Summer Concerts in Cleveland

If you are looking for something to do this summer, there are many big name acts coming to Cleveland and there is something for everyone. With Blossom nearby, Clevelanders definitely have the chance to see some of their favorite singers. Below is a list of some of the biggest concerts this summer:

At Blossom (An outdoor concert venue)
•May 20 - Throwdown Tour with Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and other
•June 5 - Sugarland
•June 20 - Toby Keith
•June 25 - Dave Matthews Band
•June 26 - Foreigner and Styx with Kansas
•July 9 - Brooks and Dunn
•July 20 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
•July 21 - Jack Johnson
•July 23 - Brad Paisley with Darius Rucker
•August 5 - Tim McGraw with Lady Antebellum
•September 16 - Rascal Flatts with Kellie Pickler

I would definitely go an see ANY of these concerts. It does appear the Blossom favors country music this year, but there is some classic rock, and whatever genre David Matthews and Jack Johnson would be considered.

Who's the Most Hated Team in Baseball?

The answer may surprise you. It's not the New York Yankees, which really surprises me because no one like the Yankees unless your a Yankees fan. It's not the Red Sox or the Cubs. It's the Cleveland Indian. Once again, Cleveland's baseball team is receiving negative press after a study was done to find the most disliked team.

The study was done using Neislon Scale, scoring teams from -5 to 5. The Scale is made by using Internet algorithms built by Nielsen Co. that analyzes how people feel about certain things. This service typically uses various keywords to find out whether people have positive, negative or neutral reactions to different brands and products.

So how was Cleveland voted the worst? In my opinion, their score was hurt two ways. The first is, the Indian's are terrible. So anything written by non-Cleveland fans is going to be negative. Secondly, Indian's fans are so frustrated with their team, they aren't saying anything positive. In fact, they are probably joining in on the bashing of the team. So they have lots of criticism to bring their score down, but nothing positive to raise it up.

So we know Cleveland is the most hated team in baseball...but who else scored low. Indians had a rating of 0.9, followed by the Boston Red Sox (1.1), Cincinnati Reds (1.1) and the Houston Astros (1.8). The most popular teams are the San Francisco Giants with a score of 4.5 followed closely by the Oakland A's with 4.2.

Trouble for the CLE Aiprort?

There could be some problems arriving at the Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Talks between United and Continental are in the works for a possible merger. So what's the problem with this? Continental is one of Cleveland's biggest airlines with hundreds of flights everyday. There is a possibility that if United and Continental merge, Cleveland will no longer be used. This would create loss of flights in and out, jobs, and even what little tourism business we get.

Some Cleveland officials are going to try to push the issue that Cleveland should be a hub for some of the larger aircrafts. We'll have to wait and see how this ends up.

Melt Bar and Grilled

Who doesn't love a grilled cheese sandwich? Or any grilled sandwich for that matter. Melt Bar and Grilled, located in Lakewood Ohio has drawn national attention for their famous grilled sandwiches. It is seriously one of the smallest restaurants I have every been too but the food and the atmosphere is amazing. There's a wait for a table any almost any time of day.

At Melt, their menu features unique grilled and sometimes deep fried sandwiches. They offer many delicious side dishes, deserts and a full bar. Unique sandwiches called the Godfather, Municipal Stadium Magic, Summer Chicken, Lake Erie Monster and Purple Parma. Or try the Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana, inspired by Elvis himself.

If you're up to it, try the Melt Challenge. This features a monster grilled cheese featuring 13 different cheeses, 3 slices of grilled bread and a pile of hand-cut fries & slaw. Over 5 lbs of food! (Pictured above) If you finish it all without any help or trips to the bathroom and you will be awarded a Melt t-shirt, or Melt Pint Glass and a $10 gift card. The popular food network show, Man vs. Food, came to Cleveland to take on the Melt Challenge. They will not say yet if host Adam Richman finished the sandwich because the episode doesn't air until June.

So make the trip and check out Melt, so at least you'll be able to say you've tried it....but I think the food will keep you coming back.

For a full listing of sandwiches, awards and other Melt info, check out their website at http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/

Theater District

Did you know that Cleveland had one of the best theater districts in all of America? Every year, Playhouse Square brings in the most popular Broadway shows, performances and musicians. I have seen several shows, ranging from my favorite ever, "Wicked", to the lesser known "Into the Woods" starring local talent. This year, the Playhouse Square Broadway Series is top notch with the following popular shows: West Side Story, Shrek the Musical, Billy Elliot the Musical, South Pacific, Les Miserables and next to normal. Ticket prices are very reasonable for the caliber shows. To find out more about any of these shows, check out the Playhouse Square website at http://www.playhousesquare.com/.

While downtown in the theater district, I recommend going early or staying after to grab a bite at one of the local cafes and restaurants located within walking distance. There is something for everyone at Playhouse Square and seeing a production is something I would highly recommend for everyone at least once!

It's Draft Day!!!!!

Yay! Draft day is finally here. It's the day Brown's fans look forward to since the first game of last season! It's when team optimism is at its highest and fans start saying "this is the year"....or at least hope to beat Pittsburgh. Also, to make things better, the Cavs game 3 is on tonight. It's a great day for Cleveland!

So, what's the outlook for the Brown's draft this year. My boyfriend's a loyal draft day enthuisist and has helped fill me in on some of our projections. The Brown's have the #7 pick this year and most people believe that we will use that on safety Eric Berry. This seems like a great choice for the Browns because having a good safety is something we have lacked. There is also talk about Brown's trying to trade up for quarterback Sam Bradford. I wouldn't mind seeing this either but we all know how well trading up for Brady Quinn went. But the rumor that I'm hearing that is most upsetting is the talks about possibly making some trades for Ben Rothlesberger (who has ran himself into trouble with the law). This would disgust me because he is one of my least favorite players in the NFL. Anyways, it should be an interesting night because you never know how things go down during the draft, which is airing primetime tonight for the first time. Here is some draft information:

When: Tonight at 7:30, Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.

Where: Radio City Music Hall, New York.

TV: ESPN, NFL Network

Today: The first round moves to prime time, beginning at 7:30. Teams have 10 minutes per selection and the round is scheduled to conclude at 11 p.m. Last year's first round took three hours, 23 minutes.


Check out this website for predictions made by people who know much more than I do about the different possible scenarios.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/04/browns_have_options_if_berrys.html

Easier Ways to Follow My Blog!

Hey! If you're looking for an easier way to follow my blog there are 2 things you can do:
1) Be sure to follow me on Twitter. My account name is SarahMMaxwell1. I put a lot of blog updates on here.
2) Become a Fan of Sarah in the City on Facebook. I also put blog information here!

Random Facts About Cleveland

During lunch today, I began searching the internet about Cleveland facts and found a lot of very interesting ones. I decided to share these with everyone:

-Euclid Avenue actually used to be called "Millionaire's Row" and was nothing but beautiful mansions-even home to John D. Rockafeller.

-Cleveland was actually originally spelled "Cleaveland," named after General Moses Cleaveland. The "a" was dropped so that the name could fit into a newspaper's masthead.

-Cleveland became the world's first city to be fully lighted electrically in 1879

-Jesse Owens grew up in Cleveland!

-Cleveland has served as the setting for several major films, including The Fortune Cookie, Major League, Major League II, Antwone Fisher, Welcome To Collinwood, The Rocker, American Splendor, A Christmas Story, Spider-Man 3 and Air Force One.

-The popular television sit-com, "The Drew Cary Show" is set in Cleveland.

-Jesse Owens grew up in Cleveland. He won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Feel free to share some of your facts about Cleveland

Zombie Walk in Lakewood

This is something new that I heard about today. This Saturday, March 24, there will be a Zombie Walk in Lakewood on Clifton Blvd. The event, which started out with just 75 participants, is for charity and collects food for the Cleveland Food Bank. There are many Zombie Walks nationwide, but this is the first time I have heard about one in the area. Apparently this is not only something fun to see, but fun to participate in. I myself am not into the whole zombie thing, but there are a lot of people that are. This year, coordinators are hoping to have over 500 participants. So, if your interesting in seeing Cleveland's walk of the dead, information can be found in the link below.

http://www.cleveland.com/goingout/index.ssf/2010/04/zombie_walk_slated_for_saturda.html

Joakim Noah: Most Hated Man in Cleveland

I know a lot of my blogs have been sports related lately, but let's be serious. What else are people in Cleveland talking about right now other than the Cavs playoffs? Bull's player Joakim Noah quickly became the most hated man in Cleveland this week for ripping on the city during an interview. He was quoted on his off day between game 1 and 2 saying "I don't know about Cleveland, man, there is nothing going on". He goes on to say when asked if his dislike for the town would motivate him more in the series..."What, that Cleveland really sucks?"

This quote upset me along with many Clevelanders which was made obvious when Noah was showered with BOOOOS as he was announced in game 2. Noah obviously should be spending more of his time trying to figure out how to stop Lebron and Co. than running his mouth because it looks like they could be an easy sweep for the Cavs. Also, who is he to talk. He knows nothing about Cleveland, nothing about the people and probably nothing at all. The guy honestly has trouble putting a literate sentence together. And on top of this...he's one of the craziest looking guys in the NBA. Maybe he wouldn't be so bitter if he cleaned up his dirty appearance and improved his game so he could get attention for things better than running his mouth.

Overall Noah, I think you made a big mistake. You've not only misjudged Cleveland, but you gave our fan's incentive to making your visits to Quicken Loans as miserable as possible. Not something you really needed on your plate when you already CLEARLY have your hands full.

Cavs Playoffs Start Tomorrow

It's the most exciting time of the year. CAVS PLAYOFFS! For those who having been living in a cave, the Cavs start their quest for a championship this Saturday at 3. The Cavs hope to put behind them the disappointment of last year, when they lost to the Magic. There seems to be more pressure on the team this year with Lebron's end of contract looming after this season. Winning a championship seems to be the closest guarentee that he'll be back next season.

The Cavs will be playing the Chicago Bulls, who they split the season series with 2-2. The only reason why the Cavs didn't will 3-1 is because Lebron and fellow starters were sitting the bench to rest for post-season. Most people think that they will sweep the Bulls, I am one of them. The Cavs will have some challenging games in the future with the Celtics and Magic in our division. Hopefully we all will finally see the Kobe vs. Lebron matchup for the trophy that everyone will enjoy watching. Especially we'll be able to prove that Lebron really is a better player then Kobe because unlike Kobe, he makes everyone around him better.

LETS GO CAVS!

Cleveland Rocks!

I can't believe it has taken me so long to write about one of Cleveland's best attractions...the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This unique building is made to look like a record player from above and is one of the things Cleveland is best known for (other than having a really bad football team). The Hall of Fame is located just east of the Brown's Stadium. I went there once and it is definitely a must see for anyone who lives or visit the area. The building has seven floors and each floor has it's own theme and honors different influential musicians. I especially like the area of the museum that displayed popular clothing worn by musicians. Articles like Michael Jackson's original Thriller mask, the Rolling Stones concert costumes and more. Elvis' original convertible (I'm not sure about the importance of that but I'm sure any Elvis fan would appreciate that). There's many short film documentaries following the surge of rock and roll and currently there is a 3D U2 movie playing in the museum. There is also a wall of all the Rolling Stone Magazine covers. This was awesome to see because it was almost like a documentary of pop culture in pictures. Jennifer Anniston, Lennon and Yoko, Jay-Z and Britney Spears were all there. Tickets cost $22 but if you have a greater Cleveland ID, you get the discounted price of $18. AAA members also get a discount.

Angelo's....Best Pizza in Cleveland

Are you looking for the best pizza in Cleveland. Angelo's Pizza, located on Madison in Lakewood, is by far the best pizza I have ever had. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Angelo's Pizza has won many awards and is widely known for having the best pizza. What makes it so good? I think it's the fresh ingredients, variety of styles and their unique crust. It's a little pricey, but definitely worth it. I've never had a bad pizza there. I would recommend trying the Chicken Bacon Ranch, BBQ Chicken and plain Pepperoni.

Cleveland State of Mind

In the car today, Jay Z's Empire State of Mind was on the radio. I said to my friend, wouldn't it be nice if someone sang a song about Cleveland jokingly. He informed me that there is an Cleveland State of Mind remix on YouTube done by a local DJ. I looked it up and really enjoyed it. The song hit a lot of Cleveland's bests including Lebron, Slyman's, Crocker Park, Lake Erie and much more. The link is below- I hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpgmZuykgAs

Indians Lose Home Opener

Indians lost their home opener today to the Texas Rangers. I was able to make it to the game. There were tons of people celebrating while they could because it looks to be a long season....again. The celebration kicked off with a huge flag, fireworks and Bob Feller throwing out the first pitch. For those who don't know, Bob Feller is an Indian's Hall of Famer who threw the only no hitter opening day in MLB history. Overall, there was a great atmosphere downtown and it was a good game to watch, but the Tribe lost in extra innings...again. Hopefully they'll be able to turn things around. Baseball is already a long season, losing all the time will only make it feel longer.

Baseball Season is Here!

With Spring Clevelanders can expect several things: allergies, the NFL Draft, outdoor seating at restaurants and Indians basbeall. Cleveland opened their season this week playing the Chicago White Sox. After a rough season last year, the Indians did not appear to make any significant changes during the off season and many fans are not optimistic. So far, the Indians aren't looking too bad with a 2-1 record. The series has been exciting with several games going into extra inning. The Tribe won last night's game in the 11th when Asdrubal Cabrera and fan favorite Grady Sizemore drove in runs with two outs.

The home opener at Progressive Field(which many Clevelanders will always call "the Jake") is next Monday. I am going to the game and am looking forward to hopefully seeing a win. For those going to a game this season, here's some advice:
-Don't settle for the $10 parking right next to the stadium. Drive around the block a couple times. You'll be able to find much cheaper parking if you don't mind a walk.
-Most parking lots bump up their rates starting around 3:00 on game days. So go early to the games and get parking as cheap as $3! There are many great bars and restaurants near the stadium to pass the time.
-Go to Pannini's before or after the game an enjoy a popular local sandwich. They are HUGE sandwich's covered in fries, coleslaw and the meat of your choice. I promise, you'll love it. They also have drink specials on game days.
-Wear your Tribe gear. Nothing annoys me more than people who show up to any sporting event and don't wear team apparel or even team colors. It gets you excited for the game and no one really cares how good you look anyway. -Especially all you Cavs fans. When they pass out free t-shirts, WEAR THEM!!!

39th Best City for Biking

Here's an interesting fact about Cleveland. It is the nation's 39th most bike friendly cities according to Bicycling Magazine. The magazine rates the most bike friendly cities by judging their the number of bike lanes and racks available to citizens, government involvement in making improvements for bikers and the bike culture. Cleveland already has 8 major bike trails, one is nearby in the Metroparks. Cleveland is also talking about adding a downtown biking station, which would give riders access to park, storage, showers and bike repair services. The top five biking cities were:
-Minneapolis
-Portland, Ore
-Boulder, Colo.
-Seattle
-Eugene, Ore.

Record Setting Spring for Cleveland?

Have you been outside enjoying the nice spring weather? I hope so because Cleveland has been experiencing the warmest spring weather in more than half a century. Cleveland.com has reported that the average temperature from March 20-April 6 was 60.9 degrees. That is the highest temperature for that time period since 1946. So far this spring, there has been four 80 degree days, the most since at least 1900! So how have you been enjoying this beautiful weather? Hopefully doing things outside because you know Cleveland, there is always the possibility of a late snow! But let's not focus on that. Let's enjoy the weather and hope to keep having a warm spring!

Cavs Clinch #1 Seed

Despite the loss to the Boston Celtics Easter Sunday, the Cavs clinch the best seed for the upcoming 2010 Playoffs. By securing the top seed, the Cavs will have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, even in the championship series. This is a great advantage for the Cavaliers who are an extremely hard to beat team in the Q. With the playoffs starting in 11 days, you can expect to see the starters minutes go down to avoid injuries and to keep players rested. Go Cavs!

Is Cleveland really on the "Fast Track"?

Many people have heard about the new "high speed" train that is going to be built so passengers can ride from Cleveland to Columbus. This project is projected to cost over $400 million and has yet to become very popular among Clevelanders. Although having a train that can run from Cleveland to Columbus may sound like a good idea, there seem to be more disadvantages. For one, the high speed train only goes 79 miles per hour and will not be going that speed the whole time. In fact, it would be faster to travel by car. Those in charge of the projects do say that in the future, the train may be able to reach speeds up to 110 mph when it has it's own track. A lot of people also feel that this train will not have enough riders. For one, its faster and more convenient to drive to Columbus because you will have a car when you reach your destination. If you take the train, you would have to take public transportation or a taxi around town. Also, I heard something that the train's hours of operations would not accommodate riders looking to go there and back in the same day. I would love to find out more information on the train if anyone has any. Do you think this train is worth the money?

West Side Market

With the realization of a 5 day work week looming in the near future, I decided I should get out and see some sights on my day off from school. I decided to try the West Side Market. Located in Ohio City, it's an indoor market where you could find any meat, cheese, spice, produce and bake goods you could imagine. This was my first time going there and I really enjoyed it. I would suggest going here to anyone who plans on cooking a dinner soon or if you are looking for some fresh ingredients. It would also be a good place to go if you are thinking about cooking something different. There's a lot of ingredients to help you find an inspiration. The prices were pretty cheap, and since I was there around closing time, they were giving fruits and veggies away at a very discounted price. I ended up walking away with a quart of fresh strawberries (which were amazing) and a bundle of asparagus. It is located in a really cute area of Ohio City. It is across the street from the Great Lakes Brewing Co. so you could stop in for a meal or a drink when you're done shopping. One thing for first timers, I drove around for a while trying to find meter parking, but ended up paying $2.25 at a public parking lot. I found out later that there is parking located in the back of West Side Market which is much more convenient. They are not open every day of the week so check out their website for hours and times http://www.westsidemarket.org/.

Spring Break

Tomorrow is Good Friday which means many people will begin their Spring Break. A lot of colleges have already had their week off, but plenty of people will be trying to get away for a long weekend. Living in Cleveland, you almost have to go to another destination for it to really feel like a spring break. Most March's and April's have cold, rainy and snowy days here. This year, I was fortunate enough to get away to Los Angeles for a week. Many friends went to Florida and a few to Mexico. In past years I went on a cruise, which is definitely something I would recommend to anyone. (if your planning on going on a cruise, check out http://aroyalgetaway.blogspot.com/. It's a friend's blog about cruising.) So when you want to get away from Cleveland's crummy winter weather, where do you go?

Cleveland Metroparks

Today was one of best days so far this spring! The weather was gorgeous do I decided to head to the Metroparks and go for a run. I have taken for granted having the Metroparks within walking distance. It is a nice break away from the city. The park has tons of walking, biking and horse riding trails. There's lots of places to sit and have a picnic or even just observe some of the beautiful sites surrounding its many waterfalls, lakes and rivers. The Metroparks runs through Cuyahoga County and offer many recreational activities such as golfing, fishing, boating, hiking, tobogganning and much more. The Cleveland Metroparks also have a very popular zoo and rain forest. There is something for everyone! For more information on more metropark activities, go to http://www.clemetparks.com

Key Tower

I have heard around town that the Key Tower in downtown was the tallest building between New York and Chicago. I thought this was pretty impressive so I wanted to figure out if it was true. So I did a little research....it turns out the Key Tower was the tallest building between New York and Chicago until very recently. It lost this title in 2007 when the Comcast Center was built in Philedelphia. There is still some pretty impressive titles regarding the Key Tower still, it is the largest building in Cleveland (of course), the largest building in the state of Ohio and is the 60th tallest building in the world!

Discount Shopping

So this past weekend, I was out on the East side of Cleveland and went shopping with me boyfriend. The East side has some of the best shopping and even better discount stores. With places such as the Nordstrom Rack, Dillards Outlet and the Filienes Closet, you are able to find great name brand/designer clothes at a very reasonable price. The Nordstrom Rack and Filiene's Closet have everything from shoes, mens, womens, accessories, jewlery and purses by many popular name brands such as Lucky, D&G, Calvin Kline, Michael Koors and BCBG just to name a few. I picked up a pair of BCBG pumps that were originally over a hundred bucks for only $49. This is a great way for young professionals to start building their wardwrobe without busting their budgets. The Dillard's Outlet is a great place to find a deal when you don't mind spending a lot of time searching through all the racks. It's not as organized, but if you have the patience, you can find a diamond in the rough. I really wish the West side had places like this to shop. If anyone out there know of any other places like the few I just mentioned, I'd be glad to hear it.

Also, check out http://pennypinchfashion.wordpress.com/ for other tips on how to stay fashionable for less!

Follow this blog on Twitter

If you are interested, you can also follow this blog on Twitter!Go to http://twitter.com/SarahMMaxwell1 and follow me. I'll be posted periodically on the newest blogs about Cleveland! Also, feel free to leave comments and posts if you have any great things you think I should try!

Grovewood Tavern

I wanted to share one of Cleveland's best restaurants. The Grovewood Tavern is located on Grovewood Avenue in East Cleveland. It is located in a residential area and does not look like much from the outside, but they serve some of the best food I have ever had. The atmosphere on the inside is quaint and romantic with a really nice ambiance. The food was spectacular and the so was the service. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a nice dinner out. The restaurant suggests you call and make reservations before because they are usually very busy during business hours. They have a menu available on their website. I would definitely recommend their locally made Ravioli of the Day as well as the Cherry Duck.

Grovewood Tavern
17105 Grovewood Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44110
(216) 531-4900

Turning Off the Lights Downtown

My friend told me today that she had heard something about Cleveland turning off the lights downtown at night. I found an article on Cleveland.com that talked about the new effort bird enthusiasts are making to get Cleveland to turn off the lights after 11:00 PM this spring to save the lives of migrating birds. Apparently, the lights from many of the skyscrapers disorient the birds causing them to crash into the buildings. Although there is no information available as to how many birds die each year in Cleveland because of this reason, but is estimated to be a dangerous route for birds because it is supposibly located in the middle of a busy migratory path, prone to severe weather, high winds and low clouds. These bird enthusiast are also taking the angle that this would save the city money on electricity. Those who oppose turing the lights off are afriad of losing the lit-up skyline that many people enjoy well into the night. An agreement is hoped to be reach by the end of spring. I was wondering if any people had an opinion on this. Is this really a problem and are actions necessary?


For more information, visit the article at http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/03/post_252.html

Big Z is Back!

Today is a good day for Clevelanders. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has signed a one year agreement with the Cavs and will be ready to play this Wednesday in the Cavs game against New Orleans. Z was traded back in February for Antwan Jamison and Sebastian Telfair but was picked up in free agency by the Cavs. Z, who has been with the Cavs his whole NBA career, is definitely a fan favorite in Cleveland. This is great news for Cavs fans who can watch the big man in the middle help us on the way to the championship!

Cleveland is the reason....

Cleveland is the reason I am writing this blog. It has a national reputation of being one of the worst places to live in the United States. I am going to try to set to record straight and share with people some of great places Cleveland has to offer. I will share my adventures and stories as a young adult living in Cleveland, offering some information on things to do, places to eat at, and unique culture that is Cleveland.