Last week my sister (ever vigilant reader of the NYTimes) sent this article to me.
Great Architecture Finds a Home in Indiana

I thought, we have some pretty interesting buildings here too, so I emailed the link to Betsy O'Connell at the PD.

We are marketing to the gay community now and this points up the back road on a bicycle route, so why not architectural tourism on bike and on foot here in Cleveland?

Here are some excerpts from my email correspondence with Betsy: "If there was a reason to visit Cleveland for its great architecture, which buildings would people come to see? Do we have as many interesting buildings as Columbus, Indiana? Maybe our travel bureau should consider architectural tourism before we tear down any more interesting buildings by interesting architects. Think of the visits we would have if Millionaire's Row was still there."

"Also the Bed and Breakfast angle is a nicely paired here, so coverage of where one might stay that is not a hotel would be great. There is one hostel in Northeast Ohio and it is off in the boonies. http://www.hostels.com/en/hosteldetailsnobooking.php/RecordID.4518 In fact there are only 4 in all of Ohio. There are empty buildings downtown and in the near neighborhoods that could become hostels -- they are just seeking an entrepreneurial type to get them underway.
However, there are some interesting looking B&B options. Here's one that looks like something I would be seeking in another town: http://www.brownstoneinndowntown.com/tour.htm#cottage both properties look great depending on the particular vacation budget. And I am intrigued by this option, too: http://www.stonegables.net/ and this http://www.glendennis.com/ and then there's Private Lodgings.

It would be great to have travel packages for moiré than the guy who comes for the ball game or business or the traveler who is looking for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As the population ages, travelers (boomers like me) are seeking something different. Cedar Points and Disney visits are happily in our past. My husband and I, recently empty nesters, just visited New Orleans for the architecture and the history. The new show at MOCA should give a taste of what Cleveland can become architecturally in the near future, but even now we have the parks and these buildings and outdoor sculptures http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/ohio/cleveland/clevelandindex.html and soon we will have our free Museum of Art back.

With fuel costs going up and up, it is time to rely on Daniel Burnham's idea that vacationers might enjoy the plan of their city so much that they would not travel far when they have vacation time. Our city planners would do well to revisit the Burnham plan for just such reasons. He stated this almost 100 years ago. In Chicago, it works -- there is so much to enjoy. Here we allowed federal highways to divide us from our greatest natural resource -- the lake. But we may be on the way back, if we will stop the senseless destruction of our built environment and retain and celebrate the great architecture we have, bring it back to life and hawk it to travelers.
I am still searching for sail boat charters. Since I prefer the quiet of a sailboat to the motor variety, we often take these when we travel to coastal areas. Where are the Lake Erie Sailboat charters? Where are the inner harbor kayak expeditions or the river kayak or canoe options without going to Hiram? We can make more of our quiet, less commercial, less standard resources here on the north coast."