Cleveland Plain Dealer FR!DAY! Magazine • Friday, March 10, 2006
The
Full Cleveland
Weekends
for First-Time and Returning Visitors
to
NorthEast Ohio by Douglas
Trattner and Tim Piai
If you had 36 hours to show off Northeast Ohio to a first-time visitor, what would you do?
Now, consider this: How different would your tour be if you were hosting someone who had moved away 15 years ago?
Think about it: A person who left while Parma Pierogies was the rage now returns to a town that boasts several excellent Vietnamese, Thai and Indian restaurants. Tiny Capt. Frank's restaurant at the end of East Ninth Street is now a giant glass homage to rock 'n' roll. And uncelebrated neighborhoods like Tremont and Ohio City burst with talented chefs and a creative culture. New conductor. New ballparks. New green space.
We've put together two itineraries: one for newcomers and one for familiar faces. We picked items that can be enjoyed most of the year (which is unfortunate, because next week we could hit them with a film festival and a walloping St. Patrick's Day celebration).
After kicking off our tours with a communal, off-the-plane happy hour, our parties split into two decidedly different journeys -- one that breathes new life into some old memories, and one using the usual suspects to extinguish far-flung misconceptions. Either way, it's sure to be a great 36 hours.
•
Mr. Trattner's 'Anything But Old' Old Home Tour
When I learned that my group hasn't visited Cleveland in well over a decade,
I gasped -- then got to work. It's no secret that our city has changed dramatically
in that time, and it was my mission to expose my charges to "present-day"
Cleveland. But I wasn't about to do so at the expense of "classic"
Cleveland, because some pursuits are too good to ignore, even for seasoned
trekkers.
Friday
night
Polka Happy Hour at the Happy
Dog (5801 Detroit Ave., Cleveland; 216-651-9474)
A big bowl of pho at Pho Hoa (3030 Superior Ave., Cleveland;
216-781-7462)
Belgian brew at McNulty's Bier Market (1948 West 25th St.,
Cleveland; 216-344-9944)
Hookah session at Kan Zaman (1917 West 25th St., Cleveland;
216-685-1500)
Late-night grub at Lava Lounge (1307 Auburn Ave., Cleveland;
216-589-9112)
Comments: Polka Happy Hour at the Dog neatly captures both "old" and "new" Cleveland. Old-world music in a renaissance-ready neighborhood feels at once to be looking back and looking ahead. A quick shot east, and we're on the edge of Chinatown, lapping up bowls of aromatic pho. Then, it's straight down Superior, over the bridge and into Ohio City to enjoy some Belgian suds, followed by a gurgling hookah filled with sweet, sweet shisha. A quick jog over to Tremont lands the group at Lava Lounge for a nightcap and some tasty late-night eats.
Saturday
(early)
Brunch at the West Side Market Cafe (1979 West 25th St.,
Cleveland; 216-579-6800)
Segway tour through Cleveland (17100 Lorain Road, Cleveland;
216-252-0200)
Comments: No ambassador for Cleveland should ignore the West Side Market when guiding a sightseeing expedition. But my group has done the bratwurst, sheep-head, balcony-view tour of the market before -- so instead, we settle in for brunch at the cafe, a spot that has improved significantly in recent years. The showstopper of the day, however, is the tour I've arranged of Cleveland aboard Segway Human Transporters. This 21⁄2-hour jaunt glides us by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Jacobs Field and other Cleveland landmarks.
Saturday
(later)
Retro-toy shopping at Big Fun (1814 Coventry Road, Cleveland
Heights; 216-371-4386)
Malaysian dinner at Pacific East (1763 Coventry Road, Cleveland
Heights; 216-320-2302)
A show at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland
Heights; 216-321-5588)
Comments: Coventry ain't what it used to be -- and that's not all good, but there are still some compelling reasons to take out-of-towners. Big Fun, the toy store for adults, has moved to impressive new digs. In addition to slicing some of the finest raw fish in town, Pacific East is the only local restaurant serving the intriguing cuisine of Malaysia. The Grog Shop, up the road, still draws top-talent music acts, and it, too, is in a new home.
Sunday
Brunch at Corky & Lenny's (27091 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere;
216-464-3838)
A tour of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage (2929 Richmond
Road, Beachwood; 216-593-0575)
Comments: Brunch at Corky & Lenny's is an event, and one that beautifully exemplifies the rich Jewish culture of Cleveland. What better way to follow some bagels, cream cheese and a few plates of lox and eggs than by visiting the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage? This compelling museum shines a light into the lives and accomplishments of Cleveland's immigrant Jewish community, some of whom arrived here in the 1830s.
•
Mr.
Piai's Burning River Extinguisher Tour
With some progressive spirit, Northeast Ohio could make over its image in
a way that would boggle the mind. Our cultural history is a mesmerizing
slice of Americana. We have charm to burn. I'm going to run these people
ragged. Someone's going back to hot, dry, sunny Phoenix with mind-blowing
images of waterfalls, winding roads and glorious architecture.
Friday
night
Polka Happy Hour at the Happy Dog
(5801 Detroit Ave., Cleveland; 216-651-9474)
Pizza at Mamma Santa's (12305 Mayfield Road, Cleveland;
216-231-9567)
Drinks at Nighttown (12387 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights;
216-795-0550)
Accommodations at the Inn of Chagrin Falls (87 West St.,
Chagrin Falls; 440-247-1200)
Comments: What better place for a meet-and-greet with Doug's group than the Dog's once-a-month, live-band Polka Happy Hour? We toast our travels with a lineup of beers from Great Lakes Brewing Company and nosh on locally made pasta and pierogi. As we head east for a few slices of Mamma's famous pizza, the Main Avenue Bridge gives our guests a postcard shot of the Cleveland nighttime skyline. After a charming stroll through Little Italy, we have drinks with the eclectic crowd at Nighttown. It's a late trip out to Chagrin, but reservations at the local inn allow for morning coffee by the falls -- a must.
Saturday
(early)
Coffee by the falls (downtown Chagrin)
Breakfast at Dink's Colonial Restaurant (16 N. Main St.,
Chagrin Falls; 440-247-5679)
The West Side Market (1979 West 25th St., Cleveland; 216-664-3386)
The Rock Hall (One Key Plaza, Cleveland; 216-781-7625)
Lake View Cemetery (12316 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-421-2665)
Comments: Early-morning coffee soundtracked with Chagrin's cascading falls is fairly transcendent, and Dink's small-town feel keeps things real. The market and the Rock Hall are automatics -- and while we may not have a lot of famous rock bands from Cleveland, there are plenty of famous dead people at Lake View Cemetery (President James Garfield, John D. Rockefeller, Eliot Ness). With much of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection in semiseclusion, this "outdoor museum" may be the most fascinating tour in town.
Saturday
(later)
Dinner at Sergio's in University Circle (1903 Ford Drive,
Cleveland; 216-231-1234)
The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall (11001 Euclid
Ave., Cleveland; 216-231-7300)
Fahrenheit for dessert (2417 Professor St., Cleveland;
216-781-8858)
Comments: Picking a pre-orchestra locale isn't as easy as you might think, but Sergio's fits the bill. It's not only good, but it sits in a carriage house whose cozy feel will make the grandeur of Severance all the more breathtaking. Fahrenheit has added a world-class dessert menu, a perfect example of Tremont's tasty reputation.
Comments: They make great music at Mount Zion, and my weary troops need some energizing. As my group jumps into the van for its trip to the airport, someone finally asks about our sports teams. I lie and say that we've won three Super Bowls, just before I close the door and wave.
Why ruin a great weekend?
Trattner is a free-lance writer in Cleveland Heights, while Piai practices his craft(iness) from Rocky River. To reach Douglas Trattner or Tim Piai: Friday@plaind.com