Magazine

Pretending you're a tourist on your own stomping grounds is a fun way to see Northeast Ohio in a new light while also giving your wallet a breather. Check out these gorgeous beaches, ledges and islands that make it feel like you and Toto are not in Ohio anymore. Stay near, get lost but remember to check destination websites for special hours, facility availability and other restrictions resulting from COVID-19 precautions. Many places have special hours for older visitors and for those especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. Up early? Morning hours are usually less popular with visitors, making it easy to have social distance-appropriate outings. ...

Modifications may be necessary to make your home accessible and safe. If you pay for the modifications because it’s your house, it might not make your house more valuable. Sometimes they make your home less desirable when you eventually sell it. You need an open and honest discussion with your folks as to who pays the costs, and it probably makes sense to put it in writing. ...

For anyone, but for the Holberts in particular, it’s got to seem like they’re a long way from Cleveland TV reporter and personality to Woodmere village mayor, from busy IT consultant and volunteer to a homebound community activist. Throw in a pandemic, and the distance is more like a chasm. They’re up to the challenge: outgoing, engaged, and philosophical about the future, they practice social distancing but it’s not an easy fit. They prefer to be with people, not sitting six feet apart from them. ...

Cleveland bluesman Austin "Walkin' Cane" Charanghat is a man and a singer for the times. When a long-anticipated tour was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak, it was a disappointing but not unfamiliar setback for the talented and philosophical performer. Life, as he well knows, requires resets and workarounds. ...

Online order hassles, masks, crack-of-dawn store hours, lousy selections. Wouldn’t it be nice to get food from your back yard instead of a grocery store? Like Victory Gardens during World War II, Pandemic Plots promise to be the go-to hobby this summer. Grab a shovel and get started. ...

If you have a smaller box, just large enough to fit one child, make a race car or a car to take to a make-shift drive-in movie. I could not find four identically sized boxes (they must be the same!) so I bought four plastic storage containers. ...

It’s been a productive few months, by pandemic standards. Aside from stumbling around with Zoom — the video conferencing app — I’ve tackled several projects: pitching failed hair products jammed under the bathroom sink; trimming hair from my golden retriever’s feet and matching plastic lids with bowls. I also sorted insurance statements and moved winter clothes to a back closet.  ...

From love letters that combat loneliness to farmers markets, Operation Cheer, virtual vacations and Impact Awards, read what's Worth Noting! ...