Visiting Cleveland

Ohio’s second largest city is Cleveland, located on the shores of Lake Erie. Officially Cleveland has a smaller population than Columbus, but to me they both felt like large cities with plenty to do. Above are day and night shots of downtown Cleveland taken from the waterfront, which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the city and a great place to start exploring.

The waterfront around North Coast Harbor has several of Cleveland’s major attractions, including museums, stadiums, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Aside from the attractions, just walking along the waterfront was an enjoyable experience for me. I visited in the middle of summer and had perfect weather for exploring the lakefront. Above is a large ship docked in the harbor along with a view across Lake Erie.

During the summer, Lake Erie offers all the normal water activities you’d expect, including jet skiing, sailing, and swimming. I didn’t swim myself and imagine the water would have been colder than I’d like, but there were plenty of people enjoying the lake. I’ve still never experienced the Great Lakes region in the middle of winter, which would give Cleveland a completely different atmosphere from the city I saw in summer.

While walking around North Coast Harbor I saw a large party boat getting ready to head onto the lake. There were already plenty of people having a good time before it even left the dock. Nearby is one of Cleveland’s most famous attractions, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which was actually the first major place I visited in the city.

I expected the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to be much older than it actually is. The organization was established in the 1980s, while the museum itself later opened in Cleveland. Inside are several floors filled with memorabilia covering generations of musicians and the history of popular music. There was no way I could photograph everything. Above are some of the exhibits I saw, including displays covering Cleveland’s connection to rock and roll and memorabilia from Michael Jackson.

These exhibits included memorabilia connected to artists such as Aerosmith and Stevie Nicks. What I liked most about the museum was that the collection wasn’t limited to the earliest generations of rock and roll. There were also exhibits involving more recent musicians and other genres that I had grown up listening to, including a display featuring handwritten lyrics from Snoop Dogg.

Another famous landmark in downtown Cleveland is The Arcade. Built in 1890, the elaborate indoor shopping arcade became one of the city’s architectural landmarks and is still in use today. Its huge glass-covered interior is especially impressive, and the building now combines shops, restaurants, hotel space, and events. I stopped by late in the day and there was even a wedding taking place inside.

Downtown Cleveland has plenty of impressive architecture of its own. On the left is Terminal Tower, part of the Tower City complex and one of the city’s most recognizable skyscrapers. Completed in the late 1920s, it dominated Cleveland’s skyline for decades. For some reason I never went inside during this trip, so that’s something I’ll have to do when I return. The photo on the right shows another view of downtown just a few blocks away.

Downtown also had plenty of places to eat and drink. I don’t remember the names of all the districts I wandered through, but the area near the baseball stadium had several busy bars, while elsewhere I came across a pedestrian area lined with restaurants. There was plenty to choose from, but I eventually ended up at a great Mexican restaurant with my friend.

Much of my time in Cleveland was simply spent walking around downtown and seeing everyday life in the city. Above are a couple scenes I came across during those walks, including people hanging out downtown and a group of skaters.

My visit also happened to coincide with renewed fighting between Israel and Gaza. While walking through Cleveland I came across a group of Palestinians and supporters demonstrating in response to the conflict. It wasn’t something I had planned to see, but it became another snapshot of what was happening in the city during the weekend I was there.

These were two random scenes I came across while exploring Cleveland. On the left was a vehicle with a broken window and glass scattered across the ground, although I had no idea what had actually happened. On the right was a car accident I passed along one of the city’s major roads. Neither affected my visit, and throughout the weekend I felt comfortable walking around the areas of Cleveland I explored.

This might look like an ordinary Cleveland neighborhood, but there’s something special here for anyone who grew up watching A Christmas Story. I had seen the movie many times as a kid but never realized that the house used for filming was in Cleveland. The surrounding neighborhood still looks very much like a normal residential part of the city, making the famous house stand out even more.

I arrived too late in the day to properly tour the A Christmas Story house, but I was still able to walk around outside and see the property. The house has been restored and operates as a museum dedicated to the movie, with additional exhibits and a souvenir shop across the street. Above is the house itself along with a view inside.

Across the street is the souvenir shop filled with memorabilia from the movie, while props and familiar details can be found around the property itself. Even though I missed the actual tour, it was a fun final stop in Cleveland and somewhere I’d return to see properly. Overall, Cleveland surprised me with how much there was to do, from Lake Erie and North Coast Harbor to its museums, downtown architecture, restaurants, and unusual pieces of American pop culture.