Comment: I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio-- well, Shaker Heights, to be precise-- and I go back once a year with the kids to assess the situation, and to see Dad, now 89 (keep up the good work, Pops). So there's your background information.

Cleveland, like anyplace anywhere, has art and artists. It also has something called "First Friday Martinis" where the galleries open late, everybody gets bombed, and then there's slam dancing. Kidding. Actually, the galleries show art, serve martinis in teeny plastic cups (each gallery dispenses a different flavor), people mill about, do the schmooze, and look at art-- like here. You can get zoinked if you want, but you'll be really conspicuous because you have to keep coming back for these itty bitty cups. The event happens in a part of town called Little Italy with plenty of nice Italian restaurants (oddly enough), a kick-ass bakery (dolceria), and an old country feel. Many of the galleries and artist studios are in the old Murray Hill School building.

Downtown, The Colonial Arcade, built circa 1900, also has galleries, but when I was there, only one was open, so I'll just show the arcade part. Also took a day trip to Pittsburgh (I'm in the vicinity, so why not?), and rooted around Cleveland the rest of the time. Now for the visuals...

First Friday Martinis: