“What do you love about Cleveland?!”
A question my east coast comrades would pose from time to time during my tenure in Boston. The ever-so-popular follow up question was, “Wait, you want to move back? To Cleveland?” – a sheer expression of bafflement spread across their judgey mcjudge faces.
No matter my explanation, oozing with genuine love for a city I had left (with no intention of returning to at the time – a year later my tune had changed significantly after seeing what shade that greener grass actually was), it was hard to convey the energy of the city. So, great, Cleveland’s got some good restaurants, they have the arts. The common misconception was (and is, for that matter in many circles) that we lack a thriving creative community – especially in the city. The people – the boots-on-the-ground stories. There were few visuals that I could share.
So, you can imagine my jubilation at seeing these recent videos from The Downtown Cleveland Alliance:
FINALLY. Visuals to corroborate my narrative. And, more importantly, for the first time in a long, looooooooooong time I feel that there is a civic organization (DCA) that is employing smart marketing tactics + is showing the city in the way it should be depicted. Bravo! The Cleveland of these videos is the Cleveland worth promoting, worth celebrating, and worth building upon. It validates those of us who have made the decision to come back and be a part of this vibrant city as it reemerges and, more importantly, cheers us on as we roll up our sleeves and continue to take this city by her boot straps and collectively shape the Cleveland of tomorrow.
I’m also a Cleveland re-plant who moved away in my 20s only to find myself returning after a few years. I still have my Charleston, SC drivers license, which I show on the (very rare) occasion I get carded nowadays. Doesn’t matter who the bartender is, the question is always the same, “Charleston, huh? Why’d you move back HERE?” I have a lot of answers, for sure.
My family is here. The seasons are perfect. The cost of living allows me to live a very comfortable life. The job market is solid for my industry. I love the park systems. My children have access to great schools and world-class arts+culture. The people are phenomenal. And, sure, we have a handful of exceptional restaurants (although so do other cities of our size, so I’m not so sure why we continue to hang our hat on that common point of distinction?).
But if I could make a few requests to the leadership of Cleveland, here’s my wish list:
Aesthetics – With a few block exceptions (E. 4th and Star Plaza, namely), Cleveland is a field of dingy gray concrete. Big ads painted on buildings welcome people into town (yuk.) How about some color, some art, some planters, to brighten up the place? How about some well-designed, thought-provoking posters to cover the many disintegrating retail spaces?
Cleanliness – What’s one of the first things people say about Chicago? “It’s so clean!” Akron has a team of folks in bright yellow jerseys that walk and ride around downtown, smiling at people while they sweep sidewalks and water the plants. Cleveland could use a hefty investment in that department.
Roads – I think I got pothole whiplash the last time I drove between Tremont and Ohio City.
Development – Is it possible for Cleveland to have more than one thriving retail/restaurant block at a time? It was the flats, then the warehouse district and now E. 4th is having its hey day. What in the world is going on with the flats and why aren’t the powers that be capitalizing on our amazing lakefront assets? And, I was recently traumatized to find, on a recent walk through Tower City, that Nine West was replaced with a store called “Hats for Less.” This seems exemplary of many recent decisions that have cheapened the value perception of our fair city. I hope the addition of the new casino in the Higbee building doesn’t further exasperate the problem.
I don’t mean to soapbox here because I do believe that Cleveland has such potential to draw new residents and businesses, especially with supportive blog posts and initiatives like this. I just hope that, in the midst of all these promotional, positive messages, we can stay focused on the fact that there is plenty more work to be done before the visionary community we speak of becomes a true reality.