Head for the American Midwest, the Great Lakes and their cities? Read our tips on where to stay in Cleveland!
Nicknamed « The Forest City », Cleveland is the second-largest city in the northern U.S. state of Ohio. – Cleveland is the second-largest city in the northern U.S. state of Ohio. Moored to the north by the waters of Lake Erie, Cleveland lies 450 km from Toronto and Detroit, between New York and Chicago. Since its foundation in 1796, the city has always been a major industrial hub for the region. With 396,815 inhabitants (2010 census) on 213.4 km², but over 2.1 million in the urban area, Cleveland is sometimes described as a hospitable cultural oasis, stretched out on the edge of Lake Erie. Housing in Cleveland is plentiful, but rents can be high, as they often are in attractive U.S. cities.
To distinguish one neighborhood from another, residents often divide their city into two zones, the west bank and the east bank of the Cuyahoga River. However, downtown and the suburbs attract many businesses and artists, and the neighborhoods are gentrifying at a rapid pace. Here’s where to stay in Cleveland.
Downtown
Photo credit: Flickr – Marc Buehler
Downtown is the city’s historic and business district. Here you’ll find the Terminal Tower, which was the second-tallest tower in the world in the 1930s, the Arcade, the Key Tower, the Keith Building and theOhio Bell Building , which inspired the creators of Superman. This district is a prime example of art deco. The downtown area is subdivided into several sub-neighborhoods: The Flats and The Warehouse, mostly made up of rehabilitated industrial buildings and offices, and numerous trendy bars and restaurants. If you want to enjoy the charms of a historic city while shopping or partying in the bars along the Cuyahoga docks, this is the place to stay.
Many former industrial buildings have been given a new lease of life as major shopping centers, such as Tower City Center or The Arcade. TheHistoric Warehouse District is home to beautifully renovated 19th-century buildings transformed into boutiques, cafés and popular shopping galleries. To the north, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame is one of the city’s must-see museums, located at the end of 9th Street. On both sides of the district, numerous parks and green spaces offer opportunities for strolling and sports: Cleveland, famous for its NBA basketball club, is a sporty city.
University Circle
Photo credit: Flickr – Erik Drost
Looking for decentralized housing in Cleveland, in quiet, more affordable residential areas? The university district attracts young people, artists and art lovers. Numerous cultural buildings adjoin parks such as Wade Oval, the Cleveland Botanical Garden and large sports fields (basketball, American soccer). If you’re an art lover, you’ll also find plenty of museums: the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Dittrick Museum of Medical History and the Museum of Natural History. For music-loving expatriates, there’s a music school to the north of the neighborhood. To top it all off, you’ll find Severance Hall concert hall, for American-style accommodation in Cleveland.
Ohio City
To the south-west of the city center, you’ll find a trendy, bohemian district that will appeal to young, hip travelers, with Victorian wooden and red-brick buildings typical of Anglo-Saxon cities. Don’t miss the Westside Market, said to be the country’s largest indoor market since 1912. Plenty of small parks to relax or read in the shade of the sun, and numerous bars and breweries where you can sample one of the city’s most popular beverages: beer. Accommodation in Cleveland is a tasty mix of beer, sports and relaxation.
Main Photo Credit: Flickr – Erik Drost