The RNC is invading Cleveland. Here's how to escape without leaving town
Can't get tickets to the Donald Trump Show? Here are five apps to help you find alternatives to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
You flew into Cleveland hoping to catch a glimpse of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. Bad news: Roughly 50,000 people are expected to hit the city for the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena. Get in line.
The good news: There are plenty of other things to do on the North Coast.
Here are five apps to help you enjoy Cleveland, even if you won't get to meet The Donald.
Get your bearings
Don't know your way around Cleveland? Download the Cleveland Travel Guide with Offline City Street Maps from Apple's App Store for an interactive experience in iOS. It's a mouthful of a name, but the app, which shares colors with the NFL's Cleveland Browns, incorporates augmented reality that provides live views of the nearest restaurants, shops, museums and points of interest in the city.
"You won't get lost!" the app vows.
Wanna know where all of the hip stuff is in town? The CoolCleveland app is here to help. The app is the authoritative voice on hot restaurants, neighborhoods, shops, art, shows, parties and just about anything else that's happening.
The CoolCleveland app can keep you up on all (what else?) things cool in town.
Tom Mulready, the site's cool creator, says, "We've got our finger on the pulse of all things Cleveland."
Historical significance
There's also Cleveland Historical, a free app that, you guessed it, puts much of Cleveland's rich history in the palm of your hand. Designed by Cleveland State University, the app provides information and context on the people, sites and events shaping the city. It's updated monthly and gives users curated tours of Cleveland combined with audio and short videos. The app currently features 572 stories and offers thematic tours, including one of the Erie Canal.
Barrel of monkeys
The RNC isn't the only place that will be going ape in Cleveland. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo app offers maps of the zoo's 183 acres, which houses roughly 3,000 at installations with names including the African Elephant Crossing and the Australian Adventure. Surprisingly, the directions to the monkey enclosure lead to the Primate, Cats & Aquatics building, not the Quicken Loans Arena.
But I like it
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, possibly Cleveland's biggest tourist attraction, misses a beat by not having its own app. But the city's popular Alternative Press music magazine has put one together about the museum that's complete with playlists and videos.
Of course, an app won't be necessary for most of the week. The rock museum will only be open between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the convention because the GOP has booked it for festivities.
Donald Trump playing air guitar? We'd pay to see that!
For more details on social media at the RNC, check out our interview with Twitter's head of news Adam Sharp.