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Just thought I would post a little something about this, since I am a huge nerd and and this is one of the BEST years in recent memory for meteor watching!
The Persied meteor shower is one of the more famous meteor showers, in part due to the fact that they happen during the warm nights of early summer when people can really enjoy being outside to watch them!
The earth, as it moves around the sun, passes through this zone of little comet bits from the comet Swift-Tuttle every year around this time, and meteor "showers" result. Sometimes it's a pretty cool light show, sometimes not as much, but you can ALWAYS see some nice meteors if you follow my advice.
This year is particularly interesting because it so happens that there will be little to no moonlight to interfere, and we just happen to be coming into TWO clear nights on the expected peak days for the shower. Rare enough in Ohio.
My suggestions:
1) Find a DARK place. Nowhere within 270, and really not within 10-20 miles of the outerbelt loop are going to be dark enough. A lot of these meteors are only going to be as bright as that constant orange glow that hovers over the city, so the darker your sky is, the more meteors you will see! Also, the humidity is working against us this week. Haze reflects the light pollution and makes it worse. The more humid it is, the farther away from the city you need to be. If anyone has access to a nice rural site and wouldn't mind sharing, please post it.
2) Find a site with OPEN sky. This is not something that happens in one place in the sky. You need to be able to see as much area as possible, particularly in the North-East. A gap in the trees is not going to work well. A bare hilltop with clear 360 view is ideal.
3) GET COMFORTABLE. The BEST way to watch for meteors is on your back looking more or less, straight up for a good while. I like to use picknick tables or pick-em-up truck beds. Put down a blanket and a pillow and prepare to just relax and watch the stars move overhead. Don't forget BUG SPRAY.
Turn ALL the nearby lights off or block them from your view (truck beds work great for this) so your eyes adjust to the dark. This adjustment takes about 20 minutes to happen fully. NO LIGHTS. Oddly, a RED LED light will let you see things and will not interfere with your eyes adjusting. Once the lights are off lie down and look UP. People say that both caffine and alcohol will limit your eye's dark adaption. But, you know what? I've always found comfort and enjoyment are more important, so if you're like me just enjoy that coffee and don't worry about it.
4) Don't concentrate on one piece of sky. The meteors will mostly seem to come from "the north-east". But in reality, they'll be everywhere. Just kind of relax your eyeballs and try to take in the sky. Sometimes you'll just see a quick "flitter" of a meteor, sometimes you see one big enough and long lasting enough to really get your eyes focused over to it.
5) The "peak" is supposedly thursday night/friday morning. Because of the geometry of the motion of the planet the best-of-the-best should be friday morning just before sunrise. HOWEVER, remember that this is all inexact. The reality is that meteors are happening now and will be happening for several days, so anytime between yesterday and monday you'll be able to enjoy at least part of the show.
6) If you want to advance science, look on the web to participate in one of the meteor counting experiments. By counting meteors seen in different places astronomers can deduce different things. You'll need a counting device, like a clicker.
7) HAVE FUN
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