Cleveland is Ohio’s center of culture and activity. Sitting on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland is about as Midwest as Midwest gets. Part of a megalopolis that includes Akron, Youngstown, Canton and Toledo, Home to three of Ohio’s six major professional sports teams, a world-famous orchestra and such new pearls as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Great Lakes Science Center, the city is keeping up with the world in terms of a modern City. The perfect medley of industry, modernization, culture, diversity, art, and visual stimulants (Such as our skyline) make for the ultimate City.
Tremont Historically called Cleveland’s Southside. Directly south of downtown, Tremont is located about five miles from Lake Erie. Tremont is an amalgamation of Mediterranean ethnic groups, with an emphasis on Greek. The Tremont area treats you to some of the best views of downtown Cleveland and the Flats area. You will also enjoy Lincoln Park, with its famed Bathhouse, which has been remodeled into condominiums. The ultimate Tremont dining experience comes in the form of Sokolowski’s University Inn, while Dempsey’s Oasis Tavern and the Lincoln Park Pub are cornerstones of a burgeoning Tremont night scene. Shops and artistry line the streets, while old homes and inner-city living still exists. While walking at night, you can hear echos of live music and poetry. Truly the new age of Cleveland for those wanting a twist to the average night out.
Downtown is a place you’ll grow to love. It’s hard to imagine many places in the world having undergone the type of facelift Cleveland has seen over the past 15 years or so. From it’s not so respectable reputation of the early 1980s Downtown has emerged a shiny new lakeside spectacle. A skyline once filled with smokestacks (and smoke) now boasts glowing towers, shiny stadiums, lit bridges, and a host of modern museums and shopping centers. Jacobs Field, Gund Arena and Cleveland Browns Stadium, along with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Great Lakes Science Center, are the architectural and cultural creations that define downtown’s rebirth. The Key Tower a skyscraper built since the mid-1980s, joins the 70-year-old Terminal Tower (Tower City, a marbled mall) to give Cleveland a skyline that reflects both its history and its future. With Playhouse Square and its multiple venues just a stone’s throw from Public Square, the downtown area will never leave visitors wanting something to do. The recently rehabbed warehouse district (Also known as West 6th.) is now Cleveland’s hottest location for night life. Local business owners have transformed the cities historical buildings into unique clubs and restaurants. Locals walk from establishment to establishment never finding the same thing at a new stop. Even in the middle of winter, the air is bubbly and the sounds of street musicians playing their saxophones and the distant aroma of the outdoor gyro stand, offer a feeling of warmth.
Western Suburbs such as Rocky River, Lakewood, and Bay Village are a stone’s throw from Cleveland proper. Good school systems and more of a suburban feel make these highly desirable areas to call home. Lake Erie, always in the distance, gives you the feel of an open area in a small town. Booming areas such as Strongsville, Middleburg Hts, and Avon Lake, offer new construction and upper scale living. One of the most popular suburbs of the last 10 years is Westlake. The new addition of Crocker Park, (An outdoor strip of fine clothing stores, restaurants, Movie theaters, and condo living.) has added to Westlake’s already dominant presence. Million dollar homes are just moments away from major highways and fine shopping.
Lorain Road travels throughout the inner City and into the Suburbs. Fairview Park a west-side suburb with a fabulous fifties feel: neighborhoods of bungalows and ranches built on grid-style streets, designed around little parks for families with children. Not only the homes, but there are a lot of mid-century modern commercial buildings here, especially along Lorain Road which cuts through the heart of this city, from Cleveland’s West Park on the east to North Olmstead on the west. As they say, “If it’s not on Lorain Road, they don’t make it!”
Westpark is an area inside of Cleveland. Called Westpark due to the fact that it is on the most western part of Cleveland. Lovely Brick tudors, Colonials, and bungalows fill each street uniquely. A neighborhood of well-kept and historic mid-century homes that presents the best parts of both city living and suburban style. Kamm’s Corner, is a legitimate Main Street strip of old-fashioned storefronts and business. It’s extremely walkable and the bus line runs right through it. There’s plenty of useful and hard to find stuff including thrift stores and of course bars and restaurants. Further down Lorain around W130th to W117th house what’s considered to be “Little Arabia” Wonderful Arab restaurants, bakeries, Clothing stores, boutiques, and some of the most beautiful gold in the city.
The East Side and West Side of Cleveland has often been referred to as a rival among locals. It’s said that you’re either a Westsider, or an Eastsider. Due to the differences, including parallel streets vs. curves, hills and one ways. Even driving the two cities allows you a taste of the two *Different worlds* as they say. Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Newburg Heights, Maple Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Garfield Heights highlight an area of ethnically diverse communities. Newer “burbs” such as Solon, Brecksville and Sagamore Hills bridge the gap between Cleveland and Akron, which sits about 25 miles to the south. Travel east or west from downtown and you will find the signs of urban flight: strip malls, fast food stores and every other chain retailer imaginable.
No matter what your lifestyle, Cleveland has an area already designed for you. No matter if you chose the Westside or the Eastside, you’re always within a 20-minute drive to Downtown.
Please Visit my website for more information and other areas.
