Why are you going to Cleveland?

Checking the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame off the bucket list was the easy answer.

And next time I can check going to a Cleveland Indians' game off that list.

Next time?

Yes. Cleveland was much more than I expected. The city has done little things that make a big impact -- translating into an atmosphere feeling that's very modern while keeping its urban fabric.

First, my friend Karen and I spent an entire day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We took our time, lingered over the exhibits that interested us and paced the video stops so we could get off our feet often enough.

The Hall is on the shore of Lake Erie (right next to the Science Center and the stadium where the Browns play). And checking out the water and a small park was a needed change from walking a couple of steps, looking a bit, reading a bit, looking again and taking a couple more steps.

Heading back downtown, we were lured to a courtyard where a band was playing light jazz and drinks were available for a reasonable price. Dinner was at one of the many restaurants in the 4th Street pedestrian mall. The next day we explored the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the art museum before walking to Little Italy, where we happened upon a bocce tournament and a delightful restaurant. (And full disclosure, my traveling buddy offered to go to an Indians game, but I'm the one -- me, the baseball fan -- who declined.)

So, what made Cleveland so appealing? Two tiny things jumped out at us: planters and trash containers. The planters were simple, but angled and torqued so that they made a statement. The stainless steel trash cans had interesting perforated patterns that elevated them above the purely utilitarian. These basic elements were on new, wide sidewalks along old and new buildings.

Except for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the attractions we visited were smaller than their counterparts in St. Louis, but downtown gave off a clean, safe, positive vibe that surpasses what's been achieved, so far, by large chunks of downtown St. Louis.

Not everything in Cleveland sparkles. One of the buildings we walked by was being gutted; some around Playhouse Square were boarded up. And I certainly didn't see all of downtown. But as the driver coming in from the airport told us, "Go walk around downtown. It's clean, and it's safe." He could have added that it has a lot of fun waiting to be discovered.