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Forgive my ignorance, but why is Cleveland so strong in the arts? I've heard of the Cleveland Orchestra, but I have to say I thought the BSO was one of the premier orchestras in the U.S. I know the MFA in Boston is one of the largest museums in the U.S. but I can't think of any museums in Cleveland. So, it surprises me that many think Boston and Cleveland are comparable in the arts.
Forgive my ignorance, but why is Cleveland so strong in the arts? I've heard of the Cleveland Orchestra, but I have to say I thought the BSO was one of the premier orchestras in the U.S. I know the MFA in Boston is one of the largest museums in the U.S. but I can't think of any museums in Cleveland. So, it surprises me that many think Boston and Cleveland are comparable in the arts.
LOTS of old money. Cleveland was an industrial powerhouse back in the day.
From a Clevelander, Cleveland is just not in the same league with Boston. But both are still great cities. The only thing the two would really be comfortably comparable on are fine arts and that's just because both cities have traditionally been in each other's company in the upper echelon of cultural powerhouse cities in the country.
I'm a dyed in the wool Cleveland native who loves his hometown... For example, Cleveland simply can't match Boston's core downtown, near downtown residential areas (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North and South End) for beauty of architecture,(the largely bow-front & Colonial row houses) excitement, retail and entertainment...
TRANSPORTATION: The T is one of the top transit systems in the country. It nearly doubles Cleveland's total rail mileage (67 to 34), and moves umpteen many times more people and serves more core areas than Cleveland's RTA. Plus the T has commuter rail; Cleveland has none ... yet (Cleveland had it at one time but the private carriers closed before RTA was formed and able to absorb them... Cleveland is working on a commuter rail line to the West and may extend the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic railroad line to the south, into downtown Cleveland)... Also, RTA beats the T in a few areas: The T has no stop like Tower City whereby the central transit station is literally underneath, and opens directly into the main shopping mall downtown (equipped with an indoor tunnel to the main indoor basketball/hockey arena (the Q) -- btw, all 3 of Cleveland's pro sports teams' venues is directly connected by the RTA Rapid, ... whereby the NE Patriots' Gillette stadium is 35 miles away in Foxboro!! Also, we know Boston’s alleged airport T stop is actually a shuttle bus ride away from the air terminals, whereby Cleveland’s RTA puts you right indoors; an escalator ride from baggage claim or the main terminal!!
That said, for the criteria stated, I would say that Boston is better than Cleveland...
That said, I think the criteria are a little goofy, at times, and not comprehensive enough. So let me jostle them a bit:
HISTORY? Who cares? That's an irrelevant category imho.
(add) CULTURE. Look, it’s tough for any city to compete with a city like Boston that has not only the leading university in the world (Harvard), the world’s top tech university (MIT) and a galaxy of top colleges and Universities (Brandeis, Tufts, BC, BU, Wellesley, etc, etc,) and major music institutes (Berkeley, N.E. Sch of Music). Many say Boston is the ultimate college town.. (personally, I think Philly edges Boston out, but…) Despite all this, I think Cleveland matches and even exceeds Boston in some areas of culture. And while Cleveland doesn't have Boston's galaxy of colleges (as noted, few cities do), it still has a strong collegiate community with top-flite Case Western, CIA, CIM, John Carroll and up 'n coming Cleveland State, among others... And Boston has nothing to match the beauty and density of cutlrual/medical/educational institution as Cleveland's University Circle... Now, let’s look more closely:
Music: Cleveland matches. Cleve Orchestra is usually considered No. 1 or 2 behind only NYC. The Boston Symphony is certainly in that lead, plus Boston does have the Pops, as well. But as we know, Cleveland has a Rock ‘N Roll tradition (Alan “Moondog” Freed, MSB, WIXY, the Agora, etc, etc). Jazz is also strong. Cleveland has CIM and nearby Oberlin’s Conservatory, both at or near the top of the music education food chain.
Theatre: Cleveland wins. Playhouse Square downtown has more theatres/theatre seats than any district outside of Broadway (that’s a fact, not bluster). In addition, Cleveland has a ton of very high quality small regional, neighborhood theatres, like Dobama, East Cleveland and Cleveland Public Theatre, … to name a few… Also, the well-received early 80s film, “Those Lips, Those Eyes” (Frank Langella/Jerry Stiller) was set around a young man’s quest to make Cleveland’s famed Great Lakes Theatre Festival.
MEDICAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY: Cleveland hands down… Yes, Boston has Harvard, Mass General Hospital… It’s great, but much is enhanced by the Harvard name, wouldn’t you think? … Cleveland’s Case Western/University Hospital system would be a “to die for” healthcare hospital/network for most any major American city. It’s very highly rated… Well, in Cleveland, University Hospital is the NUMBER 2 RESEARCH HOSPITAL to the legendary Cleveland Clinic, which is not only world renowned, but now has branches in other parts of the country, like Cali and South Florida… It’s routinely a top 10 hospital system in USNews’ annual ranking; many areas are No. 1…
SUBURBAN LIVING: Few cities can match the quality, diversity and cost of living Cleveland’s suburban areas offer and, to me, Boston’s not even close. Brookline’s nice, and there are some nice mansions in areas Wellesley and some others, Boston can’t duplicate Cleveland’s Heights area, it’s Chagrin Valley or West Shore suburbs. I’m just not that impressed with those clapboard New England-y mcmansions that are ubiquitous in many Boston wealthy suburbs. Yes, they are historic, but old doesn’t always = best in quality. Try the romantic estates of Cleveland Hunting Valley, South Park Blvd (Shaker Hts), Bratenahl, or Moreland Hills. Not only that, you can get your New England fix in areas like Gates Mills, Hudson and Chagrin Falls, which is a bona fide tourist attraction. … and compared to Boston and other East Coast metro areas, you can live in these awesome Cleveland burbs for a SONG cost-wise…
NATURAL AREAS – Cleveland in a walk. I’m not dismissing Boston Harbor, the lovely Charles River and Public Gardens or the Atlantic coastal suburbs to the north and south of Boston. But Boston simply can’t compete with Cleveland – which wasn’t nicknamed the “Forest City” for nothing. Even though Cleveland’s shoreline near downtown is unfortunately industrial, Lake Erie coast lines beyond (Edgewater Cleveland (complete with a near-downtown beach), Lakewood (including it’s high-rise Gold Coast, Rocky River, Bratenahl, Bay Village, etc) is not matched by Boston… Then you’ve got Cleveland’s amazing Emerald Necklace of gorgeous public natural parks that both hug the city’s border (to the West) then encircle the city to the south and east – these parks are no more than 15-20 minutes from the bulk the metro population. Greater Boston simply can’t match this…
Other things. While I conceded downtown/close-in Boston is unique and special and WAY ahead of Cleveland, Cleveland has been making serious inroads in recent years. As a Midwestern City, Cleveland, like most places, simply has not preserved the residential side of downtown the way all East Coast cities have (even Baltimore)… Cleveland and its Midwestern brethren, replaced the downtown housing with commercial buildings and pushed residential areas outside. Plus, I’ll admit that the sprawling, oft decimated-though-rebounding East Side of Cleveland (between downtown and University Circle) loses points for Cleveland… But although it will never be as beautiful as back bay, Cleveland’s East 4th Street and Warehouse District areas are making great strides as lively, interesting residential areas in warehouses, old office buildings (and even a large, empty old major department store!), that are putting many boots on the street, than in the past. With each passing season, Cleveland gets stronger. Also, on the near West Side, Ohio City is Cleveland’s Midwestern/Victorian version of Back Bay… (and, hey, Shaker Square matches Brooklime’s Coolidge Corner neighborhood, with interesting shops, old apartments, and even direct light rail!!)… And there are other in-city interesting neighborhoods that are also rapidly growing like Tremont and Detroit-Shoreway (which will soon has a tunnel/walkway directly to Cleveland’s (aforementioned) Edgewater beach….
So I think, if you include areas that weren’t mentioned by the OP, Boston is still better, … but the gap isn’t so great as many posters are making it out to be.
Finally, one of the best most flattering travel articles of Cleveland in the last 20 years (sometime in the late 90s), was written by, none other than… a Boston Globe writer!!! Enough said.
Thanks, I was thrown by the compressed depth of field, and thought for sure this had to be closer, like somewhere over by Fan Pier.
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