Public Square at 9 a.m. is like a high-school hallway right before the morning bell rings. Crowds of bodies rush down the sidewalk in unison, like a wave, and eyes stare in blank anticipation of that first-period World History lecture (or an interminable 9:15 staff meeting). People walk shoulder-to-shoulder, clutching briefcases or tote bags. The loners trudge in the opposite direction, their neckties or scarves blowing in the wind. An occasional blonde bounds through the crosswalk with a smile on her face, swinging her attaché case in time to the music on her Walkman. Probably was a cheerleader.

If Public Square is like a high-school hallway, the airport is like the cafeteria. The constant buzzing of conversation hardly wanes during the many P.A. announcements. Small clusters of people sit or walk together, some laughing and some fretting. Those sitting alone with their nose in a book, or leaning back pretending to sleep, steal glances at the individuals around them, examining the clothes of a couple speaking French or eavesdropping on a discussion between two laptop-toting men in golf shirts. Members of the cleaning staff trudge by, pitching half-empty cans of pop and candy-bar wrappers into wheeled trash bins. Ah, the glamour of it all.

Positioned between I-480 and Hopkins International Airport, the One Hundredth Bomb Group restaurant sits like a shelled European cottage overlooking the plane-filled runways of the next century. Ask for a window seat, then watch the puddle jumpers, 747s, and -- if you're lucky -- government-apprehended spacecraft head for the horizon (note: UFOs are seen only after a few libations).

While most strip malls do wallow under the weight of bad 1970s architecture and empty storefronts, there are still a few open-air shopping centers worth the land that's been paved over. If you're looking for dietary supplements or a bad haircut, the best could be any strip mall in Ohio, but if you're after a good shopping fix without driving to the real mall, go no farther than the Promenade. The usual run of stores anchors the complex, but what sets it a cut above is that the parking lot was actually planned before the lines were painted. Assuming no leadfoot yuppie is whipping around in an SUV, you stand every chance of shopping at a strip mall without any traffic incidents -- every entrance even has a light, complete with a left-turn arrow. It's like heaven, without a roof or food court.

If shopping is life, existence must be cradled in the shop-lined corridors of SouthPark. With over 150 places to relieve yourself of that hard-earned paycheck, this Strongsville palace sits like a shopper's mecca. There's everything from Ann Taylor and GapKids to Brookstone and Radio Shack -- not to mention the four mainstays, J.C. Penney, Dillard's, Kaufmann's, and Sears. This shopping juggernaut boasts two floors, a huge food court, game center, and just recently, Internet access.

It was the winged dragon in the window that stopped the Christian woman from Puerto Rico. "You take that into your house, and you'll have trouble," she warns, her blue eyes aghast. It's a rare window display indeed that spooks passersby. You get the eerie feeling at City Buddha that the thing you've found has been looking for you, too. This is the place to go for wood-carved gods with unpronounceable names and scary sculptures. It is also a place to buy tapestries, unusual instruments, and jewelry you expect college students to wear with Birkenstocks. It is not a place to find the devil, just his likeness carved in wood. Next to a statue of Buddha.

The men and women in the gray flannel suits flock to this sophisticated downtown dining room, with its tufted walls, sleek deco bar, and precise service, to fling back martinis ("Shh . . . don't tell the boss. Hey! I am the boss!) and feast on Marlin Kaplan's sometimes-quirky, always-celebrated, great American cuisine. Whether they're wheeling, dealing, or just feeling like recharging those $200,000-a-year batteries of theirs, they know One Walnut is the spot where business gets done over delights like Lobster Nachos and Pastrami Salmon with goat cheese and caper mayo on rye. That sack lunch isn't looking so good anymore, now is it?

Your soulmate just called you by your best friend's name. That page was the school, telling you your kid has been suspended -- again. And you would swear that right here is where you parked the Lexus, but obviously it isn't here now. Does that about sum up your life in the fast lane, Bunky? Obviously, you need a break, a peaceful interlude to smooth your frazzled nerves and get you back on your feet -- at least until the cops find that damned car. And what could be more soothing than an alfresco meal on the beautiful, secluded patio of the Baricelli Inn, where the honeybees buzz, the flowers bloom, and pleasant servers shower you with rustic but exquisitely prepared foods from chef-owner Paul Minnillo's inspired kitchen. From fine wines to platters of artisanal cheeses, to Armagnac ice cream and berries, an alfresco dinner here is bound to remind you -- just when you need it most -- of what the good life is all about.

If you were going to write an instruction book on how to create a top-notch restaurant, Mise could be your case in point. A nearly mystical confluence of the classic and the contemporary, the precise and the reckless, the stylish and the timeless, Mise is that rare spot where the food is thrilling, the service is near-flawless, and the atmosphere is friendly and fun. Chef-owner Jeff Uniatowski has crafted what he calls his "last restaurant" into a real contender on the Cleveland dining scene in less than six months. We can't wait to see what develops after a full year.

Couch it any way you'd like, but the Browns' highly acclaimed quarterback was not the team's top rookie last season -- his primary receiver was. Once lame-duck starter Ty Detmer gave way to Tim Couch, the lame-duck passes were flying everywhere, and Kevin Johnson made the most of his opportunities. Bright futures appear plentiful on the Browns' roster, but Johnson's emergence in the last year was as pleasant a surprise as we've had since they ponied up for hot water in the stadium.