A few things to do in Cleveland

 by Daniela Calvetti

The Westside Market:  Ranked as one of the 10 most iconic historic markets in the USA, located at the intersection of West 25th and Lorain, across from the 25Th Street RTA station (red line). The market is open 4 days a week, Mondays-Wednesday-Fridays-Saturdays from 8a.m to 5 p.m. The stands there sell all kinds of food items, from seasonal vegetables to spices, from all parts of the world.  Near the West side Market there are many restaurants, bars, coffee shops and some of the many local breweries. Among them is the Great Lakes Brewery which used to host the monthly Science Café. Its owners decided to go smoke-free before it was mandated by law and run a shuttle bus fueled by alimentary oil. Starting in 2001, the GLB has sponsored the Burning River Fest, to raise fund and awareness for clean water. The event is names after the Cuyahoga River catching fire in the late 60s, due to its heavy pollution.  Brewery tours and classes are offered regularly.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, overlooking Lake Erie, a short walking distance from the Huntington Convention Center, is one of Cleveland’s best known attractions. It is open Sunday-Wednesday 10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. -8 p.m.  The rock memorabilia on display in the museum is quite impressive, and the place is a treat for those who like rock – or grew up in the 60s and 70s.  Discounted tickets - down to $28 from the regular $39.50 - are available for groups of 15 or more visitors: here are the details.

The Cleveland Museum of Art a few miles away from the Convention Center, on the Health Line RTA route, has a huge collection of art pieces displayed in a modern and spacious building in black and white Italian marble. The entrance to the museum is free, and there are active learning areas for hands-on experience. One of my favorite pieces is a bronze statue of a young male attributed to Praxiteles, on the ground floor. The museum is open 10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. on Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday-Sunday and 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.  on Wednesday and Friday. Provenance Restaurant, located inside the museum, is a contemporary restaurant and lounge featuring locally sourced and globally inspired cuisine and a prix-fixe menu aligned with current museum exhibitions.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, located in the heart of University Circle, next door the Cleveland Museum of Art, has been ranked one of America’s top 5 museums. The museum’s dramatic Visitor Hall features a selection of most iconic specimens, including sled dog Balto, prehistoric fish Dunkleosteus, long-necked dinosaur Haplocanthosaurus and early human relative Lucy. A visit to the planetarium is included in the museum entrance ticked, as is the Smear discory center, where kids can learn and play.   The museum hours are Tuesday-Friday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. Advanced tickets can be obtained with a $5 discount. A favorite of my children and grandchildren, who have spent entire days and learned about many different things, from solar eclipse to Monarch butterflies’ life cycle.

The Cleveland Botanical Gardens located in the heart of University Circle, is an oasis inside the city, with plants, flowers and a special butterfly exhibit. Special features include a Japanese garden, a Costa Rican glass house and a Madagascar glass house. If your name or last name is Lily, you get free admission in the month of July.

The Case Western Reserve University beautiful campus, located in University Circle, is the place where Michelson and Morley performed their famous experiment proving that ether does not exist. A replica of the equipment can be seen in the Physics Department. This urban campus is bordering many of the museums. The Peter B. Lewis Building, home of the Case Western Business School, has been designed by Frank Geary to bridge the classic brick architecture of the old building and the new Veale student center.

The Flats is a former manufacturing and shipping neighborhood located where the land meets the river, that has been rediscovered and reimaged. In the summer, the Flats East Bank is a popular place for nightlife, with many bars, breweries and restaurants, music events and impressive views of the bridges crisscrossing the Cuyahoga River. The Flats West Bank was the first to be revived after the manufacturing crisis, following the opening of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in the historic Powerhouse. Nearby you can kayak and paddle on the Cuyahoga River.

Tremont is a neighborhood located across the Cuyahoga River from the Convention Center that has seen a major renaissance in the last 20 years. Traditionally a manufacturing area, with its cabbage patch houses build for the workers, many of them immigrants from Eastern Europe, it has become a trendy neighborhood for young professionals and artists, while retaining much of its old charm. For the movie buffs, the first half of 1978 movie The Deer Hunter was filmed in Tremont, with the wedding scenes taking place in the Russian Orthodox St Theodosius church, and the reception at the Lemko Hall. The food scene in Tremont is pretty vibrant: at the entrance of Tremont, along Abbey Road, there is one of the most photographed spots of Cleveland, showcasing in the background the urban working character of the city.  Here is a guide to all Cleveland Script Signs.

Movies and Theaters: Cleveland has the largest concentration of playmaker theaters after New York City, and very vibrant movie culture. During the week of SIAM AN 26, Playhouse Square – an easy walk from the Convention center - is featuring The Lion King.

The Cleveland Institute of Arts movie theater Cinematheque has been showing art house movies – classic and newly releases - for 4 decades. Located in the Uptown neighborhood by Case Western Reserve Campus, this Wednesday they will show the 1984 Jim Jarmush (a native of nearby Akron) classic Stanger Than Paradise movie featuring some of Cleveland neighborhoods and a famous scene of Lake Erie in the middle of winter. Here is the schedule for this week.