I find that people most places bitch about where they live, but tend to play up the positive attributes when talking to people from out of town. Like if I say to my friends in LA that I don't miss the nasty traffic, the smog or the inflated prices, they shoot back with beach pictures or talk about the great restaurants or culture or whatever. After hearing a lot of my NYC friends talk up the city for years, I considered moving there several years ago but once I started talking about moving, they couldn't shut up about how awful it was. The crowds, the cost of living, the rude people, the isolation, that it's full of crazies and damaged people, etc. I think some of that comes into play here.

 

I think an equally big chunk of it is as previous people have described. The generation older than my own (I am in my early 40s) and above them (so, my parents and grandparents) lived in Cleveland when it was a lot bigger, more bustling, and had more going on (to them) than what it has now. You'll hear endless talk of the charming downtown, the holidays at Higbee's with Mr. Jingaling, fabulous parties at the Silver Grill, the hey day of the Browns, the Hough bakery, whatever nostalgic thing they think made it so "Cleveland." It's changed, and in some ways, not for the better, especially to those who knew it differently. There are less people here and fewer businesses, and as tends to happen over time, more crime and not less. The city schools have gotten worse and worse and there have been a lot of problems with corruption and just bad politics. But when you plop people down here who didn't grow up with Mr. Jingaling or whatever, they tend to see it for what it is NOW and not then, which is pretty darned awesome (with my personal exception being the winter, which I hate and loathe with the passion of 1000 burning hot suns).

 

Forest for the trees, generational nostalgia or a general acceptance of the beating Cleveland tends to take by the media, those all come into play.

I find that people most places bitch about where they live, but tend to play up the positive attributes when talking to people from out of town. Like if I say to my friends in LA that I don't miss the nasty traffic, the smog or the inflated prices, they shoot back with beach pictures or talk about the great restaurants or culture or whatever. After hearing a lot of my NYC friends talk up the city for years, I considered moving there several years ago but once I started talking about moving, they couldn't shut up about how awful it was. The crowds, the cost of living, the rude people, the isolation, that it's full of crazies and damaged people, etc. I think some of that comes into play here.

 

I think an equally big chunk of it is as previous people have described. The generation older than my own (I am in my early 40s) and above them (so, my parents and grandparents) lived in Cleveland when it was a lot bigger, more bustling, and had more going on (to them) than what it has now. You'll hear endless talk of the charming downtown, the holidays at Higbee's with Mr. Jingaling, fabulous parties at the Silver Grill, the hey day of the Browns, the Hough bakery, whatever nostalgic thing they think made it so "Cleveland." It's changed, and in some ways, not for the better, especially to those who knew it differently. There are less people here and fewer businesses, and as tends to happen over time, more crime and not less. The city schools have gotten worse and worse and there have been a lot of problems with corruption and just bad politics. But when you plop people down here who didn't grow up with Mr. Jingaling or whatever, they tend to see it for what it is NOW and not then, which is pretty darned awesome (with my personal exception being the winter, which I hate and loathe with the passion of 1000 burning hot suns).

 

Forest for the trees, generational nostalgia or a general acceptance of the beating Cleveland tends to take by the media, those all come into play.

 

Thanks RnR, I almost choked on my soda.  You slipped in one of those snarky comments I wasn't expecting.

 

At this point, I think this post sums it up best.

SNOD, welcome to Cleveland and congratulations on your first post at UO. I hope you will continue to post in the many threads here.

 

Mind telling us the origin of your forum name? Mine is simply my initials. Please don't tell me SNOD is yours! :)

 

Thanks for welcoming me to the forum. I had visited the forum for a while before joining and I couldn't have made a better choice.

 

With regards to my forum name, just like you, it is my initials.

 

I have come to learn more about the city; both its faults and its many wonderful attributes. It pains me a lot that people tend to focus on the negatives. I am beginning to fall in love with the City and I hope to live here permanently after I finish my studies at Case.

 

 

:)

And BTW, some of us here like winter. Of course that's easy to do when I telecommute. I will soon be working downtown more, but that just means taking buses and trains more. And you know how much I 'hate' doing that.... ;-)

Yes, there are some (crazy) people who like winter. Here, and everywhere. That people actually travel to places just so they can go and be outside in the cold and snow all day, sliding down hills of ice on plastic sticks, it amazes me. Truly. I am not a winter person, obviously.

 

I think if I didn't have to work, I would tolerate it better. I wouldn't like it, but the going out in the very dark and freezing, icy cold and navigating the icy walkway all the way to where I park my car, trying to keep my 2 year old from falling or me falling on top of him while carrying a diaper bag and a tote bag and the wet wind is blowing in my face and my kid is crying that it's cold, pick me up and carry me mama, yeah, it's not fun.

And BTW, some of us here like winter. Of course that's easy to do when I telecommute. I will soon be working downtown more, but that just means taking buses and trains more. And you know how much I 'hate' doing that.... ;-)

 

Well I have Island Blood in my veins, I hate the winter.  I've already lost my tan, so I'm pissed about that.

I merged the "Civic Pride" thread with the I <3 CLE thread.  Since it was started by a "new" Clevelander and was pretty much dominated by us Clevelanders

 

 

OK, we're not doing this. We're NOT turning another thread into a "my city is better than yours" debate.

 

Yes, there are some (crazy) people who like winter. Here, and everywhere. That people actually travel to places just so they can go and be outside in the cold and snow all day, sliding down hills of ice on plastic sticks, it amazes me. Truly. I am not a winter person, obviously.

 

I think if I didn't have to work, I would tolerate it better. I wouldn't like it, but the going out in the very dark and freezing, icy cold and navigating the icy walkway all the way to where I park my car, trying to keep my 2 year old from falling or me falling on top of him while carrying a diaper bag and a tote bag and the wet wind is blowing in my face and my kid is crying that it's cold, pick me up and carry me mama, yeah, it's not fun.

 

Thats me (just booked a trip to Big Sky, MT in March :) ).  I truthfully believe that if you don't do something to enjoy the winter, whatever that may be, it will bring you down and make you grumpy.  I Ski, but there are plenty of other things that can be done to make winter enjoyable and not necessarily outside.  Hell any warm drink tastes better when its a little cold out, especially if there's a little alcohol in it ;).

 

Summer is not as much fun for me, I burn extremely easily (curse of the Irish).  However, the wife tans like a PR.  SO I am left in a tough spot during those warmer months.  I really should invest in Coppertone or some other sunblock Co. the way I use that stuff.

There is nothing I can do to enjoy the winter except go away from it. Truly. Even as a child, I LOATHED being forced outside to sled ride. I hated playing in the snow. I hate hate hate being cold, the frozen toes, the runny nose, the stinging, watery eyes. There's just nothing fun about it to me.

As bad as outsiders can be in running down the CLE....

 

NOBODY has worse things to say about here than the locals.  MOST of those locals who bad mouth the CLE live in Avon, Solon, Twinsburg, Westlake, Independence....etc.

 

I live in CLE - 44102 zip code.  There are some things that could definitely change for the better, but I wouldn't live anywhere else  after visiting far flung places such as Beijing, Rio, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Dublin, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt  (this one actually felt a lot like CLE), Munich, Brussels, Lyon, Marsielle....Just got back from Aukland/Wellington/Queenstown in NZ,  37 states, 7 provinces in Canada, Mexico and most of the Caribbean.....

 

We have everything you need, you can afford to live here and do these things (snow skiiing/mountain climbing are the two glaring short comings, but the Appalachians are not more than a couple hour drive)  AND WE HAVE NO TRAFFIC to speak of ......and if you have to go somewhere else we have a nice airport that puts you an hour or 2 from anywhere on the east coast or midwest, 4-5 from the west coast.

 

People who visit here are amazed at what we have and what it costs......12 bux for 4 drinks?  50 for 2 for a Iron Chef meal?  major league (questionable I know) football ($50) baseball ($10) basketball ($10) under 100/sq foot for decent housing in decent neighborhoods? 

 

It is literally cheaper for a NYY fan to get on a plane or a bus get decent tickets to a 3 game series for the Tribe V. the Yankees, stay in a hotel, and eat....than it is to buy 1 "good seat" ticket to a Yankees game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What we could use is a few more people like SNOD and a few less people who live in Avon.

 

 

 

What we could use is a few more people like SNOD and a few less people who live in Avon.

 

 

And that person would be called a SNOB.

Not even that KJP.

 

More Myopic than anything...

 

I have run into too many legitimate snobs in this town.....

 

they don't even really know that NYC or LA is better..it just is because CLE used to be better when their grand daddy was a boy.....see all the reasons above.

 

We can actually compete with most places (the biggies just being the biggies and on their own plane....NYC, CHI, LA....maybe some others)

 

But Charlotte?  Orlando?  we blows those places out of the water.

 

Our biggest problem is NOT that we have to compete with other cities....we have to compete with our ghosts.....

 

What we could use is a few more people like SNOD and a few less people who live in Avon.

 

 

Yes, we need more sweeping generalizations about suburbanites...that will help create a positive sense of community...

 

When I first moved back to NE Ohio, I lived downtown.  And when I would tell people I just moved back home, they would ask "why".  The receptionist at the Holiday Inn Express was one specific person who really sticks out as she kind of went on and on because I was foolish enough to tell her why I was excited about moving back here.  And she was certainly not from Avon. 

 

Snobs exist, sure.  But there are just as many "I'm bitter this is my lot in life" people dogging the city.

The inspiration for East 4th?

 

The inspiration for East 4th?

 

 

Possibly conveys the "Noir-look and feel" that Times Square is looking to recapture.

 

What we could use is a few more people like SNOD and a few less people who live in Avon.

 

 

Yes, we need more sweeping generalizations about suburbanites...that will help create a positive sense of community...

 

^THAT.

Someone in Denver likes us

 

Six in the city: Cleveland

By The Denver Post

Posted: 10/09/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT

 

Published think pieces and on-the-ground reports of the urban renewal in the blighted Rust Belt are legion. High-profile reads on the imaginative youth of Detroit or the chic eateries of Pittsburgh have become as cliched and ubiquitous as gawking at Colorado's marijuana culture.

 

Still, all the attention being showered upon the revitalization of these cities is merited at its core: They've got something to offer. Cleveland is no exception. The former home of Standard Oil as well as massive steel, coal and iron production, and shipping caught a hard break in the '60s and '70s but re-emerged in the 1990s with the success of the beloved hometown Cleveland Indians and the founding of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 2010s shouldn't be discounted, either.

 

*****************************

 

From here it just goes on to relatively (and subjectively) accurate details about a few of our jewels.

Read more here: http://www.denverpost.com/travel/ci_19057155

 

 

What we could use is a few more people like SNOD and a few less people who live in Avon.

 

 

Yes, we need more sweeping generalizations about suburbanites...that will help create a positive sense of community...

 

^THAT.

 

Sorry. Sometimes THAT is too tempting and easy. Doesn't mean I should say it, though.

 

Nice article from Denver.

I drive ten minutes to XC ski at Chapin Forest Metropark.  North Chagrin, Girdled Road, Holden Arboretum and Punderson State Park also get a lot of snow and are great to ski at.  If you don't ski, rent some snow shoes.  Our woods are beautiful in the winter.  We are in the range of the White Pine tree and there are hemlocks in the shady gorges.  Must see!!!

When I first moved back to NE Ohio, I lived downtown.  And when I would tell people I just moved back home, they would ask "why".  The receptionist at the Holiday Inn Express was one specific person who really sticks out as she kind of went on and on because I was foolish enough to tell her why I was excited about moving back here.  And she was certainly not from Avon.

 

So she was certainly not from Avon.....so was it Chardon?  Cleveland Heights?  BrookPark?

 

Just as you are so certain it wasn't Avon I am just as certain that it wasn't Cleveland.

 

 

 

 

Just as you are so certain it wasn't Avon I am just as certain that it wasn't Cleveland.

 

Really?  You don't know anyone who lives in the city limits that thinks people would be crazy to move back to NEO from other parts of the country?

 

And you're lumping in CH, Brookpark, and Chardon together with Avon?

I am matching certainty about something nobody is certain about.

 

 

Why is the poster certain they weren't from Avon?

 

too far for such a job?  too many or too few teeth?

 

Did they say they lived on W. or E 98th?  I would have thought that particular specificity would have been just as easy and much less ambiguous than "certainly not Avon".

 

Base on the fact that number of People living in Cleveland is Less than the population of people living in Cuyahoga county NOT living in Cleveland :

 

Not Avon is much more likely to mean any of our 20 + suburbs in Cuyahoga county and that isn't even bothering to include the adjacent ones such as Avon in Lorain or Mentor in Lake or Medina in Medina.

 

 

 

 

I am matching certainty about something nobody is certain about.

 

Got it, I was misreading.

Please stop.... Reading the posts on this page is like trying to read a Sudoku puzzle! :-o

A little showcase from Central Ohio coming from Columbus Underground:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/travel-the-non-positively-cleveland-guide-to-cleveland

Northeast Ohio suburbs lead state in ethnic diversity, census numbers show

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/10/northeast_ohio_suburbs_lead_st.html

 

German, Irish, English, Italian, and Polish are what make us "diverse".  Downstate must be Scotch-Irish and not much else. 

Now here are some Ukranian dancers for your enjoyment:

 

A little more praise for Cleveland coming from travel/food icon Anthony Bourdain.

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2011/11/anthony_bourdain_talks_clevela.html

Northeast Ohio suburbs lead state in ethnic diversity, census numbers show

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/10/northeast_ohio_suburbs_lead_st.html

 

 

 

An increasing number of people, including a large number in southern Ohio, identified their ethnicity as "American," perhaps a nod to a growing feeling of nationalism resulting from two wars, and growing polarization in our politics and culture, officials said.

 

I find this to be sad, but I can't yet put into words why.

 

Unfortunately, this study is meaningless because....

 

Also excluded from this data set is Asian populations and Hispanics. Those numbers were reported earlier and can be found at this link.

Check it out -- live right now:

 

Www.csfradio.com/thiscity

 

9-11pm

 

All about Cleveland.

Drove through Shaker Square today to give my friend a quick tour. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to get out and walk, or ride the rapid. Looked really nice. I like the christmas lights. Anyways, just wanted to say I had a good time being there, even though it was just a quick drive through.

already number one with a bullet on the youtube!!  :banger:

 

 

272011 at 2:49 PM by xFiruath.  (6 Comments)

 

Cleveland metallers Alternate Reality have released a video for their song "The King That Never Was," which can be found after the jump. The track will appear on the band's forthcoming EP scheduled for release in 2012. The music video was filmed on location at historic Squire's Castle in Willoughby Hills, Ohio between July and November of 2011. Destructor vocalist and guitarist Dave Overkill has a staring role in the video as the character Mordred.

 

"I'm extremely excited to unleash our new music video onto the world," says vocalist Steve Delchin, who plays the role of King Arthur in the video. "It's about the legend of King Arthur and his quest for the Kingdom of Metal."

 

"The fact that we have two lawyers in the band is definitely unique," comments guitarist Bob Delchin, who also hosts the long-running "This Is Metal" show on Cleveland State University's WCSB radio station. "Our new video certainly has a legal flavor to it. A number of the actors appearing in the video enjoy careers in the legal field as lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries."

 

Alternate Reality's new video features special guest appearances from members of the Cleveland rock and metal community. In addition to Dave Overkill as Mordred, the video also includes Chris E. (CELLBOUND) as the evil Pagan Warrior, Dan Ullrich (PINCH POINT) as Sir Lancelot and Bill Peters (Auburn Records) as The Wicked Necromancer.

 

As Dave Overkill comments, "This video has it all! Tons of swords, blood, killing, medieval wizardry, and beautiful women clad in warrior gear. Talk about metal! My son, Hunter, even makes a guest appearance as the archer,and he lays a serious hurt on the warrior princesses."

 

"I had a great time shooting the video back in July," says Auburn Records president Bill Peters, "not the least of which included being escorted to Squire's Castle in a special luxury limo. Everyone thought I was an extra for The Avengers movie when some of the limo photos leaked out, which happened to be filming here in Cleveland at the same time, but in fact I was really going to the secret ALTERNATE REALITY video shoot. For anyone who has ever wanted to see me don a wizard outfit and cast magical spells (laughs), this is the video for you!"

 

"Cleveland has a lot of hidden gems, both location wise and talent wise", adds Chris E. "It was great fun to be part of ALTERNATE REALITY's vision. All hail the king!"

 

"The King That Never Was" video was written, directed and produced by Steve Delchin. When asked about his decision to shoot the video at Squire's Castle, Steve Delchin comments, "You can't get more metal than Squire's Castle. This may not be the first music video ever shot at Squire's Castle, but it certainly is the first video in which Squire's Castle burns down. Now that's metal!"

 

http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=74390

 

Cleveland metallers Alternate Reality have released a video for their song "The King That Never Was," which can be found after the jump. ....."It's about the legend of King Arthur and his quest for the Kingdom of Metal."

 

And here I thought it was about Lebron James!

 

When asked about his decision to shoot the video at Squire's Castle, Steve Delchin comments, "You can't get more metal than Squire's Castle. This may not be the first music video ever shot at Squire's Castle, but it certainly is the first video in which Squire's Castle burns down. Now that's metal!"

 

Yep, it wasn't the first music video ever shot at Squire's Castle. Remember the Cleveland Browns' music video in 1986 of "Conan The Baabarian" featuring Browns' Center Mike Baab, Bob Golic, Hanford Dixon and others?

They stole the name of my all time favorite video game.

I didn't think it was possible to make a video with worse effects than Dio's "Holy Diver".

 

Yep, it wasn't the first music video ever shot at Squire's Castle. Remember the Cleveland Browns' music video in 1986 of "Conan The Baabarian" featuring Browns' Center Mike Baab, Bob Golic, Hanford Dixon and others?

That was shortly after the Chicago Bears released a rap video.

 

Bob Golic was "Golicon"

That was shortly after the Chicago Bears released a rap video.

 

Bob Golic was "Golicon"

 

The Bears released "The Super Bowl Shuffle." An early form of Shuffling?

 

I couldn't find the Conan The Baabarian video on YouTube, but I recorded it on beta and I think I still have it -- somewhere....

I find it comical than when entering Little Italy from Euclid Avenue, you see a giant billboard for Marcos Pizza that states, "Authentic Italian"

Maybe this is the wrong place...but I like!

 

CLEVELAND AHEAD OF NYC ON THE FOOD TRUCK FRONT

 

The Motor Mouth food truck can now legally operate in Cleveland.

 

Being a lifelong New Yorker, I truly believe living here is better than any other place on Earth – but as a food truck lover, Cleveland just surpassed New York.

 

http://newyorkstreetfood.com/24361/cleveland-ahead-of-nyc-on-the-food-truck-front/

Also, best FreshwaterCleveland.com photos of 2011:

 

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/mastheads2011.aspx

I know Christmas is almost here but if you have time, I highly recommend visiting downtown Willoughby, especially if you have children. The lights are up on the main street and in the park. Looks very nice.

already number one with a bullet on the youtube!!  :banger:

 

 

272011 at 2:49 PM by xFiruath.  (6 Comments)

 

 

Some follow up on this work of art!

 

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2011/12/corporate_lawyer_by_day_metalh.html

Cleveland lawyer Steve Delchin's metal video named Worst Video of the Year

By Joanna Connors, The Plain Dealer

Hello, Cleveland!

 

You might want to turn the volume up to 11 for this story, because it offers us all an important lesson for living in these times and this city. It's a core life lesson, really, a shining example of how to deal with things we in Cleveland know all too well: criticism, negativity and losing.

That compared well with any metal video I have ever seen.

I love visiting New York!

one of the people on the cleveland city council is named cleveland - top THAT your city!! ;)

 

http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/council-members.aspx

 

From a poster on Cleveland.com:

"Hmm. One of Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's top surgeons left for Boston. Now one of the Cleveland Clinic's top heart surgeons is leaving even though the Cleveland Clinic leads the nation in heart care. I don't know the reasons, but as Cleveland continues to go down the tubes in every quality of life category imaginable, and as the population drops so fast our heads spin, I've wondered if the top hospitals in town would be able to keep their best young talent. Well, maybe the casino monopoly will save the day (LOL)....."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/heart/index.ssf/2012/01/popular_heart_surgeon_dr_gonza.html

 

What sought of logic is that? Just because two doctors are leaving town to pursue other opportunities means that Cleveland's quality of life is going down? I want to believe that these posters are drunk or people trying to post nonsense just to pick a fight on the website.  :wtf: :wtf:

 

At moments like these do I pray for internet censorship for morons like this poster. 

 

 

 

Born in Puerto Rico, he surfs on Lake Erie and leads an annual trip to Nicaragua, where he and a team from the Clinic perform a week's worth of free heart surgeries.

 

Watch the Doc relocate to an institution that's a bit more "oceanic" lol.

 

Good luck Gonzo!!!

University Circle in CLEVELAND is listed as one of the prettiest neighborhoods in America by Forbes.com!

 

"With a symphony orchestra, an art museum, a natural history museum and planetarium, and a botanical garden, Cleveland’s University Circle offers a wide and exciting array of ways to pass the time, enjoy some high-end food, or consume world-class culture, all within a walkable area of town that features three notable colleges. “People from the neighborhood kick off summer with Parade the Circle, a cool mishmash of people wearing artfully made costumes and paper-mache masks,” says Williams. “It is beautiful any time of year, but I was there last October, and the fall color was astounding.”" http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efel45lkj/university-circle-cleveland-ohio/

Wow, I thought Forbes hated us?

 

And that poster from Cleveland.com is one of the reasons why I try to avoid Cleveland.com. So I have one word of advice for them: "JUMP!"