Who woulda’ ‘thunk it? Cleveland OH is the Midwestern hotbed of art & culture? I was looking for something to do during a short trip to the area – possibly in June – for a conference and stumbled upon the Positively Cleveland website. I was seriously thinking about hunkering down and getting lots of stuff done in my hotel room while I was there – but I was amazed at the plays and museums available in the area.

If you’re into musical theatre – then I hear Playhouse Square is the place to visit. They have amazingly eclective performances available from the Laurie Berkner band (one of my kids’ faves) to Hal Holbrook playing Mark Twain! I had no idea!

The one thing I KNEW about Cleveland was that it is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – a must visit for any music lover. There are exhibits from the past and present of rock & roll – and at present you can visit a Motown exhibit and a “Right Here Right Now” exhibit that features up and comers –such as My Chemical Romance and Paramore.

So where do I eat if I’m going to do the whole “Cleveland Experience” thing. I plugged the details into UrbanSpoon.com and the neighborhoods alone were pretty diverse. I chose the Rock & Roll Hall of fame as my home base and the “Best Restaurant” was the Key West Café – which actually sounds like my kind of place. Top 5 restaurants near the Hall of fame that I’d try were:

1. Key West Café
2. Freddie’s Southern-Style Rib House (is Cleveland considered the “south”?)
3. One Walnut
4. Barrister’s Deli
5. Captain Tony’s Pizza (I eat pizza in every city I visit – have to try the regional specialties)

So food is diverse and looks great – check

Entertainment is great for my theatre-lovin’ heart

Where do I stay? There are a few different choices – and the downtown area is full of the chain hotels that cater to business travelers and visitors to the big attractions. You could step a few miles away from the action and try somewhere like the Glidden House. This hotel is just a few miles away from lots of things to do in Cleveland, but looks elegant and inviting – without the stress and pace of being where everyone else is at the same time.

Overall I think I might have to try a bit harder to make it to that conference – Cleveland looks like a fun place to visit – even by myself. There’s a ton to do and see and some great food to be found.

Image courtesy stu_spivack

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