Whats the best places to eat and attractions to do in Cleveland

[cleveland mitchell]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

Shaker Square is a great spot. There is a good amount of cool restaurants and shops around there. If you haven't gotten a chance yet, while Cleveland has plenty of good food spots, the one which they are most well known for is Central/Eastern European. If you were to eat at either Sokolowski's University Inn (Polish), Balaton (Hungarian) or Sterle's Country House (Slovenian), not only would it be one of the best meals you would have, but it would also truly be a unique experience. To keep it simple, every Clevelander should at some point get something to eat from the WSM, Sokolowski's and Little Italy, those are the big three haha. I like Melt and Slyman's too, but those aren't quite as universally loved.

Oh! Well that weekend (the 28th), keep in mind that Cleveland is hosting the regionals for the NCAA Basketball Tournament (Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight), so that's an option. I don't know if you're an Arizona Bball fan or not since you grew up in Phoenix, and I don't know what will happen, but if Gonzaga and Arizona both run the table, you could have Arizona as the Number One Seed in the Cleveland Regional (Because Gonzaga went to LA). Right now though, chances are, Kentucky (and Calipari, ugh) would probably be headed here, and they could be moving towards a perfect season then. So there's that.

PS: If you want to get a DEAL on tickets to the Regional Championship, the answer is easy enough. Go to some nice restaurant on East 4th or West 6th with TVs, just hang out etc., until the first or second game is winding down. Then, once it is clear who is going to lose, check with the fans of the losing team on how much they are willing to sell for (I kid you not, we tried this at a first round game once, and got tickets to the next round for $15.

The Cleveland International Film Festival will also be going on then, from March 18th to the 29th, so if you or your grandma enjoy movies, I'm not positive on this but I believe one $15 pass will get you into all of them during that period of time, and there will literally be HUNDREDS of movies airing then. That will be at the Tower City Cinemas at Tower City Mall which you could walk around before or after if you wanted to shop. Plus, there's this building complex called the 5th Street Arcades, that is dedicated to local shopping, vintage goods, t shirts, etc. that is right near there.

Also, can't believe I forgot to mention, but Playhouse Square is the largest theater district in America outside of Broadway, and all the theaters over there have so much character and are beautiful. It's one of those places you can go and really feel like your sitting in New York or London, except it's way cheaper to go here than it would be there. So that's good if she or you like stage theatre. PlayhouseSquare :: Event Calendar.

I'm hoping this helps, and that you have been enjoying yourself/haven't been too worn down by the nonstop cold in Cleveland over the past month, sounds like it is finally going to go above freezing this week!

Let us know if you need any other suggestions.

Thanks man this is some great info you just gave me me and my grandma love movies and I love plays to and even though its cold I love it here its all brand new a whole different vibe from phoenix and even though you can Fit 5 Cleveland's in one phoenix with the suburbs it doesn't feel small

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by cleveland mitchell

Thanks man this is some great info you just gave me me and my grandma love movies and I love plays to and even though its cold I love it here its all brand new a whole different vibe from phoenix and even though you can Fit 5 Cleveland's in one phoenix with the suburbs it doesn't feel small

Kentucky will be the number one seed in the Cleveland NCAA basketball regionals, and, because it's trying to go undefeated, tickets are sold out and stubhub.com prices are going through the roof. The suggestion to buy tickets from fans of losing teams is an interesting one.

The food at the Balaton and Sokolowski's is much better than Sterle's IMO.

For plays, check out Karamu House, the Beck Center in Lakewood, and Cleveland Public Theater in addition to the offerings at PlayhouseSquare.

http://www.karamuhouse.org/

http://www.beckcenter.org/what-we-do/theater/

http://www.cptonline.org/

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo should be on your plate. Monday is a free day for residents of Cuyahoga County, but it may be crowded, but perhaps not in early April with kids in school.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g5...Cleveland.html

Outside of Cleveland, check out Ohio Amish Country, Kirtland attractions such as Holden Arboretum, Lake Metroparks Farmpark and the Kirtland Temple, Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, and Malabar Farm in the Mohican Region.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g5...Day.Trips.html

The Tribe opens its season on April 10, if you're mom enjoys baseball. Opening Day is sold out, but perhaps buy tickets for later in the series if your grandma still will be in Cleveland.

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by cleveland mitchell

Thanks man this is some great info you just gave me me and my grandma love movies and I love plays to and even though its cold I love it here its all brand new a whole different vibe from phoenix and even though you can Fit 5 Cleveland's in one phoenix with the suburbs it doesn't feel small

Definitely a good point you bring up about the suburbs. I was looking and I think while Cleveland's city population is only 400k and Phoenix's is 1.4 million, Phoenix city limits are like 6 times bigger. Population overall you are correct it's pretty similar since if you add Cleveland's suburbs and region in , the population of the region is almost the same as Phoenix. In a way, I feel like Lakewood and Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights especially are like extensions of the city. Anyways glad you are enjoying.

[theurbanfiles]

I tended to think so. Only reason I thought they may wind up in Syracuse is because it's closer to Bristol/NYC and thus more convenient for media, since that will be the story of the tournament. Also that would allow for bigger draw and ensure the bigger venue (Carrier Dome) would be closer to capacity if not sold out. Yeah, even if not going to game, having all fans of visiting teams in town should make for a fun atmosphere that weekend (and make finding parking by the West Side Market even more difficult). Perhaps there will be some sort of fanfest around then, but I can't say for sure .

[kpl1228]

West Side Market. THAT should be your starting point.

[theurbanfiles]

If you or your grandma are into nature/seeing what types of outdoors stuff the area has to offer, there actually is a waterfall within city limits. Mill Creek Falls, which is part of Garfield Park Reservation.

Probably the biggest/most famous attraction in the region, that would be doable on a (long) day trip, would be Niagara Falls. If you do it right/don't hit a ton of traffic on the way over there, it would take a little over 3 hours to drive that from downtown. Even if you don't go this time with your grandma (it may still be too cold to enjoy it), it is something you should definitely put on the bucket list to get over there at some point, since you really can get there and back in a single day. It is considered on a short list of the most beautiful/unique places on earth, right along with the Grand Canyon (although very different).

Also that direction (and about the same distance away), is the Allegheny National Forest. The draw in that is while Cleveland has a beautiful lakefront, rolling hills, valleys and forests, that is probably the closest you could go to see what could be considered mountain-ish territory.
(Or at least I think. If anyone wants to correct me on that and direct me somewhere closer, I would be happy)

[WRnative]

The boats to the falls may not be operating at Niagara Falls, but most likely the Hornblower boats on the Canadian side will be in operation; definitely check before heading to NF. You also need passports in order to visit the Canadian side, which has the best vistas and many attractions, such as Journey Behind the Falls.

An alternative for an overnight trip would be The Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI.

Top local day trips would include Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, the Kirtland attractions mentioned earlier, Ohio Amish Country, Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and perhaps your grandmother would enjoy the National First Ladies Library there. The big movie attractions in northern Ohio are the Christmas Story House in Tremont and Malabar Farm in the Mohican Region (see the Day Trips article linked in an earlier post, and also check out Mansfield for "The Shawshank Redemption" filming sites, although the Ohio Reformatory may not yet be open in April).

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by TPH2

Don't mean to be "that guy," but I always see this fact incorrectly stated. PlayHouse Square is the second largest performing arts complex in the US, only behind Lincoln Center in New York. There are other cities that have much larger theater districts, but the theaters are not all part of the same organization, like they are at PHS.

Your Lincoln Center reference is correct... However, the poster is generally correct too: there are not many cities that have theater "districts" larger than Playhouse Square. Outside of New York, can you name one? Not Chicago... not Detroit (even though the Fox is gorgeous)... Not Philly... Not Boston or D.C.... then where?

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but the fact is, cities tend to have their live theaters scattered around their downtown areas... Cities generally don't have theater "districts" per se, which is why PHS is unique.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by TPH2

Don't mean to be "that guy," but I always see this fact incorrectly stated. PlayHouse Square is the second largest performing arts complex in the US, only behind Lincoln Center in New York. There are other cities that have much larger theater districts, but the theaters are not all part of the same organization, like they are at PHS.

To be accurate, PlayhouseSquare claims it is the second largest unified theater complex in the U.S. after Lincoln Center in NYC, implying the number of seats under the control of a single entity is the claim. PlayhouseSquare has 9,000 theater seats. What organizations control more seats in the U.S.?

The truth of the matter is that these claims became specious after a while, because there isn't much research on the topic.

Sorry, Twin Cities: That second-most-theater-seats-per-capita-outside-New-York stat is total bull**** | The Tangential

What also is important is the quality of the seats at PlayhouseSquare. The Hanna and the Allen in particular are very special, intimate theaters reconstructed within spectacular, historical spaces that probably aren't found in too many other cities.