Jaunted

Tags: Tourism Boards / Cleveland Tourism / Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / → All Tags

Cleveland's Got a Sunny New Outlook

In a depressed world, at least one Midwestern city is staying positive: It's been a year since Cleveland's visitors bureau changed its name to Positively Cleveland, and the city still has things to be happy about, from some special Central African visitors to the return of rock'n'roll.

Of course the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame never left Cleveland, but its April 4th induction ceremony will be held in The Cleve for the first time in 12 years, with inductees to include Metallica and RUN-D.M.C.. In town for the ceremony? After you've blown $35-$75 for the tickets, you'll appreciate the Hall of Fame's free-admission day April 4 and free concert (artists TBA) on April 2.

Visitors all rocked out might want to check out the quieter Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd.), where an exhibit of central African sculptures opens March 1st. Cleveland is also home to the International Women's Air and Space Museum (1501 N. Marginal Rd.), whose free exhibit on the life of Amelia Earhart opens March 13.

Related Stories:
· Cleveland Rocks Less Than New York Sketch [Jaunted]
· Holy Smokes, It's The Real "A Christmas Story" House [Jaunted]
· Cleveland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Cleveland's Terminal Tower: JW Ogden]

Tags: Movie Set Travel / Christmas / → All Tags

Holy Smokes, It's The Real "A Christmas Story" House

One of the most beloved (or at least one of the most rerun) Christmas movies of all time is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, and you can be a part of it. “A Christmas Story”, the tale of poor Ralphie, who wants a BB gun for Christmas but can't have it lest he "shoot his eye out," is set in Indiana but was actually filmed in Cleveland. The house in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood that served as the movie’s primary filming location was restored and opened to the public for tours in 2006.

Though the house is open year round, this weekend is the big 25th Anniversary Celebration and Convention. Special events include appearances by actors from the movie, the premieres of two documentaries about the film, rides in the original fire truck used in the movie and the unveiling of newly-acquired costumes for the A Christmas Story House Museum.

The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel is the official hotel for the convention, and several of the weekend’s events, including a meet-and-greet with the actors, will be hosted by the hotel. They will also be providing transportation to the A Christmas Story House for all hotel guests.

more ›

Tags: Peter Greenberg / Travel Media / → All Tags

Today Show Travel Guru Defends Honor On Local News Station

Jaunted homeboy Peter Greenberg recently released his latest book, which, as we explained in our review, highlights the worst places on Earth. Now, when you call your latest tome Don't Go There, you better expect to catch some flak--but lately Peter's been getting dissed by just about everyone whose city was included.

Last week, WJW in Cleveland invited him to do a segment on new travel gear and gadgets--until anchor Stefani Schaefer ambushed him with a question about including her town in his round up of terrible destinations:

Schaefer: I was born and raised here in Northeast Ohio, and I have to say, with many others, [I was] disappointed when your new book... featured Cleveland. May I ask why?

Greenberg: Sure, did you read the book?

Schaefer: Didn't read the book...

Things actually got worse from there.

Note to local news anchors: Peter may be on "The Today Show" instead of "60 Minutes," but if you need any evidence that he knows his stuff and tells it how it is, just call up EasyJet and ask what they think of him these days.

Related Stories:
· Travel Expert Explains Why Cleveland Is a "Must-Miss" Location [WJW]
· Peter Greenberg Says "Don't Go There," But Should You Listen? [Jaunted]

Tags: Celeb Travel / Adrien Brody / Elsa Pataky / Giorgio Armani / → All Tags

Adrien Brody's Fairy-tale Castle

If you’ve been following our Chasing Michigan series, you know that right now Adrien Brody is in Howell, Michigan filming the movie "High School." But what you may not know, is that when Brody isn’t jet-setting to movie locations, he's relaxing in the 19th century castle he recently bought as a birthday gift for his girlfriend, actress Elsa Pataky.

In 2007 Brody bought the Stone Barn Castle in Cleveland, New York, located about 30 miles northeast of Syracuse on the north shore of Oneida Lake. According to the Daily Mail, the actor said he completely surprised his girlfriend with the extravagant gift:

I blindfolded her. Right at the castle there's a giant, beautiful church bell. And I said "When you hear the sound of the bell, you can open your eyes and you'll see your surprise." And then I rang the bell.

more ›

Tags: Spookiest Small Towns / Spookiest-Small-Towns-Map / Halloween / → All Tags

Spookiest (Not That Small) Towns: All The Ghouls Know Cleveland Rocks

Even though Liz Lemon couldn't make it work with Floyd there, there's still plenty to do in The Cleve--especially when Halloween is involved. It definitely has its share of spooky stories and haunted legends--and they're all available to you thanks to some ghoulish entrepreneurs.

Start with a tour of some of the Cleveland's oldest buildings and likely hiding places for supernatural beings. A five-hour long Ohio City and Beyond Ghost Tour will even take you into Franklin Castle, a real haunted house.

If you're more of a marine thrill seeker, drop some cash on the Burning River Ghost Tour. You'll step aboard the USS Cod submarine docked on Lake Erie as you look for the serviceman who died trying to protect his ship. Even if you don't spot any ghouls, you'll finish off the tour at a local brewery--so you can wash away any disappointment.

Related Stories:
· Haunted Cleveland Ghost Tours [Official Site]
· Spookiest Small Towns Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: Elfboy]

Tags: Missed Connections / Paul Newman / → All Tags

Missed Connections in Cleveland: The Paul Newman Memorial Edition

Before the late, great Paul Newman was an outlaw, an eater of multiple eggs or a Connecticut salad guy, he was a Shaker Heights son of a sporting-goods store owner, half Jewish and half Catholic but all dramatics (starting with a school play role at age 7).

In honor and tribute to Newman and in particular his fifty-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward, we hope to inspire a few great pairs with this week's hot spots:

more ›

Tags: Music Travel / Live Music / Fall Travel / → All Tags

Fall Music Travel: Aging Pumpkins Back on the Road

We hope we're not the only ones who feel extremely freaking old because of this news: Alternative rock legends The Smashing Pumpkins are heading out on tour this fall to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

Wow, twentieth? Wasn't it just a year or two ago that Billy Corgan and Co. were soundtracking our angsty teenage years? Apparently not!

Oh well. The middle-age Pumpkins kick-off their month-long tour in Cleveland on November 1, and will include a four-night run in their home base of Chicago.

Related Stories:
· The Smashing Pumpkins [Official Site]
· Smashing Pumpkins Reveal 20th Anniversary Tour [Pitchfork]
· Live Music Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ignoto]

Tags: Museums / Rock and Roll Travel / → All Tags

Museum Travel: Cleveland Rocks Less Than New York Sketch

So much for all the little kids growing up on the skids: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Cleveland, Ohio institution, is expanding to New York City and Las Vegas in a de facto admission that Cleveland does not, in fact, rock.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to announce the creation of the New York annex to the Hall of Fame with pals Billy Joel and Clive Davis. But the company responsible for the move, Running Subway Productions, is affiliated with Premiere Productions, the outfit recently forced to settle with the New York State Attorney General over its South Street Seaport show, "Bodies... The Exhibition."

"Bodies" is still open for business at South Street even after it was forced to disclose to its visitors that its human remains are probably the products of torture and execution in Chinese prisons. According to Running Subway's website, that's supposed to "enlighten, empower, fascinate, and inspire" visitors.

While the new rock museum's full contents have not been announced, planned New York artifacts will include a Chevrolet once owned by Bruuuuuce Springsteen and some remnants from the demolition of CBGB. The Vegas annex, we suspect, will focus more on entertainers who have drifted to Sin City in their later years. Was that sparkly jumpsuit obtained under duress?

Related Stories:
· Rock on, New York! Hall of Fame Goes on the Road [AP]
· NYC "Bodies" Exhibit Might Shut Down Thanks to Questionable Corpses [Jaunted]
· Paul Stanley Will Still Rock at Fantasy Camp [Jaunted]

[Photo: daruth]

Tags: Cabbage Patch Kids Museum / Museums / → All Tags

A Place We Would Have Wanted to Visit Back in 1984

If only we were six years old again....

In 1984, a Cabbage Patch Kid doll was like the only doll we ever wanted. Our mom once got in a fight at a Toys R Us over the last Cabbage Patch doll on the shelf.

So it sort of saddens us that as we were perusing Jezebel that we discovered Baby Land General Hospital--only 25 years too late. Or does it?

BabyLand is where Cabbage Patch Kids are "born" and you can tour the birthing facilities in Cleveland, Georgia about 75 miles northeast of Atlanta. It's actually more like a museum where the older babies "born" in the late 70s and early 80s "await" you in the father's waiting room when you first enter. Yeah, it sounds kinda creepy.

more ›

Tags: Continental / Airlines / → All Tags

Continental Goes Big in Cleveland

We thought people went to Cleveland for two things: weddings and basketball games. But with Continental's recent plan to expend capacity at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport by 40 percent, we figure travelers must be heading to the Buckeye State with something else in mind. Over the next two years Continental will add 50 new flights, including 20 new nonstop destinations by early 2009.

According to CEO Larry Kellner:

This growth strengthens Cleveland and gives customers more options when connecting within the Continental system.

The city and the airline may be making an investment in local air travel, but we'll need to see more than LeBron and OSU to make a layover worth while.

Related Stories:
· LeBron James Sign To Stay, Cleveland Tourists Rejoice [Jaunted]
· Continenal Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Gang War]

Tags: Sports Travel / 2007 NBA Finals / Cleveland Travel / LeBron-James-Sign-Map / → All Tags

LeBron James Sign To Stay, Cleveland Tourists Rejoice

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland held a news conference today in support of a 10-story LeBron James sign hanging in downtown Cleveland.

The Ohio Department of Transportation told the advertising company responsible for the 212-foot-wide sign to remove it because its size and proximity to a highway violates state law and the federal Highway Beautification Act of 1965.

Strickland held his news conference in front of the ginormous King James ad near the Cleveland Cavaliers' downtown arena to argue that the billboard should not have to come down. He claims the big sign is all about state pride. After all, Cleveland is in the midst of a 43 year professional sports championship drought.

The Department of Transportation probably will let the King James sign stay, after all, LeBron could buy all of Ohio, but could their next target be our friends in Columbus:

That review will apply to oversize signs in Downtown Columbus, which also have been the subject of controversy and a court challenge last year

[Photo: midwestgrrl]

Look out Skybus.

Related Stories:
· Hotels in Cleveland [HotelChatter]
· Jetblue Google Maps Announcement [Dispatch]

Tags: Celeb News / → All Tags

Sex Pistols Snub Cleveland

The Sex Pistols have announced, well, more like appropriately vulgarly proclaimed, they want nothing to do with their upcoming induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They're also blowing off the ceremonial dinner at NY's Waldorf-Astoria, saying it's too expensive at $25,000 a table.

Band members posted a letter on a U.K. website saying "We're not coming. We're not your monkeys."  Even Glen Matlock is pissed off, saying "I thought the whole thing was kind of cool at first.  But I wanted to take my kids. And when I found out they charged two-and-a-half thousand dollars for an extra ticket, the whole thing went right down in my estimation." Right on. Never mind the man, here come those Sex Pistols, always looking out for the little people...

Related Stories:
·   Sex Pistols say they'll skip induction to rock Hall of Fame [Newsday.com]
·   Sex Pistols considering Hall of Fame snub [Cleveland Plain Dealer]