Cleveland's had a bit of a revitalization happen, but it's still Cleveland, I suppose. I'm kind of partial to dysfunction, so I like them, in the same way you cheer for an underdog.I'm not accustomed to seeing "nice" and "Cleveland" in the same sentence.
CD
They're a great food city, if you're into that Polish-Hungarian-Central Europe food vibe. Best food isn't in the "nice" restaurants, but the neighborhood bars and dives.
I used to have to go up there a few times a year for work, and unlike nearly everyone else, I always looked forward to it. My best friend at work is from Cleveland, and we'd usually go together, so I got some of an insider's look at where to go (and not go).
I was really happy to find that a Cleveland-based small grocery chain (Marc's) opened a location about 40 minutes from me, in Kettering, by far their furthest south, and I love shopping there, because so many of the products are local Cleveland products that I can't get anywhere else.
Great Lakes, of course, is their Grand Dame of craft breweries, but it's nice to help out one of the smaller ones like Platform.