In most cities, the opening of a new bar or dance club is enough to set the LGBTQ community abuzz, but in Cleveland locals are celebrating the debut of a much more ambitious project, Studio West 117.
This LGBTQ+ complex will eventually span more than 300,000 square feet and house venues for everything from dining to dancing, athletics to education. Studio West 117 is more than just a new business project. It’s about building the groundwork for a new LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
I was lucky to be able to attend the grand opening in 2022 of the first phase of Studio West 117: The Fieldhouse (1384 Hird Avenue, Lakewood. Tel: 216-712-6687. studiowest117.com/fieldhouse). I was impressed with this new facility, as well as with the long-term plans to develop what will be a truly multifaceted complex that is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The fact that it’s happening in Greater Cleveland says a lot about how LGBTQ-friendly and progressive this destination is. Destination Cleveland (334 Euclid Ave. Tel: 216-875-6600. thisiscleveland.com), the city’s tourism office, is doing its best to make sure that LGBTQ+ travelers know about what the city has to offer.
The Fieldhouse at Studio West 117, set in a historic, renovated warehouse, is a well designed start for the multi-phase project. The building houses an expansive LGBTQ centric recreation and wellness facility and hosts a variety of sports teams, fitness classes, and other programs. Not being athletic, I didn’t actually partake in any of the sports, but I did manage to observe others enjoying the facilities. I especially loved watching a lively group of drag queens scaling up the rock climbing wall during the opening night party. I did, however, personally experience some of the Fieldhouse’s multiple dining and drinking venues, including Eat Me! Pizzeria, Muze Gastropub, and Trellis, a stylish rooftop bar with a sophisticated food and beverage menu.
Opening night at the Fieldhouse at Studio West 117 (CREDIT Blue International Marketing)
Phase two of Studio West 117, which is to debut in 2024, will include additional entertainment venues in a nearby building that’s slated for major renovation, while phase three, scheduled for completion in 2025, will feature a new-build residences and a hotel, among other things.
This new development enhances Cleveland’s already long-standing appeal with LGBTQ+ locals and travelers. During my visit, for example, I sampled a bit of the city’s nightlife, including Twist Social Club (11633 Clifton Boulevard. Tel: 216-221-2333. twistsocialclub.com), which has been open for more than 23 years and features a high-ceiling, exposed brick, and is open seven days a week, with weekend brunch an especially popular time to go.
NEW REASONS TO VISIT CLEVELAND
Studio West 117 may be making the biggest headlines in the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s just one piece of news from the city’s burgeoning tourism scene. The city will be even better connected to the rest of the world, for example, when Aer Lingus launches new nonstop service to Dublin in May.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Photo by © Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
Several existing attractions are also sporting new exhibits. Through summer 2023, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Union Home Mortgage Plaza. Tel: 216-781-7625. rockhall.com) is featuring “Hotter Than July: The Bruce W. Talamon R&B Photographs,” which showcases the golden age of soul, R&B and funk from 1972 to 1982.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (1 Wade Oval Drive. Tel: 216-231-4600. cmnh.org), meanwhile, is in the midst of a major transformation that will be complete in 2024, and visitors can already witness some of the improvements, including the reopening of Smead Discovery Center and various exhibits of artwork and virtual reality experiences.
Cleveland Museum of Art 1916 building (Photo by Cleveland Museum of Art)
Art lovers shouldn’t miss the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Boulevard. Tel: 216-421-7550. clevelandart.org), which is home to more than 63,000 works from a 6,000-year time span, and, to make it even more enticing, admission is always free. On exhibit until January 23, 2024 is “Egyptomania: Fashion’s Conflicted Obsession,” which explores the eternal fascination that fashion designers have for Egyptian art and design.
Another must-see on the art scene is the Museum of Contemporary Art (11400 Euclid Avenue. Tel: 216-421-8671. mocacleveland.org), which is hosting multiple exhibitions that run July 7-December 31, 2023, including “A Soft Place to Land,” which showcases work by artists who use textiles to tell personal stories, and “Andrea Bowers: Exist, Flourish, Evolve,” in which Cleveland-raised artist Bowers addresses environmental threats to the Great Lakes ecosystems. Running October 27-December 31 is a multimedia exhibit by Cleveland-based artist Erykah Townsend that investigates the relationship between innocence and beauty.
Public Art in Cleveland (Credit by Cody York)
Music enthusiasts, meanwhile, may want to put Treelawn (15335 Waterloo Road. Tel: 216-677-8733. thetreelawn.com) on their itinerary. Set within a historic building that once housed the Slovenian Workmen’s Home cultural center, Treelawn is in the process of being reborn as a live music club and is ramping up a schedule of performances, accompanied by a menu of craft beers and comfort food.
Speaking of food, renovations at the historic West Side Market (1979 W. 25th St. Tel.: 216-664-3387. westsidemarket.org), the city’s oldest operating indoor/outdoor market, have made this culinary destination even more attractive. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the market has benefitted from a multi-milliondollar upgrade that’s resulted in new and refreshed vendor booths and better climate control. Locals visit for the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, but travelers love the tasty, ready-to-eat foods, including Jack Frost Donuts and Orale! Contemporary Mexican cuisine.
Also slated for big improvements is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (3900 Wildlife Way. Tel: 216-661-6500. clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo), where a $7.7-million project is creating four new living spaces for tropical Andean and sloth bears at the Bear Hollow Habitat. The new facilities, which debut in summer 2023, will triple the current habitat space.
Playhouse Square (CREDIT Destination Cleveland)
Cleveland is also known for its vibrant performing arts scene, and it’s always a good idea to see what’s playing before any visit. Karamu House (2355 E. 89th Street. Tel: 216-795-7070. karamuhouse.org), for example, is billed as the country’s oldest Black producing theater, while Playhouse Square (1501 Euclid Avenue. Tel: 216-771-4444. playhousesquare.org), is a nonprofit performing arts center that stages largescale productions in multiple venues. While in the city, make sure to get tickets to the Cleveland Orchestra (clevelandorchestra.com), which is celebrating its 105th season in 2023. The group often features big-name performers as well as varied programs that appeal to many different musical tastes.
HOTEL NEWS IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland offers visitors an array of attractive accommodations, and it will soon be home to even more. I had a super comfortable stay at the Kimpton Schofield Hotel (2000 East 9th Street. Tel: 216-357-3250. theschofieldhotel.com), a beautifully designed downtown property that last year added seven new suites. I especially loved the décor, which provides some retro flair to complement the contemporary design (my favorite: the vintage Matchbox car illustrations in my guest room).
Also new in town is the Roost Apartment Hotel (105 Prospect Ave. Tel: 216-877-0500. myroost.com), which offers one- and two bedroom apartments with kitchens, and the Orbit Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham (21500 Brookpark Road, Fairview Park. Tel: 440-471-4828. wyndhamhotels .com) just outside the city limits, which sports mid-century architecture and an outdoor pool.
If you’re planning a visit in 2024, you’ll find even more fresh options. Still in the works is the debut of the aptly named Hotel Cleveland (24 Public Square. Tel. 800-468-3571. marriott.com), which will open in 2024 as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.
Also available next year is a new W Hotel, which will be stylishly set in a 1960s modernist high-rise in downtown Cleveland with 210 guest rooms, a spa and gym, a 15,000-square-foot ballroom and event center and a 38th-floor restaurant and bar that promises memorable views and photo opportunities.
Another hotel slated to open in 2024 is the Fidelity Hotel, a 97-room boutique hotel that set in a renovated, historic office building. The property will have a restaurant and a speakeasy-style bar.
Speaking of bars, beer enthusiasts should note that Destination Cleveland’s 2023 Cleveland Brewery Passport (thisiscleveland.com) provides a fun and efficient way to sample brews in multiple locations. Functioning like a “digital passport,” the platform provides users with a chance to win a prize for starting and finishing their passport tour of any of 44 participating breweries. Visitors can also trade in points for additional prizes.
EXCITING EVENTS IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland hosts an array of interesting events every year. Top of the list for many LGBTQ+ travelers, of course, is the city’s pride celebration, Pride in the CLE (lgbtcleveland.org/pride), which takes place in early June (this year it’s June 3, 2023), with a parade and two stages for live entertainment and speakers.
LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement Marker (Photo: Courtesy of Arlo Grey)
Additional annual events include WonderStruck (7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirkland. wonderstruckfest.com), which Destination Cleveland describes as one of the midwest’s largest contemporary music festivals. Taking place every July, the event fills a 400-acre site; 2023 performers include Khalid, Walker Hayes, Nelly, and Flo Rida.
Next year will bring even more events to Cleveland’s calendar, including the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four, scheduled for April 2024, and the 2024 Pan-American Masters Games, the Olympic-style sports festival slated for July 12-21, 2024.
One additional special event that is a must-see if you’re anywhere in the Cleveland area next year will be the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
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The post What’s New In . . . LGBTQ Cleveland Ohio appeared first on Passport Magazine.
What’s New In . . . LGBTQ Cleveland Ohio
In most cities, the opening of a new bar or dance club is enough to set the LGBTQ community abuzz, but in Cleveland locals are celebrating the debut of a much more ambitious project, Studio West 117.
This LGBTQ+ complex will eventually span more than 300,000 square feet and house venues for everything from dining to dancing, athletics to education. Studio West 117 is more than just a new business project. It’s about building the groundwork for a new LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
I was lucky to be able to attend the grand opening in 2022 of the first phase of Studio West 117: The Fieldhouse (1384 Hird Avenue, Lakewood. Tel: 216-712-6687. studiowest117.com/fieldhouse). I was impressed with this new facility, as well as with the long-term plans to develop what will be a truly multifaceted complex that is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The fact that it’s happening in Greater Cleveland says a lot about how LGBTQ-friendly and progressive this destination is. Destination Cleveland (334 Euclid Ave. Tel: 216-875-6600. thisiscleveland.com), the city’s tourism office, is doing its best to make sure that LGBTQ+ travelers know about what the city has to offer.
The Fieldhouse at Studio West 117, set in a historic, renovated warehouse, is a well designed start for the multi-phase project. The building houses an expansive LGBTQ centric recreation and wellness facility and hosts a variety of sports teams, fitness classes, and other programs. Not being athletic, I didn’t actually partake in any of the sports, but I did manage to observe others enjoying the facilities. I especially loved watching a lively group of drag queens scaling up the rock climbing wall during the opening night party. I did, however, personally experience some of the Fieldhouse’s multiple dining and drinking venues, including Eat Me! Pizzeria, Muze Gastropub, and Trellis, a stylish rooftop bar with a sophisticated food and beverage menu.
Opening night at the Fieldhouse at Studio West 117 (CREDIT Blue International Marketing)
Phase two of Studio West 117, which is to debut in 2024, will include additional entertainment venues in a nearby building that’s slated for major renovation, while phase three, scheduled for completion in 2025, will feature a new-build residences and a hotel, among other things.
This new development enhances Cleveland’s already long-standing appeal with LGBTQ+ locals and travelers. During my visit, for example, I sampled a bit of the city’s nightlife, including Twist Social Club (11633 Clifton Boulevard. Tel: 216-221-2333. twistsocialclub.com), which has been open for more than 23 years and features a high-ceiling, exposed brick, and is open seven days a week, with weekend brunch an especially popular time to go.
NEW REASONS TO VISIT CLEVELAND
Studio West 117 may be making the biggest headlines in the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s just one piece of news from the city’s burgeoning tourism scene. The city will be even better connected to the rest of the world, for example, when Aer Lingus launches new nonstop service to Dublin in May.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Photo by © Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
Several existing attractions are also sporting new exhibits. Through summer 2023, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Union Home Mortgage Plaza. Tel: 216-781-7625. rockhall.com) is featuring “Hotter Than July: The Bruce W. Talamon R&B Photographs,” which showcases the golden age of soul, R&B and funk from 1972 to 1982.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (1 Wade Oval Drive. Tel: 216-231-4600. cmnh.org), meanwhile, is in the midst of a major transformation that will be complete in 2024, and visitors can already witness some of the improvements, including the reopening of Smead Discovery Center and various exhibits of artwork and virtual reality experiences.
Cleveland Museum of Art 1916 building (Photo by Cleveland Museum of Art)
Art lovers shouldn’t miss the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Boulevard. Tel: 216-421-7550. clevelandart.org), which is home to more than 63,000 works from a 6,000-year time span, and, to make it even more enticing, admission is always free. On exhibit until January 23, 2024 is “Egyptomania: Fashion’s Conflicted Obsession,” which explores the eternal fascination that fashion designers have for Egyptian art and design.
Another must-see on the art scene is the Museum of Contemporary Art (11400 Euclid Avenue. Tel: 216-421-8671. mocacleveland.org), which is hosting multiple exhibitions that run July 7-December 31, 2023, including “A Soft Place to Land,” which showcases work by artists who use textiles to tell personal stories, and “Andrea Bowers: Exist, Flourish, Evolve,” in which Cleveland-raised artist Bowers addresses environmental threats to the Great Lakes ecosystems. Running October 27-December 31 is a multimedia exhibit by Cleveland-based artist Erykah Townsend that investigates the relationship between innocence and beauty.
Public Art in Cleveland (Credit by Cody York)
Music enthusiasts, meanwhile, may want to put Treelawn (15335 Waterloo Road. Tel: 216-677-8733. thetreelawn.com) on their itinerary. Set within a historic building that once housed the Slovenian Workmen’s Home cultural center, Treelawn is in the process of being reborn as a live music club and is ramping up a schedule of performances, accompanied by a menu of craft beers and comfort food.
Speaking of food, renovations at the historic West Side Market (1979 W. 25th St. Tel.: 216-664-3387. westsidemarket.org), the city’s oldest operating indoor/outdoor market, have made this culinary destination even more attractive. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the market has benefitted from a multi-milliondollar upgrade that’s resulted in new and refreshed vendor booths and better climate control. Locals visit for the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, but travelers love the tasty, ready-to-eat foods, including Jack Frost Donuts and Orale! Contemporary Mexican cuisine.
Also slated for big improvements is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (3900 Wildlife Way. Tel: 216-661-6500. clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo), where a $7.7-million project is creating four new living spaces for tropical Andean and sloth bears at the Bear Hollow Habitat. The new facilities, which debut in summer 2023, will triple the current habitat space.
Playhouse Square (CREDIT Destination Cleveland)
Cleveland is also known for its vibrant performing arts scene, and it’s always a good idea to see what’s playing before any visit. Karamu House (2355 E. 89th Street. Tel: 216-795-7070. karamuhouse.org), for example, is billed as the country’s oldest Black producing theater, while Playhouse Square (1501 Euclid Avenue. Tel: 216-771-4444. playhousesquare.org), is a nonprofit performing arts center that stages largescale productions in multiple venues. While in the city, make sure to get tickets to the Cleveland Orchestra (clevelandorchestra.com), which is celebrating its 105th season in 2023. The group often features big-name performers as well as varied programs that appeal to many different musical tastes.
HOTEL NEWS IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland offers visitors an array of attractive accommodations, and it will soon be home to even more. I had a super comfortable stay at the Kimpton Schofield Hotel (2000 East 9th Street. Tel: 216-357-3250. theschofieldhotel.com), a beautifully designed downtown property that last year added seven new suites. I especially loved the décor, which provides some retro flair to complement the contemporary design (my favorite: the vintage Matchbox car illustrations in my guest room).
Also new in town is the Roost Apartment Hotel (105 Prospect Ave. Tel: 216-877-0500. myroost.com), which offers one- and two bedroom apartments with kitchens, and the Orbit Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham (21500 Brookpark Road, Fairview Park. Tel: 440-471-4828. wyndhamhotels .com) just outside the city limits, which sports mid-century architecture and an outdoor pool.
If you’re planning a visit in 2024, you’ll find even more fresh options. Still in the works is the debut of the aptly named Hotel Cleveland (24 Public Square. Tel. 800-468-3571. marriott.com), which will open in 2024 as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.
Also available next year is a new W Hotel, which will be stylishly set in a 1960s modernist high-rise in downtown Cleveland with 210 guest rooms, a spa and gym, a 15,000-square-foot ballroom and event center and a 38th-floor restaurant and bar that promises memorable views and photo opportunities.
Another hotel slated to open in 2024 is the Fidelity Hotel, a 97-room boutique hotel that set in a renovated, historic office building. The property will have a restaurant and a speakeasy-style bar.
Speaking of bars, beer enthusiasts should note that Destination Cleveland’s 2023 Cleveland Brewery Passport (thisiscleveland.com) provides a fun and efficient way to sample brews in multiple locations. Functioning like a “digital passport,” the platform provides users with a chance to win a prize for starting and finishing their passport tour of any of 44 participating breweries. Visitors can also trade in points for additional prizes.
EXCITING EVENTS IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland hosts an array of interesting events every year. Top of the list for many LGBTQ+ travelers, of course, is the city’s pride celebration, Pride in the CLE (lgbtcleveland.org/pride), which takes place in early June (this year it’s June 3, 2023), with a parade and two stages for live entertainment and speakers.
LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement Marker (Photo: Courtesy of Arlo Grey)
Additional annual events include WonderStruck (7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirkland. wonderstruckfest.com), which Destination Cleveland describes as one of the midwest’s largest contemporary music festivals. Taking place every July, the event fills a 400-acre site; 2023 performers include Khalid, Walker Hayes, Nelly, and Flo Rida.
Next year will bring even more events to Cleveland’s calendar, including the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four, scheduled for April 2024, and the 2024 Pan-American Masters Games, the Olympic-style sports festival slated for July 12-21, 2024.
One additional special event that is a must-see if you’re anywhere in the Cleveland area next year will be the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
You may also enjoy
Naptown Wakes Up, Indianapolis, Indiana
The post What’s New In . . . LGBTQ Cleveland Ohio appeared first on Passport Magazine.
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