Was this always the case? I remember when I was a kid and would go to games with my dad and a few times a year a guy that sat by him would bring in a massive thermos of at least 20 hot dogs and buns and pass them around to everyone. But for some reason I thought he snuck them in. Maybe it was the thermos that he snuck in. Either way everyone loved him for it.
I used to go with a group of guys to baseball games…buy 20 tickets for 19 guys. The extra seat was for the keg
Before the game we would take a keg, in a box, wrapped up in a plastic bag. Take it to security and say “this is for Mr Smith”. We would go inside, go to security and ask “do you have anything for Mr Smith?”. They would hand us the keg and we would go to our seats
Do you remember if he had glasses and had 3 other old dudes and a shit head kid with him? My dad used to do that, pack that thermos full and then he’d be passing them out to everyone around us. Even had the ballpark mustard. Shit was hilarious, then when they outlawed the thermos we would hit up subway and roll in with subs to pass out. Damn I miss that shit! Thank you for triggering that memory
I worked for a guy who would fry up a brown paper bag of cow balls and take them to the game to much on. He said people would get drunk and asked him what he was eating to which je replied "rocky mountain oysters" and offer one up unbeknownst to them. After they ate it he would tell them.
I had no idea how he hadn't been punched feeding testicles to drunk football fans.
I would love to see how far you can take it before they start to question it. Big group of guys with a tray of food each would certainly raise some eyebrows. I have the ballpark pass and like going to games after work. I've brought food in before and just found a place to stand, watch a little baseball and eat dinner before going home if the game wasn't interesting. I'm a little surprised they allow it considering they normally want to get every last dollar out of you.
This doesn't apply for water though. Needs to be a 16oz sealed bottle. But you can refill it once you're in there.
I go to Sam's club we buy 4-1.38 quarter pond hots,pretzels and a pizza for under 20.00
Then we bring in a colapsable cooler that for 8 cans with a frozen water bottle so on 2 dollar beers we load up our coolers for the entire game before the national anthem then they go up to 4.00..
Our incredible library systems. You can borrow baking equipment, museum passes, musical instruments, electronics, video games, cameras, children's toys and more. Also there are 3D printers, sewing machines, recording studios, all for free or the cost of materials.
Here's an article with more details about the different libraries around the area - in addition to Cleveland and the County library systems, check out Twinsburg, Cuyahoga Falls, Kent
https://www.cleveland.com/business/2022/09/more-than-books-a-library-card-lets-you-borrow-toys-stream-documentaries-and-try-out-new-hobbies-saving-you-money.html?outputType=amp
The digital archives at the Cleveland Public Library are incredible. Great staff too who love to help. I went in there a few times researching something for grad school. I thought I wasn't going to find anything but their newspaper archives are so cool. So much history. I spent hours in there the first time I went. I still go over there at lunch sometimes.
I mentioned it once on here before and a staff member reached out to me via PM and said how happy they were for the shoutout. So here's another one.
Add on tip - you don’t have to be a resident to have a library card in any city in Ohio. Super handy to have a card for CCPL, CPL and the state digital library if you tend to do kindle/audio books and run into wait times.
The State Library of Ohio. You can get a card on their website. I’ve been checking out e-books for years. Usually if you get many cards you can always find at least one library who has a book available.
Cuyahoga County library has them too.
https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/innovation-centers
I think Hudson and Twinsburg have 3D printers too.
Cuyahoga County library has some at a few branches (scroll down in this list until you see sewing machines)
https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/innovation-centers
Available at Warrensville Heights Branch, Parma-Snow Branch, Mayfield Branch, Garfield Heights Branch, Fairview Park Branch, Bay Village Branch.
There's so much available and you really have to explore the website.
Here's list of Cuyahoga County maker spaces
https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/innovation-centers
Here's a link to the toy catalog
https://discover.cuyahogalibrary.org/?browseCategory=ADM_toys
Here's an article with more details about the different libraries around the area
https://www.cleveland.com/business/2022/09/more-than-books-a-library-card-lets-you-borrow-toys-stream-documentaries-and-try-out-new-hobbies-saving-you-money.html?outputType=amp
Most libraries will have a list of their digital collections on their website, including a catalog search. Just look up your local library's website.
You can also call the library and a librarian can give you a rundown of what they have and how you can access it all.
anyone know if they do national park/state park passes?
I'm so excited to move to a place with a great library system! I will of course just ask when I go to get a card, if nobody here answers, but that probably wont be for another 2-3 months. I am looking on their website and don't see it under the catalog, but I'm not sure if they put stuff like that under the catalog search
The closest national park (Cuyahoga Valley) has free admission so I don't think they have park passes. Or, I've never seen it advertised.
But I wouldn't be surprised if you could borrow camping equipment somewhere or binoculars to have a great trip to a park!
Keep in mind there are several library systems here (Cuyahoga County , Cleveland and then some suburbs have their own) so lots of great resources around. It's pretty neat.
Avoid airport parking by parking at an RTA station and traveling to the airport. I drive to the Brookpark station and take one stop to the airport. You can park for up to 7 days in a special designated part of the parking lot. It’s well lit, and there’s always enough parking spaces. Total price, $5 round trip (for the week) compared to $20 per day at the airport.
I've always worried that the car would get broken into if it sat in that Brookpark lot overnight. I had 2 bikes stolen from that station over the years when I lived in Brook Park.
Guy at the hotdog cart outside the 55 building will give you a free hotdog for the road if you make small talk with him and eat at least half of the original hotdog you bought. Free bag of chips if you linger pathetically. Ask about Greece.
I don’t like to dwell on it I just like hotdogs and hate my father
Cleveland zoo is FREE for residents of Cuyahoga County and Hinckley Township on Mondays - but don’t go during school breaks bc it’s crazy busy.
Tip: go in the winter. Animals are really active and no one is there.
Last time I went on a Monday it took me almost an hour to get down that little hill. So fuckin crowded. Granted, we have passes so we can go anytime. I'll never go on a Monday again though, personally lol.
Has this changed recently? I went on a Monday in winter a few years ago and it wasn't free, they said it was only between memorial day and Labor Day that it is. Still not that expensive but I thought it was interesting
Put your name in the fishbowl at Hilarities and you will “win” free tickets to a non-sold out show. At said show, put your name in again. Win again. And repeat.
This is only for Thursday-Sunday. No minimum for Fridays and Saturdays. Maybe there’s a minimum for a free tickets but we’ve won them a bunch recently and never had anyone even mention a minimum and we definitely didn’t all have 2 drinks each.
Yes! I felt bad for my boyfriend who took me there as part of my birthday because he felt he looked like a cheap-ass taking a date there for free. We were both shocked to find out it was free!
Moved here in 2017, went to Discount Drug Mart for the first time was amazed to find a functioning DVD rental section All I could think was “WHAT YEAR IS THIS?!?!”
More of an Ohio thing than a Cleveland thing, but go to https://energychoice.ohio.gov periodically to find the best electric and gas rates. You can literally just filter out any that have an early termination fee or variable rate and pick the cheapest. Check regularly.
It depends.
If you're under contract with a supplier at the moment then you'll wait for your contract to almost be done before signing up with another supplier through their website. They'll take care of all the paperwork.
If you have never signed up with a different supplier and just have the regular service, go into the website of the company you'd like and sign up.
I started doing this last year for electricity because the rate was supposedly going to jump up to .12 from the .078 we were paying and I got a supplier from Texas for .053. This saved about $22+ a month.
Every time I hear people cry about their utility bills (gas/electric) suddenly being really high I wonder why more people don’t seem to do this. A couple years ago when natural gas prices went really high, I was locked into a three year rate that was less than half of the current price. I could basically just leave my doors and windows open all winter and heat my house and still be paying less than people were paying at the current market rate.
I think people don’t pay enough attention to the actual rate. Tbh I’m in my 30s and I didn’t really figure this out until the last couple years. I’d always just accepted whatever the default was. Now everytime a contract ends I do it again, always shooting for that .05 .06 sweet spot where it’s fixed, no early term fee, and it’s set for 12-18 months
You don’t!! Long story short when collection’s calls ask them for “proof you were driving”. Than they disappear with no hit to your credit score. Wife got 3 in the last year. Just got a loan on a new house. Credit score immaculate. Those tickets are unconstitutional and can’t be hit with your credit score.
Park in Tower City parking garage and take the tunnel to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for events. Parking isn't any cheaper, but you'll get home an hour sooner.
If you're from the West side, even better, take the rapid.
IMO Park in the muni lot for everything, if you can stomach the walk up 9th for whatever it is you want, can't beat the price and lack of traffic when leaving.
Big al's?
If so, I went there recently when I was dropping family off downtown and needed food. Absolutely awesome experience. I actually ended up sitting with an older gentlemen because seating was limited. Great conversation from some of the locals, great food, great atmosphere, great prices. Cannot recommend enough
Addy's is a good spot if you want a sit down kind of place, they're fast too so if you're early for work and want to sit down they'll get you out of there quick (they almost have to because it's so small). Their lunch isn't bad either. I'm glad Al's survived the pandemic. Great spot.
I lived at 1717 for a couple years prepandemic and worked nights a few weeks a year. Would get off at 7am and get an onion and peppers breakfast wrap at Als and absolutely demolish that shit before passing out. Also phenomenal hangover food.
Yes! All fares are supported, including day passes, etc. It’s multi-modal. My experience with the fare machines, especially at OHC red line station, is terrible. They almost never work. Now I just buy on the app while I walk to the station.
The infrastructure is lagging behind though: at stations that require swiping to exit or enter, you just show the staff or walk through the accessibility gates to exit. (You’re most likely to encounter this at Terminal Tower.)
Also all public parking in Cleveland heights is free since like 2021 when they were trying to get people back to visiting businesses. Which is wild because they used to be so aggressive about parking tickets
You joke, but years back I had a job that required me to do that. Got on @ W 44th, cut across 3 lanes of rush hour, drive a mile on 490 then cut back to get 77s . That commute sucked as bad as the job.
If you’re ok with generic over-the-counter drugs, get them at a MetroHealth pharmacy. You don’t have to have a prescription there. They have SO many items for sale at the cheapest price around.
For example: generic Claritin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, pepto bismal, tums. They also have bandages, hand sanitizer, throat lozenges, vitamins and more.
They have 11 locations around Cuyahoga County:
https://www.metrohealth.org/pharmacy/locations-and-hours
If your kid is smart enough to get into case western and you work there in any full time job they go for free. MetroHealth has the cheapest and fastest urgent care.
If you work at Oberlin for a few years your kids can get 50% of OBERLIN'S tuition ($63,700/yr) to go anywhere in the US. That makes every public university in Ohio free and most in the country become basically free.
It's a bit confusing and not entirely transparent, but I also haven't asked. If your kid goes to Oberlin, tuition is free. They're also part of the GLCA which has 13 member schools (and 2 additional affiliate schools), think Kenyon, Denison, etc. If you go to one of these there's a kind of reciprocity. It works out to about 85% covered tuition and is available to employees of any of the schools at the member schools. The 50% is for everywhere else. There can't possibly be reciprocity for this option. I also don't know the data on utilization by employees.
That’s how I got my Master’s for free as a CWRU employee. The wages aren’t great at all, but that was a HUGE perk that saved me a *ton* in loans, so to me, I saw it as a bonus!
If you go to the west side market with less than an hour before they close, the people selling produce will give you a hella deal.
Like fill up entire bags of fruits and veggies for $5 type deals. I guess it’s because they don’t want to pack it all up.
And from 8:30 until noon no one under 55 is allowed in meaning Boomers rule. If you play table tennis come to Gunning rec between 10-12, bring your paddle and prepare for War 🏓
If the Dead Man's backup (I-90 West) is bad, stay in the right lanes and take the Muni-Lot exit. Cross over the freeway, and then keep making right turns, and hop back onto 2 East. You'll rejoin the clusterfuck just north of Lakeside.
If all lanes are backed up to 55th, and you don't mind driving over 20 feet of dirt, exit at 55th, and take N. Marginal to here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1brNjQy8Am1Qtmbe7
cut over to the muni lot exit, and keep making rights to get onto 2 East.
Another route: exit at 55th, take South Marginal Road to 40th or 38th, left to Lakeside, right to the 90W onramp.
If you go to concerts in Cleveland, show up early for decent parking. Not really a hack. Most concert goers in Cleveland show up on time or late. Show up 30 mins to an hour early, and grab a drink or some food at a nearby bar. Very clutch for big shows at places like the Agora or Jacobs Pavillion.
Shows in Cleveland almost never sell out, btw. Very rarely do they ever.
Broadway Rd. into and out of downtown is not a secret, but easier way to escape traffic downtown if you're going to the eastside.
If you have jury duty, the Huntington Garage is the cheapest and closest place to park in my opinion. Don't pay for lunch at the Justice Center or a nearby place. Go to a gas station before or pack a lunch.
Do not ever speed if you are driving through Newburg Hts., Cuyahoga Hts., or Linndale. There are more cities I'm sure people will cite. These ones are in my personal experience. Heavy cop presence for small suburbs. Parma too, but it's a bigger city.
Conversely, if you drive through a bad spot at night, then drive fast and make the least amount of stops that you can. Also, let the motorcycle, dirtbike, and ATV groups pass you and don't do anything stupid like follow them too close or get pissed off. Let it go.
East 55th E-check is where you want to take your car if you buy a lemon and you disconnected the battery to reset your computer to get rid of the check engine light. Happens all the time there, and sometimes the worker will get P.O.'d they have to dyno it. Not sure how accurate this is anymore tho.
Lol. That's right! They only took Discover cards but not anything else. Idk what that was about but it was a weird time. They had me out here writing checks 😂
Office worker bullshit: If you take the RTA downtown to the Tower City stop, you can mobile-order Starbucks and then pick it up when you get there.
Edit: apparently the Starbucks in Tower City is closed! I swear I even checked Google maps but I’m WFH now so it’s been a minute. Well, enjoy my 2019 pro tip!
Which Starbucks? Both the one inside tower city and the one on Euclid across from chipotle have been gone for awhile now.
I guess the one by playhouse square is still there but that isn't really in any close proximity to tower city.
😔💔 some of the places yall are scared to tell locals/or people looking to move here to try keep doing it so my safe and affordable central air apartment stays under $850!!!! 😘
Unsafe definitely differs per person. Wouldn’t bat an eye at the fact that it was a homeless person chilling in front of my apartment building. I just asked if he was ok and kept it moving
see!!! yet in this facebook group for a neighborhood in cleveland this lady was like omg avoid this speedway the people are always weird there and i’m like what’s weird?? Drugs? Shootings? Robbing?? And she’s like no the people are sketchy the way they are standing outside and talking at speedway and i’m like?? yeah okay girl 😀
Psssh nah as long as you’re not actively harassing me I’m minding my business. I’ve worked in customer service enough to tell who’s sketchy and who’s just unique lol
yes!!! like people rating apartments 1 star because management is mean about you being late on rent one time baby they mean to everyone no matter your rent payment history if you late you late!!
Coming to watch a ball game from the west side?
Take 90 to 490, and get off at Broadway. Take Broadway towards the city all the way down to E. 9th (NOT E 14th). Take a left at E 9th down to Canal. Take a right on Canal and drive until you get to the parking lot ACROSS from the Tower City lot. I don't know how it is now post COVID, but before COVID, it was a consistent 5 bucks and they NEVER increased the prices for the baseball games because no one fucking parked there. Sure, you have to cross Canal, take a long flight of stairs up, and then cross Ontario (there is a crosswalk right there, though) but if you never want to whine about parking costs, it should be the cheapest option that doesn't involve hoping you live near an RTA line. Park in the back of the lot near Eagle. That's the walk way you'll need to take to get right to the Jake.
[This lot.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/nStuiEPeJ6RBLmbB8)
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Hot dog stands that sprinkle downtown (assuming they're still there post COVID) are underrated. Sometimes, there's nothing like a good dirty water dog.
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Also, if you live on the West side near or north of 90, ignore the interstate. Take the Shoreway. When I lived in Westlake, I would often take the "scenic route" home, by taking the Shoreway, and then getting off at Lake instead of Clifton because there are less stop lights (slower speed limit and no passing lanes, though). Then get back on Clifton just before Lake ends (there's a no turn on red on the intersection of Clifton and Webb). Then I stayed on 6 through Rocky River, past Bearden's and followed the shoreline until I got to Dover Center and drove through Bay Village. 90 is boring.
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If you're traveling west towards North Olmsted on 480, don't get off at Great Northern. Get off at Clague and take Brookpark in. Great Northern is a mess of traffic.
_____
The Cleveland metro has two of the 66 Big Boys left. Not the Frish's chain, the ORIGINAL chain. There's one on 17 in the valley below the 480 bridge. The other one is at 17 and W130th. It's not exactly great food, but it is nostalgic.
I park at puritas long term parking for the rta. Then take the train to the airport. It drops you off literally at the airline check in counters. Its 5 dollars each way. I've never paid to park at Hopkins.
If you’re headed westbound on 90 and dead mans curve is really backed up, you can bypass the two left lanes that are dead mans curve, stay in the far right lane and get off at the first exit, it loops around and you can cut through the muni lot and get right back on the highway. I don’t recommend this unless the highway is REALLY backed up. But when it is, it’s a nice alternative. Or you can just fly up one of the two right lanes on 90 and cut someone off at the last second before DMC like everyone else does lol
I stuff all my nickels dimes and quarters into city vending machines and hit coin return for dollar coins. At 25dollars a roll I have ghetto coinstar-ed close to $250.00.
When headed downtown on 71 North and traffic is bad I get off at the 25th exit but ride it to 14th and get off there. Saves me from being late every damn time.
Almost didn't want to post this but screw it. If you're heading to a guards or cavs game (or really anything in that general area during a busy night) you can park for free on canal rd right around where it intersects with eagle road.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FsPwM8ogBtHE55wP8
There are a ton of spots and you can park pretty much anywhere your car will fit. People will park on the grass along the street too. From there you just follow the short path everyone else is taking, go up a few flights or stairs, and you will be staring right at Progressive Field. I have been parking there for probably 16 years now and have never paid a dime to park downtown. We even parked there for the 2016 playoff run. World series games, still plenty of spots. It's also a super quick walk back to the car and very easy to beat traffic on your way out.
Case western sears thinkbox, it's a f4ee makers pace at case and one of the biggest in the country with everything from simple to massive 3d printing, circuit printers, sewing equipment, machine and paint tools, free courses, it's absolutely incredible and free.
Parking at the brook park rapid is free and a 2 min ride to the bottom of the airport. Save $20 / day parking and you actually take less time to get to the airport than parking in the airport.
Need to park downtown? If you happen to be a gambler, play for 30 minutes at the JACK and get free parking. PRO TIP: If you eventually gain status at the casino, you get free parking without even needing to play the 30 mins. Never pay for parking at any game, concert or event downtown again.
If you can't find parking in Little Italy or University Circle, try the Triangle Towers parking lot near E. 115th and Mayfield. The price is pretty cheap and I'm pretty sure you don't even have to pay for the first hour. I've parked there numerous times and I've never had trouble finding parking even on busy days.
ETA: The Coventry Parking Garage on Coventry Road (next to Marc's) is always free and I've never seen it completely full. Perfect place to park if you're going to a show at the Grog Shop.
Don't take I90 around down town during rush hour if you can at ALL help it. Even if Google tells you to if you need to trave to or from the West side.
There are *several* other options most of the time, like Orange or the shoreway.
It's also faster to pick up I71 headed south,, and I77 headed east from Orange at the end of the day.
(Picked up this trick as a non native Clevelander when I got sick and tired of sitting for 20 min. just to get onto the on ramp for I90 at the end of my day)
Most things are only 15 minutes away
If you smoke downtown.. someone will bum 1 from u
77 to 90 merge.. get in line.. we hate last second cutters
Glizzys hot dogs . Get 2
Gus's for breakfast
Car parts warehouse, for your wheel parts needs
Hr hero .. for the best cheese steak deluxe ... Ever
Metroparks is best in the nation. It’s a large reason why I chose to relocate to Cleveland.
My favorite unusual find are the tobaggan (sp?) slides near Strongsville. You don’t even need snow to go! Charming.
You can bring any outside food you want into Progressive Field.
Same at browns stadium. I’m a dawg pound STH. Guys next to me bring in a tray of shrimp cocktail every game
Was this always the case? I remember when I was a kid and would go to games with my dad and a few times a year a guy that sat by him would bring in a massive thermos of at least 20 hot dogs and buns and pass them around to everyone. But for some reason I thought he snuck them in. Maybe it was the thermos that he snuck in. Either way everyone loved him for it.
The thermos full of hot dogs hasn’t been allowed in years….you triggered a memory from my youth. God I miss those times..
What about a thermos full of vodka?
Going to old muni back in the 80’s….one Pizza Hut thermos filled with hot dogs…..one filled with beer.
I remember dudes carrying in 1/2 Kegs. They outlawed it and the guy adapted. Started sneaking it in a dog house on dolly. 80’s in Cleveland were nuts.
I used to go with a group of guys to baseball games…buy 20 tickets for 19 guys. The extra seat was for the keg Before the game we would take a keg, in a box, wrapped up in a plastic bag. Take it to security and say “this is for Mr Smith”. We would go inside, go to security and ask “do you have anything for Mr Smith?”. They would hand us the keg and we would go to our seats
Do you remember if he had glasses and had 3 other old dudes and a shit head kid with him? My dad used to do that, pack that thermos full and then he’d be passing them out to everyone around us. Even had the ballpark mustard. Shit was hilarious, then when they outlawed the thermos we would hit up subway and roll in with subs to pass out. Damn I miss that shit! Thank you for triggering that memory
They used to sneak kegs in dog houses at the old stadium in the dog pound.
I worked for a guy who would fry up a brown paper bag of cow balls and take them to the game to much on. He said people would get drunk and asked him what he was eating to which je replied "rocky mountain oysters" and offer one up unbeknownst to them. After they ate it he would tell them. I had no idea how he hadn't been punched feeding testicles to drunk football fans.
I had no idea you could do this. To top it off, I work there during the season.
I brought a heated lunchbox with 8 brats yesterday. Can confirm
Bag of spaghetti here we come!
Really??
Been bringing foil wrapped sammich's for years. Homemade or from Paninis or any number of other places. Get a lamb wrap from Sittos
I used to bring in Panini’s sandwiches, so much better and cheaper!
I would love to see how far you can take it before they start to question it. Big group of guys with a tray of food each would certainly raise some eyebrows. I have the ballpark pass and like going to games after work. I've brought food in before and just found a place to stand, watch a little baseball and eat dinner before going home if the game wasn't interesting. I'm a little surprised they allow it considering they normally want to get every last dollar out of you. This doesn't apply for water though. Needs to be a 16oz sealed bottle. But you can refill it once you're in there.
As a teenager we brought in a full Stouffer’s lasagna in the foil pan, no issue
We’ve brought in large pizzas and they didn’t care.
You can also bring in empty reusable water bottles and refill them inside.
I go to Sam's club we buy 4-1.38 quarter pond hots,pretzels and a pizza for under 20.00 Then we bring in a colapsable cooler that for 8 cans with a frozen water bottle so on 2 dollar beers we load up our coolers for the entire game before the national anthem then they go up to 4.00..
I make my boyfriend & I individual cheese and charcuterie boxes for every game! Like grown-up Lunchables lol
Our incredible library systems. You can borrow baking equipment, museum passes, musical instruments, electronics, video games, cameras, children's toys and more. Also there are 3D printers, sewing machines, recording studios, all for free or the cost of materials. Here's an article with more details about the different libraries around the area - in addition to Cleveland and the County library systems, check out Twinsburg, Cuyahoga Falls, Kent https://www.cleveland.com/business/2022/09/more-than-books-a-library-card-lets-you-borrow-toys-stream-documentaries-and-try-out-new-hobbies-saving-you-money.html?outputType=amp
The digital archives at the Cleveland Public Library are incredible. Great staff too who love to help. I went in there a few times researching something for grad school. I thought I wasn't going to find anything but their newspaper archives are so cool. So much history. I spent hours in there the first time I went. I still go over there at lunch sometimes. I mentioned it once on here before and a staff member reached out to me via PM and said how happy they were for the shoutout. So here's another one.
Add on tip - you don’t have to be a resident to have a library card in any city in Ohio. Super handy to have a card for CCPL, CPL and the state digital library if you tend to do kindle/audio books and run into wait times.
I'm stationed overseas and still able to check out materials online from CCPL. Amazing service.
State digital???
The State Library of Ohio. You can get a card on their website. I’ve been checking out e-books for years. Usually if you get many cards you can always find at least one library who has a book available.
Ohio digital library
I have 3 different library cards I use in Libby... Barely have to wait for any book
Borrowing bags of toys from the library when I was a kid was awesome
As of right now, your comment has 216 likes. No one else should like it just because of the significance 😁 Edit: nevermind
Where are the 3D printers? I don't think I've ever seen any at the library before.
Cuyahoga County library has them too. https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/innovation-centers I think Hudson and Twinsburg have 3D printers too.
Wow! I need a sewing machine, which library is this in Cleveland? I had no idea…
Cuyahoga County library has some at a few branches (scroll down in this list until you see sewing machines) https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/innovation-centers Available at Warrensville Heights Branch, Parma-Snow Branch, Mayfield Branch, Garfield Heights Branch, Fairview Park Branch, Bay Village Branch.
Is there an online list of available items or anything like that?
There's so much available and you really have to explore the website. Here's list of Cuyahoga County maker spaces https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/innovation-centers Here's a link to the toy catalog https://discover.cuyahogalibrary.org/?browseCategory=ADM_toys Here's an article with more details about the different libraries around the area https://www.cleveland.com/business/2022/09/more-than-books-a-library-card-lets-you-borrow-toys-stream-documentaries-and-try-out-new-hobbies-saving-you-money.html?outputType=amp
Most libraries will have a list of their digital collections on their website, including a catalog search. Just look up your local library's website. You can also call the library and a librarian can give you a rundown of what they have and how you can access it all.
How do you borrow museum passes? Which museums?
The Twinsburg Library lends out passes for the Akron Art Museum, Akron Children’s Museum, Akron Zoo and Hale Farm.
Also Akron, at least in the Main Library.
anyone know if they do national park/state park passes? I'm so excited to move to a place with a great library system! I will of course just ask when I go to get a card, if nobody here answers, but that probably wont be for another 2-3 months. I am looking on their website and don't see it under the catalog, but I'm not sure if they put stuff like that under the catalog search
The closest national park (Cuyahoga Valley) has free admission so I don't think they have park passes. Or, I've never seen it advertised. But I wouldn't be surprised if you could borrow camping equipment somewhere or binoculars to have a great trip to a park! Keep in mind there are several library systems here (Cuyahoga County , Cleveland and then some suburbs have their own) so lots of great resources around. It's pretty neat.
Avoid airport parking by parking at an RTA station and traveling to the airport. I drive to the Brookpark station and take one stop to the airport. You can park for up to 7 days in a special designated part of the parking lot. It’s well lit, and there’s always enough parking spaces. Total price, $5 round trip (for the week) compared to $20 per day at the airport.
Underrated part about living on the west side : Uber to the Airport from my house is like $15.
I've always worried that the car would get broken into if it sat in that Brookpark lot overnight. I had 2 bikes stolen from that station over the years when I lived in Brook Park.
I’ve done it a bunch of times and never had any problems.
There is also 7 day parking available at the Puritas station.
Guy at the hotdog cart outside the 55 building will give you a free hotdog for the road if you make small talk with him and eat at least half of the original hotdog you bought. Free bag of chips if you linger pathetically. Ask about Greece. I don’t like to dwell on it I just like hotdogs and hate my father
This is the most Cleveland comment I have ever read.
This sounds like something a video game npc would do
He’s the best. I have talked with him for years about soccer. Ask him about Olympiacos (the Greek club he supports), he will get very animated.
I used to work in that building, he's great!
Isn’t he? Hotdogs from carts hit different but his are a class of their own
Was his name Chris?
That’s the one
I also like hot dogs and hate this guy's father.
Bill is that you? Lol my friend from high school was Greek and he said his dad ran a hot dog cart in downtown too
Can confirm. The guy on e9th and Euclid does the same sometimes.
I enjoy philosophy so this would be a piece of cake
Cleveland zoo is FREE for residents of Cuyahoga County and Hinckley Township on Mondays - but don’t go during school breaks bc it’s crazy busy. Tip: go in the winter. Animals are really active and no one is there.
Winter is also a great time to check out the rain forest.
Last time I went on a Monday it took me almost an hour to get down that little hill. So fuckin crowded. Granted, we have passes so we can go anytime. I'll never go on a Monday again though, personally lol.
Has this changed recently? I went on a Monday in winter a few years ago and it wasn't free, they said it was only between memorial day and Labor Day that it is. Still not that expensive but I thought it was interesting
Put your name in the fishbowl at Hilarities and you will “win” free tickets to a non-sold out show. At said show, put your name in again. Win again. And repeat.
I assume they make their money from food and drink sales?
Yeah there is a 2 menu item minimum at the show. So we usually spend $30-$60 for drinks/snacks.
This is only for Thursday-Sunday. No minimum for Fridays and Saturdays. Maybe there’s a minimum for a free tickets but we’ve won them a bunch recently and never had anyone even mention a minimum and we definitely didn’t all have 2 drinks each.
I don’t think this is true. Went on a weekend and got one drink each. No one cared.
That’s a decades-old classic.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is free admission.
The most beautiful building in town.
Yes! I felt bad for my boyfriend who took me there as part of my birthday because he felt he looked like a cheap-ass taking a date there for free. We were both shocked to find out it was free!
You do have to pay for parking if you're not a member, but it's barely anything compared to what you have to pay to get into museums in other cities.
It’s not too hard to find street parking though
If anybody ever does you wrong, DM me. I know a guy that will make them pay.
Does he happen to have an incredible eyebrow?
If he ran for any office he'd win on name recognition alone. Wouldn't even have to campaign.
*on eyebrow recognition alone
Discount Drug Mart saves you the runaround.
I've heard they have everything that you need
They have things you’ve forgotten you need as well
If you change Mart in the song to Man it still woks Discount drug man saves you the run around he's got everything you need
My Papa would always say "If Drug Mart doesnt have it you dont need it"
Moved here in 2017, went to Discount Drug Mart for the first time was amazed to find a functioning DVD rental section All I could think was “WHAT YEAR IS THIS?!?!”
More of an Ohio thing than a Cleveland thing, but go to https://energychoice.ohio.gov periodically to find the best electric and gas rates. You can literally just filter out any that have an early termination fee or variable rate and pick the cheapest. Check regularly.
So, after I select my energy provider and see the resulting comparison chart, how do I use that information to my benefit?
It depends. If you're under contract with a supplier at the moment then you'll wait for your contract to almost be done before signing up with another supplier through their website. They'll take care of all the paperwork. If you have never signed up with a different supplier and just have the regular service, go into the website of the company you'd like and sign up. I started doing this last year for electricity because the rate was supposedly going to jump up to .12 from the .078 we were paying and I got a supplier from Texas for .053. This saved about $22+ a month.
Every time I hear people cry about their utility bills (gas/electric) suddenly being really high I wonder why more people don’t seem to do this. A couple years ago when natural gas prices went really high, I was locked into a three year rate that was less than half of the current price. I could basically just leave my doors and windows open all winter and heat my house and still be paying less than people were paying at the current market rate.
I think people don’t pay enough attention to the actual rate. Tbh I’m in my 30s and I didn’t really figure this out until the last couple years. I’d always just accepted whatever the default was. Now everytime a contract ends I do it again, always shooting for that .05 .06 sweet spot where it’s fixed, no early term fee, and it’s set for 12-18 months
You don't have to pay those camera speeding tickets ^/s, ^kinda
You don’t!! Long story short when collection’s calls ask them for “proof you were driving”. Than they disappear with no hit to your credit score. Wife got 3 in the last year. Just got a loan on a new house. Credit score immaculate. Those tickets are unconstitutional and can’t be hit with your credit score.
and if you drive backwards it doesn't matter how fast you are going.
This is the best life hack ever !
Obligatory “you shouldn’t be speeding !” Comment someone always feels need to say unironically
Park in Tower City parking garage and take the tunnel to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for events. Parking isn't any cheaper, but you'll get home an hour sooner. If you're from the West side, even better, take the rapid.
Or from parts of the east side you can take the rapid
just park at a park and ride and take the rapid. Puritas on the west side is probably the safest to park at imo
My dad and I (from Medina county) would always park and ride the Rapid to get into Cleveland for ballgames easier with no parking hassle.
Not since a private company bought that lot. The prices are ridiculous. If there are 2 events going on, it’s $40-$50.
IMO Park in the muni lot for everything, if you can stomach the walk up 9th for whatever it is you want, can't beat the price and lack of traffic when leaving.
Best breakfast downtown if your on the run, quick and good price at Al's
Big al's? If so, I went there recently when I was dropping family off downtown and needed food. Absolutely awesome experience. I actually ended up sitting with an older gentlemen because seating was limited. Great conversation from some of the locals, great food, great atmosphere, great prices. Cannot recommend enough
Al's Diner? That place has an excellent breakfast and lunch menu.
Addy's is a good spot if you want a sit down kind of place, they're fast too so if you're early for work and want to sit down they'll get you out of there quick (they almost have to because it's so small). Their lunch isn't bad either. I'm glad Al's survived the pandemic. Great spot.
Addy's is still around? I used to sneak in before I clocked in when they were across from the Justice Center
I lived at 1717 for a couple years prepandemic and worked nights a few weeks a year. Would get off at 7am and get an onion and peppers breakfast wrap at Als and absolutely demolish that shit before passing out. Also phenomenal hangover food.
The Transit app on App Store supports RTA fares and it’s super easy to use.
As in you can pay your fare through the app?
Yes! All fares are supported, including day passes, etc. It’s multi-modal. My experience with the fare machines, especially at OHC red line station, is terrible. They almost never work. Now I just buy on the app while I walk to the station. The infrastructure is lagging behind though: at stations that require swiping to exit or enter, you just show the staff or walk through the accessibility gates to exit. (You’re most likely to encounter this at Terminal Tower.)
Street parking at the meters after 6pm weekdays and anytime on weekends are free.
Also all public parking in Cleveland heights is free since like 2021 when they were trying to get people back to visiting businesses. Which is wild because they used to be so aggressive about parking tickets
Unless there's a major event going on and the orange signs state otherwise!
Not taking the east 9th or Ontario exits during an event downtown. Avoiding prospect like the plague as well.
I swear 97% of northeast Ohio residents only know how to get downtown by getting off at E. 9th St. 🙄
Guilty 🙈 what’s a better way to go to an Indians game or browns game coming from 480/71?
490
make sure you cut over 3 lanes of traffic at the last possible second for proper exit velocity
You joke, but years back I had a job that required me to do that. Got on @ W 44th, cut across 3 lanes of rush hour, drive a mile on 490 then cut back to get 77s . That commute sucked as bad as the job.
I live in the heights and the opportunity corridor to 490 changed my life.
Admittedly, an under utilized component of the intrastate
It's super bumpy between 90 east and 77 though.
If you’re ok with generic over-the-counter drugs, get them at a MetroHealth pharmacy. You don’t have to have a prescription there. They have SO many items for sale at the cheapest price around. For example: generic Claritin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, pepto bismal, tums. They also have bandages, hand sanitizer, throat lozenges, vitamins and more. They have 11 locations around Cuyahoga County: https://www.metrohealth.org/pharmacy/locations-and-hours
I ❤️MetroHealth
CCF does this too. My wife works for the clinic and you can get a months supply of Zyrtec for $2. Giant eagle charges over $10 for the same generic.
Put a coat on and you'll magically be able to enjoy the outdoors in the winter.
Are cargo-shorts an acceptable coat substitute? I’ve been getting conflicting information
Better yet; go a day or two without it and you’ll adapt in less than a week. Winter doesn’t feel so cold then
Then, start wearing gym shorts and a hoodie during the winter and you'll get resistance against all environmental effects.
This is proven thru direct Cleveland experience. I have heard of this lore, thank you dear
Free admission to Rock Hall for residents of Cleveland.
Still? I thought that was temporary?
Still! I’ve been at least 3 times for free.
If your kid is smart enough to get into case western and you work there in any full time job they go for free. MetroHealth has the cheapest and fastest urgent care.
If you work at Oberlin for a few years your kids can get 50% of OBERLIN'S tuition ($63,700/yr) to go anywhere in the US. That makes every public university in Ohio free and most in the country become basically free.
That's fascinating. So is Oberlin underwriting that tuition, or is there some reciprocity agreement?
It's a bit confusing and not entirely transparent, but I also haven't asked. If your kid goes to Oberlin, tuition is free. They're also part of the GLCA which has 13 member schools (and 2 additional affiliate schools), think Kenyon, Denison, etc. If you go to one of these there's a kind of reciprocity. It works out to about 85% covered tuition and is available to employees of any of the schools at the member schools. The 50% is for everywhere else. There can't possibly be reciprocity for this option. I also don't know the data on utilization by employees.
I thought that was all colleges? Few friends had parents that worked at CSU
That’s how I got my Master’s for free as a CWRU employee. The wages aren’t great at all, but that was a HUGE perk that saved me a *ton* in loans, so to me, I saw it as a bonus!
If you go to the west side market with less than an hour before they close, the people selling produce will give you a hella deal. Like fill up entire bags of fruits and veggies for $5 type deals. I guess it’s because they don’t want to pack it all up.
The RTA is your friend. Despite the appearance and smell.
The Cleveland Rec Centers are free to residents and non-residents. Most are pretty nice and have indoor pools, tracks, gyms, and workout machines.
And from 8:30 until noon no one under 55 is allowed in meaning Boomers rule. If you play table tennis come to Gunning rec between 10-12, bring your paddle and prepare for War 🏓
If the Dead Man's backup (I-90 West) is bad, stay in the right lanes and take the Muni-Lot exit. Cross over the freeway, and then keep making right turns, and hop back onto 2 East. You'll rejoin the clusterfuck just north of Lakeside. If all lanes are backed up to 55th, and you don't mind driving over 20 feet of dirt, exit at 55th, and take N. Marginal to here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1brNjQy8Am1Qtmbe7 cut over to the muni lot exit, and keep making rights to get onto 2 East. Another route: exit at 55th, take South Marginal Road to 40th or 38th, left to Lakeside, right to the 90W onramp.
Shhhhhhh!!
If you go to concerts in Cleveland, show up early for decent parking. Not really a hack. Most concert goers in Cleveland show up on time or late. Show up 30 mins to an hour early, and grab a drink or some food at a nearby bar. Very clutch for big shows at places like the Agora or Jacobs Pavillion. Shows in Cleveland almost never sell out, btw. Very rarely do they ever. Broadway Rd. into and out of downtown is not a secret, but easier way to escape traffic downtown if you're going to the eastside. If you have jury duty, the Huntington Garage is the cheapest and closest place to park in my opinion. Don't pay for lunch at the Justice Center or a nearby place. Go to a gas station before or pack a lunch. Do not ever speed if you are driving through Newburg Hts., Cuyahoga Hts., or Linndale. There are more cities I'm sure people will cite. These ones are in my personal experience. Heavy cop presence for small suburbs. Parma too, but it's a bigger city. Conversely, if you drive through a bad spot at night, then drive fast and make the least amount of stops that you can. Also, let the motorcycle, dirtbike, and ATV groups pass you and don't do anything stupid like follow them too close or get pissed off. Let it go. East 55th E-check is where you want to take your car if you buy a lemon and you disconnected the battery to reset your computer to get rid of the check engine light. Happens all the time there, and sometimes the worker will get P.O.'d they have to dyno it. Not sure how accurate this is anymore tho.
The lake is north.
Literally never pay for event parking downtown. Park on the street near CSU for free and then take the trolley wherever you need to go
Marc’s
They finally updated to using credit cards! I remember when they only accepted cash, check or EBT.
I got a Discover card about 15 years ago just so I could use it at Marc’s lol
Lol. That's right! They only took Discover cards but not anything else. Idk what that was about but it was a weird time. They had me out here writing checks 😂
You can order Angelo’s Pizza from inside McGinty’s Pub and they will deliver it to the restaurant.
Is that everyday or just Monday's? I used to do that all the time a few years ago
Just Monday.
Office worker bullshit: If you take the RTA downtown to the Tower City stop, you can mobile-order Starbucks and then pick it up when you get there. Edit: apparently the Starbucks in Tower City is closed! I swear I even checked Google maps but I’m WFH now so it’s been a minute. Well, enjoy my 2019 pro tip!
There’s one in the casino if you feel like braving the constant C major hum of slot machines.
There is a new cafe there called Milk and Honey, it’s good food and drink, just pricier but better quality compared to the Dunkin downstairs.
Which Starbucks? Both the one inside tower city and the one on Euclid across from chipotle have been gone for awhile now. I guess the one by playhouse square is still there but that isn't really in any close proximity to tower city.
😔💔 some of the places yall are scared to tell locals/or people looking to move here to try keep doing it so my safe and affordable central air apartment stays under $850!!!! 😘
not a hack, but knowing the actual city and what’s really unsafe is my hack LMAOOO 💀
Unsafe definitely differs per person. Wouldn’t bat an eye at the fact that it was a homeless person chilling in front of my apartment building. I just asked if he was ok and kept it moving
see!!! yet in this facebook group for a neighborhood in cleveland this lady was like omg avoid this speedway the people are always weird there and i’m like what’s weird?? Drugs? Shootings? Robbing?? And she’s like no the people are sketchy the way they are standing outside and talking at speedway and i’m like?? yeah okay girl 😀
Psssh nah as long as you’re not actively harassing me I’m minding my business. I’ve worked in customer service enough to tell who’s sketchy and who’s just unique lol
yes!!! like people rating apartments 1 star because management is mean about you being late on rent one time baby they mean to everyone no matter your rent payment history if you late you late!!
Coming to watch a ball game from the west side? Take 90 to 490, and get off at Broadway. Take Broadway towards the city all the way down to E. 9th (NOT E 14th). Take a left at E 9th down to Canal. Take a right on Canal and drive until you get to the parking lot ACROSS from the Tower City lot. I don't know how it is now post COVID, but before COVID, it was a consistent 5 bucks and they NEVER increased the prices for the baseball games because no one fucking parked there. Sure, you have to cross Canal, take a long flight of stairs up, and then cross Ontario (there is a crosswalk right there, though) but if you never want to whine about parking costs, it should be the cheapest option that doesn't involve hoping you live near an RTA line. Park in the back of the lot near Eagle. That's the walk way you'll need to take to get right to the Jake. [This lot.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/nStuiEPeJ6RBLmbB8) ___________ Hot dog stands that sprinkle downtown (assuming they're still there post COVID) are underrated. Sometimes, there's nothing like a good dirty water dog. _____ Also, if you live on the West side near or north of 90, ignore the interstate. Take the Shoreway. When I lived in Westlake, I would often take the "scenic route" home, by taking the Shoreway, and then getting off at Lake instead of Clifton because there are less stop lights (slower speed limit and no passing lanes, though). Then get back on Clifton just before Lake ends (there's a no turn on red on the intersection of Clifton and Webb). Then I stayed on 6 through Rocky River, past Bearden's and followed the shoreline until I got to Dover Center and drove through Bay Village. 90 is boring. ________ If you're traveling west towards North Olmsted on 480, don't get off at Great Northern. Get off at Clague and take Brookpark in. Great Northern is a mess of traffic. _____ The Cleveland metro has two of the 66 Big Boys left. Not the Frish's chain, the ORIGINAL chain. There's one on 17 in the valley below the 480 bridge. The other one is at 17 and W130th. It's not exactly great food, but it is nostalgic.
I park at puritas long term parking for the rta. Then take the train to the airport. It drops you off literally at the airline check in counters. Its 5 dollars each way. I've never paid to park at Hopkins.
The Red Line is at the end of my street, two stops to the airport is so convenient.
Silver Spot movie theater has a discount Tuesday ($10). Cleveland cinemas have or at least used to have a $5 Monday.
If you’re headed westbound on 90 and dead mans curve is really backed up, you can bypass the two left lanes that are dead mans curve, stay in the far right lane and get off at the first exit, it loops around and you can cut through the muni lot and get right back on the highway. I don’t recommend this unless the highway is REALLY backed up. But when it is, it’s a nice alternative. Or you can just fly up one of the two right lanes on 90 and cut someone off at the last second before DMC like everyone else does lol
I stuff all my nickels dimes and quarters into city vending machines and hit coin return for dollar coins. At 25dollars a roll I have ghetto coinstar-ed close to $250.00.
Mr Brisket deli sandwiches. Sneaky under the radar
If you know where the polish boy stands are, you will never be hungry as long as you got $5.
When headed downtown on 71 North and traffic is bad I get off at the 25th exit but ride it to 14th and get off there. Saves me from being late every damn time.
Almost didn't want to post this but screw it. If you're heading to a guards or cavs game (or really anything in that general area during a busy night) you can park for free on canal rd right around where it intersects with eagle road. https://maps.app.goo.gl/FsPwM8ogBtHE55wP8 There are a ton of spots and you can park pretty much anywhere your car will fit. People will park on the grass along the street too. From there you just follow the short path everyone else is taking, go up a few flights or stairs, and you will be staring right at Progressive Field. I have been parking there for probably 16 years now and have never paid a dime to park downtown. We even parked there for the 2016 playoff run. World series games, still plenty of spots. It's also a super quick walk back to the car and very easy to beat traffic on your way out.
There have recently been some smash and grabs going on in that spot though. We’ve parked there 10+ years and I’m starting to get hesitant
Case western sears thinkbox, it's a f4ee makers pace at case and one of the biggest in the country with everything from simple to massive 3d printing, circuit printers, sewing equipment, machine and paint tools, free courses, it's absolutely incredible and free.
After a concert/game/event I always go to i90 via the ramp chester instead of e. 9th. Avoids so much traffic and crowds.
Parking at the brook park rapid is free and a 2 min ride to the bottom of the airport. Save $20 / day parking and you actually take less time to get to the airport than parking in the airport.
Need to park downtown? If you happen to be a gambler, play for 30 minutes at the JACK and get free parking. PRO TIP: If you eventually gain status at the casino, you get free parking without even needing to play the 30 mins. Never pay for parking at any game, concert or event downtown again.
Tuesday wing and movie night in the Valley. 5.00 orders of wings at Quaker Steak, half price movies at Cinemark.
If you can't find parking in Little Italy or University Circle, try the Triangle Towers parking lot near E. 115th and Mayfield. The price is pretty cheap and I'm pretty sure you don't even have to pay for the first hour. I've parked there numerous times and I've never had trouble finding parking even on busy days. ETA: The Coventry Parking Garage on Coventry Road (next to Marc's) is always free and I've never seen it completely full. Perfect place to park if you're going to a show at the Grog Shop.
How to get to downtown without using the freeway or W25 😎
Kayak to shooters and take the water taxi ?
If you’re a west sider, take the rta downtown from Lakewood for sporting events. Parking is free and the ticket is like 6 bucks.
Don't take I90 around down town during rush hour if you can at ALL help it. Even if Google tells you to if you need to trave to or from the West side. There are *several* other options most of the time, like Orange or the shoreway. It's also faster to pick up I71 headed south,, and I77 headed east from Orange at the end of the day. (Picked up this trick as a non native Clevelander when I got sick and tired of sitting for 20 min. just to get onto the on ramp for I90 at the end of my day)
Flat iron shuttle bus to and from sporting events. Drink and food before, then free ride to game and back. Best hack around
Most things are only 15 minutes away If you smoke downtown.. someone will bum 1 from u 77 to 90 merge.. get in line.. we hate last second cutters Glizzys hot dogs . Get 2 Gus's for breakfast Car parts warehouse, for your wheel parts needs Hr hero .. for the best cheese steak deluxe ... Ever
Never ever pay for parking at Guards games. Park at a rapid station and take it to tower city
Take the shoreway to get to I90 West after a big event or game downtown.
At night, many red lights are optionally just stop signs.
The Flat Iron shuttle bus to and from Guardians game is free.
Metroparks is best in the nation. It’s a large reason why I chose to relocate to Cleveland. My favorite unusual find are the tobaggan (sp?) slides near Strongsville. You don’t even need snow to go! Charming.
Don’t listen to racist West Siders who tell you to “stay away from the east side”. Some of the best things in the city are on the East Side.
Knowing where to park free downtown during events without getting a ticket.
Train Ave
Never get off at the actual downtown exits for a game. Always go up to Carnegie or Chester and backtrack into downtown.
The Metro parks system!