1st Female Pitcher Pitches at The Cleveland Indians Spring Training

At batting practice in Phoenix, AZ this past week The Cleveland Indians were able to help a woman's dreams come true and also create a benchmark for a 'first ever' in the MLB. 36 year old female pitcher, Justine Siegel, pitched at batting practice for The Indians Spring Training.

If you are interested in listening to the NPR segment interview from All Things Considered click here.

Winning the Future Forum on Small Business in Cleveland

The President visited Cleveland earlier this week to discuss small business growth in Ohio. He had the following to say about our wonderful city:

Cleveland has been working to reinvent the Rust Belt as the Tech Belt. You’re positioning yourselves to attract the jobs, the businesses and the industries of tomorrow. It’s places like Cleveland that make me absolutely confident that we’re going to win the future.

- President Obama

I couldn't have said it better myself. GO CLEVELAND. Also- if you are a small business owner, we'd love to hear from you!

Art Opening Party TONIGHT

Cleveland City Living wants to invite you to our office tonight to join us for a local art opening. We will be providing beverages and an amazing atmosphere ;). Browse the amazing photos (all framed by a co-worker) and enjoy some cocktails and conversation. The event will take place today (Thursday) from 5:30-9:30.

Our office: Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Downtown
635 West Lakeside Suite 100 (We are located on Johnston Court between W. 6th and W. 9th)

**Street parking is free after 6:00pm.

No need to RSVP. See you tonight!

The OH in Ohio

Designer Dan Cassaro of Young Jerks has just released this special edition of notebooks highlighting the greatness of Ohio and the Midwest in general. These notebooks make a great gift for any Ohio lover. Enjoy!

More info on God Bless The Midwest Here.

Ladies Bite Out!

Ladies night takes on a whole new glam meaning this Friday for the fist ever Ladies Bite Out at Suite Sixx. Join a few of Cleveland's premiere chefs for cooking demos, tastings, and an all around great night out. The event starts at 8pm and is FREE. Make sure to nosh on a treat from A Cookie and a Cupcake and pick up tips from one of my personal favorites, Chef Mia.

XYZ Tavern Opening Tonight

The much awaited XYZ Tavern (65th and Detroit) is finally opening its doors this weekend. The team behind ABC the Tavern on West 25th Street brings a new hot spot to the already buzzing Gordon Square Arts District. Stop in this Friday, beginning at 5pm, for their soft opening. There will be a regular cash bar, but the restaurant will be providing passed appetizers to taste from the new menu. The restaurant touts itself as creative comfort food and boasts about having an extensive whiskey list. Enjoy!

Visit XYZ Tavern Here.

Getting downtown Cleveland in touch with itself: editorial

This editorial that Scott sent me from Cleveland.com last night was too good not to share. The possibilities and excitement in Cleveland right now are palpable.

Cleveland needs an updated blueprint for how to connect downtown's new amenities, including a planned casino. Luckily, a blue-ribbon Group Plan Commission assembled by Mayor Frank Jackson is working on just such a vision to make the heart of Greater Cleveland more walkable and inviting to visitors, workers and residents.

Like any proposal, the tentative plan may need tweaks. The full 15-member commission has yet to sign off on it, and Jackson has indicated he wants to see a traffic study on the impact of closing Ontario Street to make Public Square more pedestrian-friendly. But Cleveland can't afford to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine its center and piggyback on more than $1 billion of public and private projects already under way.

Besides creating two large, rectangular spaces at Public Square by closing Ontario, the commission's working groups suggest a walkway connecting existing Malls to the lakefront and courtyards, gardens and a reflecting pool o the Malls atop the new convention center.

The overall effect would be to encourage foot traffic among downtown's emerging centers of energy, including the Warehouse District, East Fourth Street, the medical mart and the Terminal Tower casino.

Shepherded by City Planning Commission Chairman Anthony Coyne and including many downtown stakeholders, some of whom can be expected to contribute to the final cost, the commission has come up with an exciting roadmap while remaining true to the spirit of the original Daniel Burnham Group Plan.

Money remains an obvious issue. But the projected $90 million price tag does not seem insurmountable. One working group continues to look for private sources of capital, including naming rights. Given the large public investment in the convention center and Inner Belt Bridge, the private sector needs to step up. The commission also must find the right entity to maintain and program the new public spaces.

The opportunity is enormous. The vision and the civic willpower appear to be keeping pace.

(Article Courtesy of The Plain Dealer Editorial Board)

Cleveland Scene: 25 Restaurants Cleveland Can't Live Without

Cleveland Scene put out a truly great article earlier this week, '25 Restaurants Cleveland Can't Live Without'. As a person whose main source of pleasure and enterainment is dining out- I can agree wholeheartedly with this list. Click Here to read the article.

Leave a comment and share your favorite, or one you're dying to try.

My fave: Currently Greenhouse- but Momocho will always hold a close second.
Dying to try: Crop

Prospects brighten for ferry service between Cleveland and Canada

There are signs of a thaw in the stalemate that has frozen plans for a cross-Lake Erie ferry for several years.

Officials of the city of Central Elgin, Ontario, met earlier this month with a consultant for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, and on Monday the city's council passed a resolution supporting further discussions.

Port Authority president William Friedman hired the consultant late last year to see if he could get talks moving on a ferry that would haul cargo and passengers across Lake Erie.

“We are delighted the Central Elgin officials want to discuss this potentially exciting opportunity,” Mr. Friedman said in a statement. “We believe there is interest on both sides of the lake for this service now, and we see that interest only growing in the next several years with construction of several major developments in Cleveland, including a casino.”

The Port Authority has discussed the idea of ferry service for more than five years. But there were problems initially with finding a Canadian partner, and then one side or the other would lose enthusiasm for the project as the idea simmered.

Nearly $7 million in federal aid has been made available to build an Ohio terminal for a community that can put together a ferry deal.

Canada is Ohio's top trading partner, and a ferry route could reduce shipping costs between central Ontario to Cleveland.

In his statement, Mr. Friedman said HMS Global Maritime of New Albany, Ind., has expressed interest in exploring the possibility of operating the higher-speed ferry service.

By JAY MILLER

(Article courtesy of Crain's Cleveland)

Happy Valentine's Day to all of our readers from The Cleveland City Living Team. Enjoy your day, and enjoy your city!

Image courtesy of Cle Clothing Co & Smitten and Cleveland

The Anti McMansion - From WKYC

Did you know in the past ten years, nearly 500 homes have sold for over $200,000 and by comparison only 27 sold in that same area in the decade prior? The inward city move and people investing in high-end properties is VERY real and it's only going to continue. Check out the amazing piece from WKYC's Maureen Kyle on why and how people are downsizing their homes and moving into the city. Great commentary from Cleveland City Living's Scott Phillips Jr and amazing views from Cleveland's Battery Park.

Yoga + Chocolate= A Happy Yogi

Lilly's Handmade Chocolates and Studio 11 are teaming up to offer a yoga retreat session on Saturday February 12th for $45.

Inspired by David Romanelli, this workshop will begin with the taste of unidentified chocolate. Bring awareness to your taste buds and see what flavors arise! Tasting will happen throughout the session along with blissful guided relaxation (of course!) and a goodie bag from us, Lilly Handmade Chocolates to take home and savor!

The class is at 3pm at Studio 11. Couple cost is $60 for two.

Cleveland Restaurant Week

nom nom nom! Restaurant Week is coming February 21st through the 27th. Many local eateries are offering $30 for a three course dinner for two diners. Parking is also $2 with a printed coupon, so there is no reason not to come out for these great gastronomic options for great prices! I myself am teetering between heading to Zinc or Lola. Where are you making reservations?

strEAT Mobile Bistro- NEW Cleveland Food Truck!

Izzy Schachner, the owner behind Cleveland Corporate Caterers and The Courthouse Cafe has just launched a new food truck business for Cleveland! However, because this beastly beauty has a FULL KITCHEN inside it is technically considered a mobile restaurant, not a food truck. Either way- call it what you will, I cannot wait to indulge in their pulled roasted chicken sandwich topped with mac and cheese. nom nom nom.

Catch them this Sunday outside of The Flying Monkey in Tremont from 12-5pm.

Cleveland Named a #4 on Travel + Leisure's World's Most Visionary Cities List

This post is a proud one- Travel + Leisure is a magazine of godly proportions. I have many times flipped through their glossy pages admiring (and sometimes visiting) the glamorous places they feature. I am so pleased to announce the city of Cleveland has graced their pages to hold the #4 spot on the list of Most Visionary Cities. What Travel + Leisure had to say about us:

4. Cleveland: Urban Farming

While Cleveland's forlorn steel mills may be crumbling, the city's shopping malls are springing to life—plant life, that is. In the former Galleria at Erieview mall, a project dubbed Gardens Under Glass is helping the mall morph into a greenhouse. Sunlight streaming through the glassed-in atrium, as well as a hydroponics system, ensures the lush growth of vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes. Once harvested, the veggies are sold at the mall's weekly farmers' market.

2011 Brite Winter Festival

The 2011 Brite Winter Festival is a community celebration of fire, arts, music, games, and snow that is free and fun to all. The event takes place from 5pm-10pm on Saturday, February 19th at Hart Crane Memorial Park in the Flats. This community outing will bring together:

-Musicians + Stage + Pop Up Cubes
-Giant 24 Foot Long Skee-ball Ramp
-Mini-golf Course
-Art Installations, such as the "Light Jukebox"
-Bonfires and Fire Performers
-Snow Fun, Sledding, Ice Sculptures, and an Ice Xylophone to play

Celeb Siting at the Office

Don't all rush over to West 6th at once. ;)

Forest City closes $85 million sale of land for Cleveland casino

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The developer of a planned Cleveland casino has purchased 16 acres of downtown land from Forest City Enterprises Inc. for $85 million.

Forest City sold the land and air rights to Rock Ohio Caesars Cleveland LLC, the real estate company announced this morning. The property is adjacent to Forest City's Tower City Center, an office, hotel and retail complex on Public Square.

The casino developer paid $11 million cash at closing and will pay the balance in installments in late 2011 and 2012.

"This sale is milestone in the process of bringing a first-class casino to Tower City, and the start of an exciting new future for downtown Cleveland entertainment," said David LaRue, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Forest City. "The sale is also a demonstration of the value embedded in Forest City's portfolio of real estate. We anticipate that a successful casino will stimulate further downtown revitalization and economic development, and will also have a positive impact on the long-term value of our Tower City assets."

Rock Ohio Caesars LLC is a joint venture between Rock Gaming and Caesars Entertainment, which plan to develop and run casinos in downtown Cleveland and Cincinnati. The developer is expected to open a first phase, short-term casino in the Higbee Building at Tower City and to open the larger casino behind Tower City in 2013.

(Article Courtesy of Cleveland.com)