Some quick questions for the locals

1. N/A [see # 2.]
2. The redline on the RTA runs consistently from inside the airport just below the baggage claim level every 20-30 minutes depending on the time of day. The ride takes about 20 minutes and has a great view of the city, river and lake just before you enter Tower City. You can walk to the park in 5-10 minutes depending on how much scenery you take in if you take the sidewalks. If the weather isn’t so great, you can take a heated underground walkway that connects Tower City to the Q Arena and spits you out 2 minutes from the park.
There is no need to rent a car. Traffic isn’t much of a problem, but parking a car downtown on a weekday is no fun and can cost $15-20 whereas an all-day pass for the rapid is $5 (one-ways are $2.25.)
3. You should be able to walk-up and buy any ticket you want and sit just about anywhere else if you don’t like those seats (the ushers get pretty sparse after the 3rd inning.) Weekday 12.05 games usually have low attendance and the ballpark is 75% empty with portions of the upper tier closed off. If they do it again this year, I recommend the “3 Innings and Lunch” ticket. It’s $15 for a nosebleed behind home plate and $10 in credit on your stub that you can spend on any food item or beer. You can buy it before the game and stay for the whole thing—they just call it “3 Innings” because they are trying to attract the business lunch crowd. The nosebleeds actually have a great view of the field and let you take in the view of the city. If you don’t care for them you can move down to the lower tier after a few innings (which is how long it may take you to catch your breath after the steep climb.)
4. As far as food goes, you can’t go wrong with any of the places on East 4th a couple blocks North of the ballpark. They all have menus in the window. My favorite is Greenhouse Tavern. There are also whole threads on this topic you can reference that hopefully someone can link up.

Have a great visit if you end up making the trip.

Speaking from someone who has had the good fortune to sit in every available section in the park, I can say there is hardly a bad view in the place. Obviously, elevation makes things smaller, but there are very few pitfalls to avoid seating wise. Some of my favorite seats to try and find are View Box, somewhere in the vicinity of behind home plate (if you can get 1st row, you’ll love it) or a low row Mezzanine ticket. They’re cost effective and offer a great view of the game. This is a personal preference, of course, as I like to sit just a bit above the action for a more aerial view. The Indians site has a new (to me, at least) feature with photo views that are clickable for each section that could come in handy.

Also, if you have time, don’t miss a stroll through Heritage Park. Nice little assembly of history.

There have been a number of posts on this topic in the past. Check out the following:

What to do at Progressive Field
Seeking local knowledge
The definitive LGT guide to your Cleveland vacation

The last link, although a little out of date, should be especially helpful.

These are already great resources and information to know. I look forward to visiting Cleveland, and not having to worry about having to rent a car, among the obvious watching baseball aspect.