Overall

You may have heard of the controversial FREE Stamp sculpture by Oldenburg and van Bruggen located next to city hall at Willard Park. Some say this huge pop art sculpture is an eyesore, while others proclaim it represents liberty as American citizens. I like to think that it represents all the wonderful things the city of Cleveland offers free of charge. Amazing architectural structures such as Terminal Tower, The Arcade (modeled after Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, Italy), and the West Side Market (amazing indoor quality foods market) are operating spaces, worth seeing, and it doesn't cost anything to view them. The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of the nation's premier collections, and there is no admission charge. Free orchestra concerts at the Cleveland Institute of Music are open to the public and feature musical talent of young musicians from all over the world attending the institute. Other institutions with regular free events are Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Public Library (another amazing structure), the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Cleveland State University. Some beautiful churches such as St. John's the Evangelist Cathedral downtown (relics of St. Christine are on display), Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy, and a plethora of (religiously and architecturally) diverse churches in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood are open to the public most hours of the day. Also in Little Italy and Tremont are ARTwalks that feature art from local galleries, free food sampling, and live entertainment. Tremont ARTwalks are held on the second Friday of each month during the evening, and Little Italy ARTwalks are held the first weekends of June, October, and December throughout the day. Across from the Westside Market in the park on Saturdays during the summer there are open air markets that feature a variety of vendors and free entertainment. Landmarks like Lakeview cemetery contain the graves and monuments of Cleveland's rich and famous including John D. Rockefeller, and President James Garfield. Another landmark free of charge is the Soldier and Sailor's monument downtown on Public Square that honors the 9,000 Northeastern Ohio men who died in the Civil War. There are many opportunities to enjoy nature at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Cleveland Metroparks, or the Shaker Lakes Nature Center. Enjoy the lakefront at Voinovich Park at the E.9th Pier, or Edgewater State Park. Take advantage of the wonderful opportunities to experience a lot of culture, learn a lot of history, and enjoy nature at no expense!

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6 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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