I still love Hingetown. I think its such a cool little stretch of Cleveland. Some of my favorite…read moreplaces are here including Urban Orchid floral, Cleveland Tea Revival and Beet Jar, though I frequent most of the businesses here and have unique love for them all. They're all owned by passionate, cool locals who believe in what they do. But mostly, this update is just to show appreciation for a few things I often forget about Hingetown- how dog-friendly every business is, the beautifully manicured living wall, and the fact that the Transformer Station (a satellite CMA location) even exists here. I mean, where else can you pet tons of good doggos, see world class art and grab lunch? Since the last time I wrote this, new businesses like Larder Delicatessen, Saucy Brew Works and Title Kickboxing have opened. I can tell the people behind Hingetown are really trying to continuously add and improve. Still 5-stars in 2018!

There are a couple cool businesses here. I go to some of them. I don't like calling it Hingetown…read more It never used to be called Hingetown until about a year ago. It feels unnatural for me to call it that. I guess that is how the Native Americans felt when they turned this land into the United States of America. This area was once Cleveland's Gaytown. It was anchored by Bounce. Other notable establishments were the Tool Shed and Man's World.

OK! So our gravity hill is a local oddity where if you put your car in neutral (this requires that…read moreyou dead stop on a city road) then you will roll "up" the hill really slowly. then when you get to the "top" you will crest the "hill" and go down the "hill". haha Don't look for the ticket booth, you are on a city/countryish road. It is not a store. They do not have beer. There is nothing there except you and the hill. Turn "north" onto king memorial and it is the first "hill" Try to stop when you get to the black mailbox. but seriously don't be unsafe. The cops will be unhappy, and the whole thing in general is not a good idea, but if you do a search for it online it is a real thing. Much funner as a youth with screaming teenagers. Now 20 years later it's still weird. Why did I give it 5 stars???? IDK cause it's GRAVITY HILL!!!

While the inaugural lighting was held on Friday, December 6, 2013, this display is a work in…read moreprogress and expands every year. You can view the house beginning at 7pm the Friday after Thanksgiving through January 1, from 5-11PM. This display stays true to the movie. The house is covered with 250 stands of lights; 100 bulbs per strand; for a grand total of 25,000 imported Chinese twinkle lights. They also have Santa, the eight tiny reindeer, and the Merry Christmas sign, Uncle Eddie's RV, the pool model and a pile of "trash" with remnants of the Griswold's festivities (the charred chair, the shredded sled, the burnt tree). They even have a radio station (102.3 FM) that plays songs and sound clips from the movie. It is free to view the display but they accept donations. All the donations go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides Walk in Akron, which they have participate in each May (Team name is: The Griswolds). Visitors can donate at a drop box in their front yard. Or if you don't have any cash, there is a QR code on the sign at the display that you can scan and it will also take you directly to the donation website. It does not take much time to go through the display and contrary to what you may see online, the display is only outdoors. There is no indoor portion. You want spend much time at the house, but it is still an amazing site. I love the "ditto" lights on the neighbors house. We spent about 20 minutes there. We were thorough. Some people just do a drive-by, but since we came all the way from Indianapolis, we made the party last a bit longer. Please keep in mind that their neighbors must be really cool, but be courteous and do not park in, turn around in or block their drive ways. Also turn your lights off when you approach the house. This is a great thing, operated by great people, for a great cause. I highly recommend stopping by and getting some of the Christmas spirit, even if you are not familiar with the movie.

Incredible. Absolute must do in Cleveland. Whether you are hungry or just need something to do or…read moreboth. Reminds me of Reading in Philly for us Eastern folk. TONS of food to eat including both different types of food (popcorn, breads, pastries, pasta, MEAT, SEAFOOD I could go on and on. But also a lot of repeats (probably at least five different places to buy macarons for example. There are so many things to see and watch it is entertaining in its own right. We got coffee (with fun flavors, delish), a cheese roll (should have also gotten a pizza bagel from that place don't botch it like I did.) some pastries (good) and flavored popcorn (also good). Probably my favorite thing we did in Cleveland.

I love food halls and markets, and I always try to check them out when I travel, so I had some…read morepretty high hopes for this well-rated spot! Starting off with parking, there was some construction going on and I missed the first entry, there was nowhere to turn for the parking lot address I had on 25th St (turn on 23rd)! We ended up doing street parking but there's 90 min of free parking if you make it into the lot. Moving onto the main attraction: food! Most of the food is real market food for folks cooking at home. Think sausages, fish, various other meats, and pastas. There was a great deal on fresh made pasta near the front for $2.50 a bundle, but I was on the hunt for ready-to-eat lunch and those didn't quite hit the mark! I also saw a lot of baked goods (apple fritters, macarons, breads), fried foods (empanadas, hand pies, etc.), and sauces/dips. When it came to food options I actively considered, I narrowed it down to spring rolls, crepes, and gyros, but ultimately the gyros were priced really high ($16!) and we ended up dining at the West Side Cafe (which was great, I'll review that separately). Long story short: fun market to shop around if you feel like cooking a nice meal, not so fun for a lunch while you're out. Also I'm learning that there was seating upstairs, this was hard to spot while inside!

I traveled down the historic brick streets of Little Italy in Cleveland, Ohio today. It was a…read moreparticularly beautiful scene as I drove down the streets with snow coming down in front of me. Fortunately, the ground was warm enough that it wasn't sticking too much. This made driving quite manageable, and I had no issues. From the stately church on Mayfield Street to the well-worn buildings with character carved in entry ways and window facings, you will enjoy the opportunity to drive or take a stroll through the area and just drink in the ambience of what is Cleveland's little Italy Moreover, if you have the opportunity to stop and take some time, there are great restaurants and fantastic stores to experience, including the flower shops and the mom and pop eateries and stores that line the streets and make the area so endearing. I will be back with my family when I have the opportunity to bring them with me. For now, I enjoyed it tonight alone as much as one can do when traveling for medical reasons and also work. This area is adjacent to the Cleveland Clinic campus downtown on Euclid Street - Which I would add is one of, if not the best healthcare locales in the world, as far as I'm concerned. I'm very grateful for that too.

This is a very difficult review to write. I am torn between two extremes…read more On the one hand, Little Italy is the one location in Cleveland I have loved my entire life. I still have fond memories of my dad and I going to the feast when I was just a little boy. I have frequented every establishment in Little Italy and LOVE them all. On the other hand, maneuvering through the traffic, finding parking, or using the valet service has become absolutely intolerable. Even the police officer directing traffic didn't help. After trying to find a way to park for nearly 20 minutes we finally had to call the restaurant and cancel our reservation after explaining we could not park. I don't know how to fix this nightmare, but until they do I believe dinner is out. We'll have to settle for lunches... and keep our fingers crossed.

I've been to Cleveland a few times now and I usually stop by the nearby Museum of Art, but I…read moreFINALLY decided to check out this spot today and I had so much more fun! I've been to my fair share of natural history museums, and while this one is compact, it is very modern and packs a punch! When you enter, you're immediately greeted by a giant dinosaur and that set the tone for the whole visit, I felt like I kept seeing dinosaur bones everywhere! It took me a moment to orient myself to the museum layout, but looking back it's pretty compact and I could've easily wandered and enjoyed most of the museum in a couple hours. I especially enjoyed how interactive the earth section was, and this is silly but sit on those rock-looking cushions - they are SO comfortable! The little planetarium area was also very cool, and I would consider seeing a show in there next time! The dioramas are by far the most beautiful/engaging I've seen, and with between the fish video cave and the outdoor animal area, I felt like I also got a mini trip to the aquarium and the zoo. Overall I had an amazing time and this spot is super baby/toddler friendly! Note: If you have ASTC membership, admission is included! As a non museum member, I'd recommend street parking. It's much cheaper than the flat rate garage fare.

WOW... I might be almost 30 but this was a FUN day! my boyfriend took me here on my birthday since…read moreit's been on my list for a while and we ended up being here for 4-5 hours!! There are SO MANY rooms and interactive things to do & keep busy! Ohio animals/bugs, planets, body system, fish, birds, coyotes, otters, etc!!!!! They have a movie theater that shows different short movies (~ 30-45 mins) & a planetarium - sadly we missed the shows for the planetarium... BUT we will be back!! We watched a T-Rex film that I will say, I thought was going to be dumb.... But again was actually so cool! Do not underestimate this museum! Plus Cuyahoga county residents get in for free on the weekends & according to their events page.. they hold SO many fun activities for kids and adults - like yoga! I cannot wait to come back & explore this place again (especially the planetarium) & participate in some of there events! Thank you for the sweetest staff & a great day!

It's a shame how often I add a beautiful mural page to yelp and it gets blacklisted... not showing…read moreup in any of the searches. But I keep trying anyway hoping someday someone in the yelp chain of command will realize their significance. The part that annoys me most is there are PLENTY of pages on yelp dedicated to street art that DO show up in searches, but whenever I add a page, most times they do not. While street art is not technically a business, it sure can increase traffic to a business district. They are most often used to bring life to areas experiencing a revival of business. Miami based artist Tatiana Suarez proposed this design as a homage to Otis Redding and his last concert at Leo's Casino, one of the most racially integrated Cleveland night spots of its era. The owners of the building thought this idea was a perfect fit for their business - HAUSMALTS, a craft malting facility which provides grains to breweries & distilleries. An article I read on executivearrangements.com stated Tatiana wanted to remind us all of what is important and how music and art have the power to bring people of all colors together. THIS is why public murals should be celebrated. Not only for their beauty and ability to draw attention, but also for their universal messages. Anyways, if you are a fan of street art and happen to be in the Cleveland area, this is one not to be missed. Included is an informational plaque found on some of the newer murals which reads: Try a Little Tenderness While researching MidTown's neighborhood history, Suarez learned that singer Otis Redding's last performance was in Cleveland before his tragic plane crash. As a fan of Otis Redding, Suarez was inspired to by his song "Try a Little Tenderness." The mural includes a cardinal and carnation, the Ohio state bird and flower. The CLEVELAND WALLS! International Mural Program is a production of Worldwide Walls. Hosted in 17 cities all over the world, Worldwide Walls encompasses artists, photographers, and media partners from around the globe, forming a unique creative community built on the celebration and appreciation of art, music, and culture. CLEVELAND WALLS! 2021, a program of Worldwide Walls, was presented by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation with generous support from Dealer Tire, hosted by MidTown Cleveland, and produced in partnership with LAND studio. You can also read more about the creation of this mural here: https://executivearrangements.com/murals-add-art-to-midtown-cleveland-buildings/

I visited Graffiti HeArt this past weekend after seeing their new mural on Instagram. It was a…read morequick bike ride from downtown (passing through Asiatown for treats, of course!). They give artists a platform to share their murals and street art across the city. Most of the eye catching art around the city was made possible by Graffiti HeArt! Their HQ building itself is a mural, titled "Beautifully Destroyed". Another mural shines right behind, facing East 49th. It was completed in August by Beau Stanton and features the iconic Cleveland Guardians of Traffic. Check out their website for a list of current street art (http://www.graffitiheart.org/walls/) for a perfect socially distant adventure!