Cleveland Rocks!

A prophet is never accepted in his homeland, but that does not keep him from accepting his homeland....especially when no one else does.

I was born and raised in good ole' Cleveland, Ohio, and I find myself back there again after years of living away. Sort of a prodigal son come home welcomed into the sometimes loving, sometimes hateful embrace of my native land. Since graduating high school in '95, I wandered about like the Chosen People in the wilderness: Boston, Montana, Milwaukee, Ireland, Portland...and now back where I started. Who says you can't come home?

Now don't get me wrong - I do not have the rosiest of relationships with Cleveland. It wasn't until I left town that I began to appreciate it. While I was growing up here, things were different. I loathed my grade school and high school, the long dreary winters, the maddeningly inept sports teams (though I still rooted for them), and the general malaise of bitterness, inferiority, and defeatism that can permeate the city like the industrial pollution of its recent past. Suffice it to say that, when I was 18 and graduating high school I couldn't wait to get the bleep out of town. I was done with it.

Still, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, so when I was gone I came to enjoy my visits back to see family and friends. Plus, the legions of thickheaded Cleveland haters (e.g. snotty east coasters) got on my nerves and made me quick to defend my city.

So, for all these haters, and for all the lovers of the city that rocks, here are some of the things I love about Cleveland:

- My parents and legion of cousins, aunts, and uncles are all here, as are a few high school buddies. It is great to be with them again, though I do miss friends elsewhere.

- Lots of bang for the buck, low cost of living. For example, I pay $450/month for the upper half of a double house - two bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, porch, garage.

- There are many nice parks and natural areas all over the greater Cleveland area.

- Lake Erie - if you've never lived by a Great Lake, you don't have a fricking clue how big and beautiful they can be.

- Great art and cultural institutions, all situated in a central location.

- Low traffic, easily-followed streets, and fairly friendly people....none of which could be said for Boston, NY, LA, and the other behemoth burghs that seem so full of themselves.

- My sports teams are here, so I get to watch them all the time...when I was away, I only saw them when they were on national tv, which was rare.

- LeBron James: we have the best basketball player on God's green earth...eat it NYC, LA, BOS!

- Casual style: you can wear jeans and T's anywhere you want out here and not get funny looks.

- My neighborhood, Shaker Square/Larchmere: I live within walking distance of several nice restaurants and coffee shops, a movie theater, a natural area, and the light rail.

All in all, it's a great place to live and raise a family. That does not mean I may not move again in the future: admittedly, I have a hard time staying in one spot for very long. Nonetheless, I have come to think Cleveland is one helluva town, no matter what sort of lousy press it gets from people who have only been there in passing, or not at all.

Yes, haters, Cleveland does rock. Oh, and by the way, our river caught fire 40 bleeping years ago...so get the bleep over it!