We're going to Cleveland on business next weekend for 3 days and will be doing some touring as well as dining downtown and having a couple of meetings. The restaurants seem to be business casual or casual elegant, per the restaurant review websites.

I'm assuming weather in the 80s with high humidity.

Any suggestions? We travel with one carry on rolling bag each.

We lived in the midwest (St. Louis) for a couple of years in the late 70s but are from the San Francisco area and pretty much wear black around SF for dinner, etc; the out of town visitors are usually wearing pastels; does that mean I need pastels for Cleveland?!

Hi annw, do you have some lightweight black summer clothes, linen or something? I wouldn't bother buying clothes in colors that you are not going to wear at home. I "live" in black also.

Thanks, LoveItaly-- I do have some black silk drawstring pants I've been living in -- and a reversable black and white skirt (and other reversable in black and pink). Basically I've been trying to reconfigure my Venice wardrobe for Cleveland (somehow it's more fuin thinking of wearing them in Italy! : )

Yes indeed annw, planning a wardrobe for Venice does beat planning one for Cleveland doesn't it? But seriously, those clothes sound perfect to me, cool, stylish and you won't be wasting money on clothes you probably won't wear very much in the SF/Bay Area.

You're not going to a third world country, we have Saks here, too. Black for dinner will be fine.

Welcome to Cleveland! It can be humid here or not, depends on the day, but depend on it being humid and dress accordingly. Black will be fine, you won't be in the sun.

If you have a car, let me recommend Pier W. It is a restaurant on Lake Erie with the Cleveland skyline in the background and has very good food. Also if you have a car, catching the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom ahttp://www.clevelandorch.com/html/Performance/viewByMonth.asp?SiteType=B&m=8&y=2006 is awesome.

Thanks LI and CD; great advice. CD so far I made reservations at Johhny's Bar, Food Fire Water, and Farenheit; should I drop one for the Pier? We could shift one of the others to lunch. We will have a car and I'll have a few hours independent driving around time.

MT I know Cleveland has great stores and is indeed a world class city; my husband grew up there but hasn't been back for 35 years; please don't take offense at an effort to respect local customs; people ask me what to wear in SF all the time; I appreciate their thoughtfulness and at least "what to wear in Cleveland" hasn't flooded the discussion boards like what ti wear in Paris or Rome.

annw
I would go to Pier W for Sunday brunch if you will be in town on Sunday. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/glxyn. It is wonderful and with it being daylight, you will have a good view. Ask for a window table.

Thanks! I've printed the article and will plan for Sunday brunch, as Sunday is our "touring" day.

We had a good weekend here -- the usual travel wardrobe for Venice worked here well.

Three great meals in the restaurants (I posted about them on the Cleveland dining thread).