We’re in the big leagues now: Cleveland was recently named a vacation destination on the hit TV game show the Price is Right. Valued at over $6,000, the Forest City getaway includes a six night stay in a King Suite at the Metropolitan at the 9 (daily breakfast included!), plus round trip air fare to and from L.A. Our good pal Matthew Chojnacki snatched up a clip of the prize presentation and graciously published it to his Facebook page for all to enjoy:
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2015.
For travel destinations worldwide, Cleveland is probably not even in the top 300. This city is great but come on. Cheap prize.
I just moved from Cleveland to LA. I’m sorry, but as much as I love my hometown, I simply could not see considering it a privilege to win a trip there. At least not without free tickets to the Rock Hall, a few museums, a Cavs Game, $2000 to spend at the Horseshoe, and free VIP/bottle service at several clubs. Architecture tour? Tremont and Little Italy? boo
And the contestants have to pretend to be excited about it.
I’ve travelled enough to learn this: If you’re in a Sun Belt city that sprung up mostly since the Model T, your city has less history and architecture than Cleveland’s little finger. While cities like LA, Miami, and Las Vegas are iconic in and of themselves, they just weren’t big places until well into the 20th Century. Meanwhile, there’s a ton of Civil War history, industrial history, cultural history, and natural history here that just doesn’t exist in the same way as these other places. And we do have plenty to eat, see, and do here as well. When I locked my keys in my rental car visiting LA, the locksmith talked about how his sister lived in Parma and made Ohio sound like this lush green fairy tale fantasy just like I thought of California as a rugged fairy tale fantasy! He was amazed that we don’t have to irrigate our crops, water our lawns, and he was impressed by how there were so many trees. We may not have everything LA has to offer, but we DO have a lot of things LA does not offer as well. And with all the tourism-based improvements in the city of late, I would say that Cleveland is DEFINITELY a worthy tourism destination! Especially now that we have a dining and brewery scene to with the history, architecture, the Lake, the parks, and the museums. Not every city has this stuff like we do!
No way that prize is actually worth $6,000.
Well Put Lee Hawkins!!!!!
It also includes the opportunity to become GM of the Browns for one day — and, please remember, top-flight WR’s are not that important.
I also think people want to see everything IN downtown in any city. Problem is, there is SO much to do outside of the immediate downtown area. I assume most people don’t know this. The city and suburbs have a ridiculous amount of amazing food. It’s truly a foodie city. It has one of the top rated symphonies and art museums in the America. You can literally spend an entire day in the art museum (rated #16 in America by Fodor’s). Yes, it is very cool. The little neighborhoods are fantastic beer drinking crawls. The West Side Market….incredibly rich in history and if you grab a bagel, a coffee or any of the immense varieties of ethnic foods and just people watch on the upstairs level, its fun. Even downtown…there are so many good places to eat and fun clubs. Cleveland also offers the biggest theater district in America outside NYC. Some of sports teams suck, yeah, but at least they are consistent and there always seems to be a party surrounding a Browns game or a Buckeye’s (who do NOT suck) game. Hahaha. In a nutshell, there’s a lot of venturing out to the very nearby suburbs that makes the city on the whole a great place…not just the downtown streets. The Metro at The 9 is a cool place but even more so if you’re VIP. It’s just different. Oh, and people there don’t have a stick up their booties in Cleveland.
I could blow $6,000 easily there.
Did the guy win?
The contestant won, and then did the worm on stage. Thanks for posting this clip! Well over 100K views! Go Cleveland.
Second prize – two weeks in Cleveland.
I grew up there. I couldn’t wait to get out west; got a job & flew to Los Alamos. Cool. Then moved to Phx., SF Bay Area, L A. & Colorado. I’ve been to the Louvre and theVatican, Maui and Kauaii and skied at Lake Tahoe & every place in Co. I recall Cleveland had some nice parks, museums & old neighborhoods. Cedar Point Is a drive, the islands are seasonal and the beaches well, are toxic. But the people are great, so please venture outta there and expand your horizons!
Oh golly BarbaraCoast, you’re such a cosmopolitan. Tell me more about all the places you’ve been…
I’m originally from Manhattan and now from Philly. Philly is also an industrial town with lots of history. I’ve been to 20+ states and lots of cities.
For the record, I like Cleveland; it’s a great place!
A note on prize values: I doubt any of us would spend $6,000 going to any city. The value is based on paying top dollar/non-discounted prices. Using the internet, one could easily cut those costs in half.
Did anyone notice this was on the HALLOWEEN episode. So is it a trick or a treat?
I’ve travelled a lot and Cleveland is not the most exciting place on the planet, but neither is it the worst place as some residents seem to think. There is a lot of good stuff here that tourists are interested in – the Rock Hall, Art Museum, Cleveland Orchestra, extensive park system & national park, many excellent restaurants, the Cavs and of course that huge lake out there. The best part is that, unlike most cities, it is affordable and there is not a 16 hour traffic jam on the highways everyday. Unfortunately there are still unhappy people living here who hate the place and have nothing good to say about it. I’m not sure why they are here. Why torture yourself by living in a place you hate?
Wait wait wait…. this is not another Cleveland joke ?….
Uhhh yea let’s see how many people come flocking to cleveland now that we’ve won a championship!!! Hahaaa GO CAVS!!!
I think you would need to be a certain type of person to actually choose to vacation in Cleveland. That’s not to say it’s not a cool, up and coming city, but I highly doubt the average person or family would be excited to come here. Summarizing, Cleveland would be a very cool 2 day trip, but I feel there are tons of similar, “cool little trips.” I love the positive recognition, but lets not mistake it for New York, City now…
Cleveland is a hidden gem with many things to see and do. It was the 4th wealthiest city at the turn of the 20th century. The theatre district is gorgious. Our history is rich. Edison, Ford, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and many presidents stomped these grounds. As like NYC we have many pockets where people came to when they immigrated. China Town, Little Italy and Slovic Town. This is why our food is so delicious. Things to do, see and experience continues on. Come see, dive in.
Hey Barbara Coast –
Phoenix is awful. It has zero character and is a ghost town most of the time because of the heat.
People in the know call the “SF Bay Area” simply the Bay Area. It’s not all that beautiful honestly.
I enjoy L.A. and it is gorgeous.
Colorado is cool for people like you that have not really ventured much. If you’ve seen the Canadian Rockies, the Alps, or even Glacier National Park in Montana, and then you go back to Colorado, it’s meh.
GASP…seasonal islands? Most islands have an undesirable season, whether it be the wet season or winter. What islands are you going to in Colorado and Phoenix? Do you hit up Alcatraz a lot? There’s not too many people hitting up Catalina Island in the winter. I was there during spring break even and there was not many people there.
You’re a bit pretentious.
Only two types of people live in Cleveland: 50% can’t sell their houses and the other 50% are part of the Federal Witness Protection Program.