So, during high school, I had some friends who liked to cruise up and down Mayfield Road, heading east through Lyndhurst and Mayfield Heights, looking for excitement, or just to see what was happening in the world, to feel a part of the hustle and bustle of life (and/or look for cute boys). But of course that route, past strip malls and temp agencies and sports bars, has got nothing on the small stretch of Mayfield that travels through Little Italy in Cleveland—and which, of course, is best traveled by foot.

U.S. Route 322 starts at the intersection of East Roadway and Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland’s Public Square (becoming Mayfield Road as it enters Little Italy) and extends through Ohio into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. US 322 is a 494-mile east-west highway, but if you are craving hazelnut gelato, espresso or artichoke pizza; carved wooden figures, stained glass ornaments or photographic artwork; or the refuge of 100+ year-old Holy Rosary Church or craftsmanship of houses even older than that, then there is an about one tenth of one mile segment of Mayfield Road that might be of particular interest to you: the portion that extends down the hill along Lake View Cemetery, past new row houses and old eateries, galleries and bakeries, gift shops and cigar shops, until it hits Euclid Avenue and extends into Uptown.