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Tomorrow is “Bike To Work Day” brought to you by Bike Cleveland. Leave the bumper-to-bumper traffic behind and feel the freedom beneath your feet. As an added incentive to push the pedal to the… ahem, mettle, the RTA is offering free rides for anyone with a bike tomorrow. And Bike Cleveland is offering a number of activities around town throughout the day.

To get your “motor” running, two Energizing stations will be set up.

1. Crank-Set Rides will be serving Phoenix Coffee on the East End of the Lorain/Carnegie Bridge.

2. Heights Bicycling Coalition will also be serving Phoenix Coffee at Edgehill & Overlook.

There will also be events set up in University Circle and Downtown.

1. University East Plaza
Phoenix Coffee will be providing coffee, Constantino’s Markets will be offering bananas and juice, plus pastries will be provided courtesy of Bon Appetit.

Activities include:
• Info on upcoming charity rides from Pan Ohio Hope Ride and MS Pedal to the Point
• 121 Fitness – raffles, smoothie discounts, free showers for cyclists
• Cleveland Yoga
• Bike shops, safety checks

2. Cleveland Bike Rack
Phoenix Coffee is providing coffee, Fresh Fork Market is offering savory breakfast items and Pocket’s Vegan Pastries is providing breakfast vegan cookies.

Activities include:
• Info on upcoming charity rides from Ride United and MS Pedal to the Point
• Bike gear showcased by Raleigh Bicycle
• Tours of the Bike Rack
• Bike shop, safety checks

There are also several evening activities after work.

1. One to One Fitness is offering free Happy Hour Yoga at 5:30 p.m. to anyone with a bike helmet.

2. The Cleveland Cinematheque is showing “The Kid With A Bike” at 7:30 p.m. Regular admission is $9 and it’s just $7 with a bike helmet.

There are plenty more events in the works. Keep up to date on “Bike To Work Day” activities throughout the day on Twitter by using the hashtag #BTWDcle. See you on the road!

What are you doing next Wednesday? Get your buttbutt over to BuckBuck for Drawing Club! The Cleveland art gallery hosts a drawing club, which is a freeform free-for-all. Open to the public every Wednesday at 7pm, you’ll find folks fiercely sketching flights of fancy. The atmosphere is informal and social. BYODT (bring your own drawing tools) and BYOB for added inspiration. Why sit at home alone when you can share, collaborate and create with some really awesome folks.

BuckBuck Gallery is a mixed-use creative studio located in the heart of Ohio City. Masterminds Joe Lanzilotta, Derek Maxfield, Zach Christy and Brad Pierce kicked off the gallery’s inaugural show in 2012 with “Palookafest.” They have since presented a number of exhibits, all while hosting lectures, offering inspiration, promoting local musicians, providing yoga classes and supporting the community. BuckBuck’s latest installation, “Heavy Petals” by Molly Pamela runs through April 6, 2013.

Follow them on Facebook for all the latest happenings. Whether you pop in to the Drawing Club or attend the latest opening, do yourself a favor and get to know the Cleveland art gallery BuckBuck.

Below you’ll find my creation that came out of the drawing club, inspired by one of my favorite Metric songs.

What do the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rosie the Riveter and the Rubik’s cube all have in common? They all reside in Melamed Riley Headquarters. Here at Melamed Riley we do our best to stay young at heart. If you walk through the office, you will find each space personalized with its own youthful flare. From toys to games to candy, we like to keep our inner child’s heart content. You should know Mom did an excellent job of teaching us how to share. Contact us to schedule a play date.

Here are just a few items laying around the office:

During the West Side Market Centennial Celebration, I had the opportunity to explore the Cleveland Hostel just a few doors down. Immediately upon walking in, I was greeted by the proprietor, Mark Raymond. He was very welcoming and happy to let us wander through the building on a self-guided tour.

Immediately, I noticed the fantastic logo designed by Stephanie Sheldon that terrifically captures the spirit of the hostel. Throughout the interior, you’ll notice phrases treated in oversized typography making guests feel even more welcome. Select walls painted with vibrant colors give each room its own unique feel. With 15 private and shared rooms, the hostel can accommodate up to 60 guests. Common areas invite patrons to “gather,” quite literally. The fully equipped kitchen boasts “Cook and enjoy, but clean and put away.” However, it’s the rooftop deck offering an unsurpassed view of the Cleveland skyline that might leave the biggest impression.

Overlooking Ohio City and the West Side Market, the Cleveland Hostel is conveniently located on West 25th, just south of Lorain. The hostel offers not only a soft place for many weary travelers to rest their heads, but a surplus of food, shops and entertainment all within walking distance. If you need to venture out of Ohio City, the RTA stop is a one minute walk away. Other amenities include; lockers, parking, bicycle storage, laundry facilities, free wi-fi, sheets and towels.

The next time I have friends visiting from out of town, I’ll be sure to point them in the direction of the Cleveland Hostel. I hope you do the same. If anyone has stayed at the hostel, I would enjoy hearing about your experience.

Moving to Cleveland has been a delightful experience. I’ve been here for two and a half years and have grown to think of Cleveland as home. Cleveland has an incredible foodie scene, an awesome music scene, scores of renowned theaters and boatloads of things to do any given day of the week. So, what’s missing? A waterfront scene.

I attended the Ingenuity Fest last weekend, which moved from under the Detroit-Superior Bridge in years past to the Port of Cleveland. With a make-shift boardwalk, the new location gave attendees a glimpse into what a “waterfront” could be like, so I started looking into what’s on the urban development agenda.

Many folks wax poetic about the heydays of “The Flats,” which up until the early-to-mid-nineties, had the highest concentration of bars in the Midwest. Since then, most of the riverfront has been demolished. Left to remain a pile of rubble, that is, until now. Development is already underway and Phase I of the East Bank is set to be completed in the Spring of 2013.

Also, in April of this past year the City Planning Commission approved the “Cleveland Downtown Lakefront Plan.” The plan consists of mixed-use commercial development of the waterfront between West 3rd and East 18th Streets. You can check out the development plans here. They also have a feedback form you can fill out, which I encourage everyone to use to share their comments or suggestions.

One suggestion is to add a retail incubator similar to the “Idea Hatchery” launched last year in East Nashville. With lower rents and shorter leases, the incubator allows small, creative businesses to hit the ground running. This would attract residents and tourists alike, with unique local offerings. It would be a great addition to the existing Cleveland Incubator, Bizdom and LaunchHouse.

Urban development and planning takes time, but it finally looks like the time has come for Cleveland’s Waterfront. What do you hope to see in the new development plans?

If you’re like me, you sit in front of a computer for countless hours on end. I work out regularly; however, that may not be enough to offset the damage caused by being sedentary for multiple hours at a time according to Gretchen Reynolds in her new book, “The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer.” Her advice, stand for two minutes every 20 minutes for a prolonged life and reduced risk of disease. Setting the timer on my phone as a reminder has helped, knowing that certain projects can create a time warp. If you have a deadline to meet and are chained to your desk, no problem, you don’t even have to go anywhere, just stand. May you all live long and prosper.

Nicole Melville and myself (team name: Corn Stars) have entered our second season of cornhole madness! The Playhouse Square District Cornhole Tournament puts on a fantastic fundraising event for its nearby peeps and has 54 teams this season. Last year we took second place so we will be gunning for the gold this time around. We lost our first game of the season last week so we will be fighting for our lives in the losers bracket. Gotta love double elims!

Discussing the weather seems to be the default conversation during your daily elevator trip; however, with many cities reaching the 100 degree marker all around the US, weather is likely the main topic of conversation blitzing your Facebook and Twitter feeds. “I’m melting” seems to be a recurring status update, and many are searching for ways to beat the heat. Jim, our resident mixologist here at Melamed Riley, recently whipped up a cool batch of margaritas for our ping-pong tournament. The margaritas were so refreshing, I thought now would be the perfect time to share a new Vitamix recipe sure to help you chill out. I decided to draw inspiration from They Draw and Cook and create an illustrated recipe (and a modest homage to the untouchable style of Kate Bingaman Burt.)

Let us know what you think of the recipe and please note: the alcohol is always optional. Enjoy!

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend AIGA Cleveland’s annual “Cranky Camp,” sponsored by Cranky Pressman, which is located in Salem, Ohio. Cranky Camp can be best described as an introduction to letterpress. With access to two Vandercook presses and a vast collection of woodblock typefaces, vintage engravings, paper, and ink, our options were limitless.

We were told to brainstorm ahead of time, so as not to feel overwhelmed. Inspiration struck while I was watching the documentary “Eames: The Architect and The Painter.” A quote from Charles Eames, “Never let the blood show,” seemed to be perfect for such a project.

Owner Keith Berger and shop Print Maker Jason Vaughn showed us the ropes, then set us loose. After taking a moment to train myself to read backwards, I assembled my layout. Below, you will find the finished product. A big thank you to Keith and Jason for teaching us newbies a thing or two about this amazing craft. This was such a fun experience. I highly recommend anyone wanting to learn more about letterpress to attend the next Cranky Camp.

If you are interested in the history of the Cranky Pressman shop, Melamed Riley’s very own Joseph Hughes wrote a stellar article for HOW Magazine last year.

Assuming that “Fresh Air,” “Car Talk” and “This American Life” are a given, I’ve compiled a short list of podcasts that will keep you thoroughly entertained for the duration of your workday. Without further ado, here they are as described by the podcasters themselves:

WTF with Marc Maron — Comedian Marc Maron is tackling the most complex philosophical question of our day — WTF? He’ll get to the bottom of it with help from comedian friends, celebrity guests and the voices in his own head.

The Nerdist — Brought to you by Chris Hardwick, The Nerdist is a place where we nerds come together and share the nerdery that we find.

Let’s Make Mistakes — Mike Monteiro and Katie Gillum of Mule Design talk mostly about design and how to do it, with a few tangents along the way.

The JV Club — Remember what it was like to be an awkward teenager? And remember how some things haven’t really changed that much for you since then? Join proud dork Janet Varney as she explores the highs and lows of the bygone years with some of her favorite women as they talk their way through the terrible teens into adult-lescence. Warning: This Podcast Contains Sincerity.

Skalarbro Country — Featuring Randy and Jason Sklar as they give their weekly comedic takes on the worlds of sports and pop culture. You don’t have to know about sports to enjoy it, as long as you like silly puns and great comedians.

Accidental Creative — For those of us who work with our minds, or “create” everyday, the pressure continues to mount to produce better work, faster. The Accidental Creative podcast addresses how to thrive in the create-on-demand world by instilling practical, everyday practices to help you stay prolific, brilliant and healthy in our life and work.

Girl on Guy — Join Aisha Tyler and her guests as they rant about stuff guys love: Video games, action movies, comic books, fast machines, sex, small batch spirits, bar fights and blowing sh*t up.

SModcast — SModcast is the meandering palaver of a pair of dudes whose voices are so dull, they don’t deserve to be on the radio (and, hence, aren’t). Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier are SModcast. The best thing about SModcast? It don’t cost nothing.

The Complete Guide to Everything — A weekly podcast that hopes to vanquish Wikipedia as the go-to reference for knowledge about anything and everything. From North Korea to Nicolas Cage, Tim Daniels and Tom Reynolds leave no stone unturned in their humble quest to make the world a more informed place.

The Bugle — The Bugle, one of the universe’s leading satirical comedy podcasts, featuring John Oliver (star of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart) and Andy Zaltzman (not a star of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart), lives on.