Table of Contents


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Cleveland Magazine December 2016 Cover

Featured Articles

Faces of Cleveland

Cleveland had a winning season in 2016. Here are some of the local champions who continue to help the business, nonprofit, education and other communities thrive.

Hidden Cleveland: Baldwin Water Treatment Plant

Behind ornate archiecture, the plant churns out a simple service.

Food + Drink

A Drink We Love: Dante's Three Philosophers

Start off your holiday right with this spirited cocktail made with Watershed Distillery's Nocino.

Cook Up a Brazilian Feast At Home

Find bold, flavorful ingredients at the new Ipanema Market in Larchmere.

Lakewood's Salt Serves Up Bold Flavors in Tiny Packages

Chef Jill Vedaa layers creative flavors and interesting textures in an exciting small plates menu.

Pav's Creamery Helps Us Chill Out With Its Boozy Adult Shakes

Slurp on the holiday-themed Christmas and Cream shakes all monthlong. 

Sip Tips: 5 Wine Shops We Love

Uncork a bottle of red or white from one of these local spots.

Three Reasons We Love the New Hansa Brewery

The Old World spot sports great beer, music and atmosphere.

Weekend Project: 4 Chestnut Recipes to Make This Holiday Season

Find an open fire and get roasting with these comforting dishes from local chefs.

In the CLE

1977: A Thrown Brick Brings New Life

Chester Chin looks on as his contractor begins demolishing his restaurant.

Branch Out: Make A Festive Holiday Arrangement

Welcome holiday guests with this simple evergreen project. 

Can Cleveland Find an Activist Spark?

The 1969 Cuyahoga River fire was a symbol that lit up a movement. Do we need something similar to ignite change today?

Cleveland's Got Talent, Too

Here are three locals we'd like to see on stage for America's Got Talent auditions.

Here's a Super Simple Stocking Stuffer Guide

Naughty or nice, these four picks are sure-fire ways to elevate your gift-giving cred. 

Here's What's Blossoming at American Greetings New HQ

We get an inside look at the greeting card company's new Crocker Park digs.

Hidden Cleveland: Anthony J. Celebrezze Fireboat

Not only does the Cleveland Fire Department have a fireboat, it has had seven of them.

Hidden Cleveland: Baldwin Water Treatment Plant

Behind ornate archiecture, the plant churns out a simple service.

Hidden Cleveland: Chisholm Mausoleum

The Lake View Cemetery tomb was built for Cleveland Rolling Mill Co. co-founder Henry Chisholm.

Hidden Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art

The museum's conservation department offers behind the canvas looks at restoring centuries-old artworks.

Hidden Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Natural History

We glimpse how history is unearthed in the museum's archaeology lab.

Hidden Cleveland: Cleveland Play House

If a stage prop isn't in the theater company's 11,000-square-foot space, it doesn't exist.

Hidden Cleveland: Cleveland Public Library

William Sommer's mural in the library's main branch is a good reason to get your nose out of a book.

Hidden Cleveland: Dike 14

Lift you spirits with a hike at this lakefront nature preserve built on two sunken freighters.

Hidden Cleveland: Geauga Park District's Observatory Park

Get a little closer to the Milky Way in Montville Township. 

Hidden Cleveland: Heinen's Grocery Store

You've seen the new downtown supermarket, now see the renovations it took to make it happen.

Hidden Cleveland: Historic Homes

Uncover the history that lives in the previous homes of well-known Northeast Ohioans, from the road to recovery to a man stuck in time.

Hidden Cleveland: Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland

A secret farm in the shadow of skyscrapers and First Energy Stadium fuels sustainability at the center.

Hidden Cleveland: I Spy

Three Clevelanders give us the inside scoop on their favorite spots in the city.

Hidden Cleveland: Key Tower's 57th Floor

A quarter-mile up provides a good look at Cleveland — scratch that — Northeast Ohio.

Hidden Cleveland: Lorenzo Carter Cabin

We go home with Cleveland's first permanent settler.

Hidden Cleveland: Maple Lanes Bowling Alley and Tavern

We give the challenging lanes at the 76-year-old bowling alley our best shot.

Hidden Cleveland: Marketplace-Meetingplace

You probably missed it during those exciting watch parties, but a 23-year-old piece of public art nods to the Gateway District's past.

Hidden Cleveland: Memorials

Blink and you'll miss these three memorials hidden in plain sight.

Hidden Cleveland: Monticello Modern

That house in Cleveland Heights with a tree stuck in it? Turns out there's more to the story.

Hidden Cleveland: NASA Glenn Research Center

The center's Simulated Research Operations lab keeps rovers rollin'.

Hidden Cleveland: Off-Menu Items

Starbucks isn't the only place you can score some tasty secret menu items.

Hidden Cleveland: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Only the best backstage pass will get you into the Rock Hall's vault.

Hidden Cleveland: Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

The catacombs below the Public Square landmark probably aren't haunted, but that doesn't mean they aren't creepy.

Hidden Cleveland: Special Collections

Dig into the interesting finds at some of Cleveland's lesser-known museums.

Hidden Cleveland: Three Ruins

From the Warner & Swasey Observatory to Aviation High School, we root around for some long lost structures.

Hidden Cleveland: Three Speakeasies

Shhh. Don't tell anyone, but here's you ticket into three secret spots.

Hidden Cleveland: Whiskey Island Coast Guard Station

The script Cleveland logo on the former station's roof is rarified air in the selfie game.

Hidden Cleveland: Zubal Books

Get lost among the hundreds of thousands of books in this Ohio City gem.

House Warming

Actress Monica Potter breathes new life into her childhood home while devoting herself to rebuilding the city she loves. 

In Memorium: The Barking Spider Tavern

A poetic farewell to the University Circle landmark.

Keep Your Holiday Guests Busy this Month

Here are dozen new spots perfect for kids, foodies and even that competitive cousin we all have. 

La Villa Hispana Will Centralize CLE's Latino Community

Hispanic Business Center's Jenice Contreras shares her vision for vibrant spot. 

Let's Get Nostalgic

Decorate your home this season with these three throwback finds.

Memory Tricks

A journey through musty journals reveals a fresh path.

One Question with Mike Polk Jr.

The Factory of Sadness comedian tries to convince us to see his New Year's Eve show.

Shine Bright: 3 Holiday Light Displays To See

Check out these neighborhoods for the best light shows.

This Place is Now a Home

Cleveland has always welcomed refugees from around the globe. But as the worldwide crisis grows, does our city have the resources and the will to open its doors even more?

United We Stand

The issue of refugee resettlement is a hot-button issue, especially after the election, but we must work together and show strength.

Entertainment

A Theater Couple Creates Dynamic Designs Together

See Tesia and Aaron Benson’s costumes and set at Dobama Theatre’s Peter and the Starcatcher this month.

An Unsung Master Gets His Voice Heard

Russell Atkins is Celebrated in a New Poetry Book

Gallery 1299 Owner Will Sanchez Wants Reactions

He aims to impact with his Warehouse District gallery and this month’s Idolatry art exhibition.  

Plot Twist: Convergence-Continuum May Lose Its Home

The experimental Tremont theater company needs to raise money by the end of this year to keep its Scranton Road facility. 

Turn a Page on a Storybook Christmas at Stan Hywet’s Deck the Hall

The historic manor re-creates scenes of famous holiday tales.  

We Feel the Love In Buckeye Thanks to Damien Ware

The poet helped create a mural that spreads positive vibes in the East Side neighborhood. 

Style

Save Face: Locust + Ash Helps Men Get Grooming

Mary Elliot whips up lazy-guy-friendly products such as beard oil, soaps and aftershave.

Health

Recovery Mission

From beating addiction to surviving a heart attack, these healthy heroes share how they overcame the worst moments of their lives.