My in-laws will be spending the above-mentioned week in Cleveland, Ohio. My mother-in-law will be at the Mayo Clinic during the day being poked, prodded, and pondered over. However, my FIL will have lots and lots of free time, and they’re hoping to do something other than sit in their room at the Homewood Suites all night.
So, any suggestions?
They would prefer things that are cheap and/or free - museums, art galleries, etc. She really wanted to go to SeaWorld. Too bad for her! I’m sure they won’t want to cook every night, so any restaurant suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, they will be staying in the area surrounding the airport, so closer is better.
The Cleveland Clinic is right up Euclid Avenue from University Circle, which has many museums including the world-renowned Cleveland Museum of Art. I believe they are all free; at least, they used to be. Also, the Cleveland Orchestra plays at Severance Hall right on Euclid in University Circle.
There isn’t much out by the airport except for NASA Glenn Research Center, which has a free visitor center that hasn’t been updated since about 1978. If you want to learn about how the Space Shuttle will be the steppingstone for man’s planned voyages to Mars in the 1990s, by all means check it out.
Hey, another thing in University Circle. There is a museum of medical history run by the Case Western Reserve U. med school. I think it’s at about Euclid and 105th. It is free and is totally awesome. Old medical instruments, bone saws, gigantic x-ray machines from 1920, stuff like that. They are having a special exhibit on contraception now. I highly recommend it unless your experiences at the Clinic leave you weary of medicine.
I go up to Cleveland at least once a year for the Cleveland Film Festival. Whoever I go with and I usually make a day of it, going to some great restaurants and taking in at least a couple of neat-o foreign or independent films.
There’s some great food in Cleveland. Check out the vegetarian soul food up there. (I’ve forgotten the name of the restaraurant I have in mind. It’s something like “Vegetarian Soul Food” or “Soul Vegetarian.” I always mess this up.) Even if you don’t usually eat vegetarian, this place really should not be missed. I’m sure a little searching around on a Cleveland dining guide page, or whatever, would lead you to it. It might take a little effort to find it, but the work is worth it.
Stop in for a cannoli at Presti’s. In fact, stop in for any pastry at Presti’s. Presti’s is genuinely delicious, and it’s the only place I know in Ohio where you can get a truly good cannoli. They’ll give you espresso, too, but you’d have to bring your own sambuca if you wanted to make an espresso with sambuca (which I highly recommend, especially with a cannoli or tiramisu.) There are 2 Presti’s, actually. One of them is a donut shop, which really isn’t worth messing with Little Italy parking for. The other is the big building with huge windows. That’s the one you want, and, yes, it’s worth the effort.
January 21, 2005: Professional ice hockey. Cleveland Barons vs. Houston. It’s a minor league game so good seats are pretty inexpensive and its a fun time.
Just wanted to add that, although Cleveland has some bitter cold and massive Lake Effect snow, it’s got a lot of cool stuff in it.
I remember really enjoying the conservatory, the art museum, and the natural history museum. It’s been years since I’ve been there, though. Hmm…maybe I’ll spend a while up there doing non-cinematic things while I’m in town for the film festival this March.
Oh, BTW, Kittenblue–do you know the name, address, and phone number of the vegetarian soul food place? I just tried to find it on the metroguide’s website and couldn’t. As of last March, at least, they were in business.
Too bad for her! I’m sure they won’t want to cook every night, so any restaurant suggestions would be appreciated.