Safe places for 1st timer visiting Cleveland (East Cleveland, Green: appointed, hotel)

[Peregrine]

I love the Westside Market but not so much as a tourist destination. If doing something else in the area, sure, but as a destination? Not so much.
You going to buy a slab of ribs and take them home?

[Cleverfield]

Ohio City Hostel looks awesome. I was in there briefly during the Brite Winter festival. Really nice, my friend who has traveled a lot said it was the nicest hostel she had ever been in.

[bjimmy24]

+1 for the hostel. It's honestly the best option. You can get a private room for really cheap. If you share with others, it's super super cheap. I've stayed in lots of hostels in the USA and Europe and in my opinion, the Cleveland Hostel is the cleanest, best kept. It's also in a location that you are gonna want to visit anyway.

The Cleveland Hostel - Cleveland's First Hostel

But the West Side Market is definitely an attraction. absolutely. The architecture itself is enough. There are also very few markets in the US like it. It beats every market I've ever been to. You can get food there that you just can't find in other places. The new park across the street makes it even better. If you are into food, you can get some awesome eats at the market, walk it back to the hostel and use their nice kitchen. Making the other hostel dwellers some dinner would be a nice way to make friends, or at least find someone to hit up W. 25 street bars with later!

[costello_musicman]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

I love the Westside Market but not so much as a tourist destination. If doing something else in the area, sure, but as a destination? Not so much.
You going to buy a slab of ribs and take them home?

I respectfully disagree. The WSM is definitely a must-see attraction. For my out of state friends, this is often one of the best memories they have a Cleveland. When in Seattle, I visit the fish market and in Boston... the market there.

A visitor, for example, can definitely sit on the balcony to overlook the masses and eat a sausage sandwich of gyro. I agree he won't be buying a pigs head along the way

[ThatGuyFromOC]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

Greetings Clevelanders!

I am a lifelong East Coast guy who's never been to Cleveland before and had only been once to the Midwest and that was in childhood a long time ago. I hope to plan a trip to Cleveland sometime later this year because I want new places to see and lately have heard some exciting things about Cleveland. Having said this, I have also heard that Cleveland is a very dangerous city and that there are neighborhoods that an outsider just simply cannot walk or drive into. This is why I need some information.

The places I want to visit are:

1) University Circle including the art museum, natural history museum, and botanical gardens.
2) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3) Old Chinatown at Rockwell Avenue and (New) Asiatown at Payne Street/East 30th Street
4) Progressive Field to watch an Indians game if I have time
5) Downtown Cleveland's streets

#2 is probably obviously safe as it is a tourist attraction in Downtown but as for the rest, are there any areas I have to be especially vigilant about? Also, is the RTA safe to ride at any hour? As an avid public transportation fan, I don't think I can visit any major city without at least one ride on their public transit system.

I know this is a lot but if anyone can offer advice, it be great. Thanks!

1) University Circles a pretty cool place, you really should check it out

2) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is also nice you might want to stop by the science center/IMAX while your in the area. There used to be a skatepark behind the Rock Hall i always used to go to but they tore it down. Theres still a nice little park and boats back there though

3) If your talking about the Asiatown up Superior I don't really see a point in visiting besides grabbing some chinese food just be careful in that area

4) Progressive Field/Downtown is pretty decent in the daytime i suppose. Theres plenty of bars and clubs on the West 6th strip if thats your thing (Even tho theres been a couple shootings there recently). If you want to see some public transportation then downtown is the place to be! Haha its basically the hub of the RTA system, and you can catch most buses and almost all train lines run through there.

The West Side Market is also a great place to see although I'm nnot sure if its back open yet as it caught fire not too long ago. The East Side is a WHOLE different story on the other hand

Theres also the main Coventry Strip in Cleveland Heights if you wanted to do some shopping or see a show or something.

Just be careful especially at night man, theres a reason we're nicknamed "Thieveland"

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by ThatGuyFromOC

1)

Just be careful especially at night man, theres a reason we're nicknamed "Thieveland"

Well, that's the first time I've heard that nickname.

You sound like a suburban dweller who comes downtown for Indians games or some other big event 3-4 times per year and then retreats back to, I don't know, let's say Independence. Real Clevelanders who know anything don't talk up the Rock Hall. They also know that the West Side Market has been open since February 18th. There was a huge to-do about it. Hell, I haven't been in Cleveland since January and I knew that...

Asiatown doesn't really look very nice, but I wouldn't say it's particularly dangerous. Heavily populated by Chinese immigrants, close to Cleveland State. I guarentee you'd be ok going to eat dinner at a restaurant.

Stop being so afraid of everything.

[Natural510]

I was pretty underwhelmed by the RnR HOF personally, unless you're a fan of their featured artist at the time (it was Springsteen when I went). Other than MJ's "Thriller" outfit and Elvis' Cadillac, most of the displays feel like cast-offs from better collections. Like a napkin Lennon wrote on or Mick Jagger's underwear. There just seems to be more going on in the city than that, but I guess everyone wants to say they were there once.

[ThatGuyFromOC]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Well, that's the first time I've heard that nickname.

You sound like a suburban dweller who comes downtown for Indians games or some other big event 3-4 times per year and then retreats back to, I don't know, let's say Independence. Real Clevelanders who know anything don't talk up the Rock Hall. They also know that the West Side Market has been open since February 18th. There was a huge to-do about it. Hell, I haven't been in Cleveland since January and I knew that...

Asiatown doesn't really look very nice, but I wouldn't say it's particularly dangerous. Heavily populated by Chinese immigrants, close to Cleveland State. I guarentee you'd be ok going to eat dinner at a restaurant.

Stop being so afraid of everything.

I'm actually a west side resident. For the most part I've always lived in the Ohio city area (thus ThatGuyFromOc [attended Lincoln-West]) but I recently moved FAR west. And I don't shop at the WSM that much after working there for a little and getting a semi-disturbing behind the scene look at the food handling.

If you've never heard of the land being called thieveland than your obviously not from the hood.

ps I've only been to one Indians game when I was a kid and it was still Jacobs field

[ThatGuyFromOC]

And afraid? Some of my best friends in life been eaten by the streets of Cleveland west and east I don't wanna hear that ****.

I only say what I've seen.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by ThatGuyFromOC

I'm actually a west side resident. For the most part I've always lived in the Ohio city area (thus ThatGuyFromOc [attended Lincoln-West]) but I recently moved FAR west. And I don't shop at the WSM that much after working there for a little and getting a semi-disturbing behind the scene look at the food handling.

If you've never heard of the land being called thieveland than your obviously not from the hood.

ps I've only been to one Indians game when I was a kid and it was still Jacobs field

So it's worse than I thought. You literally know nothing about our core areas.

Nobody calls Cleveland Thieveland. Yes, I know the word is out there, but in terms of popular nicknames, nope it's not one of them.

Oh, and I'm from that miserable bombed out east side that you look down upon, where you'll probably get killed walking down the street after 9:30 pm.