The great outdoors + beer + community = one compelling equation. That’s the basis for Mappy Hour, a new network of adventure and travel enthusiasts who are passionate about the outdoors, maps, guidebooks, and physical activity.
Touted as “part play, part town hall meeting,” How to End Poverty in 90 minutes (with 119 people you may or may not know) explores the complex subject of poverty through the eyes of art. A collaboration between Cleveland Public Theatre, United Way of Greater Cleveland, and Sojourn Theatre, the 90-minute experimental play runs from January 24-28 at Gordon Square Theatre and is fully sold out.
Quicken Loans Arena (aka “The Q”) isn’t just launching the next generation of pro basketball stars—it’s turning out culinary power players as well. Today, the arena’s Launch Test Kitchen announced its newest lineup of local chefs, all three of whom come from minority-owned businesses.
From Christina Sadowski’s perspective, there is no better vantage point of the Cleveland skyline than from a purple kayak at the crack of dawn. Her upcoming photography exhibition, “Reflections of Cleveland,” is the product of Sadowski’s kayak jaunts on Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River—and what her camera captured along the way.
Cleveland-based artist Loren Naji made waves at ArtPrize in 2016 with EMOH, a spherical sculpture and temporary living space made of found objects, garbage, and remnants of abandoned or demolished Ohio and Michigan homes. Now he's set to take it on the road this year in U.S. cities with large homeless populations—starting in New York in March during the Independent Air Fair.
Find out more about this socially conscious sphere here.
Find out more about this socially conscious sphere here.
Cleveland native Nikki Yeager was tired of people making comments that her son should dress more "like a boy," so she decided to do something about it by launching Every Bean Boutique—a gender-neutral line that's part of a larger movement to remove traditional labels from children's clothing. Learn more about Yeager's mission here.
The best things in life are free, indeed, and our monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up all of the free #CLE events that get our "stamp" of approval. See what's on tap for January here.
From Eliot Ness to T.I.T.U.S., the Molchan family business has grown immensely. Since opening Perplexity Games back in 2016, the business (currently ranked as TripAdvisor's top escape room in Cleveland) has grown from 3,000 square feet to 4,500 square feet. The number of game offerings has also increased, with the addition of "Clockwork Caper" and "T.I.T.U.S." in addition to the original "Eliot Ness Investigation." Learn more about this place for escape artists here.
When gift-giving, why settle on a fruitcake when you can have a Bloom Bakery delight? The artisanal café-slash-social venture is hosting a Holiday Shop replete with assorted cookies, dinner rolls, and apple pies, plus seasonal items like pumpkin roll and pumpkin bread—as well as a showstopper that Executive Director Jill Rizika calls "to-die-for deep, deep chocolate brownies."
"We really hope instead of giving a gift certificate or a candle as corporate gifts, that [people] might think about ordering through Bloom and get the double whammy of getting a treat while also supporting a second chance," says Rizika.
"We really hope instead of giving a gift certificate or a candle as corporate gifts, that [people] might think about ordering through Bloom and get the double whammy of getting a treat while also supporting a second chance," says Rizika.
Tonya Kinlow and her husband, chef Craig Stevens, never intended to start an app or a mindful eating movement—they just wanted to open a restaurant. But as they got deeper into the planning process, their values pointed them in an entirely different direction. The result is UGottaEat, an app that acts as a social network where users can share home-cooked meals and obtain freshly made meals from local chefs. Learn more about how this innovative app works here.
It only seems fitting that someone named Mercedes Bell would open a boutique on wheels—and that's exactly what Bell did when she launched Lavora's Mobile Boutique earlier this year. An emerging style entrepreneur, Bell had already been running her online boutique for over one year when she debuted the roving fashion truck in late July 2017. In the months since, the truck has made appearances at events like Glenville Community Festival, Soul of Buckeye, Battle of the Bands at Shaw High School, and the recent pop-up shop at Spaces. Get the 411 on this roving retailer here.
Interested in learning more about Cleveland's rich history? Point your GPS toward Cleveland Starts Here, the new permanent exhibit opening tomorrow at Cleveland History Center.
According to director Angie Lowrie, Cleveland Starts Here will cover the time period from the city's origins in the 1790s all the way through the Cavs taking home the gold in 2016.
"We used to have a core exhibit that talked about the early history of the Western Reserve, but the history [coverage] ended at the Civil War," says Lowrie. "There was no one place that you could get the full story of what Cleveland is all about. Cleveland Starts Here is an opportunity to show a lot more of our stuff and do it in a way that shows people the story of Cleveland."
According to director Angie Lowrie, Cleveland Starts Here will cover the time period from the city's origins in the 1790s all the way through the Cavs taking home the gold in 2016.
"We used to have a core exhibit that talked about the early history of the Western Reserve, but the history [coverage] ended at the Civil War," says Lowrie. "There was no one place that you could get the full story of what Cleveland is all about. Cleveland Starts Here is an opportunity to show a lot more of our stuff and do it in a way that shows people the story of Cleveland."
‘Tis the season to feast with family, hit the malls, and surf the sales. It’s also time to open our hearts and support worthy causes and others who may not be as fortunate. Here are a few ways you can give back in the #CLE this “Giving Tuesday.”
From making pilgrimages to the A Christmas Story House to downing 30,000 barrels of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Clevelanders take holiday celebrations very seriously. This year offers a significant addition for The Land’s yuletide revelers: a bar dedicated entirely, for just over a month, to Christmas cheer.
That time David Bowie played his first show in Cleveland back in 1972? Anastasia Pantsios was there.
The time the Jacksons visited Playhouse Square in the late 70s, or when an emergent U2 played the Agora Ballroom? Also there.
And when Bowie returned to play the Richfield Coliseum in 1990? Yep, she was there, and so were Bono and Adam Clayton—both of whom got their photo taken with Bowie backstage, by none other than Pantsios herself.
In just under three years, Literary Cleveland has launched the annual Cleveland Inkubator conference (which attracted 500 people in 2017), gained nonprofit status, and hosted a wide array of workshops, programs, networking events, and author readings—all geared at empowering Northeast Ohio writers. This year, the organization also introduced a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel. That momentum continues with the launch of Lit Cleveland's literary journal, Gordon Square Review.
It's the most wonderful time of the year...for foodies. Cleveland Restaurant Week kicks off today with more than 50 restaurants on board stretching as far as Sandusky, Twinsburg, and Akron, but mostly located in the 216.
Participating restaurants are offering three-course prix fixe menus for $33 (not including tax and gratuity). The name is a bit of a misnomer since the event actually goes on for two weeks (November 1-15), but all the better to try all six dishes on this list—and then some.
Participating restaurants are offering three-course prix fixe menus for $33 (not including tax and gratuity). The name is a bit of a misnomer since the event actually goes on for two weeks (November 1-15), but all the better to try all six dishes on this list—and then some.
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.
It's fitting that designer Christine Wisnieski kickstarted her career designing love notes for Kate Spade, because her Cleveland-based branding and collaborative design studio is a love letter of sorts to the city itself.
Over the last six years, Wisnieski has worked with a long list of local icons—from the West Side Market to Majestic Steel to RTA to Trentina—on redefining and refreshing their brands. "At the core, most people hire us to reimagine their organization and assist in repositioning themselves for growth," shares Wisnieski. "In a small way, [the studio has] been able to help shape the way the city presents itself to the world.
Over the last six years, Wisnieski has worked with a long list of local icons—from the West Side Market to Majestic Steel to RTA to Trentina—on redefining and refreshing their brands. "At the core, most people hire us to reimagine their organization and assist in repositioning themselves for growth," shares Wisnieski. "In a small way, [the studio has] been able to help shape the way the city presents itself to the world.