Cleveland is the 15th biggest metropolitan area in the United States. After experiencing the decline common to many US urban areas in the latter half of the 20th Century, the Port of Cleveland has adopted the "New American City" as its epithet for the 21st Century. As an industrial town, the Port of Cleveland's beautiful downtown surprises visitors. Called CLE by locals, the Port of Cleveland is proud of its music and sports. It has become a haven for artists escaping the high cost of living in New York City.
Lake Erie moderates the Port of Cleveland's humid subtropical climate. Surrounding areas are usually classified as having a humid continental climate. The Port of Cleveland has humid warm summers and snowy winters. The Port of Cleveland experiences lake effect snow that comes from mid-November until Lake Erie's surface freezes in January or February. The Lake effect also creates different snowfall in different parts of the metropolitan area, with snow being lighter in the far west and heavy in the eastern "Snow Belt" region that stretches to Buffalo, New York. During the spring and early summer, the Port of Cleveland has occasional severe thunderstorms that sometimes bring large hail. Temperatures in the Port of Cleveland range from an average high of 28°C (82°F) in July to an average low of -6°C (20°F) in January. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year in the Port of Cleveland, reaching a peak of 92 centimeters (3.5 inches) in May and November and falling to 59 centimeters (three inches) in February. Snow comes to the Port of Cleveland from October through April, peaking at an average 48 centimeters (19 inches) in January.
The 88-acre Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve was created from sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River in the last two decades of the 20th Century. Today, the preserve is a wildlife haven on the Lake Erie shoreline supporting over 280 species of birds, a variety of butterflies, 16 mammal species, two species of reptiles, and many plant species. Opened to the public in early 2012, the nature preserve was created and is managed by the Port of Cleveland port authority.
University Circle is the cultural center for the Port of Cleveland and surrounding region. Located four miles from downtown, this neighborhood without borders is a world-class center for culture, arts, education, medicine, religion, and social services. Following the Port of Cleveland's main street, Euclid Avenue, University Circle is anchored by hospitals and universities surrounded by shops, restaurants, and residences. The side streets of Ford, Juniper, Magnolia, and Bellflower boast 19th Century mansions and carriage houses that have been converted to luxury hotels, chic coffee shops, and fine restaurants. Wade Oval is a year-round entertainment venue that hosts live concerts and movies in the summer, holiday celebrations in the spring and fall, and The Rink in the winter.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is a popular attraction in the heart of University Circle. The 70 galleries in the museum present art chronologically from Mediterranean antiquity to modern pop culture. Best known for its collections of medieval Asian, European, and pre-Columbian collections, the museum holds works from the world's great artists including Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso. It also offers popular exhibits of mummies, African masks, and medieval weapons and armor. This outstanding Port of Cleveland museum is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 10am until 5pm and on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10am until 9pm. Best, admission to the museum is free.
The oldest commercial district in downtown is the Warehouse District, a National Historic Landmark. The area became the center for the Port of Cleveland's commercial life after the Civil War. The Warehouse District covers 43 acres holding over 70 historic buildings. It contains some of the best Victorian architecture in the country in buildings designed to hold wholesale groceries, dry goods, hardware, garments, and candles. Today, visitors to the Port of Cleveland's Warehouse District will find trendy restaurants, jazz and blues clubs, coffee houses, boutiques, and galleries.
The Port of Cleveland is famous as the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum holds items as simple as Jim Morrison's Cub Scout uniform to precious treasures like John Lennon's hand-written lyrics for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Visitors will find stage costumes worn by greats like Chuck Berry, hand-written lyrics by Jimi Hendrix, a Porsche owned by Janis Joplin, and a replica of Sun Studios where giants like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash made their first recordings in Memphis. Temporary exhibits focus on specific performers and highlight modern rock and roll contributions. Admission to the Port of Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is $22, and it is open every day from 10am until 5:30pm (until 9pm on Wednesdays).
Resting on the Lake Erie waterfront, the Port of Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center has been recognized several times as the best science museum in the Midwest United States. There are more than 400 hands-on exhibits and an IMAX theater that thrill kids of all ages. The Science Phenomena Floor has over 100 hands-on exhibits that explore weather, magnetism, electricity, mechanics, motion, sound, and light. The NASA Glenn Visitor Center has exhibits and artifacts that highlight the greatest moments of space exploration. The Biomedical Technology Gallery covers a range of advances from MRIs to robotic arms to stem cells. The Polymer Funhouse, devoted to kids under 8, delights with a ball pit and a paddlewheel steamship. The 1925 steamship William G. Mather is open for exploration and hands-on experiences that tell the story of the Great Lakes and the Cuyahoga River.
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