By Joe Baur
Americans, for reasons unbeknownst to me, feel entitled to climate control. Whether it’s skywalks in Atlanta to avoid the heat or reasons given for Cleveland’s new casino skywalk, something seems to have happened over the past 50 years of urban development that made Americans incapable of withstanding the natural elements of their home region despite their ancestors doing just fine for generations prior.
Though the trend is reversing, thankfully, connected parking used to be and still is for some a deal breaker to relocating in an urban area. I won’t try to pretend Cleveland winters aren’t anything but soul crushingly miserable when the sky turns gray for weeks on end, but I suspect we make the winters more miserable for ourselves by not embracing what we are – a winter city.
By constantly telling ourselves there’s no reason to be outside, we reinforce the idea that a winter city is a miserable city. Yet somehow countries like Canada and Norway manage to remain some of the happiest in the world despite having nothing but winter cities. Downtown Cleveland, on the other hand, largely shuns our true winter colors but for one day of the year, a day of the year that should serve as proof that it’s not as insurmountable a task as we’ve led ourselves to believe to get people outside and enjoying themselves in the heart of the season. I’m talking of course about Winterfest and the tree lighting ceremony.
Winterfest
Winterfest is an event billed for families, residents and visitors to “kick off the holiday season” presented by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Residents? Downtown is a neighborhood, after all? Already off to a good start and much better than DCA’s support for the aforementioned skywalk that was built to keep gamblers away from weather, people and whatever other fear mongering Dan Gilbert and company could drum up.
Festivities kicked off at 1 p.m. with horse-drawn carriage rides around Downtown through the early evening hours. Food trucks joined the scene at 2 p.m. until about 7 p.m. with Radio Disney offering family-styled entertainment on the square. Adults could partake in the Holiday Pop-Up shop where about 16 merchants participated. Tree lighting festivities launched a little after 6 p.m. with the Mayor even stopping by to offer his trademark brevity. And once the tree lit up to thunderous applause on a crowded Public Square reminiscent of the city’s best years, cookies and hot chocolate were available as well as pictures with Santa. Oh, and we can’t forget about the fireworks – a staple of any Public Square event.
Northeast Ohio Media Group offers a similar retelling of the day’s events, writing, “It seemed like the entire city of Cleveland came together with thousands of people flooding the streets of Public Square.”
“Snowscaping”
Missing from the evening were complaints about having to be outside. Sure, it was slightly warmer than a typical November 30th evening and the Lake Erie wind was being unusually cooperative, but what we saw was a city as alive as ever at a time of year we’re typically told Cleveland hibernates.
As far as I know, no visitors were clamoring for a skywalk to watch the events from above the commoners in a climate-controlled venue. They weren’t dismayed when they had to walk a few blocks in, Heaven forbid, natural elements after parking or getting off the rapid. Most everyone was in a state of euphoria for the official launch of the holiday season in Cleveland.
There’s no reason this kind of activity needs to be reserved for one day in the winter season. An ice rink in University Circle has been successful in drawing residents and visitors outside throughout the worst in December and January. Why not Downtown? Other winter cities have invested in heated sidewalks and hot chocolate stands. Why not in Cleveland?
I suspect if we tap into the ambition and creativity that exists in this town, Clevelanders will rise to the occasion. The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative has already made a push to spark ideas with their COLDSCAPES collection of proposals for large and small-scale projects – “snowscaping” solutions to urban planning problems. The city would be smart to follow these proposals, reach out to other organizations for solutions, and continue pursuing opportunities that embrace being outside in Cleveland through all seasons of the year.
After all, if we can trudge out to muni lot to tailgate in the midst of yet another losing season before a three-hour practice in fan masochism and futility surrounded by 70-some thousand brethren in December and January, surely the weather isn’t as big an obstacle as some Clevelanders may say. And if Clevelanders are willing to suck down two-dollar light beers in 20-degree weather, then I bet they’ll be willing to come Downtown with the promise of a hot drink and going home happy for once.
[Image via CUDC]
Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at http://JoeBaur.com and on Twitter @BaurJoe.
2 Responses to “Cleveland Must Embrace Being A Winter City”
b
DCA or rest of em…TRYING to breathe life into certain hood blocks to keep said going and solvent financially. CITY doesn’t want to deal with dead concrete either soooo…LIMITS to THIS Festival or other such…CAN almost break the numbers down, put them in their slots…far as Casino? IM SURE part of Public Sq.’redo’ is to slow,divert traffic away so NOT as many near misses,etc.as maybe had in past…in a sense traffic probably Rerouting ITSELF to avoid all that…SOME go near Warehouse Dist to get to parking lots for jury duty,etc.etc.while others go over to east 9th or 6th…
TO a POINT folks will put up with stuff but…HARD thou on SINGLE degree digit days. YOU want to slog thru slop,snow,salt,etc.? CASINO trying to fave self…MIXED emotions bout THAT…
AGAIN…limits to all this…FRANK J trying to keep it half sane and solvent. Let land banks take over worst of wrecks…COPS take care of rest of it. Gosh help them…or who THEY deal with.
b
TAKE what got as a ‘victory’….