Enough with the Cleveland bashing! (Lakewood, Hilliard: to rent, houses, buy)

[fireball0074]

Cleveland Rocks!!!just ask Drew Carey.i have never been dissapointed with Cleveland. there is so much to see and do and it wont empty your pockets.there are alot of places to see concerts,clubs,art,science,history,sports,its great!!

[gtsurfer05]

Originally Posted by LewLew

Wow...street life? I'm sorry...are we talking about Cleveland Ohio? I think that comment should be on the Detroit board, or somewhere else. I think whomever might have street life mentality gunking up dt Cleveland will be run out of town eventually. The money is coming in, and the sorriness will be forced to leave.

Its not a Detroit thing, is something thats going on all over America. The point is that you can go and kick someone out of a city that is not a contributing member of society, but then you've just send them to another city, and the problem is not solved.

[BelieveInCleve]

Cleveland is a really good example for street life mentality. Detroit is a better example but Cleveland is right behind it. Cleveland and Detroit will always be hit harder than Washington DC, since DC has mostly government jobs. The Washington DC living conditions and the school district is a complete embarrassment. Our nations capital has hundreds of murders per year and a high rate of poverty. The tourist areas of DC are the most beautiful and historic places in our nation but outside of those areas the city is just sad.

[gtsurfer05]

Its quite pathetic how poorly kept most American cities are. European cities, while having their own problems too, are much nicer than American cities will ever be. As for Washington DC, being the most beautiful tourist place in the US,well thats a long stretch. America's beautiful tourist areas are its natural wonders, not its cities.

[BelieveInCleve]

I meant that it had the most monuments and everything, not natural wonders. I think its pathetic how poor kept Washington DC is especially. Its hard to understand how they could have let Cleveland and Detroit go so bad seeing how important those cities were in the past and Cleveland was once the 5th biggest city in the nation, but for the capital of our country to be that bad is just wrong.

Its sad to say but the truth is it has a lot to do with race. The worst cities in America have a high African American percentage and thats just the truth. The safest big cites are places like Denver, Omaha, Seattle, Des Moines, Austin, Portland, and San Francisco, all those places have a low minority population. The most dangerous big cities are places like Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Washington DC, and all those cities have a mostly African American population.

[gtsurfer05]

Ya that is the unfortunate truth, and unfortunately people don't want to say that publicly for fear of being called a racist. The Whites and successful Blacks in this country need to put in end to the Black community leaders (ie Jackson, Sharpton) making excuses, and actually face the problems that have been plaguing their community. Its pretty pathetic when of a population of about 10-12 percent of America is for the most part told they can't succeed and are fairly isolated and have their own culture apart from mainstream America.

[KKoots16]

I moved to Cleveland from NYC last year. My husband and I live in Rocky River and like it. However, I am so bored here. I have already been to all of the museums, all the plays I could get tickets to, many of the restaurants and clubs and I am always asking "what's next". Moving from such a vibrant city to a sleepier city like Cleveland has been a great shock. People I met before my move here told me that Cleveland was not a mid-western city and it was progressive. However, it is very midwestern. I find myself not included unless I belong to a Church, am really into sports or have been friends with someone here for years. Very frustrating and disappointing.

I am open to any suggestions and advice.

[BelieveInCleve]

I have been to NYC before and there is something to do all the time. Every hour of the day it seemed like something was going on. There is a lot to do in Cleveland but its definitely more boring then New York City. The city of Cleveland is a lot more dangerous and dark then New York City so a lot of people are kind of scared to go into the city especially after dark. The flats, warehouse district, and most other entertainment places in Cleveland have a good amount of crime to keep people away so there isnt as much businesses that stay open and things to do.

If your into sports there is always something to do here since we have 3 major sports teams a hockey team and other teams. I dont know what you mean that Cleveland is midwestern but its right in between the midwest and NE so its gonna have traits of both. There is a ton of museums in Cleveland and we usually have concerts and sports going but compared to New York theres less going on. I will tell you that most of the country is a lot more boring then Cleveland. The only places in the midwest that have more going on are Chicago, and maybe Detroit and the twin cities.

[KKoots16]

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I am not really into sports but I have been to Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Jake just to see a game and to be a part of it all. When I said Mid-Western I meant that it is a small town feel where everyone already has a best friend or they belong to a Church/synagogue and only associate with members. Perhaps it will just take time and now that I have found this forum maybe there will be ideas for things to do I have not heard of yet.

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by HopeToComeHome

I am writing as someone who grew up in Cleveland, moved away for 11 years to live in DC and went out of my way to move back. Granted my situation changed from single girl to wife and mother of 3 during that time, but I feel I need to write to announce that Cleveland is a fabulous city.

It has some of the best medical facilities in the WORLD. It has top-rated schools and universities. It has a world renowned orchestra and unbelieveable cultural and art museums.

Surely there is Cleveland pride outside the dawg pound, right?

Living in DC made me ache for the friendly faces here. On the East Coast, you can stand in line at the grocery store for 35 minutes and no one strikes up a conversation. No one says hello unless they know you.

In DC, traffic blows. I lived 13 miles from home to work and it took me an hour each way.

It does not snow like it does in Cleveland, but if it MIGHT snow, they close the schools...just in case. If it actually DOES snow, you are trapped in your $500,000 800 sq ft house for 3 days because they don't know how to plow.

In Cleveland, people care about you, not your job, not your handbag, not the car you drive or the amount of money in your paycheck.

Here, I order a sandwich at a deli and end up learning of a mutual friend between me and the sandwich guy. That would NEVER happen in DC.

I worked 2 blocks from the White House and we needed to have security drills in case our building was hit in an attack. We needed to submit in-case-of-a-terrorist-attack forms to HR with next of kin information. It was necessary to have all that, of course, but it was all consuming. And depressing.

So how about we start cheering the praises of Cleveland? This is a GREAT city with GREAT people. Enough with the bashing already!!

Okay, I have put my pom pons down now.

Signed,
So happy to be back!

P.S. If you reply that Cleveland has snobs, too, my answer is NO KIDDING. I don't mean to generalize in either direction. I am simply stating my observations. So please don't ignore my point!

Good Lord, you moved to Washington D.C., 9/11 happened, which I'm sure contributed to the constant anti-terror drills, etc. You didn't move to the French Riviera, you moved to Washington, D.C. I've never thought of Washington D.C. as anything but a place with extremely high crime and poverty in some areas, and then our government which is positioned there with various government employees and officials.

America offers thousands of various cities and towns; all of which offer various geography, weather, people, etc.

As far as finding a mutual friend at the deli here in Clevelandtown; well of course, you're not going to find that in Washington, D.C. Did you think that it's because you didn't grow up there? How can that even be a possibility?? And the part about people in Cleveland not caring about the kind of car you drive, clothes you wear, what kind of job you do, etc. - I'm sure that there are those that do care about those things. People can be snobs in all parts of the country. Maybe you're seeing what you want to see and ignoring the rest. Hey, if it works for you, there's nothing wrong with that. Just because Cleveland isn't for everyone doesn't mean that people are bashing it. Glad that you're loving it here; more power to you. There's a lot of people that feel like you do and I think that's great. Happy Holidays to you and your family.