Anyone here from Cleveland, OH?

Question

I will be coming to Cleveland from the UK shortly, what are the good points about the city/state/people?

Answer 1

Someone posted an excellent response to another Cleveland question that really sums up the highlights of the city/region. Check out the first answer here: https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=1006030101936



But since you're coming from the UK, you may have a rather different experience than people from other places in the US. It's not exactly what you asked for, but I'd like to offer advice on some cultural differences. My husband and many of our friends are from the UK, so I've got a lot of experience with cultural differences going both ways. If you're already an expert US traveller or generally don't want unsolicited advice, please ignore the rest. :-)



First, the obvious thing: language. My husband and our friends from the UK who have spent time in Cleveland with me have been alternately amused and annoyed at the language differences. Apparently quite a few Clevelanders have some trouble with British accents, and vice versa.



On the other hand, I've also seen my friends get overwhelmingly positive reactions to their accents. To generalize horribly, Clevelanders are mostly open-minded and curious about people from other places -- when people hear an accent, they'll often ask where you're from, what brings you to Ohio, and what your home town is like. That could get annoying, I guess, but they mean well. Also, if you're single, apparently the accent is much more effective than any pickup line. :-)



Another cultural difference: beer. I'm sorry if I sound like I'm encouraging a terrible cultural stereotype, but I've gotten lots of abuse from many friends in the UK about American beer, so I now feel the need to warn all visitors. If you happen to be a beer drinker and you're not a fan of weak American brews, check out Great Lakes Brewing Company or any of the other local microbreweries -- they make interesting, flavorful stouts, ales, lagers, etc... there is an alternative to Bud Light.



Also, a general warning I give to any Europeans visiting any American cities: stay away from tourist-oriented chain restaurants. I know this probably sounds silly and obvious, but I've heard so many complaints about mediocre food, annoying service, and absurd portion sizes -- even from well-travelled friends who should know better. So often I ask them where they had such terrible experiences and they name one of the big chains you can always find in the heart of every major city's tourist district. My advice is to skip those places, head for real neighborhoods (in Cleveland I'd recommend Tremont, Little Italy, Cleveland Heights, Ohio City, or Lakewood) where local people go, and get a true sense of the city's food and culture.



Finally, one last piece of advice that's specific to the Cleveland area. If you have the chance and the weather is decent (and it often won't be) try to get out to the lake, one of the very nice metropolitan parks, or the countryside beyond the burbs. It's really very pretty for most of the year.

Answer 2

I was born and raised in Cleveland and now live in Phoenix, AZ. Cleveland has beautiful beaches such as Huntington, the Cleveland Metroparks, which locals call 'the Valley,' the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Cleveland. Marblehead and Sandusky--Home to Cedar Point, an amusement park, and we have football (Cleveland Browns Stadium), basketball (Gund Arena), and baseball (Jacobs Field). We also have an entertainment center called the Flats District located on the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.

There are many things to do in and around the Greater Cleveland area, or the Amish country is about two hours away. I hope you enjoy Cleveland. Sincerely, Cindy Coldiron.

Answer 3

I am from a suburb west of Cleveland. To start, a few months ago the presigeous London-based Economic Intelligence Unit ranked Greater Cleveland as having the highest quality of life in the U.S. A number of factors were considered and calculated in their system, cost of living, weather temperance and lack of natural disaters, security from terrorist threats, access to cultural institutions, average commute time, health care, education, and recreational opportunities. I am not suprised that Cleveland achieved this ranking, but most people were very suprised.



There are many strong points to the Cleveland area, but the key is you have to know them. There are very few people I have encountered who really know the region. If you live within the Cleveland metropolitan area (Cuyahoga County), you have a large variety of housing to choose from, a variety of good restaurants, bars, and shops, lots of recreational opportunities, good school districts, and simply "things to do" to choose from.



For some reason when people complain about the city about lacking something, it really kills me, because if you live within Cuyahoga County you can find what you are looking for if you are willing to drive no more than 40 minutes.



I think the Cleveland area is a phenomenal microcosm of the the US. What is bad (I'm not going into detail for sake of time), but also very good. It is halfway between New York and Chicago, and I think the result is that it has a lot of assets and appearances of major East Coast cities, but acts a little more wholesome and friendly like the Midwest. I would encourage you to visit some of the highlights of the city like downtown and its Warehouse District, Tower City, and Playhouse Square, and neighborhoods to the west like Ohio City, Edgewater, Tremont, Detroit-Shoreway, and Westpark. Univeristy Circle and all of its excellent museums/institutions, and neighborhoods to the east like Little Italy, Coventry, Cedar-Fairmont, and Shaker Square. Beyond the city you will find so many suburbs. Lakewood, Rocky River, and Westlake are good ones to visit on the West Side. Cleveland Heights, Shaker Hieghts, Beachwood, Pepper Pike, Chagrin Falls, Gates Mills are nice ones on the East Side. More working class communities on the South Side like Brooklyn, Parma, and Brookpark.



I'd say that only when you visit all these neighborhoods can you really understand what Cleveland really is; a wonderful and diverse place to live, perfect for almost anyone.



I will say one thing though. I don't know a whole lot about the South, but I go to school near Cincinnati and have been down to Cicinnati occasionally and I have been into Kentucky. There is something I haven't quite figured out for myself, but I think Cleveland is a very "Northern" city and there is maybe a Northern v. Southern culture I cann't quite explain.

Answer 4

Friendly, friendly, friendly. Beautiful, varied landscapes throughout the state, including many lakes.



Hope you're reading the answers in the other Cleveland question/answer forum. Don't know if you're coming to visit or live but, whatever, have a wonderful time.

Answer 5

Actually no. Not one person on here is from Cleveland. It turns out that Cleveland hasn't yet joined the communication age and people there are completely oblivious to the internet. So, no one from Cleveland is able to see your question, much less answer it. Anyone who tells you they are from Cleveland is a liar!

Answer 6

Welcome to Ohio!



Cleveland Museum of Art (University Circle - East Side). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Downtown - on the Lake), Great Lakes Science Center (Downtown - on the Lake, also has an excellent IMAX theatre), Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum (East Side - University Circle), Holden Arboretum (South East Side, too bad it's not later in Spring! Lovely!) Cuyahoga Valley Line (Railroad, runs from Valley View to Hale's Farm and Village to Quaker Square in Akron, 30 miles south), Inventure Place (inventors Hall Of Fame, in Akron), Stan Hywt Hall (mansion/museum in Akron), Shaker Square (East Side), Ohio City (old, picturesque neighborhood, Near West Side, be sure to stop in at Heck's Cafe, W 28th & Bridge - great coffee!), West Point Market (Akron, on West Market Street, many Brit food items - everything from Oxo and Bisto to suet, double cream and clotted cream and Cross & Blackwell pickle, quite a variety...and interesting cheeses and wines, candy, excellent meat and produce available), Downtown Lakewood (West Side, many odd little shops and interesting restaurants), Jacobs Field (downtown, baseball, if you're interested. NO it's NOT just like Rounders!), definitely the MetroParks, Cruise on the Good Time III (downtown, E 9th Street Pier, Lake Erie Cruises), the Salt Mines (downtown, West Side, under Lake Erie), The Galleria, or Tower City (Downtown, up-scale shopping), The Old Arcade, Near East Side (very old, very atmospheric, lots of shops).................



As others have said, most people in Cleveland are very friendly, down-to-earth, and curious. Talk to us. We'll talk to you!

Answer 7

Umm nope.

Answer 8

nope, sorry!