The Cleveland Play House production of "The Game’s Afoot," a Clue-meets-Christmas Carol murder-mystery-comedy, has earned an Edgar Award nomination for Best Play from the Mystery Writers of America. Written by internationally-acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig, the show re-imagines the classic character of Sherlock Holmes by casting its protagonist, William Gillette, as an actor portraying the famed sleuth in a play-within-a-play set in the 1930s.

"The G... Read more >

Defying a Rust Belt reputation may not have been the primary goal of Re-Imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland, but winning a National Planning Excellence Award from the American Planning Association proves the local initiative is well on its way.

Re-Imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland began in 2008 with a singular goal: bring Cleveland’s neighborhoods back, one vacant lot at a time. Led by the City of Cleveland and urban development organization Neighborhood Pro... Read more >

VentureBeat, a media company that covers technology, recently published an article on the best connected airports in the country, which examined the 40 busiest airports and their Internet connectivity. Thanks to fast and free wireless Internet, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) made the cut.
 
"If you do require constant Internet access, it helps to know what the best options are in terms of airlines and connecting airport locations," the reporte... Read more >

When it comes to food TV, the top of the mountain, most would have to agree, is "Iron Chef America." One need only look to Michael Symon to see how much influence this star-builder of a show can have on a chef's career.
 
That's why Cleveland chef Jon Sawyer has been smiling ever since he got the invite to compete on the Food Network show. Though taped a few months back in Kitchen Stadium, the episode will finally air this Sunday, January 22. As alwa... Read more >

GotSaga, an interactive site that allows people to share stories, recently featured an article on the 10 best museums in the country. No surprise, The Cleveland Museum of Art was on the list. Also sharing the list are The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
 
"The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum situated in Wade Park, in the U... Read more >

The City Advocates program is an effort by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) to engage young professionals in the revitalization of downtown. For two years, City Advocates attend monthly meetings and take on projects that will help advance downtown. Every two years, a new batch of skilled community leaders emerges from the program.
 
"The program has truly taken off in the past three years," says Gina Morris, DCA's Director of Marketing and Public Re... Read more >

The Daily Meal, an online publication devoted to food and drink, recently published a feature crowning the "Top 20 Restaurant Views in America." Lakewood's Pier W restaurant garnered the #18 position.
 
"Some restaurants focus on locavorism, others on great service, and still others on creating unforgettable experiences and signature dishes. But there's a special category of restaurants across the country, one that showcases where they’re ... Read more >

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has yet to open, but it is already generating national buzz.

In a recent article in USA Today titled "8 Big Openings of 2012," the aquarium is featured alongside attractions like The Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor, Egypt, SkyPoint Climb on Australia's Gold Coast, and the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement -- aka the Mob Museum -- in downtown Las Vegas.
 
"What's new -- or newly reopening -... Read more >

 
Thanks in no small part to some very large elephants, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo closed out 2011 with some very big attendance numbers. By welcoming 1.32 million guests during the year, the zoo earned the title of "#1 year-round attraction in Northeast Ohio."
 
This translates into a 16 percent increase over 2010 -- and given the amount of rain that fell, those are truly impressive figures.
 
That puts the zoo's string of 1 mill... Read more >

Good news for artists who would like to submit their ideas for this year's Lunar Chinese New Year sculpture show, the seventh in a series of popular annual public art campaigns. The deadline has been extended to Friday, January 20.
 
January 2012 marks the start of the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese calendar. Once again, St Clair Superior Development Corporation (SCSDC) will install numerous fiberglass sculptures -- this year, dragons -- featuring unique design... Read more >

Forbes, the publication that specializes in the whipped-off listicle, has once again included Cleveland in one of its infamous lists. Only this time, it's a flattering inclusion. Compiled with help from a travel editor from Midwest Living and the publisher of an online guide to the country’s best road trips, "America's Prettiest Neighborhoods" rambles cross-country like an RV on an unending vacation.
 
In the feature, Cleveland's University... Read more >

Writing for Switchboard, the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Kaid Benfield examines a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland that illustrates the importance of a dense urban core.
 
The study reveals that cities that maintained their core densities between 1980 and 2010 -- like Atlanta, Philadelphia and Chicago -- saw overall growth of their greater metro regions. While cities like Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, which suffer... Read more >

A writer for the Washington Post files a post about Cleveland Indians Snow Days, which takes place at Progressive Field from Thanksgiving to mid-January. The family-friendly attraction is a festival of winter sports, with ice skating and tubing facilities installed in a place that typically sees a different sort of sliding.

"My husband and I have been making annual summer pilgrimages to Cleveland for several years now to visit his family, and the trip always includes... Read more >

"Thinking about moving? You should consider Cleveland."

So begins an article in The Atlantic Cities, which discusses recent investments totaling $7 billion in Cleveland's economic diversification, infrastructure and the arts.

Among projects mentioned are the $560 million makeover for University Hospitals Case Medical Center, $465 million convention center and medical mart, $350 million casino, and development in University Circle, including Uptown a... Read more >

Cleveland chef Jonathon Sawyer was included in TIME magazine's year-end list of top 10s, which covered topics ranging from music and literature to gadgets and memes. Sawyer earned the #7 spot on the list of Top 10 Food Trends.

Penned by TIME food writer Josh Ozersky, who visited Greenhouse Tavern this summer, the item calls out artisinal vinegars and bitters as a hot new food trend. Sawyer's hand-crafted vinegars make their way into numerous dishes at his E. Fourt... Read more >

On Monday, November 14th, the Board of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) approved 88 grants totaling $1,029,164 for its 2012 Project Support cycle. The awards include traditional PS I grants and the new Project Support II, a small grant program that provides awards of up to $5,000. Grants range in value from $625 to $49,333.
 
This year garnered the largest number of applications in CAC’s history. A total of 131 organizations submitted Intent to Apply materials,... Read more >

A new Cleveland-centric book joins the slowly growing bookshelf of info-packed guides to our fair city. Written and self-published by Cleveland State University urban planning grad Justin Glanville, New to Cleveland: A Guide to (re)Discovering the City is targeted both to new arrivals as well as those who'd like to rediscover their city.
 
Readers will find general information about various Cleveland neighborhoods, including listings of restaurants, stores and cul... Read more >

"For the inductees [to the Rock Hall], the reward can be enormous," writes Janet Morrissey for the New York Times. "Weekly record sales for a performer or band leap 40 to 60 percent, on average, in the weeks after selection, says David Bakula, a senior vice president at Nielsen SoundScan. While winning a Grammy often helps one album, a nod from Cleveland can lift an entire back catalog."
 
In an article titled, "Battle of the Bands (and Egos) ... Read more >

Great Lakes Brewing Co. continues to rack up the gold.

At this year's World Beer Championships, America’s oldest international beer competition, Great Lakes snagged multiple gold medals. The Ohio City brewery's Dortmunder Gold Lager, Eliot Ness Amber Lager and Oktoberfest all took home ribbons.
 
The World Beer Championships are considered one of the top beer judging events in the craft beer industry.
 
Drink in the rest of the good news here.

If a quilt panel were created to represent your life, what would it look like? Clevelanders have the opportunity to see panels that honor the lives of local people who have died of AIDS -- panels created by their family and friends for the national AIDS Memorial Quilt. The public is invited to view portions of the quilt at MetroHealth Medical Center until Wednesday, Dec. 7. 
 
Among the local stories behind the panels: Ana Rodriguez was a spirited young girl who ... Read more >