New to Cleveland: A Guide to (Re)Discovering the City

Not Long Ago I Was New to Cleveland

Almost a year ago, I received the book, New to Cleveland: A Guide to (Re)Discovering the City from the amazing Go Media gal, Liz Hunt! I had just begun working at Go Media at that time, and she had the unfortunate (haha) honor of picking me for the X-mas “secret santa.” Because I was “new to Cleveland” she aptly chose my gift after attending a book  signing at the incredible Cleveland hotspot, The Happy Dog. I knew shortly after that Lizzy and I would be fast friends and that this book would be my guide to the coolest places in Cleveland.

New to Cleveland

What’s This Book About?

Whether you’re new to town or a longtime resident, New to Cleveland is your complete guide to exploring the city. Inside you’ll find:

  • Descriptions and walking tours, with maps of 12 Cleveland neighborhoods (and Lakewood and Cleveland Heights);
  • Listings of restaurants, cafés, stores and cultural institutions;
  • Advice on where to send your kids to school;
  • Insights on the Cleveland real estate market and help deciding whether to rent or buy;
  • The best neighborhoods for students, artists, professionals, retirees and those who want to live car-free or car-light;
  • And the answer to the age-old question, “Can I live in a cool old industrial building?”

With more than 50 illustrations by local artist Julia Kuo, and text by writer and urban planner Justin Glanville, New to Cleveland will have you looking at the city with fresh eyes – even if you’ve never lived anywhere else.

100% Local! Written, designed and printed in the City of Cleveland

New to Cleveland

Julia Kuo: WMC Fest Alum

Julia Kuo is a Taiwanese-American illustrator from Los Angeles. After earning her BFA from Washington University in St. Louis, she moved to Cleveland to work for American Greetings. Since then, she has gone on to work as a full-time freelance illustrator, creating a wide range of images for greeting cards, album covers, children’s books, and more. Her clients include Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, the New York Times, and Hachette Book Group. She is also part of a design collective, The Nimbus Factory.

Julia was also one of our featured speakers at the 3rd annual WMC Fest!

Below are some details about her talk, and check out the video to watch her presentation.

  • Talk Title: All I want to do is make cute things
  • Description: I became an illustrator just so I could draw whatever I wanted, but this path has taken me down a few surprising turns. I’ll talk about starting a stationery company, illustrating for the New York Times, and my “100 Days in Cleveland” blog (which recently became the book New to Cleveland).

New to Cleveland

The Neighborhoods of Cleveland

The book begins with a history of the city, a section called “the lay of the land” and “expect the unexpected”,  and continues with the following sections: population & demographics, housing types, and renting vs. buying. The book is then divided into different chapters that correspond with different neighborhoods in Cleveland including:

  • Downtown
  • Tremont
  • Asiatown
  • Ohio City
  • Detroit Shoreway
  • Old Brooklyn
  • Slavic Village
  • University Circle & Little Italy
  • Edgewater
  • Shaker Square, Buckeye & Larchmere
  • North Collinwood
  • West Park
  • Lakewood & Cleveland Heights

New to Cleveland - Downtown Infographic

At the beginning of each chapter, you will get a little history on that particular neighborhood as well as an infographic complete with a map and information such as: “who should live here?”, amenities & community features, population, and walk score.

Afterwards, the chapters are broken down in the following headings, giving you detailed descriptions of what you will find in each of these neighborhoods:

  • Housing
  • Transportation
  • Groceries & Shopping
  • Health & Recreation
  • Eating & Drinking Out
  • “The Once Over”

New to Cleveland

New to Cleveland ends with a summary chapter called, “Settling In”, which gives you information on transportation in Cleveland, arts & culture, Cleveland for Artists, shopping: an overview,  the weather, crime & safety, friends & relationships, gay life in Cleveland, and education in Cleveland.

So as you can see, this is a must read for anyone moving to, living in, or visiting the wonderful city of Cleveland.

New to Cleveland

Where Can I Get this Book

Now that you have a taste of what you will find in the book, New to Cleveland: A Guide to (Re)Discovering the City, you are probably asking yourself, “where can I get this book”?

You can of course buy it online at the New to Cleveland Big Cartel Store, but why not help support local businesses in Cleveland by buying it there. Here is a list of the Cleveland retailers selling this book:

On The Map Series 2

On The Map – Cleveland

Now that you are fully immersed in the glory that is Cleveland, why not stop by the 2nd annual On The Map Screening Party held at the Go Media Headquarters. If you are unfamiliar with On The Map, it is a video series featuring the people and places that make Cleveland a creative, culturally rich, and inspiring place to be. So come out and join us at this year’s event and checkout the event details below: