Today, the great industrial port of CLEVELAND - for so long the butt of jokes after the heavily polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire in the early 1970s - is no longer the "Mistake on the Lake." Although the path back from acute recession (another 1970s legacy) is by no means complete on a citywide basis, the downtown area is now a hub of energy. Cleveland boasts a sensitive and fond restoration of the Lake Erie/Cuyahoga River waterfront, a superb constellation of museums, glittering city center malls and new downtown super-stadiums. Add to that the recent arrival of several major corporate headquarters and classy hotels - and, of course, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - and there's an unmistakeable buzz about the place.

Founded in 1796, Cleveland profited greatly, thirty years later, from the opening of the Ohio Canal between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. During the city's heyday, which began with the Civil War and lasted until the 1920s, its vast iron and coal supplies made it one of the most important steel and shipbuilding centers in the world. John D. Rockefeller made his billions here, as did the many others whose now-decrepit old mansions line "Millionaires' Row." This has become a no-go area, along with several other bleak and faceless danger spots. Despite the investment of billions of dollars, the scars of deprivation are still visible if you wander too far off the tourist path.

South and west of the city are several spots of interest, including the quaint lakeshore community of Vermilion , the tiny liberal college sanctuary of Oberlin , and the charming hamlet of Peninsula .