Well, it’s been an interesting past couple of week…
February 19th, 2006 | by Jeremy |Well, it’s been an interesting past couple of weeks.
First of all, my beloved PowerMac G4/400 has apparently died. I believe it’s just the power supply. I haven’t decided if I’m going to replace the power supply or just yank out the hard drives, make them external and hook them up to the Mac Book I’m gonna buy soon. But I bought the PowerMac in September 2000, so it had a good life.
On Friday morning, I closed on my new condo down in the warehouse district. New pictures will be posted once I get a camera. And a computer.
I moved all my stuff in with my (former) roommate and some of his friends Saturday in the late afternoon. I hate moving. It’s just stressful and always puts me in a bad mood. But we got everything up there. Then I realized I have no electricity. I never called The Illuminating Company. Yes, it’s a condo and I know I’m in charge of my own power, but I just thought… I don’t know what I thought.
And the toilet doesn’t work. The rear tank doesn’t fill up with water. All the other water in the unit works — sink, shower — but not the toilet. Yes, the valve is on. I dunno. I’m confused.
Needless to say, I didn’t stay the night there, which sucks. I stayed at my parents’ house since they have an extra bed. I went back downtown to go to my friend Sarah’s party. It was going to be the first party that I could just walk home to my new place from, but alas, it wasn’t.
The electricity will come on Tuesday or Wednesday. (because, despite me having to work, is a holiday. Yay President’s Day!) And the toilet thing… Well, I’ll figure something out.
I got up this morning and was reading an interesting article in The Plain Dealer about Clevelanders’ inferiority complex. I’ve lived in the Cleveland area my whole life and have noticed this negativity since high school. Some people talk about living in Cleveland as if it’s a bad thing. As if they’re being forced to live here instead of chosing to live here. And, as the article mentions, it seems to come primarily from people who grew up here as opposed to those who moved here.
The thing that I hear the most from people around my age is “There’s nothing to do here.” That statement absolutely blows my mind. It’s actually something I heard a lot when I was going to school at Baldwin-Wallace College. It’s the excuse students would use to go home on the weekends instead of staying on campus. I guess cow-tipping in their southern Ohio hometown ranked higher on the fun scale than hanging out with a group of your peers on campus. But I digress…
One of my college roommates grew up in the Cleveland area and moving to Fort Lauderdale after graduation. He loves it and now loves to rip on Cleveland as being boring and overly focused on families. Of course, the reason he thinks northeast Ohio is overly focused on families is because he grew up in a subdivision in Westlake. When he moved to Florida, he sought out other young professionals. Florida is bachelorhood to him. Someone who grew up in a family environment in Florida, went to school in Florida and then moved to Cleveland to start their career would probably have the same view of Fort Lauderdale as Tom does of Cleveland.
If you’re looking for something to do in Cleveland, check out CoolCleveland.com. I get an e-mail newsletter from those guys with an exhaustive list of things to do in the city. If you’re a young professional, check out The Cleveland Professional Twenty-Thirty Club. We do networking, educational, philanthropic and social events multiple times a month. Between CoolCleveland and 20-30, you will find more things to do than you can probably handle. And the people of the Cleveland 20-30 Club are one of the reasons I chose to move downtown instead of looking for greener pastures in another city and another state.
Outsiders feel more optimistic about our region than we do! That Plain Dealer article talks about a California developer who loved northeast Ohio’s hometown feel but was confused by the pessimism that came from those who live here. “‘When I said I was from California, people would say, “What are you doing here?”‘ he said. ‘It makes you cautious. It’s like if you ask a girl out on a date and she says, “Why would you want to go out with me?” It gives one reason to pause.’”
It’s hard to get out of a negative mindset. Pessimism breeds more pessimism. It’s like in life — we have bad things that happen to us and we have good things that happen to us. Focus on the good and you’ll be a lot happier in life. Cities have good and bad. Cleveland is cold in the winter (it’s 11F as I type this). But so is Chicago and New York. Our inner city public schools are not great. But what big city schools are? We have lost manufacturing jobs. The world economy is changing. Instead of saying “Whoa is me” to the loss of one type of job, why not look towards the future and the new types of tech jobs and science based jobs that could grow in this area. Northeast Ohio has a very low cost of living, ESPECIALLY when you look at what the region offers. The City of Cleveland has more vacant land available for development than any other city in Cuyahoga County. Companies should WANT to open headquarters or satellite offices in this city. We should be encouraging that by saying what a great place this is to live, work and play, not by saying how much it sucks.
We have a low cost of living. We have unique restaurants and night spots. Downtown is clean and safe. Housing developments are being created downtown. People are investing in the city. Traffic isn’t really a problem. (yeah, Los Angeles is warm, but would you really want to live with smog and traffic and earthquakes?) The Cleveland Metroparks is one of the best park systems in the country. We have some great major league sports teams. We have many theaters, museums, art galleries and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Just as in life, this city and region will head in the direction our collective mindset leads us. We can boo-hoo about what once was and pick and chose things certain cities have, or we can look forward and decide what we want our future to be. It’s ours to pick.
10 Responses to “Well, it’s been an interesting past couple of week…”
By cocky on Feb 24, 2006 | Reply
I agree that cleveland sucks, and I think you should pee in your sink.
By Anonymous on Jul 6, 2006 | Reply
Are you for real? Northeast Ohio is a shithole. Originally from New York I moved here for a job in advertising. My wife grew up here and realizes this town sucks too. “We have the rock hall”. That’s a joke, it’s the Hard Rock without the Burgers. Hell even the inductees don’t want to come here!
We have a world class orchestra and the metro-parks. Big deal. You obviously have never out of this part of the country. So someone from California wants to invest. Sure I’ll believe it when I see it. 298 million other people get it…Cleveland sucks.
The biggest REIT in the country just pulled out. We’ve lost more fortune 500 companies than anywhere else in the country.
A city with no natural beauty and no vision spells disaster. It’s an aging dying former manufacturing town…that offers nothing.
This country just had the biggest spike in home values…all except you guessed it, this dank dreary town. Homes should never be considered an investment mind you…but come on you average 2 points a year in this town.
Older people are trapped here. Their 60 thousand bungalow they bought 40 years go is now worth 135 thousand. Their pensions and health care have been ripped. where do they go? Conversely if they lived somewhere in the Northeast or Chicago even they would be able to retire to a normal climate.
Young people can’t get out of here fast enough.
Trust me NOBODY WANTS TO LIVE HERE. My house is up for sale and I am out of here.
By Anonymous on Sep 20, 2006 | Reply
Are you kidding me!!! Cleveland has been a real “mistake by the lake” for me. Originally from Chicago, I moved to Cleveland with a positive attitude. I thought it would be a real cosmopolitan city….what was I thinking! It ended up being a real lame city!
Almost everyone I meet in cleveland grew up in cleveland, their parents grew up in cleveland, their grandparents grew up in cleveland and they don’t ever want to leave cleveland because their family is in cleveland. Fine only the rest of america knows what clevelanders are missing out on.
And THERE IS nothing to do here. The things to do in cleveland are the same things anyone can do in any other city. Get the point, there is absolutely NOTHING unique about this place. I am embarrassed to tell people I live and work in cleveland…I just hope other people dont think I am some dinky ohio person. When I travel, I am embarrassed to show my ohio state id to the bouncer at clubs in new york and chicago.
You can do all you can and look for all the good in cleveland and say…”Hey we have rock and roll hall of fame” (he’s right..its a joke) “We have the lake!” (So does my hometown loser) “We have a great art museum!” (Have you been to Chicago’s Museums or anywhere else in america?) “We have no traffic here!” (Thats cause no one wants to live in this shithole!) Face it…the rest of america sees it except for you clevelanders…..CLEVELAND SUCKS! Your downtown IS NOT, I repeat, NOT clean and safe…its dirty, disgusting, and dangerous. Cleveland DOES NOT have unique night spots…it has very lame night spots. Is there even a good club here…and even if there was…clevelanders wouldnt spend money to go to one! Because clevelanders are just as lame as the city itself…with no class or sophistication. Cleveland has a low cost of living sure…but only because no one in their right mind would want to live here. Big companies would make a big mistake moving their headquarters to cleveland ohio…good luck finding a qualified people to work in crummy cleveland…besides big companies KNOW BETTER.
The city sucks…but what sucks more are the narrow minded, family oriented, ohio people who have lived here their WHOLE DAMN LIFE…and wouldnt consider going anywhere else only because they find it amazing (Yeah Right!). Face it, Clevelanders are just LAME!
I had a co-worker get a great job offer in san francisco. He is 24, single, with no significant other. I think most of us would jump at the oppurtunity. But this borned clevelander tells me he hates to leave his parents and friends. I say “Big deal, you’re young, educated, and brilliant. This is your time to take a risk and do something spontaneous. Why waste your twenties in a narrow minded place like cleveland.
And as far as being trapped here. I AM TRAPPED HERE. I have wasted two years of my prime twenties in this hell hole of a city. I hope I get out soon. My friends from Chicago tell me all the time. “A cosmopolitan woman like you shouldn’t be trapped in Ohio”
I agree…Unless you are from cleveland, NOBODY WANTS TO LIVE HERE. I am a 24-year old engineer and looking for another job! I love my job, but I love myself more. Peace out!
By Anonymous on Sep 22, 2006 | Reply
Dude… you’re a loser… leave the state for once… smoke some pot too.
By Anonymous on Sep 24, 2006 | Reply
guess who?!
hint hint: “what sky line?!” lol
By Anonymous on Oct 5, 2006 | Reply
Cleveland should be a flourishing city. It has nice suburbs, good schools & healthcare and the benefit of Lake Erie. In addition, for a mid-size midwestern city, it has a base of cultural institutions that would be admirable for a city several times its size.
Unfortunately, Clevelands best days are decades past. The city does not have the will to change and the old guard and current civic leaders cannot get out of their antiquated way of thinking. It will be a slow protracted death watch educated people leave, housing values stagnate/decline and the uninformed trying to make a go of it only to pack up and leave 2-3 years after arriving. As someone who spent many years in the Cleveland area and left with fond memories, I came to the unpleasant realization that its “lights out” for the North Coast.
If you go to NYC or SF, you come to realize very quickly how backwards Cleveland truly is. Its a shame to have to say this and telling it folks still living in Cleveland always evokes an emotional defensive response unless they have traveled and lived beyond Northeast Ohio.
By Anonymous on Nov 1, 2006 | Reply
I live in Cleveland and it does suck! Here’s why….Yesterday my car was stolen at my wife’s work. I was working in Toledo and actually beat the cops to the scene over 2 hours later. In fact, the cops never showed up. We had to go to the district station in the worst shitty ghetto on Halloween night. I am surprised we made it out of there. Then, they basically told us that if we find our car we should try to steal it back, then drive it to the station. What the hell is wrong here. Anyway, the mayor will hear about it, but what should he care, he has more important things to deal with like keeping his crack dealing family members out of trouble! Speaking of family, that is the only thing that keeps me in this town.
By Anonymous on Nov 5, 2006 | Reply
I have a beef with your town. No I do not live there. I have once lived in the great state of Ohio and have MANY good things to say about the state. The cost of living is low, it’s a pratical place to raise families, the nature (except for Lake Erie) is beautiful, food is good, great schools (GO BUCKS!!) - and for the most part, wonderful people. You see, I was able to enjoy your southern counterparts but it’s the people FROM Cleveland I personally have a beef with.
Most want some sort of recognition (ie. Drew Carey’s Cleveland rocks -yo Tribe, whatever pretention upholds you all etc…), yet often you come across as negative towards anything outside of yourselves. Sometimes the inhibited nature of some folks insecure about themselves comes across as RUDE. And I think you do it to eachother as well - out of transparant insecurity about yourselves and where you’re from. You do not only do this in Cleveland, but you do it elsewhere.
Even NYKr’s don’t portray this much arrogance in any hosting city.
Then people for whatever reason always get “homesick”… being elsewhere and from Ohio, I hate to say this but for those reasons I’ve lost interest and respect for y’all. I know Cleveland has more to offer than the Hall of Rock and Roll - or whatever.
People will laugh at the Browns or the Tribe. So be it. They laugh at the Reds too, but their own teams lost to the Reds. They’re only sports.
You’ve got KNOWN universities. You’ve got jobs. Take yourselves out to a foreign ghetto one day and fend for yourselves. You will maybe then realize that you’ve forgotten the benefits of radiating positivity to those around you. About anything. Ever. Only then will Cleveland ever be recognized.
Ohio is full of great people. People really make or break any place.
By Anonymous on Dec 21, 2006 | Reply
I went to visit an old friend who lives in a suburb of Cleveland. His wife got a new job there, and he went unwillingly. I see why he is miserable after touring downtown, and some local “tourist spots”.
What a dump- empty bland buildings, nobody around except the downtrodden all milling about with pathetic gazes…
I worry he will commit suicide he hates it so much.
By Anonymous on Jan 10, 2007 | Reply
It seems like this person is narrowminded like the rest of the Cleveland People. All I can say is when I visited the Flats in 2000 it was alive. Then I visited in 2006 and it was dead as a door knob. I was wondering what happened and why did the Flats die out? I am orginally from the New York and I only visited Cleveland twice. And after reading this blog and visiting I am very reluctant on going there. It reminds me of Buffalo, NY. Now that town sucks as I went to school up there. But if Cleveland is like Buffalo then No Fucking way will I move to a dump where it is dead end bars, ugly fat women, narrowminded people, and a nasty looking city.
Nuff Said For Now