Tips from a Local - Cleveland

Olga, the author of this post,
lived in Cleveland for five years.

Cleveland is a city of 400,000 (if you count the whole metropolitan area the population is closer to 2,000,000) located on the shore of Lake Erie.  Locals enjoy a true change of seasons, and relaxing outside in one of the cities many parks, as well as rooting on their professional sports teams.  The city is very cultured with a wide array of museums and performing art complexes.  Here are some of Olga's local tips to enjoy "The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World." 

First, and most importantly, the food:

1.  Aladdin's Eatery: Middle Eastern food and wine.  Casual, but excellent!  Prices are very reasonable too.
2.  The Mad Greek Restaurant: Romantic Mediterranean restaurant.
3.  Winking Lizard Tavern: 100+ different beers to try! If this isn't reason enough to try it out, the restaurant also has great steak and a live lizard (hence its name).
4.  Pacific East: Japanese Restaurant.  One of the liveliest and noisiest sushi bars I've ever been in.  Excellent food selection!   

Sightseeing and Entertainment:

1.  Cleveland Orchestra: Very high quality performance, though a bit on the expensive side.  It is one of the "Big Five" American Orchestras.
2.  Great Lakes Science Center:  Educational, fun and has an Omnimax theater!
3.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:  A must for visitors and locals alike.  The name speaks for itself.
4.  The Cleveland Museum of Art: Houses a very impressive collection (more than 30,000 works of art) as well as ongoing exhibitions (from Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.).