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That's an interesting point. I hadn't really paid attention to Cleveland's off-the-main-drag shops and cafes until I visited other cities and notice they didn't have them; or at least, not in the abundance as Cleveland. This particular French-themed cafe in Ohio City is an example, and one of my fave haunts:
I wasn't aware that Pittsburgh did not have this type of restaurant/retail -- certainly Pittsburgh's commercial strips are impressive, and the amount of thriving retail, esp in areas like Shadyside and East Liberty make me jealous...
But it's interesting, and frustrating, that a lot of visitors to Cleveland often don't explore -- or don't know to explore -- residential areas off the main drag. Case in point is Little Italy. I was perusing the TripAdvisor blog about LI recently, and was driven batty at the oft repeated comments (by some, certainly not all) about how overrated/unimpressive it was because it was just 3 or so blocks of restaurants... I was like: Dude! try exploring areas off the strip and you'll find some of LI's truly unique and cozy spots. Below are a few examples:
Washington Place, your second-to-last link is both a well-rated restaurant and a B&B. Given that it's located 10 minutes from a Red Line rail station (also providing direct airport access), it's an alternative to staying downtown for the adventurous. It also offers close access to University Circle attractions. Note that there is no elevator and guests must haul luggage to upper floors.
Bloomfield, based on these reviews, doesn't appear to be a predominantly Italian restaurant district. Restaurants options also appear much more limited, especially for Italian restaurants, than in Cleveland's much smaller Little Italy neighborhood.
Bloomfield (0.70 square miles) apparently is almost as large as University Circle (550 acres; 0.86 square miles), which has many restaurant options in addition to Cleveland's Little Italy, a UC neighborhood.
Post 119 caused me to think of the Cleveland Hostel, perhaps a not widely known asset of Cleveland.
It's a well-rated hostel and a benefit to budget-minded travelers. It's extremely well-located with both a short walk to a Red Line rail station, the West Side Market, and a wide range of restaurants and bakeries. The Red Line offers easy access to the airport, downtown and to University Circle.
These are the two properties listed as hostels in Pittsburgh. I don't know anything about their access to public transit and convenience for Pittsburgh attractions or to restaurants and other amenities.
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
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Yes, Bloomfield is much larger than Clevelands Little Italy. As others have said, Bloomfield is more diverse in what it offers in terms of restaurants. It isn't so Italian heavy nowadays. Pittsburgh has many great Italian restaurants, but they are spread across the city.
This vlogger below has some really interesting videos on Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The link below is on Bloomfield. His videos are great because they aren't made like they are straight from the cities tourism bureau. They are real and show the grittiness, history, and locality of Bloomfield (and other areas).
Yes, Bloomfield is much larger than Clevelands Little Italy. As others have said, Bloomfield is more diverse in what it offers in terms of restaurants. It isn't so Italian heavy nowadays. Pittsburgh has many great Italian restaurants, but they are spread across the city.
This vlogger below has some really interesting videos on Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The link below is on Bloomfield. His videos are great because they aren't made like they are straight from the cities tourism bureau. They are real and show the grittiness, history, and locality of Bloomfield (and other areas).
Cleveland also has many additional excellent Italian restaurants spread not only through the City of Cleveland, but also through Greater Cleveland. Italian is a significant cuisine, not including just pizza, in Cleveland and Greater Cleveland, unlike in many American cities and metropolitan areas.
Only two Little Italy restaurants (Michelangelo's and Nora) make the following list. Trentina is very near Little Italy in University Circle. There are many additional very good Italian restaurants in Greater Cleveland that didn't make this list of best Italian restaurants in Greater Cleveland (which includes one restaurant in Akron, which, although very near Cleveland (40 miles), is not in the Greater Cleveland MSA (reporters at Cleveland.com typically ignore this fact), but is in the Cleveland/Akron/Canton CSA).
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WRnative
Cleveland also has many additional excellent Italian restaurants spread not only through the city of Cleveland, but also through Greater Cleveland. Italian is a significant cuisine, not including just pizza, in Cleveland and Greater Cleveland, unlike in many American cities and metropolitan areas.
Yep, quite familiar with Italian cuisine. Some of Pittsburgh's best are, just off the top of my head:
A lot of the places on the list you linked seem to be outside of Cleveland. How about Cleveland proper?
From that Cleveland A-list of Italian restaurants, Bruno's (a personal favorite convenient for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo), Cibreo (Playhouse Square), Johnny's Bar, Johnny's Downtown, Lago (Flats East Bank), Luca, Michaelangelo's (Little Italy), Nora (Little Italy), and Trentina (University Circle) all are located in Cleveland proper.
Mia Bella in Little Italy is a personal favorite, but typically ignored in Cleveland.com ratings despite being highly rated by TripAdvisor.com and yelp.com among Cleveland restaurants. Technically it's an Albanian/Italian restaurant, but most diners would perceive it very much as an Italian restaurant.
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Originally Posted by WRnative
From that Cleveland A-list of Italian restaurants, Bruno's (a personal favorite convenient for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo), Cibreo (Playhouse Square), Johnny's Bar, Johnny's Downtown, Lago (Flats East Bank), Luca, Michaelangelo's (Little Italy), Nora (Little Italy), and Trentina (University Circle) all are located in Cleveland proper.
Mia Bella in Little Italy is a personal favorite, but typically ignored in Cleveland.com ratings despite being highly rated by TripAdvisor.com and yelp.com among Cleveland restaurants. Technically it's an Albanian/Italian restaurant, but most diners would perceive it very much as an Italian restaurant.
Yes, Bloomfield is much larger than Clevelands Little Italy. As others have said, Bloomfield is more diverse in what it offers in terms of restaurants. It isn't so Italian heavy nowadays. Pittsburgh has many great Italian restaurants, but they are spread across the city.
This vlogger below has some really interesting videos on Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The link below is on Bloomfield. His videos are great because they aren't made like they are straight from the cities tourism bureau. They are real and show the grittiness, history, and locality of Bloomfield (and other areas).
Just wondering SCR, your experience in Cleveland's little Italy, are you rating it over Bloomfield in terms of just restaurant quality? In terms of whole neighborhood, that's a very tiny business district in little italy Cleveland. In fact so tiny its only really 1 block. But I have to say I have not dined there so can't comment.
Bloomfield is much larger, more varied and diverse. I admit it does not have anywhere near the best Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh, not even close. but it does have a lot to offer as a historical place, and as a fairly large neighborhood with lots of options, and its integrated with the east end of the city, and still does has some old timers from the early days when it was largely Italian. Pittsburgh had quite a few Italian neighborhoods, Bloomfield was one, but also Morningside, a large part of Oakland, and the lower Hill (in the early 20th century), and part of the Strip, and I think a few others I can't recall at the moment. Pittsburgh never really had a centralized little itlay, but had/has a large amount of Italians all over as is seen in the local culture. In fact Pittsburgh area has the highest percentage of Italian americans of any major metro area in the US!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ForYourLungsOnly
Great point. Functionally, Bloomfield doesn't function as a Little Italy anymore as much as it does a diverse, historically dense neighborhood that is quite varied in what it offers. Still lots of Italian influence there but it is kind of mixed in with everything else. Bloomfield is a great neighborhood and beats Cleveland's Little Italy as a neighborhood itself, but not necessarily when looking at it as Little Italy. Cleveland's Little Italy is a very small area but has a nice little downtown strip and its pretty much an extension of university circle
For me I view Cleveland's Little Italy to be better based upon a subjective criterion of authenticity. Decades ago Pittsburgh's Bloomfield may have blown the pants off of Cleveland's Little Italy based upon sheer volume/size alone; however, Bloomfield is now so diluted ethnically, racially, socioeconomically, etc. (with a business district to reflect that) that I wouldn't even know if it was Pittsburgh's "Little Italy" if not for the signage. Bloomfield's primary Italian restaurants (Lombardozzi's, Alexander's, Pleasure Bar) pale in comparison to those in Little Italy in Cleveland, too. I also don't see nearly as many "old time Italian yinzers" in the neighborhood as when I moved here a decade ago---most are dying off or are cashing in their homes to incoming childless Millennials as they retreat to the suburbs. For a point of reference I live adjacent to Bloomfield and am in the neighborhood frequently. I'm only in Cleveland's Little Italy about twice per year.
If you asked me "Which neighborhood would you prefer to live in?" I'd answer "Bloomfield". Its business district is much larger; it is walkable to other business districts (i.e. Shadyside, Baum/Centre Corridor, Penn Avenue in Garfield/Friendship, etc.); etc. It does a terrible job nowadays, though, of being a "Little Italy".
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(though Pittsburgh has a good pizza scene)
