To Beliveland, The Land, the 216, the city that I love. This is for you.
I may have grown up in one of the many outlying suburbs of Cleveland, but the CLE will always be my 2nd hometown.
Cleveland has seen a lot in its 180-year history. From the Rockefeller family basically running the city, to the phrase Rock-and-Roll literally being invented here, to the Cuyahoga river infamously catching on fire, to Art Modell being one of the most hated men in the city; Cleveland has stood tall despite everything that has been thrown at it. Our population may be under 500,000 but we Clevelanders are larger than life.
It’s not hard to spot a Clevelander out from a sea of people. We’re a special kind of people from a more than special city. Yes, we may say our A’s weird, call soda ‘pop’, and not be the best drivers but we are the most dedicated people you will ever meet; we waited (somewhat) patiently for 52 years for a major league sports championship, we will stand in the cold and snow watching the Browns even if they are down 5 touchdowns in the last quarter, we will wait until Christmas time for Great Lakes Christmas Ale, we will hate the Steelers and the Yankees until the day that we die. We will do anything for this city.
We are the type of people that will stand in line for hours just to try a new restaurant that sets up shop downtown (especially when it’s a Michael Symon restaurant since he’s a Cleveland native himself). We are the type of people who complain about how bad one of our major league teams is doing and yet we will buy season tickets for that very same team.
Cleveland isn’t just a sports town. Cleveland houses many museums that are toured by hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world every year. The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the most decorated and famous orchestras in the world. And not to mention that the Cleveland Clinic is home to one of the top heart and cancer research labs in the country. Not to mention the food (Slyman’s, B-Spot, and Zocala are some of my favorites). The many suburbs of Cleveland are even more special. From the great shopping in Beachwood and Westlake, to the picture perfect scenery in Chagrin Falls and Geneva-on-the-Lake to the nightlife in Coventry Village and Lakewood. Cleveland really is a city for everyone.
I have such an indescribable love for this city and the people who make it the great place that it is. No matter where my life takes me, I will always come back to this city.
