Cleveland experiences four seasons, with vibrant spring blossoms, hot humid summers, colorful autumns, and frigid winters.
*July, on average, is the warmest month with a mean temperature of 71.9 °F (22.2 °C); however, Cleveland summers often experience temperatures in the high 80's to low 90's °F with relatively high humidity.
*January, on average, is the coldest month with a mean temperature of 25.7 °F (−3.5 °C). Cleveland winters are cold, but the city usually experiences just a handful of heavy snowfalls, but does have the occasional windchill factor below 0 °F. Also, Cleveland has what is called Lake Effect snow from mid-November until the surface of Lake Erie freezes, typically by early February. This is snowfall due to Cleveland's position on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the point where the shoreline shifts from an east-west direction to a northeast-southwest orientation. The city (primarily the East Side) experiences this Lake Effect snow. Cleveland's Snow Belt, which receives substantially more snowfall than the West Side, begins on the East Side of the city (spreading southward from the Lake for up to 10 miles in Greater Cleveland) and stretches northeast along the I-90 corridor past [wiki=25a64527fca2b0be121ced96c3f0aba5]Buffalo, New York[/wiki] as far as [wiki=b9b05d1cd9ae394ebebca89b72c367e7]Syracuse[/wiki].
*Due to its proximity to Lake Erie, autumn in Cleveland has some enjoyable weather that time of year. Some years, high-60-degree weather can be enjoyed through Halloween, without the humidity of the summer months.
Showplace of America: Cleveland's Euclid Avenue - once considered among the most beautiful and wealthy corridors in the world, read about the tightly knit community where Corporate America was born (including the likes of John D. Rockefeller).
*The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History - the rich history of Cleveland includes the story of the industrial revolution, the roots of a vibrant arts and cultural mecca, and description of the proto-typical 'melting pot' of America. This is a thick book, but answers just about any question that arises - perhaps plan a stop at a Cleveland or Cuyahoga County Public Library.
[url=http://www.clevelandairport.com/]Cleveland Hopkins International Airport[/url] is located 13 miles southwest of Downtown. The RTA Red Line Rapid Transit provides frequent and fast rail service from the airport to downtown for $2.25.
* [url=http://www.akroncantonairport.com/]Akron-Canton Airport[/url] is located 50 miles south of Cleveland in [wiki=6576a582790d2dd56caa356a03d6d997]Akron[/wiki] and is served by most major U.S. airlines.
* [url=http://www.burkeairport.com/]Burke Lakefront Airport[/url] is a small airport located downtown right on the shore of Lake Erie that handles private jet, business, and general aviation traffic.
* [wiki=475a86b1f28fd5ab3d18d1546dbdea3a]Cuyahoga County[/wiki] Airport is located in northeastern Cuyahoga County and serves private planes.
Four two-digit interstate highways serve Cleveland:
* Interstate 71 runs primarily west before heading due south into the suburbs, and most directly connects downtown to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (via Ohio 237), the lower west suburbs (via I-480), the southwest suburbs, and eventually the state capital of [wiki=89498f8aefc56461049c1ba7e2dcc104]Columbus[/wiki]. The curved section of I-71 that runs between W 25th Street and I-90/490 is referred to as the Metro Curve, due to its proximity to MetroHealth Medical Center.
* Interstate 77, shown on maps as the Willow Freeway is Cleveland's oldest freeway, and heads due south from the Innerbelt along the east side of the Cuyahoga Valley and most directly connects downtown to the south suburbs, southeast suburbs (via I-480), Ohio Turnpike (I-80), and the city of [wiki=6576a582790d2dd56caa356a03d6d997]Akron[/wiki]. The stack interchange at I-480 is sometimes referred to as The Cloverleaf, although the actual cloverleaf is located at the junction of Brecksville Road and Granger Road, which is just west of the later extension of the Willow Freeway.
* Interstate 80/Ohio Turnpike is a toll road that connects the Greater Cleveland with [wiki=ff3e61963e4cd0c1d6ad0e4dbcdae5db]Toledo[/wiki] to the west, and [wiki=424f5e2b6ea7c2fdc01539e195a21e71]Youngstown[/wiki] and [wiki=83cc8f7934cbdd06e1e93ac4dae2241a]Pittsburgh[/wiki] to the east. Access to the city and its suburbs is from I-90, I-480 Eastbound, I-71, I-77, Ohio 8, and I-480 Westbound.
* Interstate 90 connects the two sides (the terms "East Side" and "West Side" have deep root in defining this region) of Cleveland, and is the northern terminus for both I-71 and I-77. I-90 separates from the Ohio Turnpike just west of [wiki=3a8714e4f31581b552c40491f236af57]Elyria[/wiki] and joins with Ohio 2 until Ohio 2 separates at Detroit Road in the west side suburb of Rocky River. I-90 then proceeds to I-71, I-490, and the Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) in the Tremont neighborhood, and over the Innerbelt Bridge into downtown; from this confluence of freeways, I-90 is known as The Innerbelt, until it again merges with Ohio 2 at Dead Man's Curve and becomes the East Shoreway. I-90 once and for all splits from Ohio 2 near the Cuyahoga-Lake County line at the Euclid Spur, which connects to the northern terminus of I-271 and then parallels the lakeshore to [wiki=3a41e431a320aa7efc62da73f2a2a7ff]Erie, PA[/wiki].
Several other freeways also serve the city:
* Interstate 271 runs primarily north and south through the city's east suburbs, forming The Outerbelt East, which connects to I-90 at the end of the Euclid Spur in Lake County and I-71 just north of Medina. I-480 briefly follows I-271, and Ohio 8 connects I-271 to [wiki=6576a582790d2dd56caa356a03d6d997]Akron[/wiki] in the south.
* Interstate 480 runs east-west along the southern edge of the City of Cleveland, forming The Outerbelt South. It is a loop route into the city that both begins and ends at the Ohio Turnpike (I-80). I-480 is also the primary route to access Hopkins Airport from the east suburbs.
* Interstate 490 connects I-71, I-90, and the Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) on the near west side to I-77 on the near east side just south far enough to bypass much of downtown traffic.
* The West Shoreway, which is also Ohio 2, follows the lakeshore across downtown west from I-90 past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Edgewater Park to just short of the west side suburb of [wiki=b066b7586209ac494d08347e0a555ae3]Lakewood[/wiki].
* The Jennings Freeway (part of Ohio 176) connects I-90/490 to I-480 on the west side of the Cuyahoga Valley. It serves as an effective alternate route to I-71 and I-77 from I-480 to downtown.
* The Berea Freeway (part of Ohio 237) connects I-71 and I-480 to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the southwest suburb of Berea.
* Ohio 2 connects far east lakeshore suburbs in [wiki=e893f5bdc96c42fc4ed6c3d30aa829f9]Lake County[/wiki] to I-90 and I-271 (via the Euclid Spur).
* Ohio 10/US 20 connects [wiki=45e2887a3acefc01d94c7adf7b80bf37]Oberlin[/wiki] in southern [wiki=36b0d4d9673a06f5f7fff5be36de0334]Lorain County[/wiki] to I-480 at its western terminus at the Ohio Turnpike.
* US 422 becomes a freeway at I-271/I-480 and connects to the far southeast suburbs and Warren farther to the east.
Cleveland is served by Amtrak with a station located on the north end of downtown (near Cleveland Browns Stadium). Unfortunately, most Amtrak routes serving Cleveland arrive and depart in the 1AM-5AM time frame. Amtrak's Capitol Limited (from [wiki=9a8995d0e0d1775d0891f404e43911d7]Washington, D.C.[/wiki] or [wiki=9cfa1e69f507d007a516eb3e9f5074e2]Chicago[/wiki]) and Lake Shore Limited (from [wiki=87809c954948d8a20507bee3648281b3]New York[/wiki], [wiki=cb725823157e6b10da8fa376c2e1b013]Boston[/wiki] or [wiki=9cfa1e69f507d007a516eb3e9f5074e2]Chicago[/wiki]) lines stop in Cleveland.
Greyhound offers passenger bus service from many U.S. cities. Buses arrive and depart from Greyhound's Art Deco station in downtown Cleveland.
* Express bus service to/from [wiki=9cfa1e69f507d007a516eb3e9f5074e2]Chicago[/wiki], [wiki=ff3e61963e4cd0c1d6ad0e4dbcdae5db]Toledo[/wiki], [wiki=28b140c1de2759d5460e8256a893e759]Ann Arbor[/wiki], [wiki=1206c1cb107044f291a52d53fc9ec748]Detroit[/wiki], and [wiki=83cc8f7934cbdd06e1e93ac4dae2241a]Pittsburgh[/wiki]. Double Deck Coaches with WiFi, Restrooms, Power Outlets and seats starting at $1.
Many boaters utilize the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and their connection points as a travel route. There are many marinas and public boat ramps available for this purpose. Also, the American Canadian Caribbean Line [url=http://www.accl-smallships.com/]]and the Great Lakes Cruising Company [http://www.greatlakescruising.com/[/url] provide cruises that include Cleveland on the itineria.
Cleveland might be one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate. There are almost no one-way streets, because the city was planned to have "European Avenues" (which resulted in the foresight to make them broad enough for vehicular transportation that couldn't have been imagined in the late 1700s). Traffic is generally not a problem relative to other major U.S. metro areas. Throughout the downtown area, purple signs direct visitors to let you know where you are and what district you are in. The streets that run north-south are numbered, except for Ontario Street (the north-south street bisecting Public Square). Numbered Streets are named as "West", west of Ontario and "East", east of Ontario. (Broadview Road becomes the primary geographic boundary between 'East' and 'West' addresses to the south of the city.) The major east-west streets are generally named as "Avenues".
Finding an address is simple as well. Numbers on north-south streets increase as you head south from Lake Erie, numbers on east-west streets increase as you head away from downtown and coincide with the numbered streets (i.e. 6500 Detroit Ave is located at the corner of Detroit Ave and W 65th St). Odd addresses on north-south streets are for buildings on the east side of the street, and even addresses are on the west side; on the west side of Cleveland, odd addresses on east-west streets are located on the south side of the street, while even addresses are on the north side--the reverse is true for east-west streets on the east side of Cleveland. This addressing scheme continues into most of the suburbs (some exceptions include Berea and Bedford) and even most cities and townships in Lake and Lorain Counties.
Most of the city is laid out in grids and has very clear signage enabling you to easily know where you are. Throughout the area, signs are thoroughly placed to indicate the route to the nearest major freeway, making the city extremely visitor-friendly!
Cleveland rush hours (7AM-9AM; 4PM-6:30PM in the afternoon) are light compared to many metropolitan areas, with traffic still moving near posted speed limits throughout most of the area. Some places notorious for slow or stop and go traffic are:
Morning:
* I-71 Northbound from W 25th St into Downtown and from Bagley Rd to I-480
* I-77 Northbound from I-490 into Downtown and from Pleasant Valley Rd to I-480
* I-90 Eastbound from W 44th St into Downtown
* I-90 Westbound from E 55th St into Downtown
* I-271 Northbound from Rt. 8 to I-480
* I-480 Eastbound from the Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) to I-77 and approaching I-271
* Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) from I-480 to I-90/490
Afternoon:
* I-71 Southbound from I-480/Ohio 237 to Bagley Rd
* I-77 Southbound from downtown to I-490 and from I-480 to Pleasant Valley Rd
* I-90 Westbound from E 55th St to the Innerbelt Bridge
* I-90 Eastbound from downtown to Dead Man's Curve
* I-271 Southbound from Chagrin Blvd to Broadway Ave./Forbes Rd.
* I-480 Westbound from W 130th St to I-71/Ohio 237
Road construction can impact travel times at rush hours, and usually occurs only from March to November. Any point in [wiki=475a86b1f28fd5ab3d18d1546dbdea3a]Cuyahoga County[/wiki] is normally reachable from any other point in the county by car in 45 minutes or less at non-peak driving hours.
Greater Cleveland is also served by a public bus and rail transit system, operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority [http://www.gcrta.org/], also known as "RTA". The rail portion is officially called the Cleveland Rapid Transit, but is known by locals as "The Rapid". It consists of two light rail lines, known as the Green and Blue Lines (which extend to the east side suburbs), and a heavy rail line, the Red Line (which connects Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the west side suburbs with Tower City Center downtown and continues to University Circle and beyond). In the late 1990s, RTA added the Waterfont Line, a short track specifically catering to tourists by connecting Tower City Center to the Flats Entertainment District, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Burke Lakefront Airport. In 2008, RTA installed a bus rapid transit line, called the "Health Line", which runs along Euclid Avenue, providing a direct route between Cleveland's primary tourist attractions from downtown to University Circle. A $5.00 All-Day Pass is good for unlimited rides on both the trains and the buses.
Greater Cleveland is expanding its bicycle trails and bicycle paths throughout the city. In addition, the city has numerous bicycle shops, mostly located on the near west side, and a bicycle co-op.[url=http://ohiocitycycles.org/]]For more information on biking in cleveland, visit the website of Bike Cleveland.[http://bikecleveland.org/[/url]
Particularly visit the Tremont district in [wiki=2f54a58d4a5f8a401ff30eef0c61b0da]West Side[/wiki] (where the movie, The Deer Hunter, was filmed) and the Church Square district along Euclid Avenue between [wiki=0074ef48bc6b2a56706c8dc8c9aead77]Downtown[/wiki] and University Circle (where you can see a broad sampling of houses of prayer, many of which are currently utilized by their second or third generations of faith). There are also several monumental churches in near east side suburbs of Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights along Cedar Road, Fairmount and Shaker Boulevards.
Enjoy a game with the world's best sports fans. Cleveland is home to the second longest span of sold out baseball games (5 consecutive seasons in the late 1990s), the largest American League baseball attendance (72,086 on 8/9/1981) and the birthplace of Monday Night Football (9/21/1970). But given its storied sports past coupled with its weathered but dedicated fan base (ESPN named Cleveland the "Most Tortured Sports City"), terms like The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Decision, 2 More Outs will ring in the ears of Cleveland Sports Fans for generations to come. Win or lose, Clevelanders (obviously) just love sports.
* The old Browns went to the birds, but the Dawg Pound carries on the tradition of the NFL's staunchest fans!
*
* Some consider Progressive Field the gem of the American League (per Travel World International Magazine).
*
*
* Member of the Horizon League with various sports throughout the year.
No "mistake" about it! - Lake Erie. The shallowest and warmest Great Lake (with the most vibrant fishery) defines Cleveland's northern border and provides many opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming and walks. Sailers, boaters, waverunners and jet skiers enjoy the lake with marinas, piers and boat launches available all along America's North Coast. Fishing is popular more than three seasons of the year with healthy populations of Walleye and Perch in Lake Erie. In the late fall and early winter, anglers pursue steelhead trout in the many rivers feeding Lake Erie up through Northeast Ohio and into Pennsylvania and Western New York.
* Historically nicknamed the "Forest City" (due to a famous description of a highly sophisticated society amid a heavily forested environment in Alexis DeTocqueville's "Democracy in America" (1831)), Cleveland is a great place for outdoor activities. USA Today ranked Cleveland among the 10 best big cities for hiking. If you think Cleveland is just a "rust belt" city, get out to the nearest Cleveland Metropark [url=http://www.clemetparks.com/].]The parks form an Emerald Necklace around the Cleveland metropolitan area, so no matter which direction you go from downtown, you're headed toward a park. Biking, horseback riding, jogging and rollerblading are easily accommodated by the miles of trails (paved and unpaved) encircling Cuyahoga County. In the winter, visitors can cross country ski these same trails. Sitting upon the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, Cleveland also provides downhill skiers with slopes throughout the area.
*A river winds through it. Boaters, rowing crews, canoers and kayakers enjoy the diverse scenery along the Cuyahoga (a Mohawk Native American term, meaning "Crooked River"). The Cuyahoga provides a mosaic of the nightspots of the Flats (dockage available at restaurants and bars), downtown's towers rising up the hill, active industrial remnants of the birthplace of the petroleum and steel industries, pastoral settings and the Ohio and Erie Canal (which in the 1800s provided the connection between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, ultimately enabling shipping from the Atlantic Ocean (via the St. Lawrence Seaway and the East Coast) to the Gulf of Mexico (via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers)). The Ohio & Erie Canal has been preserved as a core element of [wiki=be575d05de18b8cf56aa340cb9e20130]Cuyahoga Valley National Park[/wiki]. In Ohio's only National Park, walk or bike the Canal Towpath, [url=http://www.nps.gov/cuva/planavisit/todo/recreation/ohioerie.htm].]The National Park starts 8 miles south of downtown and stretches for miles down to Akron. The Towpath extends from Lake Erie in Downtown Cleveland through the southern suburbs past [[Akron[/url]], [wiki=a86de44f085bc36d15cb4579654aabe7]Canton[/wiki], [wiki=7a1bb0136b448a7b7c3aeaf93f5dbc72]New Philadelphia[/wiki] and into rural [wiki=b74dba09db2d29fb48ddbb0f642806f3]Bolivar[/wiki] and Historic [wiki=dcf27371696b2c618b5767c2c1cba752]Zoar[/wiki].
Goodtime III, 825 East Ninth St Pier, +1 216 861-5100. See Cleveland by water via Lake Erie and/or the Cuyahoga River. Dining and entertainment available.
*Nautica Queen, [url=http://www.nauticaqueen.com/].] Lakefront and river dining cruises departing from the west bank of the Flats.
*Lolly the Trolley, +1 216 771-4484. Trolley bus tours offering a variety of routes and lots of information about Cleveland, both it's history and modern landmarks.
*Walking Tours of Cleveland, +1 216 575-1189, [url=http://www.clevelandwalkingtours.com[/url].]Various tours, some by foot, others by wheels.
*African American Heritage Trail, +1 216 921-4246, [url=http://www.aaheritagetrail.com[/url].]This tour provides a perspective of the experience and impact of Cleveland's African American community.
*Great Lakes Tour Company, +1 330 532-8687, [http://www.BikeCLE.com[/url]. Tour Downtown Cleveland, Ohio City & University Circle on bike. Cleveland's first bike tour company also does rentals and has free delivery.
There are plenty of live music venues in Cleveland - most are located [wiki=0074ef48bc6b2a56706c8dc8c9aead77]Downtown[/wiki].
The major supermarket chains in the Cleveland area are Giant Eagle, Dave's, Heinen's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe's. In addition the nation's two largest discount store chains Walmart and Target each have a store in Cleveland as well. The CVS and Walgreens drug store chains are also ubiquitous throughout Cleveland with many locations open twenty four hours a day.
Intel named Cleveland as one of its four "Worldwide Digital Communities" (with [wiki=adfb5084aacd6f633c409fe6d3c63a77]Corpus Christi[/wiki], Texas; [wiki=3064b320cef260c8f077f7c12a080f33]Philadelphia[/wiki], Pennsylvania; and [wiki=7a4e1add2047d025b98f55dbb33382b5]Taipei[/wiki], Taiwan). Due to substantial capital investment in support of this distinction, Cleveland will eventually have free wifi access throughout the entire city. In the meantime, most coffee shops offer wireless internet connection as do the campuses of Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve. The Tower City Center in the downtown area is another spot with free wifi access.
Greater Cleveland, including all of Cuyahoga County, is served by AT&T. Several other local telephone companies have networks in different portions of the county, and most cable companies also offer phone service through their networks.
*Area code 216 serves the City of Cleveland and the inner ring suburbs.
*Area code 440 serves the balance of the suburbs along with Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain Counties.
*Area code 234 and 330 together serve the rest of Northeast Ohio, including Medina, Portage, Summit, and Stark Counties to the south.
All calling within Cuyahoga County (which includes all of the 216 area code) is toll-free, and includes toll-free calling into and from western Lake County, Chesterland in Geauga County, Columbia Township in Lorain County, and the communities abutting Cuyahoga County in Medina, and Summit Counties.
Area code 216 callers in the City of Cleveland can call toll-free into other communities in Lorain County, such as Elyria and North Ridgeville, while the remaining callers in Cuyahoga County can call certain areas at a reduced rate. Some phone companies provide the extended calling area toll-free as an added benefit to compete with AT&T.
Cleveland Plain Dealer, [url=http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/].] Known locally as the "P.D.", the Plain Dealer is the largest local daily newspaper and Cleveland's paper of record.
* Cleveland Scene, [http://www.clevescene.com/[/url]. A free weekly paper containing a lot of entertainment information.
* Sun Newspapers, community papers with a ton of different versions providing local info on every part of town and throughout the suburbs.
WAPS 91.3FM [http://www.913thesummit.com/]
(south of Cleveland)
Adult alternative (Mon - Sat), international folk (Sun)
WBWC 88.3FM [http://www.wbwc.com/]
Non-commercial alternative music of Baldwin-Wallace College
WCSB 89.3FM [http://www.wcsb.org/]
A little bit of everything from Cleveland State University
WJCU 88.7FM [url=http://www.wjcu.org/]]
College alternative of John Carroll University
WOBC 91.5FM [url=http://www.wobc.org/[/url]]
Free-form noncommercial radio of The Oberlin College Student Network
WRUW 91.1FM [url=http://www.wruw.org/[/url]]Noncommercial multi-format of Case Western Reserve University
WZIP 88.1FM [http://www.wzip.fm/[/url]
(south of Cleveland)
Rhythm radio/rock of University of Akron
Other Music Publications
Jazz + Blues Report [url=http://www.jazz-blues.com/]]
Alternative Press [http://www.altpress.com/[/url]
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*