How to Spend a Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio

How to get around, what to see and do, where to stay, and where to eat and drink on your first visit to Cleveland, OH.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Cleveland for a few days and hang out with one of my favourite people in the world. I’d never heard anything good about Cleveland but having visited, I can tell you that Cleveland is a city that holds a certain undeniable charm, in the way a moldy basement might hold a dusty treasure chest.

The once mighty steel and auto industries now resemble a collection of rusting skeletons, a constant reminder of the past. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame gleams brightly, a shrine to the city’s musical heritage and a more vibrant past. The Cuyahoga River, once so polluted it famously caught fire, now flows peacefully through the city. And Lake Erie offers a moody backdrop to the city skyline.

Cleveland, for all its quirks and imperfections, fosters a certain resilience in its inhabitants. They are a hardy bunch, persisting like a determined dandelion pushing through a crack in the sidewalk. I learned from several Uber drivers that they embrace their city, flaws and all, with a fierce loyalty that both confounds and compels me. Their sports teams, while perpetually on the cusp of greatness and perpetually falling short, inspire a devotion bordering on masochism. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).