Cleveland in April

Old Mar 4th, 2011, 07:21 AM
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JJ5
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Cleveland in April

Airfares from Chicago are minimal. Thought we may go to the opening series with the White Sox?

So I did a google of Cleveland tourism and got a very entertaining 1/2 hour watching youtubes. The tourism website is about 10 sites down.

Should I be scared off by this- and also with the final words on some of these videos that "at least we are not Detroit"?

Cleveland people, give me a heads up. Encourage me, seriously. Will there be enough to do within say, a 5 mile radius, to stay there for 3 days? Probably would hit the 2nd and 3rd ball games. Looks like the stadium is in the core called the FLATS? Enlighten me to the real issues or best lodging. We have done Detroit twice in two years and feel that the ball park area is fine, and so is the Greektown etc. area there. And we actually did a minor tour outside of that neighborhood. Are the videos out there for Cleveland exaggerations, or are there as many miles of ruins as in Detroit?

If we do drive, we don't want to be roaming innocents.

Please tell me about the good aspects we could manage near the ball park. Encourage me.
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Old Mar 4th, 2011, 08:50 AM
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JJ5, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (http://rockhall.com/) is within a good walk of the ball field. It is well worth a visit and I would plan to spend 3-4 hours there if you grew up anytime between 1950 - present. Check their web site to see who is the featured exhibit. The museum area just east of the Cleveland Clinic is also excellent and I was an Art Insitute member for years and visited often. Again, check the web site (http://www.clevelandart.org/) for exhibit information. I have not visited their Science musuem, but that too is supposed to be very interesting.

Cleveland has lots of good, ethnic restaurants around the downtown area as well as Little Italy. Yes, there are lots of urban ruin areas. We never felt scared in Cleveland, as we had good directions and knew where we were going. Maybe I am crazy, but I lived in Chicago for 20 years and never felt scared there either. Tip - you might want to try Priceline for hotels, have done this a couple of times in Cleveland and gotten a few good deal. Hint - like every major urban area, expect to pay for secure parking in downtown, so be aware if you book there. We have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, the Renaissance (parking is pricey), and the Hyatt Regency (again, parking = $$). We have eaten at Crop, Lola's and several other really good places downtown as well. Let me know if you need more info.
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Old Mar 4th, 2011, 09:09 AM
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There certainly appears to be enough sightseeing to warrant spending 2-3 days in Cleveland, depending on interests. See this link for some ideas:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...7_indattr.html
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Old Mar 4th, 2011, 11:01 AM
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Jacobs is one of the great ball parks. I would add the downtown Marriott as a good option walking distance to the list.

Just like Chicago, April weather in Cleveland can be risky. Be prepared for anything.
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Old Mar 4th, 2011, 12:53 PM
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Weather in April here for baseball is always a challenge too, but weather won't stymie us in anyway. We have been at baseball in the snow enough times. But what IS a detriment is that it is opening series and on a weekend. Flying and ticket wise, they are both detriments.

Thanks for the wonderful replies, and you know, we play them in a September mid-week and I think I'd rather do it then just because I would want to see the art and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame without rushing and these April games are all day games. That time of year I can take 5 full days much easier and fly on weekdays at both ends.

We will see Jacobs this year for sure. As we already have everything set for the Rockies in June- this may end up being a 3 different guest city view, this year.

And I'll look at that link at length, bachslunch.

I was born in 1948, prior to '50 and remember Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper performing live. My friends are older and super rock n roll fans- more than I am, actually. Original greasers, some of them too.

aliska, you can know Chicago completely differently if you only know certain parts. Chicago is absolutely huge in square miles. So one person's Chicago can be quite different than another's. It's a Dorian Gray portrait- you might have seen the one in the dining room, but I have seen the one in the attic, as well. And I have been scared. Mightily and different times and in different eras. But these youtubes make it seem as if that is downtown Cleveland, as well.

These answers have given me much encouragement for the trip. Perhaps those videos are primarily for humor?? Very dark humor.

I am not afraid to go to Cleveland at all. Just do not want to be a stupid or clueless traveler. We were on a drive trip a couple of years ago and ended up in Memphis, literally behind barb wire fences, one night. I just don't want to fall into that again.

This is the mildest one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM
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Old Mar 30th, 2011, 07:30 AM
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I'm from a suburb 25 miles east of Cleveland. I feel safe going downtown. The baseball field is not in the Flats. Will you have a car?

I have stayed at the Renaissance before, and it is very close to the field (covered indoor walking bridge). The Marriott downtown is also good (my in-laws have stayed there).

I just watched the video, it's just someone making a joke.

Check out the West Side Market, The Rock in Roll Hall of Fame, the awesome renovated Art Museum (which is free), Little Italy, Chagrin Falls (if you have a car), Beachwood for shopping, Lolly the Trolly. I could go on.

Lola is a downtown restaurant owned by Top Chef Michael Symon. He also has Lolita and some others in the suburbs.

The only area to truly avoid is East Cleveland, but there is no reason for you to go there. I would think Chicago would have some dodgy areas as well, as all cities do.

So it's almost April, are you coming?
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Old Mar 30th, 2011, 07:32 AM
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ps. Now I see you are coming in Sept. A much better time of year weather wise at least. 5 days might be too much though, unless you have a car and go explore.
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Old Mar 30th, 2011, 07:11 PM
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We are glad we put this trip into Sept. instead. Too much hype on opening and also weather and all crowd factors will be better in Sept. during the weekday night games. It will be "normal" as we like it the most. It's going to end up being 4 days within the city at the most, and we are going to drive and see some other things on the way, maybe even hit Sandusky.

THanks for the suggestions, amelie. I printed them out. Once we are in a different city or first time city (for us) we really roam and aren't pool sitters etc. We can hit a bunch of activities and venues in that amount of time.

Some cities, regardless of their actual density or distances within the city between are much easier for baseball than others. I think Cleveland will be easy.
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 05:29 AM
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Agreed. It will be very easy for you to get around, and get to the games. If you like amusement parks then you could go to Cedar Point in Sandusky. I can give you more suggestions after this summer when my in-laws come from Scotland. We end up doing the touristy things with them, things I didn't even know about!

4 days sounds good.

It snowed last night. A lot.
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 08:12 AM
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JJ5, during one of my visits to the Land of Cleve I've taken the 45-minute drive beyond the city to Stan Hywet Hall, the estate of Charles Siberling, in Akron (www.stanhywet.org). In Canton, 15-minutes farther, you could also see the Pro Football HOF and the William McKinley Memorial that also has a small museum (www.mckinleymuseum.org).

Just east of University Circle, you can visit the James Garfield Memorial in Lakeview Cemetery. And yes, I make it a point to visit presidential tombs if they're near my main target. So far, I've managed 16. There are a couple I'd like to visit, but those guys just won't die.
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 08:36 AM
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I love Stan Hywet Hall . You could see President Garfield's home in Mentor also if that interests you.
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 09:07 AM
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I realize that you've decided on Sept. I'm sure you'll have a good time. I just wanted to give a thumbs up to all you Clevelanders. We went in April a few years ago and had a wonderful time.
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 11:08 AM
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We live 30 miles south of Cleveland and go often. We love the Planetaruum there:
http://www.cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum...anetarium.aspx
We also go every year to Cedar Point and have since we were teens, (now very old
http://www.cedarpoint.com/
If you want to view Cleveland from the water the Goodtime 3 is a good place to do that:
http://www.goodtimeiii.com/cms/
If you want to spend a day in the Islands, the Goodtime has a day trip that devides Kelly's and Put-in-Bay into a day trip. You would rent golf carts after getting off the boat and tour the islands...we usually do this every year also:
http://www.goodtimeboat.com/
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 12:45 PM
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yay shaz60!

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is also amazing, and would be great in September. You could ride the CVN Railroad. I think cd is the one that helped me figure out where to go in CVNP last year, since shame on me I had never been!!
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Old Mar 31st, 2011, 07:19 PM
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Wow, thanks cd. That sounds more than fine, especially since SO is a boat person. Train idea- great one too. All of you- Citylights, amelie, shaz- thank you.

We did long drive vacations often before 2006 and since then have been flying, nearly all the time. I think a drive vacation to these distances sounds perfect in the Fall.
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Old Apr 1st, 2011, 09:06 AM
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The Cleveland Zoo is highly recommended. You can easily spend a few hours there.

The Tremont area is a must for eating - all sorts of price ranges. Grumpy's Cafe, BAC (they're next to each other), Dante (high end) and Istanbul Grill for starters.

As you get closer to your trip, you might want to access the Cleveland Magazine website for events in September.

Native Clevelander here - always nice to welcome visitors to our city!

Enjoy!
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Old Apr 2nd, 2011, 07:41 AM
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We are zoo people, belong to Brookfield Zoo (members)near Chicago. I'm sure we will do the zoo. The only place we missed the zoo was Pittsburgh- ran out of days.

Cleveland was welcoming to the White Sox yesterday. But watching some Sox fans with ear muffs and seeing how long the game went- I was triply glad we put this off until Sept. It will be a much more leisurely trip then.
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Old Apr 2nd, 2011, 08:20 AM
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And so much more to do in Sept!!!
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