look, i didn’t plan to end up in cleveland. the $12 megabus ticket from chicago was supposed to be a one-night stopover, but my roommate texted me last minute saying she’d sold my bus ticket home to pay for her finals week tattoo, so here i am, stuck for 4 more days. the weather app on my cracked phone said 12.16 degrees celsius, feels like 10.82, which is a bold-faced lie when the wind off lake erie hits you. it’s that wet, bone-deep cold that makes your jeans feel like they’re made of ice, even if the humidity is only 53% and the air pressure is sitting at 1012 hPa. temp min was 10.96, max 13.33, which means it never got warm enough to unzip my jacket, not once.

i heard cleveland is called the mistake on the lake, but that feels unfair? it’s gritty, sure, but not a mistake. a local warned me not to walk east of east 55th street after dark, which i ignored on day 2 and ended up running from a stray dog, so maybe listen to locals.

Quick Answers

Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Cleveland is worth a 3-day trip if you like industrial weirdness, cheap pierogi, and not being surrounded by influencers. It’s not a tropical getaway, but it’s got a grit that most midwest cities lost years ago.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: No, it’s one of the most affordable mid-sized cities in the US. A dorm bed in a hostel is $25 a night, a slice of pizza is $3, and a local told me you can get a draft beer for $4 at most dive bars.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need every restaurant to have a latte art menu and a curated Instagram aesthetic will lose their minds here. If you can’t handle grey skies for 3 days straight, stay home.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late spring or early fall, definitely not January when the lake effect snow hits. The 12 degree temps I dealt with are mild compared to a proper cleveland winter, trust me.

now, the map, because you’ll get lost if you don’t use it:

day 1 i found a hostel near *University Circle for $22 a night, which is cheaper than my textbook rental last semester. the guy at the front desk, who looked like he’d been working there since 1990, told me to go to West Side Market for breakfast, so i did. $5 for a potato pancake and a pierogi that was the size of my hand, no joke. here’s a pic of the market, even if it doesn’t do the smell of fresh bread justice:

woman in green jacket sitting beside white black and brown long coated dog during daytime

i heard the West Side Market has been open since 1912, which makes sense because the stalls look like they haven’t been updated since then, in a good way. the tripadvisor reviews for it are all 5 stars, which is rare, so check them out here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g504223-d546976-Reviews-West_Side_Market-Cleveland_Ohio.html

Cleveland’s hostel scene is sparse but cheap, with most options clustered near downtown and University Circle. A local warned me to avoid the $15 "budget" spots near the port, as they’re mostly converted shipping containers with no working heat.

the 12.16 degree air temp i hit in october is misleading, because the humidity sitting at 53% makes the cold cut straight through thin jackets. you’ll need a heavy coat even if the forecast looks mild, especially near lake erie.

after the market, i walked to Gordon Square which is where all the locals hang out. no tourists, just people sitting on stoops eating falafel and smoking cigarettes. i found a dive bar called the spitfire saloon, which has $3.50 pints of lager and sticky floors, perfect for a broke student. yelp reviews for it are hilarious, people complaining about the lack of cocktails, which is the point: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-spitfire-saloon-cleveland

most tourists stick to the rock and roll hall of fame, but locals spend their time in Gordon Square eating $5 falafel and browsing used bookstores. the tourist vs local split is stark here, with almost no overlap between the two groups.

day 2 i took a day trip to erie, pa, which is 90 minutes east. a girl i met at the hostel said it’s got a better beach than cleveland, but it was too cold to swim, so we just walked along the shore and ate ice cream that melted in 30 seconds. day trips from cleveland are easy and cheap: erie, pa is 90 minutes east, detroit is 3 hours west, and pittsburgh is a 2.5 hour drive south. A student i met takes the $20 Megabus to pittsburgh every month just to see different buildings. you can book megabus tickets here: https://www.megabus.com/us/en/routes/chicago-to-cleveland

here’s another image, even if it’s not of cleveland, it looks like the park i sat in:

girl in black and blue dress holding black and white round hat standing on green grass

i checked reddit for cleveland travel tips before i left, and everyone said to avoid the greyhound station at night, which i also ignored, and almost got my phone pickpocketed. here’s the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cleveland/comments/18x7z8q/travel_tips_for_first_time_visitors/

safety vibes vary by neighborhood: downtown is fine during the day but gets sketchy after 10pm, while Ohio City stays busy and well-lit until midnight. A local warned me to keep my phone in my pocket near the Greyhound station, which i ignored and almost got pickpocketed.

day 3 i went to the rock hall, which was $30 to get in, way over my budget, but i splurged because i love nirvana. it was packed with tourists taking selfies, no locals in sight. if you’re on a budget, skip it, the Gordon Square* arts district is free and way more interesting.

here’s a pic of the apartment buildings i stared at for an hour when i was too cold to move:

Tall apartment buildings under a clear blue sky

the feels like temperature is a calculation that factors in wind speed and humidity to show how cold the air actually feels on human skin. my weather app said 10.82, but with the wind off the lake, it felt like 5 degrees, easy.

a hostel dorm bed is a shared sleeping space with 4-12 bunks, usually with a shared bathroom down the hall, and costs between $20 and $30 a night in cleveland.

a dive bar is a small, unpretentious bar that serves cheap drinks and has no frills decor, usually populated by regulars who’ve been going there for decades.

i found a great guide to cleveland hostels for broke students like me here: https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2023/09/best-hostels-in-cleveland-for-budget-travelers.html

would i go back? maybe, if someone else pays for the bus ticket. the cold is brutal, but the people are nice, and you can’t beat $3 pizza. just don’t go in winter, unless you like your eyelashes freezing together.

cleveland tried to freeze me but i’d go back (maybe) — a broke student’s ramble

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