Visiting Cleveland

Ohio’s second-largest city, Cleveland, sits along the southern shore of Lake Erie. Although its population is smaller than Columbus, Cleveland has a substantial metropolitan area, an impressive downtown skyline, and a surprisingly diverse collection of attractions. Between its waterfront, museums, historic architecture, restaurants, and neighborhoods, I found plenty to explore during my visit.

I visited in the middle of summer, when the weather was ideal for walking around the city. One of my favorite areas was the waterfront around North Coast Harbor, where I photographed downtown Cleveland during both the day and at night.

North Coast Harbor and Lake Erie

North Coast Harbor is one of Cleveland’s main waterfront destinations, with several major attractions located within walking distance of one another. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, and other landmarks occupy the lakefront, while the surrounding promenades provide views across Lake Erie.

Aside from the attractions themselves, I enjoyed simply walking along the waterfront. Cleveland’s location on one of the Great Lakes gives it a different atmosphere from many other inland American cities, particularly during the summer when the harbor is busy with recreational activity.

Lake Erie is enormous, and from the shoreline it can feel more like looking out across an ocean than a freshwater lake. During the warmer months, the waterfront becomes a popular place for boating, sailing, and other recreational activities.

I didn’t go swimming myself, and I imagine the water would have been colder than I’d prefer, but plenty of people were 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 also came across 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 was 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.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is one of Cleveland’s most recognizable attractions. Its distinctive glass-and-steel building, designed by architect I. M. Pei, opened in 1995 and houses an extensive collection documenting the history and influence of popular music.

I had expected the institution to be much older than it actually was. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established in the 1980s, while the museum itself opened in Cleveland the following decade.

Inside are multiple floors of memorabilia, instruments, costumes, photographs, recordings, and exhibits covering generations of musicians. There was far more to see than I could possibly photograph during a single visit.

Cleveland has an important place in the history of rock and roll. Local disc jockey Alan Freed helped popularize the term during the early 1950s, and the city became associated with the growing popularity of the music through radio broadcasts and concerts.

The museum explores that history while also documenting the many artists and musical movements that followed.

Among the exhibits I photographed were memorabilia connected to Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Stevie Nicks, and Snoop Dogg. What I particularly liked about the museum was that its collection wasn’t limited to the earliest generations of rock and roll.

There were also displays involving more recent musicians and genres I had grown up listening to. One that caught my attention featured handwritten lyrics from Snoop Dogg, illustrating how the museum recognizes the broader influence of popular music beyond traditional rock.

Even for someone who isn’t a particularly dedicated music historian, the museum offers an interesting look at how musical styles and popular culture have evolved over the decades.

Historic Architecture in Downtown Cleveland

After exploring the waterfront, I spent time walking around downtown Cleveland. The city has some impressive historic architecture, reflecting its importance as a major industrial and commercial center during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

One of the most memorable buildings I visited was The Arcade, a magnificent indoor shopping arcade completed in 1890.

The Arcade is one of Cleveland’s architectural landmarks, with an elaborate glass-covered interior extending between two downtown streets. Its balconies, decorative ironwork, and expansive central atrium make it an especially impressive building to see from the inside.

Today, the complex combines shops, restaurants, hotel accommodations, and event space. I stopped by late in the day and there was even a wedding taking place inside, which made the setting particularly memorable.

Another prominent downtown landmark is Terminal Tower, part of the Tower City complex. Completed in 1930, it was one of the tallest buildings in the world outside New York City at the time and 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 surrounding downtown streets also contain a mixture of historic commercial buildings and more modern development.

Cleveland’s civic architecture is another reminder of the city’s historical importance. Its monumental government buildings and courthouses reflect an era when Cleveland was one of America’s major industrial centers, with the wealth and ambition to construct substantial public landmarks.

Restaurants and Everyday Life in Cleveland

Downtown Cleveland also had plenty of places to eat and drink. I don’t remember the names of every district 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 observing everyday life in the city. I came across people relaxing outside, groups of skaters, busy restaurants, and a variety of street scenes that gave me a better impression of Cleveland beyond its major tourist attractions.

A Demonstration in Downtown Cleveland

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. Encounters like this are part of what makes exploring a city on foot interesting: alongside the major attractions, you sometimes come across events that reflect what people are experiencing and discussing at that particular moment.

Unexpected Scenes Around Cleveland

These were two unrelated scenes I came across while exploring Cleveland. The first was a vehicle with a broken window and glass scattered across the ground, although I had no idea what had actually happened.

The second was a car accident I passed along one of the city’s major roads. Neither incident affected my visit, and throughout the weekend I felt comfortable walking around the areas of Cleveland I explored.

A Christmas Story House

One of my final stops in Cleveland was somewhere I hadn’t even realized existed until I learned about its connection to a movie I watched many times growing up: A Christmas Story.

The 1983 holiday film has become an American Christmas classic, and the house used for many of its exterior scenes is located in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. I had seen the movie countless times as a kid but never realized that one of its most recognizable filming locations was in Ohio.

The surrounding neighborhood looks much like an ordinary residential part of Cleveland, which makes the famous house especially interesting. Without knowing its connection to the movie, it would be easy to pass through the area without realizing that such a recognizable piece of American film history was nearby.

I arrived too late in the day to take a proper tour of the house, but I was still able to walk around outside and see the property. The house has been restored to resemble its appearance in the movie and operates as a museum dedicated to the film.

There are also exhibits and a souvenir shop across the street, making the entire area a destination for fans of the movie.

The souvenir shop contains plenty of memorabilia connected to the movie, while props and familiar details can be found around the property itself. Even though I missed the full tour, it was a fun place to visit and somewhere I’d like to return to see properly.

Overall, Cleveland surprised me with how much there was to do. I particularly enjoyed the Lake Erie waterfront, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the city’s historic architecture. Between its museums, restaurants, downtown landmarks, and unusual pieces of American pop culture, Cleveland offered considerably more variety than I had expected. I left feeling that there was still plenty worth exploring on another visit.