(whatever "your city" is--whether it's where you grew up, or where you've decided to settle down)

 

This was inspired by another thread.  I was going to post my story as a reply, but realized it would be way off-topic.

 

I moved to the Youngstown area for a job in June of 2000.  I didn't know much about the area at all, but my coworkers quickly informed me of Youngstown's bad reputation. ( :shoot:)  Since I was new to the area, they gave me advice about where to live; "stay in the suburbs."

 

Two years later, I was unhappy with my life.  I still thought Youngstown was depressing, and I was ready to leave.  So, I was going to move to Cleveland to live with some college friends. (since the two of them were women, we even planned on using the "Three's Company" TV show theme on our answering machine)  But, that move fell through.  Instead of moping about, and wondering what might have been, I decided to make the best of a bad situation, and buy a house in the city, near the park.

 

My coworkers, who were still my only knowledge base for the city, weren't to aghast at this idea, only because I was moving to the west side--the only part of the city generally thought to be marginally livable--and near the park.

 

For the next couple years, I continued to hold my negative prejudices about the rest of the city.  I just assumed I found some sort of oasis, because I loved my house and neighborhood.  Then, in 2004 or 2005, a local architect put together a lecture series and tours of local historic buildings.

 

The first lecture was about P. Ross Berry, (an African-American architect/builder/brick mason) and was held in the Helen Chapel that he helped to design and build.

 

The second lecture was on the history of Mill Creek Park, and was held in the Pioneer Pavilion.

http://www.millcreekmetroparks.com/RentaFacility/IndoorFacilities/PioneerPavilion/tabid/1855/Default.aspx

 

The third event, a guided tour, was held at Stambaugh Auditorium.

http://www.stambaughauditorium.com/

 

While sitting in the Pioneer Pavilion, listening to the history of Mill Creek Park, I began to realize that there was more to Youngstown than crime and blight.  So, I started to seek out more information about the city, and others who had an open mind about the city.  The more I learned about the city, the easier it was to see past the blight, and to put its problems in perspective.  For example, many locals blow the crime problem out of proportion because they have this idealized memory of never locking their doors, or playing flashlight tag in what is now considered one of the worst neighborhoods in the city, when they were younger. (not that the crime problem isn't real, and shouldn't be overlooked)

 

As I continued to look, I began to find others who were trying to improve the city they clearly loved.  And, I think that is when my conversion became complete.  When I saw there were things to love about the city, and people who loved the city, I was able to love the city.

 

That was long and rambling, so now it's your turn, if you have a story.

I moved to the Midwest (clev) for my spouses work. Unlike so many people on here, I do not have the feeling of home or nostalgia in the Midwest. Some of the people are solid and earnest, but others are frighteningly stuck in their mindset.

We lived in an inner ring suburb-Cleveland Heights which we liked...but got antsy. When we were not out of town, we spent all our time closer to the city/near west side. So we moved downtown and loved it-close to work, our condo, our neighbors and being at the doorstep of the city.  Cleveland really grew on on us, but there were frustrating parts about the culture and environment, so when opportunity called, we went. Probably my feelings flowed  like a bell curve. Needless to say I got out before I became negative-as if cleveland needs another negative person!

I guess Im a convert to Louisville.  I am a native of Chicago and of course that will be my hometown and everyone loves Chicago...though its become a bit too upscale/yuppie/affluent for me.

 

I moved to Louisville with my family and spent my jr high, high school, and college years in Kentucky, in Louisville and Lexington. 

 

I used to think I was just very partisan about Louisville (rose colored glasses and all that), but it seems others think its pretty cool, too.  The place just gets better and better as time goes on, rather than declining the way Dayton is.  I was a convert early-on to Louisville. I think you'll find a lot of Louisvillians are quite proud and appreciative of their city, a lot of positive energy and buzz there, wanting to make the place better and make it more interesting.  People support things there.

 

No I am NOT a convert to Dayton. I am "used to" Dayton.  I am "resigned" to Dayton.  With all those pix and diagrams threads I've posted on the place starting in 2005 (and the research used to set them up), and with that Daytonolgy blog, it was a big exercise on making Lemonade out of a big urbanist lemon.  But what can you make out of that sour and bitter lemon that is the Dayton region?  So I don't do much of that anymore nor bother commenting much on this place here at UO since its a lot more interesting to talk about Cicny, Cleveland (a massively underrated city) and Columbus, since these places actually have a lot going for them.

 

I've lived here for over 20 years and the place just treads water, If I was to be charitable  I think its too small, too poor, and too square (or use whatever word you want to use...conformist, conservative, ignorant, etc...) to ever come around to being a place like Louisville, or even Lexington.  It's depressing to be here, and also a bit laughable (yet pathetic) watching how the locals pat themselves on the back for their various mediocre and half-hearted attempts at urban revival.  About the only good thing I have to say about Dayton is the live music scene & WYSO has given me good times and good listening, that I like hiking the reserves, that Charlies in OND carries real rye bread (imported from Canada), and that Yellow Springs and Cincy are nearby.

 

I guess I never in my heart really moved here.  I guess the place wasnt so cold when I had my partner, but now I notice it more, the way the place is lacking. 

 

But a job is a job and I just work here.

 

 

I've had a roller coaster relationship with Cleveland that could best be described as like-hate-love.

 

I grew up in a pretty small town and went to college in a town that wasn't much bigger. My Mom moved to Cleveland my first year of college, she had always wanted to live up here and had 2 good friends from high school that lived in the Lakewood area so she was familiar with that part of the city and decided to move there. As I was eventually making plans to graduate college and pursue my acting career, I decided to live in Cleveland for a few years post-college as there was a thriving theater scene and I could hopefully build up my resume with some non-college acting roles, maybe do a few indie films and then set out for LA.

 

I had a hard time when I first moved here (Lakewood). I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the "parking police" in Lakewood and got a lot of parking and speeding tickets driving around Cleveland. My first apartment was robbed, my outgoing mail was stolen (twice), including checks which were forged and re-cashed, I fell down the slippery metal fire escape stairs at my apartment that we were required to use to take out the trash, badly injuring myself, and uncovered the source of a problem the female residents in the building had been having for some time with their laundry disappearing - a mildly retarded guy who lived near the laundry room had been stealing women's underwear and taking it back to his apartment. Just a few pairs at a time out of each load. He had several trashbags full when the police finally busted in.  I was also very, very sick with no insurance, on food stamps and working some pretty bad part-time jobs, the only ones I could hold in my illness. I racked up thousands in credit card debt which I used for basically everything I could since I had no money, and I thought it was a pretty hard place to live.

 

I moved around a little and got some better jobs and started getting more theater roles and getting out there in the community. I made some really good friends and had a LOT of good times, probably too good sometimes :) As my situation improved, I started to see Cleveland as more of a really good thrift store - sometimes it doesn't look like much when you first walk in, but if you take the time to look around, go in the back and search through the bargain bin, check out that overlooked rack by the dressing rooms, you can find some perfect vintage pieces for a real steal that others would be jealous of. As I got more jobs, I became more and more familiar with the geography of NE Ohio. I ended up having jobs everywhere, from Solon to Beachwood to Cleveland Heights to Cuyahoga Falls to Rocky River, Fairview, North Olmsted, downtown, you name it. As I got more familiar and became more settled, I liked it. I was pleased with my theater career and getting some good reviews and having a good time. I felt the time was right to finally make my move to LA.

 

I had a terrible time in LA, for a variety of reasons. While there were many, many things I loved about living there, it was an extremely hard life mentally and physically. The stress you're under out there as a female - to look good, to dress right, to always be diligent about your safety, it's a lot of pressure. As I talked to my few friends from out there, I learned that most people's "acting" careers consisted of a) taking lots of expensive classes and b) going on endless auditions for stuff that they rarely got, most of which wasn't even acting. This one was always waiting for a callback to do a non-speaking role in this or that commercial. Another was doing stand-up at the Pizza Hut in Pasadena. I had more acting roles in a 6 month period at home than some people had had in YEARS out there. I realized quickly that talent had little to do with getting work, and that everyone thought actors were flakes and losers and it was hard to get a real job until I lied on my resume that I was an English major instead of a Theater major in college.

 

I found myself in the position of CONSTANTLY defending Cleveland. While there were a few people from "back East" who were nostalgic about that part of the country, most were "good riddance" about it and puffed up with how FANTASTIC this or that was in LA, comparatively.  Perhaps because of the company I was keeping, I saw a much more dangerous and seedy side of LA when I lived there, even though I lived in a glass tower in one of the most expensive areas of the whole country. I was always diligent to make sure nobody was following me home into my neighborhood, never answered the door because of push-in robberies, was gawked at by tour buses and starved myself down to a size 4 just so I could be like everyone else out there, pushing away my plate of dry salad after a few bites because I was "full" and downing another latte so I wouldn't be hungry, then going to the gym for 2 hours. I looked great but was very sick, physically and mentally. I longed for Cleveland and the simplicity of the life and the people. The pangs I had at times of missing my Mom and missing some of the things I used to do were painful. And being in an emotionally abusive relationship with a psycho didn't help matters. I took solace at the ocean when I could, and drank a lot and got high a lot to deal with it. When I came home for a visit and met some friends I used to work with for drinks, they all demanded to know why I was acting so weird and what was wrong with me as I was so "happy" and "fake." I finally broke down and told them how awful it was out there. How I was terrified to drive down the street because people with AIDS bang on your window demanding a handout when you're at a stop light, that I was cautioned never go to through a drive-through because that's how car-jackings happen, how I had to carry a gun in my car, etc. A few short months later and long story short (well, not that short I guess), I made it back home.

 

I've been in a love affair with Cleveland ever since I returned in 1998. As with any love affair, there are times I'm mad at things here or wish things would be different, but I have truly enjoyed watching the city blossom from a foodie perspective. I found my husband here, made a home, and started a family. My son gets the benefit of a close relationship with his Grandmother, and of a big family via mr. rnr's family, who live in Youngstown and who we see regularly. I am constantly making lists of things for us to do - me and the mister on dates, things to do as a family, festivals we plan to visit, etc. Last year we decided to vacation "at home" and rented a house in Amish country for a week and loved it, we are renting a house in a completely different part of the state this year for our vacation. We have joined a CSA and are out there promoting local farmers and trying to make change in our big grocery stores so they stock more local products, and I've seen great improvement there in the past few years.

 

Everyone may not understand it who doesn't live here, but let them scoff. I'm proud to call Cleveland my home.

That's a great post, RNR. 

aw, thanks! sorry I rambled.

I've always loved Cleveland Heights and have always been proud to call that my hometown.  I've never wavered on that.  My love for the region and state has been more of a roller coaster.  At present, I have a passion for the east side, I am loving Greater Cleveland, really liking NEO, and really disliking Ohio.  It's a sliding scale.  For instance, I never say "I am from Ohio"..... I always say I am from "Cleveland".  For whatever reason, I hate it when the response is "oh..... Ohio?".  When I lived in North Carolina (Greensboro and Charlotte) it was the opposite.  I always said "I live North Carolina" and took pride in that, but did not get the same sense of pride for the given City.  Weird.  Quirky.  But it is what it is, I guess.

Yes, I've always loved Dayton (even with the suburban detractors), Columbus, and Cincinnati (my three homes).  This site exists because of it.

I have loved Cincinnati from the very first day I stepped foot in it.  Words can't describe how happy I am to finally call Cincy home. 

i also never offer that i am from Ohio first, always Cleveland first.

 

i think my self-identification is as follows in order of importance:

Clevelander

American (Slovenian/Polish-American)

NEOhioan

.

.

.

.

Ohioan

 

Oh and I think Cleveland rules. The only other place I've lived in was Toledo, and it was not fun. A good place to be in a demanding academic program, since you don't really miss all that much when studying all the time.

 

But maybe I'm being provincial when it comes to my opinion of Cleveland.

 

I'm a native of Connecticut, so I will always be a Nutmegger at heart. I wouldn't say I'm a "convert", nor do I love Cincinnati; I like Cincinnati, but I don't love it. There are a list of things I don't like about Cincinnati, or midwestern culture as a whole, but I won't get into that. The culture in Cincinnati is a lot different and a little harder to adjust to than what I expected. After 3 years of living here, I still feel like a fish out of water sometimes. It gets tiring with people asking me where I'm from, or people saying I talk like I'm angry. There are some communication differences I have definitely come to notice between northeasterners and midwesterners. With that being said, I've met some really cool people here, and the people are a lot friendlier and helpful than back east.

 

I came here for school after one of my good friends as an undergrad was from Cincinnati and he brought me here to visit a few times from Connecticut (he moved to Houston last year) . I fell in love with the historic charm and architecture of the city, not to mention the dirt cheap cost of living, which certainly helps while being a graduate student. After becoming a few years older and wiser, I've learned that visiting an area and actually living in a place are two completely different things. For example, Charleston , SC is a lovely place to visit IMO, but I could never live down there. After gaining more life experience, I've learned not to make a move based upon a few visits to an area.

 

The infectious "doom and gloom" and the "this place sucks" mentality that many of the locals have is a big turnoff. Cincinnati has so much potential, but it frustrating to see the city not capitalize on it.

 

Cincinnati however, has an excellent library and parks system that many other cities would love to have. I love the parks because most are free and are relatively well maintained. Cincinnati could certainly use more bike trails, but I won't hold that against city, given the terrain. Graeter's Ice Cream is also something I take full advantage of, and I also grab something to eat from Alabama's Fish Bar quite regularly.

 

All in all, I'm not a pessimistic person, so I always look at the positive side of things. However, even with the friends I've made, Cincinnati still doesn't feel like "home" which is probably partially due to the fact that the people who are in my close circle of associates are not from Ohio. It still feels like I'm just here temporarily. My gf moved here from Baltimore after she got a job with P&G. She makes good money, but hates her job, the company, and dislikes Cincinnati, so needless to say, she does a lot of nagging.

 

I'm not actively seeking to leave the area, but if and/or when an opportunity presents itself for me to go back to the east coast, I probably won't hesitate to make the move.

Well I grew up in Ashtabula County, spending my youth in Conneaut and my teen years in Ashtabula. I ended up going to college in Akron and worked in downtown Cleveland for while after college. At the age of 24 I moved to San Diego and eventually ended up in Chicago. That being said I will always identify myself as an Ohioan, and specifically a NE Ohioan. Cleveland is the city I still identify with as my home base, and usually just tell people who are non-Ohioans that I'm from the Cleveland area. With Ohioans I say that I'm from Ashtabula, but sometimes they don't even know where that is depending on what part of Ohio they are from.

 

I can't really say that I'm totally hardcore Ohio though. That only applies to the NE part of the state. Growing up near the the eastern border I actually feel much more at home in western PA or western NY than I would in western OH. Places like Bowling Green or Lima might as well be in Indiana!

 

Living in San Diego treated me fine, but did not stay due to high living costs and proximity to home. However, like rockandroller mentioned, I found myself defending my home state and Cleveland a lot in SoCal. That applied both to SoCal natives and people from back east who liked to bash where they came from.

 

I like living in Chicago well enough and love the urban amenities it offers. It's not ideal though. I feel isolated in the center of the Midwest from anything else worthwhile, and I also don't like how the inner city has become polarized between hardcore yuppie and hardcore ghetto. I would dread living in suburban Chicago as well, because I think this would take away all the good aspects about living in Chicago and accentuate the bad.

 

I still have a soft spot for Cleveland and hope it improves. This is something that I pay a lot of attention to and why I ended up on this site. I would most likely move back if the cards fell into place, but Cleveland also frustrates me a lot and it seems like the improvements never happen there fast enough. I feel like if I did move back I would become frustrated after living in other places. It's like the city has been treading water since I left, and I hope all these recent projects coming down the pike do indeed get the ball rolling there.

 

 

The infectious "doom and gloom" and the "this place sucks" mentality that many of the locals have is a big turnoff. Cincinnati has so much potential, but it frustrating to see the city not capitalize on it.

 

 

Agreed.  This is infuriating.  I'm sticking with my story though.  I moved to Cincinnati because it's a beautiful city with a strong history, unique culture, amazing architecture, and tons of potential.  I often tell people, "If you don't see it you're really not experiencing this city."

OTOH, I have never lived anywhere or known anyone who (mostly) didn't complain that "this place sucks" except for my friends who  live in Arizona or Boulder. All my NYC friends say STAY AWAY, living here SUCKS and my LA friends largely said the same thing, though it didn't suck "as badly" or "in the same way" as living "back East." I also have friends that say how great the area is where they live but when I visit, all they do is complain about whatever there is to complain about there - they're too far away from everythign, the traffic, the crime, the lack of people, the over-abundance of retirees, whatever. Even my friends in AZ complain when I'm there about the heat, how you can't have kids play outside, etc. I think people always complain about where they live but will usually talk it up to those from out of town as a good place to live.

HHS78, I have a feeling you will come to realize Cincinnati has gotten further under your skin than is now apparent. Wait till you leave.

OTOH, I have never lived anywhere or known anyone who (mostly) didn't complain that "this place sucks" except for my friends who  live in Arizona or Boulder. All my NYC friends say STAY AWAY, living here SUCKS and my LA friends largely said the same thing, though it didn't suck "as badly" or "in the same way" as living "back East." I also have friends that say how great the area is where they live but when I visit, all they do is complain about whatever there is to complain about there - they're too far away from everythign, the traffic, the crime, the lack of people, the over-abundance of retirees, whatever. Even my friends in AZ complain when I'm there about the heat, how you can't have kids play outside, etc. I think people always complain about where they live but will usually talk it up to those from out of town as a good place to live.

 

Are your friends natives of NYC?

HHS78, I have a feeling you will come to realize Cincinnati has gotten further under your skin than is now apparent. Wait till you leave.

 

What do you mean by this?

I mean you will see that Cincy has become a part of you that you can't shake, and while you say it doesn't really feel like home now, it will feel like a second home once you leave.

^

In the military they used to say your last duty station was always your best. 

I mean you will see that Cincy has become a part of you that you can't shake, and while you say it doesn't really feel like home now, it will feel like a second home once you leave.

 

Oh yeah, for sure! After I leave, I will undoubtedly miss Cincinnati, and I will even come back to visit on occassions.....But that is probably a couple of years away, so I'll continue to enjoy and take advantage of the city while I'm here.

...and it's funny about Cincy.  I'm addicted to that city.  I can't seem to get enough of the place.  Sometimes it seems Im down there every weekend and have been using arts things as an execuse to stay over at that Garfield Place hotel.  I ALWAYS stop in Cincy either to or from Louisville or I just go down there just to go.

 

Its almost like I'd get an apartment down there if it wasnt so far to commute. 

I admit to being biased myself, being a native and all, but giving my best go at objectivity I have to say that people who have lived in Cincinnati and given the city a chance (non-natives) leave with a stronger tie to the city than doing the same with other places. There's something that really gets under the skin and doesn't let go. Maybe the character of the city has a synergistic effect with nostalgia, or being the setting for "the good old days".

 

HHS78, I wonder how your experience with the city might be different if your skin were of the paler variety. In the northeast, I find the racial divide to be less, but the class divide to be more rigid. Obviously I don't know what it's like to be black, but I wonder if the psychological effects of stratification are kind of similar.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

Jeffery, I always thought you fell out of love with Dayton. (which is an option I didn't think of when starting this thread)  It's interesting to know the truth, though.

 

RNR, I can really relate to the thrift store analogy.

 

I never gave much thought about how I answer the "where are you from" question.  Usually, I'll just say I'm from Youngstown.  But, if the context seems to require it, I'll answer: "I grew up in the Canton area, but moved to Youngstown after college."

OTOH, I have never lived anywhere or known anyone who (mostly) didn't complain that "this place sucks" except for my friends who  live in Arizona or Boulder. All my NYC friends say STAY AWAY, living here SUCKS and my LA friends largely said the same thing, though it didn't suck "as badly" or "in the same way" as living "back East." I also have friends that say how great the area is where they live but when I visit, all they do is complain about whatever there is to complain about there - they're too far away from everythign, the traffic, the crime, the lack of people, the over-abundance of retirees, whatever. Even my friends in AZ complain when I'm there about the heat, how you can't have kids play outside, etc. I think people always complain about where they live but will usually talk it up to those from out of town as a good place to live.

 

Are your friends natives of NYC?

 

Not natives, but 2 of them started living there summers when we all were in college together, so they've been living there for over 20 years. They still say the same thing.

Hoo boy, where do I start ... yeah, I'm gonna ramble so bear with me, it'll help me make my point.  :-)

 

Most people seem to think I'm a native Clevelander - I'm not; I grew up about 70 miles southeast of Cleveland - although we occasionally made a trip to Cleveland, I don't have memories of (or nostalgia for) the malts at Higbees, etc. I know 70 miles isn't that much, but speaking to native Clevelanders, there's a difference. Part of me is glad for that because I don't have the poisonous negativity that so many natives do. When I travel, I say I'm from Cleveland. When I'm out and about in Cleveland and someone asks, I say I'm originally from south of Youngstown. Speaking of, that was the closest city for us, which - while I couldn't live there for several reasons, my family is near there and I'm still very fond of certain parts: Fellows Riverside Gardens, the Butler Institute of Art, and if I ever find it I'll post the first photo I ever took of a skyscraper - the First National Tower. I'm not sure how/why, but I always had an interest in architecture -  my math skills weren't up to snuff to actually go into the field, but it always interested me.

 

Now to Cleveland - at age 6 when I accompanied my parents on a trip, my first memory of Cleveland was coming across the Valley View bridge and looking north (I photoshopped this to show the approximate view in 1978):

 

 

To a kid from a humble working class background in the foothills of Appalachia whose "biggest" city experience was Youngstown, Cleveland might as well have been the Emerald City. Yes, in 1978, one of the worst in the city's history. The next time I visited Cleveland was during a traveling church choir tour (don't ask!) in 1990 - our hosts gave us a tour of downtown, including Key Tower (half-way built at the time), the newly opened Tower City and Galleria, etc. I ended up going to Kent State, and afterward I began my career in graphic design - I was living in Hudson and split my time hanging out in Akron and Cleveland. Eventually a friend from Kent State got me hooked up with a job with an agency in downtown Cleveland in 1998. That's also the year I made my first trip to Great Lakes Brewing Company - and discovered my favorite (and still is to this day) is Burning River Pale Ale and the kick@ss photo of the skyline on the label nailed it :-)

 

 

Anyway, it didn't take long for me to realize that commuting from Hudson to downtown would eventually result in me being brought up on vehicular manslaughter charges (you would think people who spend that much time commuting would be better drivers!). So I moved to Cleveland; that whole architectural interest started to manifest itself - on my lunch breaks I would go out, take photos of buildings, just because. In the late 90s, Al Gore invented the internet ;-) and so I was poking around, and found some sites about architecture in NYC, Chicago but nothing really for Cleveland. So I decided, what the heck, I'll just put something together with my photos and a little information. When I started, my site had 5 buildings and was hosted on a GeoCities server. Eventually, it snowballed into what is now clevelandskyscrapers.com (yes, I fully admit it needs major updating!!).

 

 

In 2002, I got an email from publishers at Arcadia Publishing, asking if I'd be interested in writing a book - it never crossed my mind to do something like that but why not? So in 2003 and after lots and lots of work, I became a published author and about 5,000 copies later ... well, I have something to discuss at cocktail parties but not a reason to quit my day job. Btw, to anyone who has purchased a copy - thank you.

 

 

So the book was pretty damn cool, I mean - I have friends who are trying to get published, and my opportunity came to me without me going after it. Then in 2010, I got an email from someone saying "we're producing a sitcom and we'd like to use one of your photos" - although I'm not a negative native, I've lived in Cleveland long enough to be initially skeptical of pretty much anything. Imagine my surprise when a contract arrived in the mail - the arrangements were agreeable and I figured what the heck, give it a shot. Up until the show premiered, my skyline photo never appeared in ads, etc. so I figured they went with an alternative. So *really* imagine my surprise when I was watching the premiere of 'Hot in Cleveland' and my photo was (and is) the opening graphic. Yes, I squealed like a girl. If media reports are correct, 'Hot in Cleveland' has had about 50 million viewers around the globe. Again, I'm a bumpkin from the foothills of Appalachia who likes to take photos of Cleveland- and 50 million people around the world have seen my work on the most-watched cable sitcom in history. If that's not humbling, I don't know what is.

 

 

So with that... I've always tried to have a "make the best of it" outlook on life, no matter where life puts me - not a pollyanna approach, mind you - just that life's too short to remain in any situation or city where you're miserable. I've never had any bitter resentment about how Cleveland is, but I've had frustrations. I know Cleveland has a lot of problems that desperately need fixed and I try to do my part - but I don't take a "WE (as Clevelanders) need to _______". I didn't grow up here, I didn't vote people into office in the 80s-90s whose policies still affect the city, I don't get into self-flagellation over things I that I have little to no control over. I know it's not the case for a lot of people, but Cleveland's been very good to me - I met the love of my life (who is a native), I've had a modestly successful career as a graphic designer for 18 years, and as you can see from above - I've had some amazing experiences that are as Cleveland as it gets. I've been able to have a modestly comfortable middle class lifestyle - when I was single, I didn't have to have a roommate to be able to make the rent and I could afford an apartment in a desirable area. I love what I do for a living, but it wouldn't be able to pay for a desirable place with a short commute to the CBD in a lot of other markets, and I have to wonder - if I lived in say, NYC - would I have had a book deal? Would I have had my photo get "discovered"? I really don't know. I suppose if anything, I grew into loving this city - even with its flaws. Could I or would I move somewhere else? I dunno - it would definitely have to be a really compelling argument.

I agree and echo a lot of what you've said Mayday. As I grew up around the same distance away from Cleveland, I don't have any of those cleveland memories people always bemoan the lack of, whether it's Hough bakery or Higbee's. Where I lived, when people went to a "big city" to do stuff, they always went down to Columbus, which I never thought much of, though I only saw it here and there, such as on our annual trip to the greek festival down there.  When my parents got divorced and my Mom had a little more freedom, that's when she started to venture to cleveland to see her HS friends and I too thought it was a huge city and very exciting. When I turned 16, my Mom bought me tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neely (a big deal for this future theater major) and we met my mom's friend at Shorty's diner in the flats, had dinner and went to the show. It was just a HUGE deal and I still remember that night, it was very special. We had NOTHING in the way of restaurants except for a few holes in the wall. Many years my Mom and I would drive up to Cleveland from our hometown on my birthday so we could EAT AT THE OLIVE GARDEN, NO I'M NOT KIDDING. It was a HUGE big deal to me, I thought the food was wonderful and so did my Mom, and living on welfare, anyplace that gives you unlimited salad, bread, and a free cake on your birthday is a fantastic place. :)

 

In that sense, my negative biases against the city have been formed completely by my living up here post-college, and not because of any loss of this or that or how things "used to be." My negative opinions of the east side came from working over there for several years. Solon, Aurora, Beachwood, Cleveland Heights, I've worked all of those places and it's just not the side of town for me. But I have been very lucky to get any jobs at all considering the degree I graduated with, which is pretty worthless in terms of making any money, and living here, I was able to get myself off public assistance, get better and better jobs, live in nicer (for me) and nicer apartments and have a pretty good life. More important than anything I have named previously, I got my life back, literally, in Cleveland, through the skill of the chief of colo-rectal surgery at the cleveland clinic and the best surgeon in the WORLD for this surgery. Had I had different doctors in a different city, I might still be sick today, or I might have killed myself by now because living with the pain gets to be intolerable after awhile. Or I might have had surgery and had someone not as skilled do it, as my online friends have had done, and be left with a lifetime of problems, or at the very least, be going in a bag my whole life. If for no other reason than that single one, I would always love Cleveland in my soul.

 

But then more skilled doctors enabled me to have my son, via IVF. Had it been elsewhere, who knows. 2 miracles. For me, that's all the luck in the world and I am incredibly fortunate to have had those opportunities, which both changed my life dramatically.

you guys have great tales, I can relate as Cleveland was very "lucky" for us as well. With hard work and yes, luck, you can make a nice life. Loving Cleveland can be tough, but when you do, good things can happen.

I grew up fiercely loyal to Cleveland, NEO, Ohio, and the Rustbelt for that matter.  However, I can't say I had any appreciation for exactly what I was being loyal to till I was 18 or so.  When I was in first grade my parents divorced and my father moved to the south and remarried.  Soon after, there was this obvious conspiracy on the parts of my father and stepmother to get me to come live with them.  One of the things they'd do is consistently badmouth the city or the region in phone conversations or when I was down visiting.  They really went out of their way to say shit and it really made me angry.  I just ended up digging in my heels and in my mind going to live with them was equivalent to losing a battle.  Eventually I matured enough and had the means to go out and see exactly what I had been fighting for and I wasn't disappointed and in fact love where I live.

R&R and Mayday, thanks for sharing. By the way, I'm one of those 5,000 who own the book. One of my favorite things to do is read and everytime my wife and I would go into a book store, she would find me thumbing through the Cleveland's Downtown Architechture book. She kept saying, "if you like it so much, why don't you just buy it". For some reason, I never did. Finally, my wife bought me the book last Christmas. I look at it at least once a week.

 

 

HHS78, I have a feeling you will come to realize Cincinnati has gotten further under your skin than is now apparent. Wait till you leave.

 

What do you mean by this?

 

It dawned on me last night why this was confusing...since "under your skin" usually means something negative. Sorry for the mix-up; not sure why I thought to use it as something like "becoming a permanent part of you".

All kinds of Cincinnatis crawling around under your flesh, searching for festering open wounds from which to escape.

LOL

I'm so glad I'm not the only one.  Cincinnati can be tiring frustrating, and downright backward but I still get physically ill when I leave.  There's something here that makes is home.  I felt it that first day, on every single visit since, and I still feel it now that I live here.  I am a convert.  I LOVE THIS CITY!

I'm a convert-ish.

 

The "ish" is because I've always supported local sports teams (Cleveland) and defended my city - but I didn't know why I was defending it. I couldn't name any neighborhoods and I never spent any time in the city beyond sporting events, because of the same "gloomy" attitude that has already been addressed in this forum.

 

Long story short, I've lived in LA, traveled overseas, seen most of the country and most recently got the heck out of Chicago for Cleveland. There was a point during my time in LA that I decided I wanted to get to know Cleveland better, despite warnings that I would get shot, stabbed or abducted by aliens. It wasn't long after moving to Chicago that I wanted out and back to Cleveland to take part in the ongoing Renaissance. Now I'm 110% in love with Cleveland and wouldn't live anywhere else if you paid me.

YES!

 

I am very much a convert. Before I turned 20, I used to love my provincial capital of Toronto. I stopped loving it after I turned 20 for numerous reasons which I won't go into.

 

I can safely say, that was one of the best decisions I ever made in my entire life, because it made appreciate American Cities more and made me want to support them economically, starting with Detroit.

 

While I still live in Ontario, I no longer support my provincial capital and quite frankly, don't want anything to do with that. Detroit, Buffalo, and Toledo are my three top cities now within reasonable distance of my hometown. Others include Windsor, Ontario, and Rochester, NY.

YES!

 

I am very much a convert. Before I turned 20, I used to love my provincial capital of Toronto. I stopped loving it after I turned 20 for numerous reasons which I won't go into.

 

How could someone fall out of love with Toronto? Now, you know the rules; you brought it up, so out with it!

YES!

 

I am very much a convert. Before I turned 20, I used to love my provincial capital of Toronto. I stopped loving it after I turned 20 for numerous reasons which I won't go into.

 

How could someone fall out of love with Toronto? Now, you know the rules; you brought it up, so out with it!

 

Okay, I became fed up with how arrogant and self-centered the city was becoming, including BS about being the "Centre of the Universe" or even "the greatest city in the world", plus my experiences there were from embarrassments to almost complete nightmares, and as a result, really didn't want to return there for anything anymore, unless if I have to (such as the case when I take a bus/train to Buffalo). Also, doing fun things there, like attending sports events or visiting attractions or staying at hotels/eating at restaurants costs you almost an arm and a leg and the service/people at those places I hear are just horrible. Everybody else I knew always went there for big city stuff and was annoyed when big city stuff never came to the largest city closest to me, being London, Ontario, and everyone complained "London sucks, Toronto is awesome", and how they would have to drive the dredded 401 to Toronto.

 

I needed change, and I first visited Windsor, Ontario and Detroit in 2003, my first experience there was awesome, and I have had many more positive experiences there in the many times I've visited since then. I also wanted to experience nearby Buffalo in 2003, experience there wasn't too bad, but once I got to know Buffalo, my experiences improved and I got to know the people there and my experiences there have since always been fantastic, much like Detroit. Rochester's okay, too, but haven't experienced it enough to know what it's really like.

 

Same goes for Toledo, but Toledo off the get-go was awesome.

 

Now, I gladly support Detroit/Buffalo/Toledo sports, attractions, hotels, things to see and do, you name it. They are my top 3 homes away from home, all gladly in the United States.