The Syracuse Fan Guide To Cleveland, Part I

A bunch of Cuse fans from the Greater Cleveland Area are sending over tips and best practices for those of you heading to the NCAA Tournament game between Syracuse and Indiana State (and beyond).  Here's the first round of suggestions, thanks to Frank Schopler (@frankschopler). Feel free to hit up Frank for more tips on Cle-Town.

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I'll start with the eating and drinking, well, because I like to eat and drink.

Ohio City:

Great Lakes Brewing Company - This is a big Cleveland spot and is located in Ohio City which is a $5 cab ride from downtown. It's essentially right across the Lorain Carnegie Bridge from downtown Cleveland and the arena. The bridge itself is also a famous landmark in Cleveland and you will notice the shot of it at the beginning of Major League. Great Lakes offers tours of the brewery and it offers great beer and food. Also in Ohio City, I would also recommend Bier Markt, which is about a half a block from Great Lakes.

East 4th St - East 4th is right across from Quicken Loans Arena and offers plenty to eat and drink. You can easily walk from the arena and any hotel from downtown.Biggest highlight - Lola. Lola is own and operated by Iron Chef Michael Symon. You are going to have to have reservations to eat here however, no way you'll get in on a weekend with them. Other spots I would say for a drink on E. 4th would be Flannery's Pub and Corner Alley. Pickwick and Frolic is a nice place to grab a bite to eat and they have a comedy club inside called Hilarities. They have comics there every weekend.

Warehouse District/West 6th St. - Two higher end places to eat but both very good located in this area would be Johnny's Steakhouse and Blue Point Grille. I would highly recommend either if you are looking for a good meal and don't care about the price. West 6th is the "club" part of Cleveland and has the most nightlife of bars. The bars can get pretty crowded on weekends. Blind Pig  is located on W. 6th St. and will have all the games on and offers live entertainment on most weekends.

If people are looking to grab a bite to eat before the game by the arena at someplace casual where the games will be on I would saying The Winking Lizard. Pretty good bar food, beer selection, and will have all the tournament games on tv.

If you have a car and want the best meal you can get in Cleveland, it's Red The Steakhouse. You are looking at a 30 minute drive to the east part of Cleveland. Reservations are a must and it's unbelievable.

If people are looking to get out of downtown and see the city a bit, I would recommend Tremont and Little Italy. Tremont is about a five minute ride and offers a couple of great places for brunch, Lucky's Cafe and Grumpy's Cafe. Little Italy is about 15 minutes from downtown and has a great variety of restaurants and cafes.

Downtown places to see: The obvious is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Located next to that is the Great Lakes Science Center and Cleveland Browns Stadium, which does offer tours during weekdays.

Playhouse Square is beautiful and offers a variety of shows each weekend.

Cleveland Art Museum is free and about 15 minutes from downtown. If you are headed this direction, you might as well do Little Italy as well as it's not too far from there.