Take a Hike or a Bike

We all know it's coming . . . Cleveland's terribly cold winter weather (yikes)! But don't fret just yet! There's still plenty of ways to enjoy the warmth while it lasts.

-- Walking Tour--

For example, stop by City Hall and pick up a few complimentary walking maps, courtesy of Clevelanders in Motion. There are apparently 8 in the series, but I could only find maps #1, #4, and #6.


Of the 3 I could find, I recommend #6, the "Rock N' Roll Boulevard Route" (distance 3.0 miles). It essentially has you walk from the corner of Prospect and E. 9th down to Voinovich Park (at the tip of the E. 9th St Pier) around Brown's stadium, up W. 3rd to Lakeside, onto Ontario St. and then back to Prospect. I think this is a great way to see a lot of what downtown has to offer. The listed points of interest along the way are the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Historic Gateway District (the area between Public Square and Playhouse Square from Superior Ave. south to the inner Belt). Plus, it's a 3 mile route, so it's also a great workout for a weekend or even on an extended lunch break.


-- Guided Walking Tours--

If you want something a little more structured, then try the Take A Hike guided walking tours. Take a Hike offers 3 unique tours guided by an historical Cleveland character, such as John D. Rockefeller, Mrs. Alfred Kelley, Garrett Morgan, and others. The tour schedules are as follow:

6 PM on Thursdays:
Historic Gateway Neighborhood
Meet at The Arcade
(401 Euclid Ave.)

10 AM on Saturdays:
Historic Warehouse District
Meet at Constantino's Market
(1278 West 9th St.)

10 AM on Sundays:
Canal to Harbor
Meet at Settler's Landing RTA Station
(1025 W. Superior Ave.)

Each tour lasts roughly 1 to 1.5 hours and is FREE!!! But I'd take advantage of the tours sooner than later, because they're only offered until Sept. 6th (and then not again until May 2010).

--All About Bicycles--

If walking isn't your thing, then rent a bicycle for the afternoon! City Bikes, (located on E. 4th across from Flannery's) offers bike rentals at $15 for 2 hours or $6 for their "business lunch" rate. They're open 7 days a week between the hours of 10 AM and 8 PM. But again, with cold weather around the corner, you'll want to act quickly. City Bikes only stays open every day through Aug. 31st and then keeps limited hours Friday-Sunday in September.

If you already own your own bike, then I guess you'd like to know about the 9-mile Cleveland Lakefront Bike Trail that traces the Lake Erie shoreline along Lakeshore Boulevard from E. 9th Street to E. 185th Street. From this route, you can access the E. 55th Street Marina, Gordon Park, Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood Park areas. I actually walked this path with my dog Charlie, but I recommend biking if you have less time (we ended up doing a 14 mile walk into Bratenahl and back -- ouch -- but if you turn around at the bridge it's only 2 miles round trip). We hopped on at N. Marginal down by the Burke Lakefront Airport and continued on that road (as opposed to sticking to Lakeshore Blvd). It's pretty deserted and there isn't much to look at until you completely pass the airport. We checked out Gordon Park, which was actually quite nice, and there were plenty of people fishing off of the bridges.

There's also free bicycle parking in the Willard Parking Garage at City Hall and at the Cleveland MetroParks Zoo. There's even a local bike advocacy group, ClevelandBikes, that's trying to get a Cleveland bike station built downtown.

And get this . . . employees who commute to work via their bicycles (at least 3 times a week) might be eligible for a bicycle commuter tax break ($20/month) for expenses such as helmet purchases, repair, etc. It's a part of the Bicycle Commuter Act passed by Congress in 2008. Worried about arriving at work in a not-so-fresh way? If you're an employee of the Cleveland Clinic who bikes to work, you can use the showers at the Walker building Fitness Center for free! Think you'll be lonely on your morning bike commute? Well there's a solution for that, too! OhioBikeBuddies is an online matching service that will pair you up with some biking companions.


Basically, not only is walking or biking around a great way to see Cleveland, but the city and other groups are committed to making Cleveland less congested, more easily accessible, and fit and active, as well.