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  • Writer's pictureSam

PERFECT DAY IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

So we left LAX around 10 p.m. on Thursday night and arrived in Ohio around 7 a.m. Since there is a time change and we didn’t get much sleep on the plane we arrived pretty tiredly but we made the best of it.  We had to Uber to our hotel and then Uber to a rental car place. The whole reason we were in Ohio was for a sneaker event which meant we had a lot of luggage and on top of that we shipped packages using Greyhound. Once we got out the rental car we went to pick up our packages but of course, Greyhound lost one. BUT this is all besides the point you are all here to find some amazing stuff to do in Cleveland. 

We were hungry so we found a cute place to grab breakfast. This is Lucky’s Cafe, it was a restaurant that outsourced their food from local farmers or they grew it themselves. It was in a cute and up and coming neighborhood. 

The front half was a bakery and the back was more cafe style. 

They also had a nice outdoor seating section. 

This would be perfect in warmer weather. I am sure they are super busy during summer and brunch time. Luckily, we were there bright and early like 8 a.m.

If I remember correctly this was called the Shipwreck. They had a super delicious homemade jam and hot sauce. This was A LOT of food and you could probably share this with someone else.  

This is the street Lucky’s was on. As you can see down a little way there is super amazing building. This is just the start of seeing how cool the architecture and art are in Cleveland. 

A lot of the buildings had cool artwork on display. This was a few minutes out of the center of Cleveland and there was still some amazing things to see.

We then headed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We just shopped around the gift shop and admired the architecture. We didn’t have enough time to get into the museum and go through it all. It seemed super well thought out and amazing so if you’re a die-hard rock & roll fan, don’t miss this. 

Just behind the museum was a Cleveland script sign. I want to say this is one of the best locations (there are four others). The view behind the sign is one of the best. 

If you’re into gambling this is an interesting casino to see. This is Jack Casino, basically in the center of Cleveland. 


This is the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument

This is right across the street from the casino pretty much. Each side of the monument honors a branch in the military. Around it is a nice park where a lot of locals let their kids play. We ended up running into the tourist center and decided to go in. We got SO much information and it was so helpful! So if you see one anywhere you are traveling I definitely recommended it. They give great history behind the places you see and where the must-sees are. 

We were told going to The Arcade was a must if we wanted to see amazing architecture. This was an arcade but they turned it into a shopping center and hotel. 

Can you just imagine this being an arcade back in the day! The ceiling is absolutely amazing. 

Then we went straight through and across the street to The Old Library. 

This library had a lot of character and amazing design elements. 

If you love architecture you seriously have to see this place. There is even an underground hallway that connects the new and old library. 

We were told to go to the collections floor and see the tiniest books. We thought this was the world’s smallest book but believe it or not it gets smaller.

The world’s smallest book is actually to the left of the photo in the tiny black circle. 

This book right here. Like what..who..why and how long did that take?!?!

The man working this level was kind enough to show us some other amazing things they have collected. Someone made these little fun pieces of interactive art that related to book in history. This one is dedicated to an Edgar Allen Poe book, The Black Cat.  He had so many other books but this was the first one he showed us.

They also have a real brick from the Great Wall of China.

The ceilings in this place are actually royal, it’s amazing. 

So remember that secret hallway I told you about. You go back down to the bottom floor and find the signs that lead you to The New Library. It should be pretty easy, there are a lot of signs. You take that until you find a big tall cement structure. The inside has these stairs. We literally got on the floor to take these pictures. Now I know what you’re thinking, you really want me to walk.. up..those? NO of course not! You go back outside the stairs and to the left is elevators. You take the elevators all the way to the 10th floor. 

At the top of the building, you get a view of the city. I will say it was hard to get pictures because most of the glass had some weird designs. 

This is the best that I could do with what I was working with. 

There is a lot we didn’t get to see or just didn’t get pictures of.  We wanted to see The Giant Chandelier but didn’t get a chance to. When it lit up at night it’s beautiful. We also passed by the Giant Free Stamp but just didn’t get out or take a picture.  When we went to the tourist center they gave us free tickets to go to the Cavs Playoff Viewing Party. It was basically tickets to go to the arena and watch the game on the screen (since it was an away game).  There is SO much to see and do in Cleveland. I would definitely recommend going to see a game if you are interested in seeing the locals and obviously if you love the teams or stadiums.

We grabbed dinner in Little Italy at La Dolce Vita. There was a man (I am assuming the owner) who made sure we got a table and offered us a free appetizer while we waited. The food was super authentic and delicious.

Chicken Parmesan 

This is what he gave us as an appetizer except in a much smaller portion haha. It’s basically pasta, cheese, and pepper.

Pizza

 I honestly have no idea what this was exactly😂 BUT he ate it all so it must have been good! I really wanted to get ice cream at Mitchell’s Ice Cream, because it was the same brand I had in SF, but I was way too full after dinner. 

We had a lot of fun sightseeing and hope you loved the recommendations. Of course, there is still so much more we could have seen or eaten but we only had one day! I was honestly a little shocked there was so much to see. Leave in the comments below any other recommendations for anyone visiting Ohio. I heard that Michael Symon’s restaurants are amazing! Lola Bistro and Mabel’s BBQ which are right next door to each other. 

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