movies. They have been a World Series contender almost every year for the last 10 years, and the city is in love with them. The greatness began in 1994, when Jacob's Field opened. It is a beautiful stadium that Clevelanders had not experienced before. It began an unbelievable 455-game sellout streak that is currently the longest major league home sellout record in any professional sport. The streak ended in 2001, and today you will be able to walk up to the ticket window on game day and get some tickets. The stadium is located on the south side of the downtown area and surrounded by a lot of bars and restaurants. If you have a free afternoon in the summer and love baseball, stop by and join the crowd.

Cavs: Basketball is definitely a third-tier sport here in Cleveland, but with the addition of the Gund Arena and superstar Lebron James, this team could quickly become as important as Jordan and the Bulls were to Chicago. The Gund is located a block from Jacob's Field, and is a great venue for basketball and other events that occur here. If you are planning on driving to either the Gund or the Jake, be prepared to pay for parking. Close spots can be as much as $30.