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Cleveland's Playhouse Square neighborhood made Positively Cleveland's list of the top 10 destinations with LGBT appeal.
(David Petkiewicz)
Cleveland has been a hot travel destination in recent months for gay-focused media outlets, both in the United States and abroad, looking ahead to next month's 2014 Gay Games.
A few excerpts:
Go Midwest!
Clevelanders know very well that promoting their hometown is not an easy task. Though gay locals will happily point out that the name of the river that winds its way through the city centre, the Cuyahoga, means "crooked" in the language of the local Iroquoian Indians (Ha! Not straight!) its murky meanderings rose to nationwide infamy as the heinously-polluted "river that caught fire" in the 1960s. For decades since, Cleveland, like its rust belt neighbours, has been depicted as a shrinking, post-industrial wasteland, the butt of national jokes. Half a century later, that image is decidedly unfair and outdated.
Resident celebrity chefs, rapid gentrification, a growing number of excellent micro-breweries, and a surprisingly wealthy, rather stunningly housed set of museums have made the city quite lovable again, at least to locals.
-- Jurriaan Teulings, Winq magazine, Amsterdam, Autumn 2013
20 reasons why Cleveland does, in fact, rock
London. Paris. Cleveland. In advance of the October opening of "Nature's Mating Games: Beyond the Birds and the Bees," an exhibit on sexuality previously seen only in the aforementioned European capitals (and presented under the too-hot-to-handle title, "Sexual Nature"), the Cleveland Museum of Natural History took a tongue-in-cheek approach with its marketing materials, elevating the seat of Cuyahoga County to the international stage.
Sure, it's a city of fewer than half a million residents in America's Rust Belt, but it's got aspirations. Cleveland is the kind of city that is going to support a risqué art exhibit, even if they put a parental guidance warning on it. You won't end your visit to C-Town feeling like you've just been to London or Paris, but you'll have a pretty good idea of why musician Ian Hunter — and later, the Presidents of the United States of America, and Drew Carey — argues, "Cleveland Rocks."
-- Keph Senett, Travelblog.viator.com, San Francisco, December 2013
Out of Town: Cleveland & Gay Games 9
Ironically, the abandonment of downtown Cleveland during the 1950s through 1970s helped to preserve the commercial core's bounty of Victorian and turn-of-the-century commercial and residential architecture, from warehouse buildings that stood empty for decades to gleaming art deco towers that have undergone complete renovations in recent decades. Sports stadiums, theaters and a glitzy casino have all contributed to the current urban buzz.
-- Andrew Collins, Pridesource.com/Between the Lines, Livonia, Mich., June 2014
Art, culture, dining and more in ... Cleveland
Cleveland continues to surprise me and part of me is riddled with guilt for feeling like I needed to escape so many years ago. While I still admit to preferring the ocean to Lake Erie, there's something to be said about coming home. And for those passing through Cleveland or choosing the city as their primary vacation destination, I imagine they, too, will feel like they've come home.
Local residents are holding their heads up high as each year brings more economic development and civic pride. What was once a frontier village, then a manufacturing center, has now become a premiere destination for food, culture, sports, and entertainment. With the Gay Games on the cusp of the coming year, Cleveland is also laying the foundation for further expansion and integration of its LGBT community. No matter where I may live, Cleveland is home, and I couldn't be more proud.
-- Matthew Wexler, Passport Magazine, New York City, August 2013
Cleveland prepares for its gay close-up
During the past five years Cleveland has been rising from the shadow of its working class iron and steel mill days and the memory of when the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, which brought about awareness of environmental pollution and led to creation and passage of the Clean Water Act.
Billions of dollars and hard work have gone into turning Cleveland into a world-class mid-size city of about 390,000 people.
I was instantly charmed by Cleveland. The Midwestern city is endearing and modern at the same time that it celebrates its history.
I was delighted by the neighborhoods during a summer trip to the city on the edge of Lake Erie. The weather was perfect, warm with some humidity, but not uncomfortable as a breeze came off the water in the late afternoon into the evening, naturally cooling off the city.
-- Heather Cassell, Edge Boston, November 2013