There is nowhere else that people are more proud to be from than Cleveland. No matter what the outcomes of our sports teams are or the number of car accidents we get into during the winter, we never get sick of the beautiful city. Here are 11 ways you know your real home is in Cleveland, Ohio.
1. You refer to Cleveland as Believe-land.
Not only do we use this nickname to believe that one day our sports teams will thrive, but we use it because we believe in the entire city. So much wonderful change has come to Cleveland in the last few years and it’s obviously recognized. The Republican convention is coming to us in 2016 and you better believe we’re proud of that.
2. People tell you that you have an accent.
“Say apple.” Everywhere we go, other than Ohio, we’re told we talk “funny” or we say our “A’s” weird but did you know that the Northeastern Ohio accent is the most sought after broadcast accent around the U.S.? Well, now you do!
3. You tell people Halle Berry is from Cleveland.
It’s always awesome to be from a place where a well-known celebrity is also from but she isn’t just any celebrity. She’s an Academy Award winner, a Golden Globe winner, one of the world’s sexiest women and yep; she’s from Cleveland. She also went to the driver’s ed school in Highland Heights which gives anyone else who did bragging rights. You probably sat in the same seat as her at least once. Go you!
4. You have a love/hate relationship with LeBron.
The entire city came together to burn his jerseys and for months, some even years, following his leaving we wore “Quitness” t-shirts to prove our disappointment toward him. Yes, we were angry and hateful but Cleveland runs through our veins and there was no easy way to let him go. With that being said, he's back and I feel a championship coming on.
P.S. Have you seen his role in the new movie "Trainwreck"? One of his lines is "Cleveland's great for the whole family," so A for effort in winning our hearts back, LeBron.
5. You don’t care if anyone else likes the Browns.
Stop telling us we suck, we already know but does it look like we care? We’re die-hard Cleveland sports fans and we’ll never change the channel or turn our backs on them. No matter how many games we lose in the last three to ten seconds, we love watching them. Other teams can’t give you the same astounding football experiences the Browns can!
6. Jim Thome AKA Jim T-homerun-e is your hero.
Thome! Thome! Thome! He is everyone’s hero. You cried when his time in Cleveland came to an end in 2002 and you cried even harder when he signed a one-day contract with us in 2014 to officially end his baseball career as an Indian. We love you forever, #25!
7. You’ll always remember it as “The Jake.”
Jacob’s Field is and always will be Cleveland’s home to baseball. The awful corporate name change to “Progressive Field” killed a little bit of all of our childhood memories.
8. You know every movie or song where Cleveland is mentioned.
It’s a surprise any time Cleveland is mentioned in a movie or a song because of how many people preach their hate toward our city but once we see or hear, we never forget. When backlash toward Charlie Sheen and his drug and alcohol addictions occurred, nobody from Cleveland sided against him. He pitched us a winning World Series game in “Wild Things” and while it may not have actually been real life, it was real to all of us.
9. You never miss the Feast in Little Italy.
Whether or not you’re Italian, you always mark it on your calendars. There will be nothing standing in the way of you, pasta and meatballs in August; not work, not anything. It’s a time where people from all over the outskirts of Cleveland come together to enjoy music, great food, strong drinks and Italian heritage.
10. You’re obsessed with Great Lakes Christmas Ale.
The only two times of the year we’re blessed with the beer is during the holiday season and for about a week in honor of Christmas in July. The Christmas cookie taste and immediate buzz it gives is glorified by the people of Cleveland. If anyone outside of our great state refers to Lake Erie as “mistake on the lake” they’re undeserving of the thirst quencher and you should remove it from their hands immediately.
11. Your go-to dining spot is a Panini's Bar and Grill.
They're everywhere and they're delicious. A stacked sandwich, a pile of perfectly cooked chicken wings or a tall beer; there is nothing like an experience at Panini's. If you're a regular, which you probably are, you know the staff by name and they know your order by heart. It's a family kind of establishment and in Cleveland, we love family.
