On a city night...

With the Flats having spiraled out of control and into the Cuyahoga gutter, the city has been looking for a new central entertainment district for a few years now. There's always the theater district, which is definitely something to be proud of, but anything that's not a stage or a starbucks in that area is basically dead in the water. Gateway's livelihood depends on Lebron more than Nike's does. The Warehouse District has come up very strong since its resurrection from the industrial graveyard, with its thumping beats and young professional appeal, but the options orbiting St. Clair & West 6th just aren't varied enough to take the reigns as Cleveland's main entertainment hub. The lakefront? Yeah, you and I both wish...

But out of nowhere, a young, new champion has come to fulfill all of northeast Ohio's entertainment needs. Enter the mighty East Fourth Street Entertainment District. The area just east of Public Square may still be smaller than the others, and just a little bit grimier too, but the all-around package that it offers is potent.

Flannery's Pub is a casual, comfortable, and just classy enough type of bar that lends itself to just sitting around and hanging out while feeling that you're doing something special.

Pickwick & Frolic offers a friendly, hearty dining environment that prides itself on its brick-oven cooking, and specializes in fun. Pickwick is also home to Hilarities, which has quickly risen to become the city's premier spot for standup comedy, overtaking the Flats-bound Improv.

The House of Blues offers recognizable, national appeal with a restaurant and concert venue that draws attention by the name alone. The restaurant offers bayou-themed cuisine (think Fat Fish Blue but smaller and darker), while the adjoining concert venue is packed to the brim with trendiness and faux-charm that is sure to thrill hipsters and infuriate keith.

Vivo lives across the street in the Euclid Arcade, and provides the area with a stylish, fashionable place to dine that would compete with anything the warehouse district has to offer.

What gives this area the edge over other entertainment districts is the variety, and it's only going to get better. Because next fall, developers plan on opening what they hope will be a major player in Cleveland's nightlife options in Corner Alley. Hugging the intersection of East 4th & Euclid Avenue will soon be an upscale martini bar/indoor and outdoor restaurant/16 lane bowling alley. Bowling alley! This is how you live a vibrant, posh city life in the midwest. Furthermore, Gameworks is also looking into moving into the area, and will hopefully give the playful atmosphere that Dave & Buster's denied when they decided to anchor themselves in northeast Ohio through Westlake.

If Second City had been able to survive through those first few troublesome years, there'd be no doubt about where Cleveland's entertainment core resides. But as it stands, the East Fourth District has the potential to really become something special.

Bowling... welcome to Cleveland.