Hotel Bruce

It was the type of assignment that would fill the heart of anyone worth her Steve Maddens with envy: Go on a shopping tour of Cleveland via the RTA. My bargain hunting heart sang with joy at the prospect.

I’m sure our editor was hoping we could illustrate the benefits of shopping without a car and prove that it’s possible to get where you need to go in Cleveland entirely by public transit…blah blah…shopping…blah…SHOPPING…blah.

Though firmly attached to my Honda, I wasn’t worried about taking the RTA since it was my main mode of transportation when I first moved to Cleveland. A $3 all-day pass will get you anywhere the RTA goes, and the bus drivers and train operators are usually pretty cool— so if we got lost we could ask them for directions. And while I do love Beachwood Place, I get tired of seeing other people wearing the same clothes I buy. So I was looking forward to a dose of truly different clothing choices.

And I wasn’t disappointed. We found so many cool little shops and boutiques on our excursion that I felt like I was in Chicago. I spent enough money that my wallet certainly felt like it was in Chicago.

From Shaker Square to Tower City to the West Side Market and beyond, we had no problem finding places to spend our dough. Overall, I was impressed with the cleanliness of the RTA trains and busses, and the accessibility to so many shops, restaurants and boutiques. Even though no one in our group wore a watch, we caught the Blue line in Shaker Square right on time (thanks to a digital display in the train station with the time and headlines from Cleveland.com). We shopped till our feet were tired and our wallets were worn out.

Click the blue dots on the map above to see pictures of our decadent day of shopping.

Editor's note: Yes, I did say shopping. Since the publishing of this article in June, two of the retail spots featured here—Ex-Ray Clothing Collective in Tremont and Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Shaker Square have closed. Each had their reasons, but nonetheless, the news is met with sadness.