I think I’m falling in love… with Cleveland.
I’ve always described Los Angeles as my “Ugly Boyfriend.” The analogy goes like this… A girl is dating a guy who isn’t exactly a hottie but is really inspiring and has a “wonderful personality.” When she looks at him, she doesn’t see the dorky hair, the double chin, the dirty teenage mustache, or the dad bod… she sees a sweet guy who cares about her, helps her out, and is there for her when she needs him. That was me and L.A.
Other people would notice the smog, the traffic, the high rates of crime and homelessness, the dirty/smelly streets, the superficial people… but not me! I noticed the opportunity, the access to literally everything you could ever need, the cultural diversity! “But he’s soooo sweet!”
Well, after 4 years, I finally broke up with my ugly boyfriend. It was a rough breakup but I knew I could do better! ;)
So now… I want to tell you about my new boyfriend!
I made my cross-country move official in January. I started to set down my roots, build my home with my best friend Courtney, and establish a new life. I came to CLE hopeful, full of dreams, but not expecting to stay forever. I told Courtney when I first got here,
“I’m moving to Cleveland knowing that I might not like it and might leave in a few months, but I’m going in with the mentality that I’ll stay here forever.”
I said this, albeit reluctantly, so that I would give this city my full attention, effort, and appreciation and foster authentic relationships. I wanted to truly understand what this city is all about and figure out if I could see myself in a committed relationship with Cleveland.
My process of deciding to move here in the first place felt like an overwhelming wave of inspiration and The Land has only continued to inundate me with wonder as the weeks unfold. The other day I was walking to Edgewater Park on Lake Erie and was captivated by the warm beauty of the antique skyline, the dark blue glow of the soft cloud cover, the friendly hellos of passersby, and the excited creativity that is happening everywhere.
Courtney picked me up from the park later that evening and when I got in her car I said, “I think I’m falling in love.” She reluctantly sighed and replied, “Uh oh… with who?”
“Cleveland.”
Friends in Los Angeles and family in Florida have been asking me about my transition from the West Coast to …The North Coast and I am constantly frustrated when I attempt an answer. I so deeply wish that I could convey what Cleveland is all about… why it is SO supremely unique and special.
After a lot of soul searching and scrutiny I’ve distilled my newfound love for Cleveland to the best of my abilities here:
Everything is simple in this city.
The people, although cynical, are really chill.
The creative community is deeply integrated and collaborative.
People are patriotic, not only for America (which they are!) but they also have an earnest pride in Cleveland.
The city is beautiful. It is so old but in a lovely and endearing way. Clevelanders appreciate history.
Nature is an integral part of the city plan and isn’t used as a visual accent but an essential part of the urban environment.
Everything is less than a 20 minute drive from everything else.
Everyone knows each other (this may seem exaggerated but really… everyone knows each other).
The seasons are lovely.
Due to the number of famous chefs and multicultural immigrant influences found here, there is a flourishing food scene and interesting demographic make up in Cleveland’s population.
There are amazing fine arts here: ballet, classical music, theater, art museums, etc. They have it all.
People work hard in this city.
Low cost of …everything.
The coffee scene is exploding and it’s wonderful.
Fun activities are ALWAYS happening and they’re so easy to access and participate in.
People want to learn stuff. Any night of the week you can attend a lecture, documentary screening, community educational event, etc. There are a lot of great universities and museums in the area that host excellent events for those hungry to learn. It’s really incredible.
LAKE ERIE.
Sports… Without getting into it too much, I’ll just say that it’s been really fun to live in a town that loves sports. We’ll leave it at that. It’s fun.
Cleveland is close to basically every other big city! NYC, CHI, INDY, STL, PIT, PHI, and more… all less than 8 hours drive away from here!
No one else outside of CLE thinks that CLE is cool so it’s like a little secret.
The city is really alive, growing and changing. It has nothing to prove because… it’s Cleveland. It knows it has issues, it’s old and all its teams loose but Cleveland is content with itself and loves itself. Cleveland is a big family. It’s beautiful. Everyone helps everyone else succeed here and there’s real community. It has so much rugged, hopeful, hard-working, dream-chasing character.