Catch You on the Flip Side!

Another great Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting has come and gone…

Nearly 1,800 archivists descended on Cleveland this year for informative sessions and educational opportunities, networking and socializing, and (we hope) exploring some of the great food and attractions that Cleveland has to offer. You logged nearly 450 visits to Cleveland and other Northeast Ohio repository tours and open houses.

We hope you found our Host Committee blog helpful in navigating your adventures in Cleveland! We are so pleased to have received more than 9,600 visits to the blog. So thanks to all who let us help you plan and enjoy your trip!

Thanks also to everyone who volunteered and contributed to the local service projects! For the Cleveland Animal Protective League, $3,420 was donated–including money and the value of items donated through the Amazon wish list–and on-site at the conference donations of blankets (some hand-knitted), food, toys, and office supplies were accumulated for the shelter. The Shoes and Clothes for Kids project collected two boxes of donations on site, and the volunteer group packed 40 boxes of shoes and clothing at the SC4K Cleveland location.

We look forward to seeing you all again in Atlanta in 2016…Or, as they say in the music biz (how could we resist one more music reference from the Rock and Roll Capital of the World?):

Catch you on the flip side!

Vinyl Spin by Darren Cowley via Flickr, Creative Commons license

Sincerely,
Your Archives 2015 Host Committee 

Janet Carleton (co-chair), Ohio University
Jennie Thomas (co-chair), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Leslie Cade, Cleveland Museum of Art
Jillian Carney, Ohio History Connection
Ron Davidson, Sandusky Library
Jeremy Feador, Cleveland Indians
Nicole Laflamme, The J M Smucker Company
Rita Knight-Gray
Angela Manella
Lisa Rickey, Wright State University
Anne Salsich, Oberlin College
Jill Tatem, Case Western Reserve University
Judy Wiener, The Ohio State University

HELLO, CLEVELAND!

By Janet Carleton and Jennie Thomas, Host Committee co-chairs

The #SAA15 Host Committee is so very happy to welcome you to Cleveland!

We’ve shared with you almost everything we know about Cleveland and the local Northeast Ohio area, and we hope you’re able to use that information to have an amazing time while you’re in town! Our fabulous Host Committee, alongside a great group of volunteers, will be staffing the registration desk as well as the Convention Center’s St. Clair Avenue entrance for the week, and we look forward to answering your questions and helping you navigate your week. SAA has also arranged for the Cleveland visitors bureau, Destination Cleveland, to have a table at the Convention Center to provide you with even more information on what to see and do!

And now for something every visitor to Cleveland needs to see…

Neighborhoods: Warehouse District

By Jennie Thomas, Host Committee co-chair

The Warehouse District is a nationally recognized historic district located in downtown Cleveland. It is roughly bound by Front Avenue, Superior Avenue, West 3rd Street, and West 10th Street. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. There are a number of clubs and neighborhood bars, and restaurants for your entertainment, including Bar Louie, Barroco, the Blue Point, Brasa, Chop, Hanabi Sushi, Taza, Gillespie’s Map Room, Take 5, the Velvet Dog, and many more.

Courtesy of the LAND Studio

The Warehouse District is also home to a public art installation, Warehouse District Anthology, a collection of stories depicting the history of Cleveland’s first neighborhood. Designed like book pages, each freestanding element is the artistic creation of artist Corrie Slawson, exploring Cleveland history as curated and written by Thomas Yablonsky. Another major landmark in the Warehouse District is Cleveland’s Old Stone Church, the oldest building on Public Square and the second church ever built within the city limits.

See the Warehouse District’s website for more information on these attractions, restaurants, and much more!

Neighborhoods: Gateway District

By Jennie Thomas, Host Committee co-chair

Courtesy of www.clevelandgatewaydistrict.com

Just steps away from the Renaissance and the Convention Center, the Gateway District is home to East 4th Street, unique stores and bars, Progressive Field, Quicken Loans Arena, and five hotels. The area is a perfect spot to step out during lunchtime or unwind after a long day. Don’t-miss restaurants include Chinato, the Greenhouse Tavern, Lola, Pura Vida, the Flaming Ice Cube, Erie Island Coffee Company, and Vincenza’s — though honestly it would be very hard to go wrong with any of the food in this area! The CLE Clothing Company is a must-stop-shop for Cleveland-associated clothing and tchotckes. For more information on the Gateway District, check out their website or Yelp to decide where to go!

Neighborhoods: Tremont

(photo courtesy of Greater Cleveland Life)

Contributed by Emily Poirier

Tremont, one of Cleveland’s oldest neighborhoods, and the former location of the defunct Cleveland University which has since become the lovely Lincoln Park, is an up and coming neighborhood full of restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and historic attractions.

Located west of the Cuyahoga River and south of the Ohio City neighborhood and Downtown, the most popular and walkable Tremont area is centered around the Chelsea Building, one of the oldest high rise buildings in the city.

Tremont is home to a number of noteworthy restaurants including Lolita, a trendy spot from the well-known chef and restaurateur, Michael Symon, and more casual eateries featuring sunny patios like The South Side and Fat Cats. No meal in Tremont is complete without a visit to Lily’s Handmade Chocolates, a treat for both chocolate lovers and craft beer devotees, or a stop at one of the two ice cream shops, Tremont Scoops and Churned.

Lemko Hall (photo courtesy of THD3 via WikiMedia)

Aside from food and sweet confections Tremont boasts numerous other attractions. This includes quirky clothing and accessory stores like Evie Lou and Banyan Tree, a seemingly endless number of art galleries like Brandt Gallery, Eikona Gallery, and Inside-Outside Art Gallery, and The Loop which is in a league all its own as a two story coffee shop with an extensive record store hidden away on the second floor.

The area is also known for its historic churches which offer a range of different architecture styles like St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and Pilgrim Congregational Church.

Movie buffs will especially enjoy A Christmas Story House and Museum, the original home featured in the 1983 film, and adjacent museum that are both open to the public for tours. And Lemko Hall on West 11th Street, a building with a rich history of its own that is now home to retail establishments and condominiums, but is best known for being the location of the wedding reception in the 1978 movie, The Deer Hunter.

(photo courtesy of Fresh Water)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information

Tremont City Guide. Cleveland.com

Tremont Historic District. National Park Service

 

 

 

 

Neighborhoods: Ohio City

By Jeremy Feador, Host Committee member

Guardians of Traffic (photo courtesy Einar Einarsson Kvaran via WikiMedia)

Ohio City, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Cleveland, is now one of the most popular areas to hang out and grab a beer. A short car ride or long walk from the convention center, Ohio City’s main thoroughfare, West 25^th Street, is where you can grab some food and check out a ballgame at the bar.

If you are looking for a place to run, start at Progressive Field and make the one mile run over the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge over to West 25^th. You’ll enjoy some neat views of Cleveland and be greeted by The Guardians of Traffic.

The Westside Market, which has been covered in previous blog posts, is always a nice stop. However, if you are visiting Ohio City, there is a good chance you are checking out one of the fabulous microbrews. Perhaps the most well-known is Great Lakes Brewing Company. GLBC offers quite a few history themed beers (The Wright Pils, Elliot Ness Lager, Burning River Pale Ale) and a cozy atmosphere to enjoy your delicious brew. Rumor has it that Elliot Ness’ gun went off while in the bar (before it was GLBC) and the bullet hole can still be seen. GLBC also offers tours on Fridays and Saturdays.

Great Lakes Brewing Company (photo courtesy GLBC)

Across the street you can visit Market Garden Brewery. August in Cleveland is usually very enjoyable, so grab a beer and join some friends in Market Garden’s patio. Follow in the footsteps of Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio and visit Townhall, another spacious eatery that offers a variety of beers. For the bike enthusiast, stop by Nano Brew. Offering 24 beers on tap, including some of their very own creations, Nano Brew also offers bikers the ability to tune-up their bikes. A partnership with the Joy Machines Bike Shop has helped to create the Nano Brew Bike Tune-up Station inside the bar.

If you are hungry for history (and food) make sure you stop by Mitchells Homemade Ice Cream and Crop Bistro. Mitchells, an award winning local ice cream shop offers a variety of flavors. They even collaborate with GLBC to create (non-alcoholic) beer ice cream. The Ohio City location opened in 2014. The building dates back to 1919 and was once a performance space for vaudeville acts.

Speaking of rehabbing historic buildings, if you are looking for a fancy dinner, try Crop Bistro. Located in a former bank building, the grandiose building has lovely golden ceilings and a spacious feel. Originally built in 1925, the original bank vault still sits intact. In fact, you can even grab dinner in the vault!

Cleveland’s Ohio City has come a long way in the last 30 years. Whether it is to grab a beer, ice cream cone, or dinner, making the trip to Ohio City is well worth it!

Crop Bistro (photo courtesy Crop Bistro)

 

More information:

Ohio City website

Ohio City Guide Cleveland.com

Ohio City (City of Ohio). The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University

Nano Brew (photo courtesy of Discovering Cleveland)

Mobile Apps for the CLE

By Lisa Rickey, Host Committee member

Wondering what mobile apps would be good for your visit to the CLE?

Archives2015 online schedule mobile icon

Well, if you haven’t already checked out the online schedule, signed up for an account to create your own personalized schedule, and bookmarked the mobile app for it, then that should be Job #1. The most up-to-date schedule information is found in this electronic version, so it’s really a must-have for conference-goers.

If you plan to use public transportation, you will want to check out the Greater Cleveland RTA’s mobile apps. Some of the useful services provided include maps, stop times, and notifications.

For general information about Cleveland-area news, weather, sports, and entertainment, make sure you install the Cleveland.com app. Also available from the Cleveland.com apps list are several apps pertaining to specific Cleveland-area sports teams, such as the Browns and the Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper.

Interested in history? (Aren’t all archivists, to some extent?) Then consider installing the Cleveland History app. Developed by the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University, Cleveland Historical lets you explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city’s history.

You can also find Cleveland area cultural info in apps from FieldTripper and the Cleveland Museum of Art’s ArtLens.

Construction Season

By Lisa Rickey, Host Committee Member

There is a running joke that Ohio has four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction. Well, guess what season it is right now? Construction Season.

The most significant construction impacting the conference is that taking place around Public Square, which is located somewhat between the Renaissance Hotel and the Convention Center. There have been some changes to traffic and bus routes around Public Square, to accommodate the construction.

However:

• Parking garages and buildings on the perimeter of Public Square will be open and accessible to residents and Downtown employees.
• Exterior sidewalks along the perimeter of Public Square will be open for pedestrians. That is, you can walk on the sidewalks all around the four sides of the square; only the sidewalks that criss-cross through the center are closed. (This information has been confirmed as current and accurate by a Host Committee affiliate actually visiting the square on August 13th!)

The parking garage of the Renaissance Hotel remains accessible.

Public Square construction map (courtesy of DowntownCleveland.com)

The map above shows the construction area and changes to traffic routes; it has been modified from the original to include markers for the Renaissance Hotel and the Convention Center. 

For pedestrians walking from the Renaissance to the Convention Center, the following route is suggested: Exit the Renaissance near the parking garage on the north side, at W. 3rd Street. Walking on W. 3rd, cross Superior Avenue, and go two blocks north to St. Clair. Turn right on St. Clair. Walk one block east on St. Clair, and you will see the Global Center for Health Innovation, at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario Avenue. A little further down St. Clair from that corner is an entrance to the Global Center, which also connects to the Convention Center. You can use this entrance to get to the Convention Center, and there will be conference volunteers staffing this door to help you with finding where you need to go. If you are enjoying the nice weather or would simply prefer to go in the front entrance to the Convention Center, continue walking a short distance (less than a full block) on St. Clair, and turn left, either up Frantz Pastorius Blvd. (aka W. Mall Dr.) or the Public Hall pathway, and go one block north to Lakeside Avenue, where you will find the front entrance to the Convention Center, at 300 Lakeside Ave.

For more information about the Public Square construction project, visit:

• Public Square, by Downtown Cleveland Alliance
• Public Square Construction Information Packet (print-friendly PDF), by Downtown Cleveland
• Public Square Re-Design, by Cleveland RTA
• Public Square Bus Stops (print-friendly PDF map), by Cleveland RTA
• Driving Directions to the Cleveland Convention Center

For more information about Cleveland construction and traffic in general, visit:

• OHGO: Cleveland (real-time traffic alerts and construction info), by Ohio.gov and Ohio Department of Transportation
• District 12 Construction Project Updates, by Ohio Department of Transportation, which includes a weekly construction update at the upper left

New Exhibit “The Quickening: The Archives Profession in Northeast Ohio, 1957-1977”

A new exhibit has opened in the Special Collections Hatch Reading Room at Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve University, “The Quickening: The Archives Profession in Northeast Ohio, 1957-1977.”

Created to coincide with #SAA15 in Cleveland this month, the exhibit will run through September. Hatch reading room hours are Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For more information contact: kslspecialcollections@case.edu.

Weather Forecast

By Lisa Rickey, Host Committee Member

As you begin thinking about packing your suitcase, you might be wondering: What’s the weather likely to be in Cleveland, Ohio, this time of year?

Before I answer that question, I’ll share just a brief anecdote about Ohio weather. Occasionally, I will make a social media posting including some observation on current Ohio weather, and someone from another state will ask, “Is that normal for Ohio?” And I, a lifelong Ohio resident, reply: “It is ‘normal’ for Ohio weather to be fairly unpredictable, yes.” I’ve seen thunderstorms in December, snow as late as May (though never in August – knock on wood), and even the “remnants” of hurricanes that result in terrible windstorms.

But let’s talk about what is likely to happen next week, shall we?

As luck would have it, the current weather forecast from Cleveland.com (or the Weather Channel if you prefer) is calling for a pretty typical week of Cleveland summer weather: highs in the 80s, lows around 70; some sun, some clouds, and some possible “scattered” thunderstorms; and occasional use of the dreaded word “humid.” As locals will know, it’s not the heat that can be the real “killer” in an Ohio summer; it’s the humidity.

Cleveland Sunrise (photo courtesy of Chris Capell, via Flickr Commons)

So with all of that being said and operating under the assumption that the only thing you can predict about Ohio weather is that it’s a bit unpredictable, how does this translate to packing advice? Here are a few suggestions for your suitcase:

• Plan to dress in layers. Every day, you will be at your hotel, then traveling to the convention center (whether by foot, bicycle, car, RTA, etc.), spending some time in the convention center, probably heading out for food at some point, maybe venturing out to some area attractions (we hope), and back to your hotel again. That’s a lot of potentially varied micro-climates, so give yourself plenty of clothing options.
• Bring an umbrella. Whether you are walking a few blocks from your hotel to the convention center or just hopping off a bus near the entrance, it’s still a good idea to have an umbrella on hand just in case, preferably one small enough to stow in a tote bag while you’re not using it.
• Wear the right shoes. No matter where you’re staying or how you plan to get to the convention center, you will be doing at least a little walking outdoors on pavement—potentially wet pavement. So bring comfortable and reasonably water-resistant footwear.

That should cover it—and you—rain or shine!

For the truly weather-curious, check out this database of Cleveland Weather History, including such facts as historical highs and lows for a given date.