What I Learned During My 10 Years in Cleveland
By Alex Sukhoy
I arrived in Cleveland in October, 2003, not knowing a soul. I left knowing so many.
A few days into 2014, I packed up my car with some clothes and office files and, finding the right pocket of weather opportunity, drove to Chicago. During the month of January I’ll be staying with family, catching up with people I’ve missed, having lived away since 2001.
Leaving Cleveland wasn’t easy. It wasn’t simple. And making the decision to do so took years in the making.
When I first moved to the 216, from Rochester, New York, I planted myself at the Statler Arms. Living anywhere but downtown seemed irrational to my urban psyche. At the time, downtown, after work hours and on weekends, was desolate. How come no one wanted to live there, I wondered? Who the heck wants to live in suburbia? Especially with the city’s access to the lake, the Rock Hall and the Gund?
In the ten years since, downtown Cleveland has certainly changed, with rental buildings at full capacity. Finally, people realized the gem I first saw back then. A lot has changed. Time will do that. But some things don’t change. And that is the soul of a city.
I’m grateful that Cleveland opened its soul to me — its alleys, its secrets, its breath. And, between the bookends of my entry and exit, here’s what I learned — good, not so good and between — about this city and its people:
1. Cleveland Culture is Cool. Between the Rock Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Opera and the second biggest Theater District in the country, if, beyond sports as religion, you can’t be intellectually stimulated here, it’s because you haven’t explored the city.
2. Cleveland Culinary Scene Tops All. In terms of the overall combination of selection, quality, flavor, price, service and access, there isn’t one city in the country that offers up an even close gastronomic choice. Sure, Michael Symon winning the Iron Chef put the city on the map, but what so many restauranteurs have done since set a bar unmatched elsewhere.
3. Cleveland Film Scene is Exploding. Between The Greater Cleveland Film Commission bringing the right cinematic projects to the city to the education film students are receiving at Tri-C and CSU — in screenwriting, production and everything in between — if you want to get your feet wet in film, roll up your sleeves and get involved.
4. Cleveland Music Scene is Imploding. Yes, it’s the Home of Rock ‘n Roll. Yes, there’s lots of talented musicians working hard to make it. However the biggest shift that I’ve noticed over the years is that instead of wanting to hear original live music, the locals would rather pay to hear covers of music they already know. It’s not a coincidence that The Black Keys left Akron for Austin.
5. Eastsiders and Westsiders are the Same. For the life of me I will never understand the great divide. This notion that you have to have a passport to cross the river. I’ve lived downtown, in Cleveland Heights and in Lakewood, so I can speak from experience: Clevelanders are good, hard-working, passionate people in each direction.
6. There Were 10 Jews Living West of the River. Now There are 9. OK, this one will never make sense to me. First autumn in Cleveland at an Orthodox wedding, a Rabbi asked me where I live. When I replied, “Downtown,” he said, “We’ll have to fix that.” Last I checked a group of people forced to live in a certain part of town led to some awful consequences. Self-segregation doesn’t help.
7. City Taxes & High Utilities are Job-Prohibitive. With all the new initiatives and projects leading the construction in Cleveland, two key things could spike the company growth in this city: removal of city taxes and lowering utility costs. In 2012, because CSU and Tri-C sent me to multiple locations to teach, my municipal taxes were so complicated and so high that not only was there no one form to handle it, but the confusion also brought fines. Hiring firms want incentives, not barriers.
8. Cleveland is a Low-Stress City. One of the gifts of Cleveland is that it’s very manageable. There isn’t a waiting line mentality and you can typically get just about anywhere within twenty minutes. The pace, while not necessarily the same as the South, gives its hard-working people a chance to breathe, a chance to relax and a chance to live a life that doesn’t feel exasperated. And, with all the Metroparks, walkable neighborhoods and cheap parking, families can live a very nice life here.
9. Clevelanders Like Things the Cleveland Way. When I read Mark Winegardner’s Crooked River Burning, it opened up so much about the history and psychology of this city. I’m all for local pride. And, simultaneously, going to college at Ohio State, then returning back and not seeing how the rest of the country — or the world — works leads to stagnation. The globe has gotten smaller. Seeing it through the eyes of the Internet isn’t enough. Being your own barometer is dangerous. Evolve or fall behind.
10. Cleveland People are Fantastic People. Some of the smartest and most dedicated people I’ve met in my life, I met in this city. People with heart, people who believe in making things better for others, people who genuinely care about each other and their communities. And these people are what I’ll miss most.
You made the last decade pivotal. You brought me here to work for one of your top firms and then you allowed me to teach future leaders at your two biggest colleges. Nearly 1000 students came through my syllabi and I’m excited to see how they will influence N.E. Ohio and the world around them.
It’s been an amazing ride.
Thank you, good people of Cleveland, for everything.
Alexsandra (Alex) Sukhoy, a globally-networked creative and business professional, is CEO of Creative Cadence LLC. Her Career Coaching skills have resulted in numerous success stories for her clients.
Her third novella, The ’90s: Diary of a Mess, reached #14 on the Kindle Poetry & Anthologies Best Sellers List.
Alex is currently completing her new book: The Dating GPS™, with childhood friend and Relationship Coach Anita Myers.
Follow Alex on Twitter: @creativecadence
6 Responses to “10 Things I Learned About Clevelanders”
Amanda
We have excellent BBQ in Cleveland. You just might have to leave your comfort zone to get it.
Ann
Nice article, Alex. I wonder if you really got into the heart of Cleveland’s music scene? While not every musician in town is trying to hit Nashville or follow in the footsteps of the Black Keys, there is a lot of quality original music being played in this city every night. I sure hope you happened upon The Barking Spider during your time here. Original live music every night of the year. And if you’ve frequented any one of the open mic nights happening at various venues in the city, seven days a week, you would know that our original music scene is not imploding, but rather just a little underground. This is a live music city! I guess it’s where you frequent, but as much live music as I see on a weekly basis, I would say we are hanging out at very different bars.
Hey Ryan, for pizza hit Little Italy, of course. I’m a Mama Santas girl, but many would tell you Valentinos. Two very different styles in the same hood, but both delicious!
Great article overall. I even got a little choked up reading it. 😉
Terry M
Cleveland will miss you! I am a lifer here, and promote Cleveland wherever & whenever I can. I’ve visited most major cities in the US, lived in Austin for 1.5 years, spent several months in Sydney & Melbourne, so I have plenty of experience to measure by. Cleveland has its so many charms, a few deep flaws, and has every amenity larger cities do, just that some are on a smaller scale. My sister-in-law lamented that Cleveland doesn’t have a place like the Riverfront in Pittsburgh, where there are tons of shops/bars/restaurants in one place. I countered with the fact that we don’t have just ONE spot – we have many pockets: Tremont, Ohio City, University Circle, East 4th, the Warehouse District, Playhouse Square, the Detroit Shoreway, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Square – so many gems in this one small town! How can one have time to get bored? I do wish there were more venues promoting live local music; and Alex is probably right that unfortunately, too many folks want to hear covers instead of originals. And I wish public transportation were a little better and more connected. But hopefully that will get better in my lifetime; the influx of young professionals taking residence in the city should help promote that. I’ve been working downtown since 1995 & have seen so many fantastic changes on all fronts; I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
Anastasia Pantsios
I must contradict point number 4 — which is almost completely, provably wrong.
There is exactly zero “shift” in people wanting to hear cover bands in northeast Ohio. The era in which cover bands crowded out original bands was approximately 1974-1979; otherwise they’ve pretty much always co-existed in the same balance as today. But there are more excellent original local bands in a variety of genres than there have ever been — and more places for them to play. Not only are clubs booking them, but there are numerous festivals and music series that either exclusively book or include original bands.
If you go to clubs like the Beachland, the Grog Shop, the Happy Dog, Mahall’s, Musica, Now That’s Class, the Spitfire, the Foundry, the Phantasy, the Winchester, the House of Blues, Brothers’ Lounge, Parma’s Yorktown Lanes, the 5 O’Clock Lounge, the Barking Spider, the Agora, and others I’ve probably forgotten, you will hear original local bands. Events like Brite Winter Fest, the Cellar Door Rendezvous, Ingenuity, the Waterloo Arts Fest, Weapons of Mass Creation, the Burning River Fest, and Saturdays at Market Square all feature predominantly original local music. And that’s just off the top of my head without a cheat sheet.
The only way to believe that Cleveland has been taken over by cover bands is if you only venture as far as the sports bar at the end of your street.
Also, the Black Keys didn’t leave because they couldn’t get gigs here. No band that wants to acquire a national following focuses on playing their hometown exclusively every week. The Black Keys always were able to find the gigs they needed here and got a warm reception. And they did not relocate to Austin, but to Nashville.
Paul
Like you, I’m originally from Rochester and while that city will always be a special place for me, I love Cleveland. I went to Kent, met my wife there and settled on the West side. I must be one of the 9 Jews this sidevof the river.
Terri A
Good luck Alex. I hate to see someone so positive about Cleveland, leave it. Thanks for the kind words about our city.