Let Me Show You The World Through My Eyes
Several people have been making lists of things that they love about Cleveland. You can see a few of their lists here and here and here and here. (Ok, that last one's not exactly PC...or a true list, but it cracked me up). So I thought I'd make my own list of things I love about Cleveland. In no particular order:
Cleveland Metroparks. What do you mean, all cities don't have the wonderful greenery spanning acres and miles for recreation? Sucks to be them. Oh, and while I'm at it, Buzzard Sunday (about 5 minutes from where I grew up) just doesn't get the attention of Groundhog's Day. It's all in the publicity.
Memphis Kiddie Park. I went there as a child and thought that it was the bomb. As an adult, my respoinse is, "no, seriously, is that safe?" Picture the security of a traveling carnival...except it's permanent.
Little Italy (about 10 minutes from where I *currently* live. If you've never been, I'm not sure what you've are missing more - the fantastic food, or the fantastic Murray Hill Art Walk. Oh, or the Feast of the Assumption. OK, you're just missing.
The West Side Market. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Each stand is independently owned. Some of the best feta around. My cats prefer the smokies. What do they have? "Fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats and poultry, smoked items, deli items, dairy items, baked goods, spices and sauces, herbs and other cooking ingredients, floral items, ethnic specialty items, other hard to find specialty items, imported foods, ready to eat foods like burgers, hot dogs, sausage sandwhiches, middle eastern foods, Irish foods, Mexican foods, Greek foods, and many many more." Mmm...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Tomorrow is Saturday - yay!
The Indians (and Tom Hamilton ("Waaaaaayyy back...") and Rick Manning. Though a big part of me misses Herb Score ("Is is fair? Is it foul? It is!")) and Jacobs Field
The Browns (and Jim Donovan) and Cleveland Browns Stadium
The Cavs (and Joe Tait) and Gund Arena
(And mostly how Cleveland fans live and die with them each season, so cutely naive with "this is our year" at first and then it quickly becomes "next year.") (Wait, are the Force and the Barons still here in town? I guess I also like how the city just pretends that hockey and soccer don't exist.) A few of the more heartbreaking losses. Causing ESPN to name it the most tortured city in sports. Yes, Cleveland is #1. Oh, we in Cleveland know and recognize this. We all do. And yet, that adorable naivity makes us say, "This is our year" at the start of every season.
How about the fact that we have all FOUR seasons and it's fucking beautiful (ok, winter is about 3 months too long, but it's beautiful at first). You have no idea what fall is like until you've seen it here. Yes, there are times I want winter to hurry up and leave, and 100 inches of snow this winter really wore on my, but until you've gotten to experience a spring and fall here, you can't realize how nice it truly is.
Mill Creek Falls. Simply stunning. And that is a *new* find for me. After all these years, I can still learn new things about my old stomping ground.
Playhouse Square. The second largest performing arts center in the country. And while I'm at it, Cleveland Public Theatre.
Connie Schultz. Brilliant and articulate, thoughtful. Mondays and Thursdays, and don't you forget it.
The great hospitals that we have in the area. Cleveland Clinic (one of the top 4 hopspitals in the country according to US News and World Report), Rainbow Babies and the rest of University Hospitals.
Lake Erie. (Which I totally can see from my office, along with Cleveland Browns Stadium.)
Legacy Village (also about ten minutes from me).
Pier W. Fantastic view. Open back up soon!!
Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer on 106.5 (I have been listening to these guys since junior high or high school. That makes me feel SO freaking old!) And I've got to include Billy Kraus with them too.
Dick Feagler. I love crusty nostalgia. Even if that nostalgia is for things before I was born. Between Connie Schultz on Mondays and THursdays, and Dick Feagler on Sunday and Wednesdays, The Plain Dealer daily is more than worth it.
The cost of living. Seriously, when I make at least 75% of what at attorney at a large firm makes in NYC at my small firm, and my mortgage on my 2700 sqare foot house is much less than the rent for a studio in NYC or a 1 BR in Boston or Chicago, one word comes to mind - suckers.
Driving. "Bad" congestion and traffic means that my 25 minute commute takes 35 minutes. But it rarely takes longer than 30 minutes door to door.
Lake View Cemetary. 285 acres. Built is 1870. President Garfield's monument. Wade Chappel. The dam. Elliot Ness monument. (And speaking of Elliot Ness ) Rockefeller's monument. Haserot Monument. I like cemetaries, yes, but this is one of the best.
The Goodtime III. OK, it was the Goodtime II when I was in school and went on a field trip.
Gray's Armory. WAY too underused in this town. And if you are into architecture, it's just fantastic.
Fantastic...and the picture doesn't even do it justice.
The Agora. That really is enough said. What great venues.
League Park. The site of the 1st (and only) unassisted triple play in the World Series. I love it b/c it's so random. You are in the middle of residential homes, and all of a sudden, you see the remains of the ticket booth (sadly, the right field grandstand was recently removed). For the baseball fans, want some trivia? Cy Young pitched the first game in League Park on May 1, 1891. DiMaggio set a record by hitting safely in his 56th consecutive game in League Park on July 16, 1941.
The Cultural Gardens. Greek, Scottish, and English. Yup, I'm fully represented. About to get really beautiful there.
The Free Stamp. Just because it makes people from other cities go, "what the hell...What is wrong with you people?" Right there at East 9th and Lakeside and its 28 foot by 48 foot.
Malley's Chocolate Factory. That coming from someone who doesn't even like chocolate. What do you mean, Hershey's sells more? Really? I wonder what has better sales around Easter? At least around here. Oh, but I really do prefer Sweeties, where I can get my candy cigarettes and any old school candy that I'm nostalgic for.
The lighted bridges. This blue one is still my favorite.
I'm sure there are a lot more that are escaping my mind, and I apologize. But there's a few of my favorite things in Cleveland.
Cleveland Metroparks. What do you mean, all cities don't have the wonderful greenery spanning acres and miles for recreation? Sucks to be them. Oh, and while I'm at it, Buzzard Sunday (about 5 minutes from where I grew up) just doesn't get the attention of Groundhog's Day. It's all in the publicity.
Memphis Kiddie Park. I went there as a child and thought that it was the bomb. As an adult, my respoinse is, "no, seriously, is that safe?" Picture the security of a traveling carnival...except it's permanent.
Little Italy (about 10 minutes from where I *currently* live. If you've never been, I'm not sure what you've are missing more - the fantastic food, or the fantastic Murray Hill Art Walk. Oh, or the Feast of the Assumption. OK, you're just missing.
The West Side Market. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Each stand is independently owned. Some of the best feta around. My cats prefer the smokies. What do they have? "Fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats and poultry, smoked items, deli items, dairy items, baked goods, spices and sauces, herbs and other cooking ingredients, floral items, ethnic specialty items, other hard to find specialty items, imported foods, ready to eat foods like burgers, hot dogs, sausage sandwhiches, middle eastern foods, Irish foods, Mexican foods, Greek foods, and many many more." Mmm...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Tomorrow is Saturday - yay!
The Indians (and Tom Hamilton ("Waaaaaayyy back...") and Rick Manning. Though a big part of me misses Herb Score ("Is is fair? Is it foul? It is!")) and Jacobs Field
The Browns (and Jim Donovan) and Cleveland Browns Stadium
The Cavs (and Joe Tait) and Gund Arena
(And mostly how Cleveland fans live and die with them each season, so cutely naive with "this is our year" at first and then it quickly becomes "next year.") (Wait, are the Force and the Barons still here in town? I guess I also like how the city just pretends that hockey and soccer don't exist.) A few of the more heartbreaking losses. Causing ESPN to name it the most tortured city in sports. Yes, Cleveland is #1. Oh, we in Cleveland know and recognize this. We all do. And yet, that adorable naivity makes us say, "This is our year" at the start of every season.
How about the fact that we have all FOUR seasons and it's fucking beautiful (ok, winter is about 3 months too long, but it's beautiful at first). You have no idea what fall is like until you've seen it here. Yes, there are times I want winter to hurry up and leave, and 100 inches of snow this winter really wore on my, but until you've gotten to experience a spring and fall here, you can't realize how nice it truly is.
Mill Creek Falls. Simply stunning. And that is a *new* find for me. After all these years, I can still learn new things about my old stomping ground.
Playhouse Square. The second largest performing arts center in the country. And while I'm at it, Cleveland Public Theatre.
Connie Schultz. Brilliant and articulate, thoughtful. Mondays and Thursdays, and don't you forget it.
The great hospitals that we have in the area. Cleveland Clinic (one of the top 4 hopspitals in the country according to US News and World Report), Rainbow Babies and the rest of University Hospitals.
Lake Erie. (Which I totally can see from my office, along with Cleveland Browns Stadium.)
Legacy Village (also about ten minutes from me).
Pier W. Fantastic view. Open back up soon!!
Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer on 106.5 (I have been listening to these guys since junior high or high school. That makes me feel SO freaking old!) And I've got to include Billy Kraus with them too.
Dick Feagler. I love crusty nostalgia. Even if that nostalgia is for things before I was born. Between Connie Schultz on Mondays and THursdays, and Dick Feagler on Sunday and Wednesdays, The Plain Dealer daily is more than worth it.
The cost of living. Seriously, when I make at least 75% of what at attorney at a large firm makes in NYC at my small firm, and my mortgage on my 2700 sqare foot house is much less than the rent for a studio in NYC or a 1 BR in Boston or Chicago, one word comes to mind - suckers.
Driving. "Bad" congestion and traffic means that my 25 minute commute takes 35 minutes. But it rarely takes longer than 30 minutes door to door.
Lake View Cemetary. 285 acres. Built is 1870. President Garfield's monument. Wade Chappel. The dam. Elliot Ness monument. (And speaking of Elliot Ness ) Rockefeller's monument. Haserot Monument. I like cemetaries, yes, but this is one of the best.
The Goodtime III. OK, it was the Goodtime II when I was in school and went on a field trip.
Gray's Armory. WAY too underused in this town. And if you are into architecture, it's just fantastic.
Fantastic...and the picture doesn't even do it justice.
The Agora. That really is enough said. What great venues.
League Park. The site of the 1st (and only) unassisted triple play in the World Series. I love it b/c it's so random. You are in the middle of residential homes, and all of a sudden, you see the remains of the ticket booth (sadly, the right field grandstand was recently removed). For the baseball fans, want some trivia? Cy Young pitched the first game in League Park on May 1, 1891. DiMaggio set a record by hitting safely in his 56th consecutive game in League Park on July 16, 1941.
The Cultural Gardens. Greek, Scottish, and English. Yup, I'm fully represented. About to get really beautiful there.
The Free Stamp. Just because it makes people from other cities go, "what the hell...What is wrong with you people?" Right there at East 9th and Lakeside and its 28 foot by 48 foot.
Malley's Chocolate Factory. That coming from someone who doesn't even like chocolate. What do you mean, Hershey's sells more? Really? I wonder what has better sales around Easter? At least around here. Oh, but I really do prefer Sweeties, where I can get my candy cigarettes and any old school candy that I'm nostalgic for.
The lighted bridges. This blue one is still my favorite.
I'm sure there are a lot more that are escaping my mind, and I apologize. But there's a few of my favorite things in Cleveland.
posted by -Me @ 3/25/2005 11:35:00 PM
6 Comments:
At 9:27 AM,
George Nemeth said…
Dick Feagler?!
At 10:37 AM,
Stephanie said…
I like the zoo, the R&RHoF and the big fricking arrows on the higway that tell you about sharp curves. I've never seen that anywhere else.
At 2:58 PM,
-Me said…
Yup. Dick Feagler. He's so crusty. "I remember the Cleveland that existed when I was young..." You gotta love it.
The zoo is fantastic as well, but I get bored before I finish the zoo. Short attention span and all. I do so love the monkeys though. I personally think that The Rock Hall has better architecture outside than stuff inside. But that's just me. You mean Dead Man's Curve on 90?
At 3:45 PM,
Chox said…
What a great post...it's pretty much what I tell everyone about Cleveland. It's nice to hear that coming from someone who lives there...all too often I hear a Clevelander bitching about the town and how much it sucks, not realizing just how easy and pleasant life is in Cleveland. The standard of living is much higher in Cleveland than San Francisco, that's for sure...and I can actually see myself buying a house there someday, maybe in the area I grew up, Cleveland Heights.
Another thing I like about Cleveland I haven't seen anywhere else are those signs that tell you what road you'll be coming up on in 500 feet, and those neon arrows that say "NO" underneath some traffic lights. Those are exclusive to Cuyahoga County, actually. Also, I've never seen a road with the lighted red "x" and green arrow (Carnegie, and Cedar Hill) anywhere else in the country.
Anyway, I'm glad you liked my post. :-)
At 6:51 PM,
Dern said…
Cool to see something of Cleveland. Makes me want to blog some aboot Portland (have to fit that in sometime).
And the red "x" and green arrows from the comment above: They have them in the tunnels on the H3 here on Oahu.....and I've seen them in the tunnels to Vancouver, BC (except BC isn't part of this country).
At 12:10 PM,
Anonymous said…
What happened to the Flats? Last tiem Iw as there (August '03) it was DEAD and half the places were empty/closed. & Do they still hold the race at the Airport on the lake?
I really like Cleveland, what little I've been there. I loved drving MLK past all the little gardens for different nationalities and ethnicities. RVery cool, and I found it by accident when I made a wrong turn.
Post a Comment
<< Home